Vegan Family Kitchen

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 cancer. What she found out was not what she had learned in school.  That was 10 years ago, and she has turned her life around since, in...

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 Down Under who teaches yoga and whole food cooking in the macrobiotic tradition.  In our conversation, we talk about: Why the connection between yoga and food isn't always made in conventional yoga classes What therapeutic yoga can be a better choice for those of us whose...

"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 those who wish to adopt a vegan lifestyle through their transition. In addition to coaching, she supports others - vegan or not -...

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 Health, and an enthusiastic advocate for the power of predominantly plant-based diets for prevention and vitality. I am grateful that sh...

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 and delicious all-vegan raw recipes and now teaches everything she knows to home cooks and professionals chefs alike. You can find...

How can the principles of mindfulness and compassion support a transition away from overeating and food addiction? I had the pleasure of exploring this topic with Karen Steiner in conversation for the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast .   Karen Steiner is a Weight Loss Coach, Food Activist and Meditation Teacher. Professionally, she has Master’s degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology, has trai...

My first book Flow in the Kitchen: Practices for Healthy Stress-Free Vegan Cooking is available for pre-order in ebook format from Amazon (compatible with all mobile devices)! (Paperback and Kobo coming soon.) It's not a cookbook! Instead of feeding you recipes, I offer you the seeds you can plant to grow your own versions of standard vegan dishes based on your preferences, ingredients you have at...

Do you hate cooking? You are not alone. My guest today, Gemma McFall, used to feel just like you, but then she found a way to leverage her strengths to improve her kitchen reality. Listen on to find out what she did. Gemma McFall is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and also a Vegan Meal Plan subscriber. Her work is to help women reduce stress and heal chronic pain so they can get back to enjoyin...

Cooking really good food for myself and my loved ones isn't a sprint. It's an ultra-endurance event. It has to be attended at least 3 times per day (more like 6 when counting snacks for growing and/or active people). It's not like I can deal it once for the year or a few months and be satisfied. It's one of those cyclical things that repeats every day. And having some weekly routines for it also h...

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 processed food. Pre-cooked tortillas and roti sold in plastic bags blew her mind. She could not have imagined that frozen meat would one d...

This question has been settled scientifically for a number of years but it still keeps on coming up, so I thought I would review the recent scientific evidence about the link (or rather, the lack of link) between soy and cancer risk for your convenience. Spoiler: soy certainly does not cause cancer and in fact may be preventive.  You will find the reference and links to the publications discussed...

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, while health plant-based diets focused on whole foods have the potential to improve many of the factors that influence fertility. To talk about it, I invited Dr. Jenny Lee on the podcast.  Dr. Jenny Lee is a board-certified physician in both Internal Med...

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 as the source of the most abundant and easiest to absorb iron, isn’t forgoing animal products putting you at risk for iron deficiency? Unfortunately, many medical professionals contribute to spre...

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 Seekers’ Table, an online contemplative community. Ian is also vegan, a lifestyle change he sees as deeply embedded in a process of s...

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 start moving! In the podcast, we: - talk about Amy's work with busy women who want to lose weight and get in shape without spending hou...

If you also deal with picky eaters, you know how frustrating, discouraging, and worrisome it can be. I hope this story about my children's food journeys will make you feel less alone and more hopeful.  If you're interested in my Feed picky eaters with love workshop, check out the details here: https://veganfamilykitchen.com/register/feed-picky-eaters-with-love-workshop/ . Download your 5-day dinne...

There aren't many aspects of your life that won't be improved by joining a plant-based cooking club. It's a great way to ensure that you show up in the kitchen on weekends to do your batch cooking for the week. When Wednesday night comes and you open the fridge, you'll find the building blocks of dinner ready to assemble to create a fresh-tasting, delicious, healthy vegan meal. It's the perfect co...

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 shares her zero-waste shopping routines. We discuss the mindset shifts that make it easier to reduce our environmental footprint wit...

Grace hasn't been a ritual in my life thus far... but I think it should from now on. What do you think? I always love to hear from you. Drop me an email at hello@veganfamilykitchen.com. If you need help deciding what's for dinner, I can do that for you. Try the Planned & Plant-based 5-dinner plan and see if it helps out: https://veganfamilykitchen.com/planned-plant-based/  

I am sick and tired of seeing meat, dairy, and egg recipes in mainstream newspapers and magazines, as well as featured in TV shows. And don't get me started on famous previously-plant-based bloggers who start posting meat recipes because it increases their advertising revenue. The world does NOT need another meat recipe. We all have to start doing our jobs as if the climate matters - because it do...

The Instant Pot craze - and extremely effective marketing campaign - has cast a shadow on that simple hero, the slow cooker. Despite being the simplest appliance there is - with exactly zero moving parts! - slow cookers can still save the day, and in fact I recommend you use them at least once or twice per week to make comforting soups and stews. Listen on to find out the benefits and downsides of...

Warning: miscarriage and child loss are mentioned in this recording. If you are only here to learn how to cook, I suggest you skip this episode.  This podcast episode is a personal one where I tell the story of a dream - actually a nightmare - that woke me up in horror recently. It's also a reflection on motherly loss and how it made me transform my most ingrained habits. 

Have you been subscribing to meal kits and getting boxes of ready-to-cook food delivered to your door? I bet you are ready to step onto the next level by upgrading to a plant-based meal planning service instead. I hope you enjoy the Vegan Family Kitchen podcast. If you'd like help getting started with plant-based meal plans, hit me up at hello@veganfamilykitchen.com . Also make sure to check out t...

CSA box programs have you pay upfront for your summer's veggies. Is it worth it? For us, I think so, but it really depends on your circumstances. Make sure to listen to this podcast episode before you sign up for a CSA box program for the first time!  See the original post: https://veganfamilykitchen.com/are-csa-boxes-worth-it Do you need a healthy vegan, plant-based meal plan? You can download th...

When you cook, cook. (Or wash the dishes.) If you think you need your phone in the kitchen, listen to this episode to find you need to leave it out. It might just improve everything about your meals!  --  Need help figuring out how to feed yourself and loved ones really good plant-based food? Come and visit me at veganfamilykitchen.com . I have a free 5-day dinner plan you can download to get Plan...