Before going paleo, I was a pretty lousy cook. Sure I could make a mean rigatoni with broccoli alfredo (that is I could boil pasta, heat up jarred sauce and microwave a bag of brocoli), but it wasn’t until going paleo that I truly started learn my way around a kitchen. Now instead of dreading what to cook for dinner, J and I have gotten creative in our meal planning, we try new things and we enjoy spending time together in our tiny little kitchen.
I might also add that before going paleo I pretty much avoided all vegetables, unless you count corn and potatoes (which most paleo people don’t). I liked the idea of vegetables, a salad in the summer always looks so light and refreshing and the sweet potatoes and squash always caught my eye at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, there was always something off putting for me about vegetables, maybe it’s because they were “healthy”. This lead to a big problem when it came time to actually start eating them when I adopted a paleo lifestyle.
I started in slowly with the more “normal” vegetables like green beans and peas before advancing to things like broccoli and spinach. And now I am a big proponent of the vegetables that used to scare me, like squash and cauliflower. I will note that I am still trying to conquer the artichoke and beets, but I am no longer intimidated by these foods.
I have learned that the way to overcome my aversion to vegetables was to simply learn how I liked them prepared. For example, I love lightly roasted broccoli but hate it boiled. Those little green trees are now one of my favorite side dishes!
Below I’ve compiled some of the most common vegetables and outlined the correct amount of time to boil, steam and saute them to perfection! And in true paleo pointer fashion, I’ve also added a few of my insider tips and tricks. Are you interested in learning more about preparing a particular vegetable? Do you have any insider tricks of your own? Share below!
images via Sprouted Kitchen