How My George Foreman Grill Actually Helps Me Eat Better

More than 10 years ago, I gave my lifestyle a massive overhaul in attempts to be healthier. The biggest change? I decided to eat a diet full of vegetables, and without refined sugar or processed foods.

Despite my lack of cooking skills, I quickly learned one key lesson: I just needed the right appliance in order to fall in love with all sorts of veggies.

I had no idea how to cook. I was raised in a small Southern town, and my mom mostly cooked — you guessed it — a lot of fried Southern food. The only vegetables I ate were peas and corn. Oh, and white potatoes. Lots of mashed, buttery, white potatoes or fried white potatoes (never baked). We also almost exclusively used a microwave to cook.

I didn’t know much, but I knew that the microwave wasn’t going to be my best friend when it came to making vegetables. This was more than 10 years ago, remember? This was the time when everyone was obsessed with the George Foreman grill (it was basically at Instant Pot-level popularity at my college).

Although I’d seen plenty of people use it to make grilled cheese, hot dogs, and burgers, I thought it might serve me well, as the small appliance was also touted for cooking foods without needing lots of oil (or grilling experience, for that matter).

I bought myself a miniature George Foreman grill at Walmart for less than $20 and started playing around. The smaller version ended up being a good way to figure out perfectly sized portions. Before I knew it, I had my methods down and could cook up a fish and veggie dinner in just six to seven minutes.

Buy: George Foreman 2-Serving Grill, $19

Vegetables on my George Foreman became my new favorite thing. (I’d seriously eat them for breakfast!) I found that by grilling, say, zucchini and broccoli, I didn’t need to use a lot of oil, salt, or other seasonings. Grilled vegetables have a wonderful flavor on their own — a flavor that plain or steamed veggies just don’t have. (You can argue that roasted vegetables are better, but the electric grill allowed me to use far less oil!) Plus, it was super easy to clean, so it didn’t become this whole process every time I wanted to cook.

With more confidence in my ability (and in the machine), I started branching out and tried more and more new-to-me vegetables. Now I use it to grill asparagus, squash, artichokes, sweet potato rounds, fresh summer tomatoes, and any other fresh seasonal veggie I can get my hands on.

While I finally know my way around a kitchen and have lots of other appliances (hi, my darling Vitamix!), I will always and forever use my trusty George Foreman grill. I’m not sure I ever would have taken to vegetables as much as I have if not for this small appliance.

Related: Why I Sold Both of My Instant Pots (and What I Got Instead)

Do you have a George Foreman grill? Do you love it as much as I love mine? What do you use it for?