Please see my Work With Me page if applicable.
Welcome!
My name is Jenn Sebestyen.
I love to read, drink coffee, sing along to the radio in my car, and sneak chocolate after the kids are in bed. Most of all, I love to cook! I read cookbooks like novels and I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen by making standard American favorites healthier.
About Veggie Inspired
Veggie Inspired is a food blog featuring simple and flavorful plant-based family recipes. I will show you just how easy it is to get your daily dose of fruits and vegetables in a delicious and satisfying way.
About Jenn
Hi! I’m Jenn, the creator of Veggie Inspired. I live in Chicagoland with my husband and three kids (a son and twin daughters) where I balance being a working mom, baseball mom, softball mom, basketball mom, track mom, dance mom, orchestra mom, and football coach’s wife. Whew!
I am the author of The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook and co-author of The Meat-Free Kitchen, Plant-Based Diet Cookbook For Dummies, and Super Simple Plant-Based Recipes for Beginners.
I have appeared on CBS’ “The Doctors,” and my work has been featured in a variety of media outlets such as Women’s Health, Fitness, Self, Taste of Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living, Vegan Food & Living, Prevention, Forbes, Redbook, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, The Washington Post, MSN, Parade, PETA, and many more.
About my journey
When my son was just a newborn, I happened to be in the library and noticed Alicia Silverstone’s, The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
.
At the time, I was eating a standard American diet, but considered myself to be making healthy food choices most of the time. I have no idea what compelled me to pick up her book and check it out, but I did. I read it cover to cover before the end of that day and vowed to never again drink dairy milk.
From there, my thirst for knowledge about a plant-based diet grew with each day. I slowly started transitioning my diet to incorporate more greens and beans and less animal products. I’ve always been a veggie lover, so it wasn’t a huge jump, but a plant-based diet still takes a new way of thinking about what the dinner plate should look like.
When my kids started eating solid foods, I was determined to feed them nutritious, healthy options. I made almost all of their baby food, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As they grew, I tried to stay away from most of the typical “kid-friendly” food. What we ate, they ate – just maybe a softer, more puréed version if needed.
Now, I have one kid who eats everything and generally chooses healthy options above all else, one kid who is a sucker for snacks – sweet or savory – doesn’t matter, and the other who is a carb fiend and would live off of bagels, rice, and plain noodles if left to her own devices.
No one understands the difficulty of feeding your family a healthy meal with little to no time and picky eaters who all like different things more than me! If you want to get more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your family’s diet, you are in the right place!
This blog began as a way to document what I was eating each day of a 30 day whole foods plant-based challenge. I wanted to show others that it can be easy and satisfying to eat a plant-based diet and hopefully inspire some to give it a try. I enjoyed writing about the food choices I was making and learned that many were indeed trying some of the recipes for themselves. When the challenge was over, I decided to keep on writing.
About my diet
I truly believe that consuming a well-rounded whole foods plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat. And I want to prove that it can be totally delicious, too. Since nearly all of what I make at home is whole foods plant-based and very low refined sugar, I’m not concerned with the occasional treat we might have.
I am not perfect, nor do I strive to be, but I try my best to make the healthiest choices I can in every situation. I initially named my blog Veggie Inspired Journey for this exact reason. Health is not something that you achieve and then never have to think about again; it is a lifelong journey. I have since dropped the “journey” only because I felt it was kind of a mouthful to say. 🙂
I welcome everyone to my blog and to enjoy my recipes no matter which diet you choose. Everyone is on their own journey and there will be no judgement here.
“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” ~Ann Wigmore
About my favorites
Not sure what recipes to try first? Here are my top suggestions for recipes that have proven to be favorites with my readers, too. Enjoy!
“I never comment on recipes. In fact, this is my very first time. I wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe tonight & it has changed everything for me. I am lactose intolerant but I love mac and cheese and usually fight through the discomfort and pain that follows indulging in it. After this, I will likely never go back. Thank you so much for sharing – I will definitely be making this on the regular.” ~Risika
“This is excellent! I cannot tell the difference between this and dairy cream cheese spread. I now make it regularly. The whole family loves it. Thank you for posting this recipe.” ~Terry
“I made this this week and it is AMAZING. I have made plenty of vegan cream cheeses before, but this one definitely takes the cake. So goooood.” ~Shohreh
“We absolutely LOVE these! Such a great snack or healthy breakfast on the go. Thank you!” ~Sam
“Yum, yum, YUM! I made these twice last weekend and as soon as I hit ‘post’ I’m going to make another batch.” ~Sarah
“OBSESSED! This recipe is awesome.” ~Stephani
“Have made this several times and it is always a huge hit (even with my non-vegan extended family)!!” ~Valerie
“Best chickpea salad I have ever tasted! Thank you!” ~Sheri
“My vegan daughter, who worked at a well known vegan restaurant in Los Angeles and has eaten at 100’s of vegan restaurants all over the world, said this is the best vegan chicken salad she has ever had.” ~Tammy
Product Recommendations
Browse and shop all of my favorite products, kitchen gadgets, and cookbooks on Amazon.
FUN FACTS
- I’m a St. Louis Cardinals fan despite living in the Chicago area.
- I graduated from The University of Iowa with a BBA in Marketing.
- I’m an Alpha Phi sorority alumni.
- I’m a sucker for Hallmark movies, roller coasters, and haunted houses.
- Favorite season: Fall. And I prefer winter over summer.
- Favorite food: Soup!
- Favorite ingredient: Cauliflower – it’s so versatile!
