Vegan Family, Children, and Relationships
Protein for vegans and plant-based eaters: my point of view as a meal planner, woman, and mother
Protein for vegans and those who eat a predominantly plant-based diet: should we be worried or is this all overblown? Those are questions I have been asking myself since starting to cook mostly plant-based food in 2013 and going vegan in 2015. The question is all the...
Cooking with your strengths: An interview with Gemma McFall, strengths coach and Vegan Meal Plan subscriber
"I've always hated cooking," wrote Gemma McFall in her newsletter to her coaching clients. In a desperation-driven Google search session, she somehow stumbled upon my Vegan Meal Plans and was able to turn her kitchen situation around. How did that happen? Gemma says:...
Can fertility improve with a plant-based diet? Exploring Dr. Jenny Lee’s journey toward better reproductive health
Can fertility improve with a plant-based diet? Research certainly seems to be on the side of a reduction in meat intake having a positive effect. Generally, healthy plant-based diets focused on whole foods also have the potential to improve many of the factors that...
Iron for vegans: my views as a meal planner, woman, and mother
Iron for vegans and plant-based eaters: should we be worried? Iron is a common concern of well-meaning friends and relatives, upon learning that a loved one is going vegan or committing to eating more plants (and fewer animals). Since most people still think of meat...
Getting in shape after having kids: Plant-based personal trainer Amy Kakebeeke shares her best tips
How do you get into shape after having kids without spending hours in the gym? Amy Kakebeeke is the queen of squeezing short yet effective workouts in-between the many commitments of her busy life as a working mom. Get ready to be inspired to hop off the couch and...
Dinner ideas for picky eaters: what’s wrong with plain pasta?
I often get asked for dinner ideas for picky eaters or "good vegan food for kids." I disagree that there is any kind of specifically kid-friendly plant-based food, because every family has its own food history and different styles of cooking and foods will work best...
Can dogs be plant-based? A interview with Laura Simonson of Virchew
About a third of American and Canadian households have a dog, and the numbers have grown since the beginning of the pandemic. My own household does not include tail-wagging friends, but I know dogs are part of the family for many. So what do they all eat? Can dogs be...
6 big reasons to be grateful (not resentful) when cooking
Many of us, myself included, can occasionally feel resentful when it comes time to prepare dinner. "Why me (again)?" "Didn't I just feed you?" "Cooking takes too long!" "I'm sick of cleaning up after meals." "Oh! Ungrateful hordes of hungry picky little monsters." I'm...
Your meal planning priorities: what matters most? what can you let go of?
Drawing parallels between meal planning and project management can help us make decisions about what to cook. In the kitchen as on any construction site, scope, time, and cost have to be kept in constant balance if you want to serve your loved ones really good food....
Dreena Burton’s 20 years as a vegan cookbook author and parent
Dreena Burton has published six vegan cookbooks and raised three children in 20 years. That elevates her to superhero status to me. Her recipes take nutrition, appeal, and ease into consideration all at the same time, and she keeps on showing up to inspire us with...
Plant-based doctors at home: An interview with Dr. Jimisha Patel and Dr. Nina Hourmouzis of the Columbus Prevent and Reverse Health Clinic
Traditional medical education makes very little room for nutrition and disease prevention. As a result, "health care" often ends up looking more like "sick care." But the tide may be turning and the number of plant-based doctors is growing. Thanks to the efforts of...
“My wife is going vegan!” Now what? An interview with my husband
When one spouse - often the wife - is going vegan but the other one isn't there yet, what happens? I have told my own transition story from meat lover to ethical vegan and plant-based eating advocate a few times, including along with some tips for late-blooming vegans...
Should I supplement B12? (No affiliate links.)
Should I supplement B12? My answer is straightforward: yes. This is probably true regardless of one's dietary choices, but even more so if vegan or even just a part-time plant-based eater (flexitarian). This article is required reading for all Vegan Meal Plans...
Why quit coffee? 10 years into a personal experiment
In April 2011, I quit drinking coffee. This was an unexpected move for me because I loved coffee. Back in the mid-1990s, I had a blog and many posts were about the art and pleasure of coffee making and drinking. My espresso machine was my most beloved appliance. I...
Late-blooming vegan with family in tow? Here are 10 tips to ease your transition
Like so many other vegans, the only regret I have about veganism is not embracing it earlier. Going vegan in my mid-20s would have been so much easier. Back then, I was living with roommates and mostly cooking for myself. I even ate a lot of accidentally vegan food,...
Vegan meal prep for health: Katie heals her gut (subscriber spotlight)
What if committing yourself to doing some vegan meal prep on the weekend, using only whole foods plant-based ingredients, could mean something as profound as healing yourself from a disease that's been dogging you for over 20 years? That's what happened to Vegan Meal...
Teaching kids to cook: the kitchen internship method, with Dr. Pamela Fergusson, RD
Teaching kids to cook is a no-brainer: who doesn't want their child to be able to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for themselves when they move out on their own? Even better, raising capable cooks means that, by the time they are tweens or teens, they can whip...
One week of real-life plant-based dinners (mostly) following this week’s Vegan Family Meal Plan
What does my family eat for dinner? I thought I would share a pretty-typical week of vegan family dinners at our table. As usual, I followed the Vegan Family Meal Plan. I made a big effort to snap some quick pictures before starting to eat. I hope that new and...
How a vegan pediatrician feeds her family – An interview with Doctor Yami Cazorla-Lancaster
Dr. Yami is a busy plant-based pediatrician but she still finds the way to eat mostly home-cooked meals throughout the week. Read more about her simple meal planning, weekend prep, and cooking routines, plus her best tips for parents with picky eaters.
Vegan camping food for a family car camping adventure
Our children are now 8 and 5. It took my husband and I this long to build up the courage to attempt sleeping in a tent in their company. For our first long-weekend adventure, we picked a nearby destination - Golden Ears Provincial Park - and Labor Day weekend, hoping...
10 strategies to get your child to eat more vegan foods – Guest post by Joanna Olson of Raised on Veggies
Is transitioning to a plant-based diet causing power struggles with your children? Have you faced backlash from your little ones when trying to feed them more vegan food? I hear you! Even without the added challenge of swapping dairy for lentils and chicken for tofu,...
Raising toward vegan? Why I am vegan but my kids are not (yet)
My children are not vegan. There, I said it. It is a plain fact. Although the vast majority of their weekly calories come from plants, including everything eaten at home and in their lunch boxes, they occasionally consume meat, dairy, and trace amounts of egg outside...
How to involve kids in cooking at all ages (with lots of kid-friendly recipes!) | A guest post by Janelle Leclair of Peaceful Easy Vegan Nutrition
Do your little ones love to “help” in the kitchen? It can be hard to involve your kids in cooking at the end of a stressful day when all you want is to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible. Yet, teaching kids kitchen lessons is an investment that will yield...
Amazingly healthy vegan ice pops (that your kids will LOVE)
"Mommy, I want a snack!" How many times a day do you hear that in the summer? Those five words can be the gateway to so many perils. Processed food with dubious ingredients and scary color additives. Empty calories that will fill your children's tummies and prevent...
17 fun food things to do with kids this summer
Summer bring a welcome change of pace after the frenzy of year-end shows, school field trips and, for some of the older kids, exams. Whether your kids are 3, 13, or 23, I bet there are at least a few of the activities below you haven't done yet. Why not put a few on...
Vegan dads who cook share their stories and kitchen tricks (plus a bonus home-made tofu recipe!)
Men are getting busy in the kitchen. Between 1965 and 2007, the proportion of men who cook increased from 29% to 42%. Men are also more likely to shop for groceries. That's true in my household: according to our bank statement, my husband spends a lot more money at...
“My husband doesn’t want to raise our kids vegan”: What’s a mom to do?
"Help! My husband doesn't want to raise our kids vegan!" "My partner refuses to hear anything about the health benefits of eating plant-based whole foods. He says that food is food and that our kids should be allowed to eat whatever they want." "When I am away my...
When your whole family doesn’t go vegan – An interview with Sarah Hayes from Bad to the Bowl
What to do if your whole family isn’t vegan? There are more women than men who are vegan, and also more women than men who are in charge of cooking dinner. As vegan and plant-based diets become more common, we shouldn’t be surprised when this family situation arises:...
Meal planning around picky eaters in 7 loving steps
"I have never had a single concern about my child's eating" said no parent, ever. There are worries at all stages of life, from infancy ("is she getting enough milk?") to teenage ("too much junk food!"), with many years in-between spent bemoaning picky eating habits....
11 tips for vegan families to eat better on vacation (video)
Just like many other vegans with families, I prefer renting a cabin or condo when going on vacation. That way, I have a full kitchen to prepare our meals instead of depending on dubious (and expensive!) restaurant fare. In this video filmed on premises in Hawaii, I...