The best conversations are had in the kitchen. The Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast features conversations with inspiring guests who have knowledge and stories to share about plant-based cooking and nutrition, lifestyle medicine, planetary health, and vegan living. Brigitte also shares useful content from her blog, such as her articles about iron and calcium for vegans, tips for late-blooming vegans who have non-vegan family members, mindset shifts for better habits, and mindful ways of living.
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Lifestyle and mindset shifts for a blissful menopause: Conversation with Anna Pelzer, vegan menopause coach (podcast)
Can there be such a thing as a blissful menopause? Every woman's experience will be different, but certain lifestyle and mindset shifts will make it a smoother ride. My guest on the Vegan Family Kitchen podcast today is Anna Pelzer, a vegan menopause coach, has some...
How to store groceries to reduce food waste and cook faster
Most people could cook faster, waste less money and time, and be less stressed if they handled their grocery haul differently. How should you store groceries to reduce waste and make cooking faster? Try these four strategies and share yours in the comments. Clear your...
How to cook delicious homestyle meals (including with tofu and tempeh!) – A conversation with Jean-Philippe Cyr, a.k.a. The Buddhist Chef
With the charismatic Jean-Philippe Cyr, delicious and comforting vegan dishes are served with a side of self-deprecating humor... or is it the other way around? Jean-Philippe, a.k.a. The Buddhist Chef, just published his most recent English-language cookbook, The...
Veganizing familiar favorites: A conversation with Karla Salinari (The Latina Health Coach)
How to stay connected with our culinary heritage without sacrificing health? Let's talk about it with Karla Salinari, a.k.a. The Latina Health Coach and author of the recently published cookbook Abuela's Plant-Based Kitchen: Vegan Cuisine Inspired by Latin &...
Learn Veganic Gardening with Meg Kelly (podcast)
Veganic gardening is an approach to growing plants organically without animal inputs. In other words: plant-based gardening! If you already have a garden, listen in to learn from Meg Kelly how to transition to a kinder and safer approach. If you don't already grow...
Experimenting with our food choices (and more!) with Helen C. Giles (Subscriber spotlight)
Why not try something different, pay attention to the results, and take it from there? This Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast episode's guest, Helen C. Giles, is a colleague, cooking friend, and meal plan subscriber. Her story will encourage you to embrace experimentation...
Healthy Vegan Italian Cooking: A Conversation with Antonia Ricciardi
Get inspired to cook more healthy vegan Italian food with Antonia Ricciardi, a private chef based in Cambridge UK. Antonia trained in physics and worked in the publishing industry, but her roots in the family restaurant in Southern Italy stayed strong. In our podcast...
Cooking in a state of emergency: An interview with Oksana Spoliak, Ukrainian food blogger
How to deal with having to go down to the air raid shelter in the midst of cooking dinner? Is there even something that's good to eat when you are under threat of bombing? And how can we make cooking and eating a more meaningful experience, even under a prolonged...
This ninja doctor is not protein deficient: An interview with Dr. Jules Cormier, family physician
In this episode of the Vegan Family Kitchen podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jules Cormier, a family physician, plant-based nutrition advocate, and ninja sports athlete who shares his inspiring story of transformation, healing, and performance. In his 20s, Dr. Cormier...
The unexpected benefits of cooking in a 310 sqft home: An interview with Kathy Davis of VegInspired
Most people believe that they'd cook better if they had a bigger kitchen... but is that so? Kathy Davis, who runs the Eat More Plants Academy and published three cookbooks, lives in a RV and her story challenges conventional views. It's all about intention. Kathy...
Life after breast cancer: An interview with Nic Bathurst, dietitian and nutritionist specializing in mid-life women’s health
Nic Bathurst, a dietitian and nutritionist, and mom of four kids, thought of herself as a healthy and fit person with good habits. Then, at age 48 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy and started digging into the literature about breast...
Yoga, Food, and Healing: A conversation with Leah Cooper, yoga teacher and whole food cook, The Centre of Ki
The food we eat isn't neutral: every bite has the potential to nourish and heal us, or harm us. So says Leah Cooper, my friend from Australia who teaches yoga and whole food cooking in the macrobiotic tradition. In our conversation, we talk about: Why the connection...
The spiritual energy of food: Conversation with Kimberly Winters, vegan coach and energy guide
"When we uncover who we are, and we are willing to show up as that person, a lot of barriers just fall away." Those are the wise and inspiring words of my guest, Kimberly Winters. Kimberly is the host of the Did You Bring the Hummus? podcast, where she gently guides...
Plant-based in public health: An interview with Dr. Charlyn Black, MD, ScD, Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health
Charlyn Black trained as a family doctor more than forty years ago, but most of her career has been as a scholar dedicated to understanding the social determinants of health for over three decades. She is now a Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public...
Getting started with raw vegan food: An interview with Crystal Bonnet, raw vegan chef and author of The Art of Raw Desserts
Today on the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast I meet with Crystal Bonnet, raw vegan chef and author of the just-published beautiful book The Art of Raw Desserts. Crystal is a graduate of the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy and of the Pure Joy Academy. She develops unique...
Practicing mindfulness to tame food addiction: A conversation with Karen Steiner
How can the principles of mindfulness and compassion support a transition away from overeating and food addiction? I had the good luck of exploring this topic with Karen Steiner in conversation for the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast. Listen to the episode: Watch on...
Book launch: Flow in the Kitchen coming out on November 15th, 2022
Flow in the Kitchen: Practices for Healthy Stress-Free Vegan Cooking is not a cookbook. Cookbooks can be useful and beautiful… but they don’t make us cook. Who hasn’t ordered ready-made meals instead of cooking at home, despite having lots of cookbooks, a fridge full...
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:...
From Nepal to the Midwest and back: an interview with Babita Shresta, author of Plant-based Himalaya and Vegan Nepal blogger
Babita Shresta thought she had landed on another planet when she first visited a grocery store in Minnesota. Coming from rural Nepal, where as a child she learned to cook fresh vegetables and simmer lentils alongside her grandfather, she had never seen packaged...
Soy and cancer: should we worry? Here’s what the recent literature says.
When a client says “I am concerned about including soy products in my plant-based diet because of the cancer risk,” this is the information I can provide them. In short: no, you should not avoid eating soy for fear of increasing your cancer risk. Quite the opposite!...
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...
Where veganism and spirituality intersect: an Earth Day conversation with Rev. Ian White Maher
Earth Day is a timely moment to reflect on how we are connected to our natural environment and to all the other beings who share this planet with us. I am humbled to be joined by Reverend Ian White Maher, a Unitarian Universalist minister and also the founder of The...
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...
A plastic-free and zero-waste cooking and living journey – Interview with the Zero-Waste Chef: Anne-Marie Bonneau
Anne-Marie Bonneau has been living plastic-free since 2011 and you'll find her story and tips inspiring and empowering. In this episode, we discuss what motivated her and her daughters to say goodbye to plastic and reduce their food and packaging waste and Anne-Marie...
Why I recommend an inexpensive slow cooker for plant-based cooking (no affiliate links!)
Many people bought a slow cooker only to leave it to gather dust on top of their fridge. That's really too bad because using a slow cooker for plant-based cooking is a great way to decouple cooking from eating: throw in the ingredients in the morning, switch it on to...
Wean yourself off meal kits with meal plans
Meal kits take the entire mental load and most of the physical load off cooking a meal: you choose your meal from a restricted menu of options, and all the ingredients and directions come to you in a neatly packaged boxed, pre-portioned and ready to be turned into...
Are CSA boxes worth it? Read this before you subscribe.
For the past 10 years, I have been an on and off subscriber of veggie boxes via a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme or another. Yet again this winter, I ask myself: should I sign up for a CSA box this year? Are CSA boxes worth it? The answer isn't...
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...
Subscriber spotlight: The case for investing in our health and wealth: an interview with Alison Setton, financial educator
What do health and wealth have in common, other than 5 letter? Alison Setton and I, in this conversation, conclude that both health and wealth require some effort to build and maintain, but it's totally worth it: both reward investors with the fruit of compound...
After Meat: The Case for an Amazing, Meat-free Future – An interview with the author, Karthik Sekar
Eating animal products, aside from being horribly polluting and terribly cruel, is shamefully inefficient. Thankfully, we can do better thanks to technology today, and the future looks bright. I was thrilled to interview Karthik Sekar, Ph.D., a data analyst in the...
Subscriber spotlight: Use your gifts for good: An interview with Marian Erikson, host of the Plant-based Briefing podcast
Marian went from omnivore to vegetarian to humane-meat-eating-flexitarian to, eventually, whole food plant-based eater and vegan activist. She is a voiceover artist who started the Plant-based Briefing as a way to further spread the love of plant-based and vegan...
Why you hate cooking (and what you can do about it)
When I ask people what stops them from cooking more healthy meals from scratch at home, I often hear some version of the following: "I hate cooking!" "Cooking feels like a waste of my time." "I'm sick of making dinner." "Why is it always me who's expected to know...
How to make cooking fun?! An interview with the fun coach, Siobhan Coates
It's time to make cooking fun. Does cooking feel like a chore? It doesn't have to! I interviewed Siobhan Coates, the fun coach, to ask her why we perceive cooking so poorly, and for her to share her best tips to make cooking fun again. She has great suggestions. Watch...
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...
How to start batch cooking (with 20 vegan batch cooking recipes!)
Batch cooking changes lives... it really does! In fact, vegan batch cooking probably also SAVES lives. Why? Because when you've got a meal all ready to eat in the fridge or freezer, you're much less likely to eat unhealthy processed or delivery food (saves human...
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...
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...
5 urgent (and easy!) eco-friendly eating habits to adopt today
What happens roughly 24 billion times per day on Earth? Humans having a meal. About a third of all of the resources we extract or use from the planet are funneled toward our insatiable appetites. If we are to continue living together on this planet for a little...
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,...
Mindful screen-free cooking: the pathway to becoming a better, faster cook
At a time when kitchen appliance companies are starting to sell water-resistant, voice-operated tablets powered by Google Assistant, my advice puts me at risk of coming across as either curmudgeonly or perhaps quaint. Yet, in the face of the irresistible pull of...
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....