'Just eat it,' says Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama says it best. When it comes to veggies, the First Lady told kids at a White House health fair to not complain about eating fresh produce. "Don't whine, just eat your veggies," she told them.

I hope the kids' parents were within hearing distance. We grownups need to buckle down and "just eat" our vegetables too.

Eating lots of vegetables is crucial while losing weight. With calories not worth mentioning and packed with essential nutrients, you can eat lots and fill up easier with veggies.

A weight loss lifesaver has been grilled vegetables. At the beginning of the week, I chopped up onions, green peppers, mushrooms, squash. I throw all those veggies into a big zip-lock bag with baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons each of cumin and fresh rosemary and literally toss the zip-lock bag up in the air a couple of times.

These last me a week, I grab hands full to toss in a salad or to add to stir fry or to oven roast.

Oven roasting is my favorite. It takes 45 minutes but so worth it.

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Spray non-stick vegetable spray in a baking dish.
3. Toss the fresh veggie zip-lock a couple of times
4. Spread one cup (for each serving) of fresh veggies in the bottom of the baking dish.
5. Bake for 30 minutes then add one cup of broth (I use the powered king that I mix in a bowl).
6. Bake an additional 15 minutes and you've got great tasting veggies for any meal.

The beauty of this recipe is that it works with almost any vegetables. Pick and choose what you want to add.