Veggies & Virtue

We have all been new moms, navigating our ways through. And many of us have probably felt the eyes looking on and unsolicited opinions offered when we simply weren't prepared, needed a hand, or felt completely clueless. Hopefully, many of us have also had the fellow mom or female in our life who stepped in - to offer the wipes, entertain a child, or share the encouragement. Because as moms, we are...

Whether you get any flowers, nice gifts, or little to no acknowledgement at all this Mother's Day, I want you to know - I see you.   I see the effort you are putting into feeding your family, stocking the fridge, cutting the grapes, and wiping the sticky hands. I know the spills you endure, the seemingly fruitless attempts you take to offer a new food, and the hopes and dreams you have for your ch...

It can be so easy for one challenge to precipitate the next, including in feeding our families. As valid as the initial struggle, worry, or issue is/was, if we aren't careful, it can take our families down a whole path we never intended to journey on. That's why, in this episode, I share the parallel between being a parent of a picky eater and a situation that came up with my 7-year-old at school....

I was so fortunate to get to go on an incredible girl's getaway with my girlfriend, Allison, last weekend. And while we were away in Utah exploring Zion National Park and Bryce National Park, I shared some of the amazing pictures and videos from our girl's trip on Instagram . With many of you asking for the details from our trip, I thought I would give you a 20-minute recap of why we planned this,...

Are you feeling anxious about your kids being home all summer? Does the idea of their endless snacking stress you out? Have you been wanting to offer easy, healthy snacks all school year long but always find yourself in the same rut with a rushed routine? If so, today's episode is for you! We are talking about 5 ways you can repurpose the common tray to make impressive and satisfying kids snacks f...

Are you looking at summer and hoping that a different routine will help your child try new food? The slowed pace of non-school nights and grilling outside as a family can offer a lot of expansion in a child’s diet. So let’s find out how to include a seasonal vegetable, like asparagus, as an opportunity to include new foods on our family’s meal plan and introduce our child to new seasonal vegetable...

After starting my business online and primarily on Instagram six years ago, I felt led to share what the Lord has been teaching me lately through the growing pains of self-employment, entrepreneurship as a Christian, and juggling the demands of motherhood. Based on a sermon, shared with me by Cason of the Her Pursuit Podcast , that is titled, Don’t Stop of 6, I hope this episode will encourage you...

We all have them - you know, the meals that our husbands and us love that our kids refuse to even touch, taste, or tolerate. It can steal our joy right out of eating it, especially on the busy weeknights when dinnertime is a train moving in two different directions. That's why, in this episode, I share a real-life menu and mom-night from my home and family to you and yours. I walk you through how...

We all want our kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. And yet, how confident are you to walk into the store, pick the given produce, and bring it home to prepare it so your kids can actually reach for it as easily as they do that crinkly bag of crackers? Exactly. Majority of us are guilty of that. We are motivated and yet, we are too often intimidated. That's why, in these fruit and vegetable of...

Easter may have passed, but I know a lot of homes are still trying to put up the plastic eggs, Easter baskets, and figure out where to keep all that Easter candy! As parents, we can feel that it makes sense to hide the candy and put it totally out of reach - for our kids sake and own temptation towards the pastel-colored candies. However, in this episode, we review 3 ways to set boundaries with le...

Do you feel like you quickly fall in a rut with what meals or snacks to make your family? I get it! As a busy, Christian mom with three kids myself, I don't always (or often!) have the mental energy or physical capacity to come up with new, nutritious ideas day after day. That's why, in this episode, we take 20-minutes to power through a meal planning exercise that will transform the way you look...

Are you looking for a fun way to switch up the menu this week? Then, look no further than this episode. Because while we have been talking all about eggs this week, in this episode, we go over: How to do a Muffin Tin Meal Easter-style, using egg cartons and plastic eggs Supplies you need Foods that work well for easy, healthy kids lunch or snack options Friendly reminders to be cautious about chok...

Are you overwhelmed with the number of options there are with eggs these days? For a single ingredient food, there are so many marketing terms added to cartons of eggs that easily confuse any consumer. That's why, on this episode, we talk about: What kinds of eggs should you buy? The nutritional impact of a hen's living environment and diet on eggs The pros and cons among conventionally raised, fr...

Are kids ever allowed to just "not like" something? This is a question that commonly comes up, and while it could be an episode all on its own (and maybe soon will be one!), for the purposes of today's episode, we are talking all about: Should your child learn to like eggs? Unless your family fits one of the first three criteria I share on the episode for why it makes sense to avoid eggs, then yes...

I know, it seems crazy right?! I still don't quite understand why exactly this episode about how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg has taken off exponentially more than any other episode in the 1+ year history of the Veggies & Virtue podcast. But it has! So, in the spirit of Easter this coming weekend, I wanted to put it back at your fingertips. Plus, since I know a lot of us are going to be boi...

Are you a March Madness fan? Whether you come from a fellow sports-loving household like ours or have no idea what I am referencing, you are going to get a fun, new idea out of today's episode. In it, I share with you: What our family's March Madness Bracket Challenge looked like (circa March 2020) How you can create your own bracket challenge to introduce new foods, add variety, and incorporate m...

With this listener submitted question, we discuss how to eliminate mental and physical clutter around meals as busy moms. Many of us were raised to store everything in a recipe box, but now, with electronic, app-based, and an ongoing appreciation for hardcopy cookbooks, it can be hard to organize healthy meal ideas for our family. That's why, in this episode, we discuss: Three ways to organize rec...

Does your child need to eat more vegetables? If they are like most typical kids, of course they do! And while we may know this to be true, I know that many parents are triggered by their child's tantrums - including those that happen at or around the table. So, instead of feeling scared about their food refusal or unsure how to handle it when you do expose a food and your child throws a fit about...

Do you find yourself wanting to improve your family's diet and expand on the healthy choices you are making, but as a busy mom, you just don't feel like you have the capacity to do the things you need to do? Well, I get it. As a Christian mom of three juggling many of the same demands you are, I know how we can both want and value something and yet question why we aren't actually making the change...

Looking for Easter basket ideas for kids that aren't candy? Nothing against a cadbury egg or jelly beans here, but as a Christian, mom, and dietitian, I know that I am often looking for more fun and festive ideas to add to my kids Easter baskets than candy alone. That's why, in this episode, I share with you easy and healthy Easter basket ideas for kids. These are tried and true Easter basket idea...

Whether you find yourself going into spring break or just asking a question that I first covered this time last year, today's episode is going to help you know how to raise a healthy eater amidst eating out at restaurants as well as when routines are "off" during seasons like spring break. You will walk away knowing both my advice and experiences as a dietitian mom of three, so that you can rest a...

As parents, we can worry when our kids don't eat a lot of vegetables. Between the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, we feel that our kids aren't getting what they need if not from that food group. Thankfully, there are things we as parents can do to raise healthier eaters. And no, I don't mean bribe, force, or coerce our kids to eat more veggies! Instead, as parents we ought to rest ass...

As New Years resolutions fade and the busyness of springtime is in full swing, we need to be intentional about how we get family meals on the table each night. That's why, in this episode, we breakdown the objective definition of "easy" when it comes to easy family dinner ideas. Because whether you are a busy mom with several kids in extra-curriculars or you are a postpartum mom with an infant on...

A friend and fellow mom of three recently told me about a takeaway that she had as a major aha from the book, Memory Making Moms . And although I still haven't read the book myself, I appreciate that this was an easy trick I could quickly and easily implement in attempts to be more intentional with my time as a busy mom. And because some of the non-feeding stuff of motherhood seems to really reson...

Do you ever feel like your kid just doddles or is distracted at the table? Or, in attempts to get some added one on one time with you, they take way too long to wrap up a meal? Or, maybe you are tired of telling your child to hurry up and eat and the tone that sets at the table. There are so many reasons kids can take a long time to eat. Thankfully, there are also a lot of productive strategies pa...