Christin McKamey is the owner of VeggieChick.com, a site dedicated to whole food, plant-based recipes with a strong focus on the world of produce.

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Christin creates delicious veggie-focused plant-based recipes (with many oil-free and gluten-free options), as well as offering tips and tools to help others live and maintain a plant-powered lifestyle.

She has a Plant-Based Nutrition certification from e-Cornell, a certification from the Forks Over Knives Rouxbe Cooking School, and has also attended Vegan Fusion plant-based cooking classes. Christin lives in Royal Oak, Michigan with her husband and cat, Chloe.

Here is a summary of what was discussed in this podcast episode:

• Batch Cooking Tips– things I do to ensure success for the week. Note: I don’t always do this, but when I do, I do find I make healthier choices.
  • Grocery shopping on Saturday, prepping a couple hours on Sunday
  • Things I do during prepping:
    • Wash, dry and chop vegetables; place in airtight, sealed containers.
    • Chop veggies that are versatile in many dishes, such as bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions.
    • Soak nuts and seeds if required.
    • Marinate tempeh or tofu.
    • Make a couple of versatile dips or dressings that will last in the refrigerator for a few days.
    • Freeze grains- portion into 1 or 2 cup portions and freeze in freezer bags or containers.
  • Decide a few ways you can make multiple dishes with the same ingredients. I love making what I call multi-way bowls (see more info below), soups, salads, tacos, chili, etc. You can also do a stir-fry or a salad bar.

• Time Saving Techniques
  • Always read recipes once or twice to make sure you have everything before going to the grocery store. Some recipes might be missing an ingredient in the ingredients list that is listed in the directions instead.
  • Plan your route at the grocery store. Once you create your shopping list, put things in order of where they are located in the store.
  • Stock your kitchen with simple bulk ingredients to use in a pinch, such as all types of grains, dried beans, pasta, spaghetti sauce, frozen and canned vegetables.  Think of a few meals you can make for dinner throughout the week and how you can use some of those same ingredients in other recipes.
  • Add veggies to everything! I try to make sure every meal I have, has at least 2 (and most of the time many more) veggies. Onions, peppers, and mushrooms are very versatile.
  • Don’t like veggies? Try a new vegetable every week (or month).
  • Batch cooking can save a ton of time! Chop veggies or prepare grains in advance. Make variations of salads with different toppings, etc. Freeze scraps of veggies and make homemade veggie broth. Pick one day for grocery shopping, another for prepping. Setting aside 90 minutes-2 hours per week is all you need to save yourself tons of time during the week.
  • Make double or triple the amount the recipe calls for. You can enjoy it for at least a couple meals, or have a healthy lunch the next day. Pack away your lunch immediately after dinner and you’ll be all set.
  • Experiment with one-pot meal recipes. It makes life a lot easier when you only have one pan to wash. These types of dishes also tend to freeze and reheat well. You can even label with cooking instructions to make it easier for you or your family to reheat.
  • Easy smoothie prep: add fruit, veggies, etc. to a blender and put in the fridge the night before. In the morning, all you have to do is take out the blender, add liquid, and blend.
  • Serve your dinner in large glass containers (instead of serving bowls) so you can go straight from the table to the fridge. Less dishes.

And lastly, she has included 2 PDF’s to share…

1. Time-Saving Techniques- tips for saving time and making healthy choices in your kitchen.
2. Multi-Way Bowl– an easy option for meal ideas, and so versatile! Start with a grain. Add a protein if you want (lentils, tofu, seitan, beans, etc.). Add vegetables. And then top with a sauce. Add some toppings (nuts, seeds, etc.) Enjoy!

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Vegan Life Coach Academy

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 If going vegan has put a strain on your current relationships or you want to avoid ruining your relationships as you transition to a vegan lifestyle these ten power tips are sure to help. 

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Going vegan and obtaining the support of friends and family is a common struggle for many who make the choice to live a vegan lifestyle. On last week’s episode Stephanie shared her story of going vegan and broke down the 5 stages that family and friends go through. 

Today Stephanie is giving 10 tips for transitioning that will save your relationships. If going vegan has put a strain on your current relationships or you want to avoid ruining your relationships as you transition to a vegan lifestyle  these ten power tips are sure to help. 

Stephanie discuss these tips in depth in this episode: 

1. Define your boundaries.  Once Stephanie committed to veganism, she decided she was no longer going to or cook meat. 
2. Talk about going vegan and answer questions.  Stephanie decided to use a lot of I-statements to demonstrate that she was taking responsibility for her own choices. Often times talking about veganism can challenge the way people see themselves as ethical, whole, compassionate human beings. So she plans ahead for these moments when she will be asked questions.
3. Have a sense of humor. Because Stephanie is able to laugh at herself she believes that really rebunks that stereotype of the angry, raging vegan. And thus laughing about these things becomes easier for my family and for my relationships. Most vegans will be the victims of malicious jokes, Stepahnie says, but generally the people in our lives are really just poking fun.
4. Get educated about nutrition for yourself and your kids. And this is the right spot for you. This program was the foundation for Stepahnie’s nutritional metamorphosis for my family. There are tons of great cookbooks and resources out there. Getting educated about nutrition is not only good for you. It’s good for your kids. And it’s good for that mom guilt too. When Stephanie knows that what she’s putting in front of her kids is nutritionally sound, then she knows that without a shadow of a doubt that mom guilt can not creep in. And if it does, she can challenge it at every level.
5. Keep it simple. Especially if you’re cooking for a family. When Stephanie’s family got curious, she  started with breakfast smoothies. Now everyone gets a smoothie for breakfast. 
6. Stop preparing two completely different meals. You are not a restaurant.  When Stephanie went vegan she started preparing one dish and it was always a vegan main dish. She was okay with them adding animal protein to the side themselves. but she stopped saying she was going to prepare what everybody’s dish was. She wasn’t a short order cook. 
7. Veganize your favorite dishes. Stephanie suggests exploring new dishes with familiar flavors. One of her families favorites? Stir-frys, and mexican food. 
8. Honor other people’s gestures and be flexible without compromising your values. Stephanie says to be appreciative of the steps that people take that might help you feel included and comfortable. Make a really big deal out of it. The one gesture Stephanie does that has never failed her? Telling her friends and family how much she loves to cook and offering to bring whatever they’d like her too. 
9. Connect with other vegan families. Stephanie has a a great Facebook community in her local area that has meetups and suggest finding on in your local area to connect with others who are like-minded and whose beliefs are similar. 
10. Promote vegan role models, especially if you have kids. Stephanie sees the importance to introduce her children to people that they can look up to in all aspects of their lives. 

We hope these 10 tips are useful for you and your family. We encourage you to take an honest account of where you are in your own journey and where your loved ones might be in theirs. Accept where you’re powerless and challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening because that’s really where your power is in your own response to what’s going on around you. Use these tips as you transition to navigate the tough terrain of relationships with family and friends. 

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Vegan Life Coach Academy

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Based on a recent survey we did with our listeners, going vegan without the support of your family or friends is a struggle that a lot of people share.

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Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

Based on a recent survey we did with our listeners, going vegan without the support of your family or friends is a struggle that a lot of people share.

My story is exceptional in that I knew when I was just 7 years old that eating animals was a hard “No.” It didn’t matter to me one bit that nobody I knew was vegetarian. At 15 I fully understood the suffering of all farm animals and went fully vegan and knew my purpose in life was to save animals. My compassion for animals ran so deep that ridicule was not a deterrence. (My family followed in my footsteps and went vegetarian and then vegan as well!)

Stephanie however, represents our listeners to a much higher level. In this episode, Stephanie shares her personal story, discussing what went down each of the 4 times she attempted to make the transition to a vegan lifestyle. It took 4 attempts before it stuck, and she has dissected the reasons why, all of which are likely to resonate with others in similar positions.

In short, here are the reasons:

Attempt #1: Stephanie’s family was quick to remind her that she was raised by farmers, and that her family’s background in farming was how she was afforded a comfortable upbringing. Family guilt!

Attempt #2: Stephanie’s Insecurity as a new mom, being told by others that her children would not thrive on a plant-based diet, led her to succumb to “mom-guilt!”

Attempt #3: Stephanie’s overall lack of self-confidence caused her to give into what was comfortable and safe. She wasn’t confident in her choices, and wasn’t able to counter the criticism and ridicule from others from a place of compassion and education. 

Attempt #4 (Success!): Here are the self-realizations as to WHY Stephanie was successful…

1. Stephanie realized that her relationships are equally important as her life choices. She concluded that other’s thoughts and feelings about her choices are not important, BUT her relationships ARE important. This is a distinction that takes a lot of self-awareness and self-confidence!
2. Stephanie realized that she was the one changing the rules, so she was required to fuel her own progress with empathy toward the people in her life, giving up the idea of perfection in relationships. There were going to be tough conversations, and she was able to be assertive instead of aggressive.
3. She was able to embrace a vegan lifestyle with the consideration of being the caretaker of her three kiddos. She was able to set boundaries and not succumb to handle her “mom guilt.” She had to step back and explore her conflicting feelings with, as we say in VLCA, approach her thoughts with curiosity and compassion. From that place she has been able to navigate the changing dynamics within her family.
4. Stephanie made the transition solely about herself. She went vegan in “stealth mode,” didn’t make a big announcement until she had established her vegan lifestyle with confidence.

Once she felt good about her own journey, Stephanie started sharing her new lifestyle with her family and friends.

In doing so, she noticed that most of the time, people she told went through 5 stages. The stages, which she describes in depth in the episode are:

1. Defiance 
2. Resistance 
3. Curiosity 
4. Acceptance
5. Embracing

On our next episode, we’ll be sharing 10 powerful tips for going vegan without ruining your relationships in the process.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vegan Life Coach Academy

CONNECT WITH US!

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.