About

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My Story

I didn’t grow up eating a plant-based diet — far from it. When my son was a newborn, I stumbled across Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet at the library. On a whim, I checked it out. I read it cover to cover that same day and vowed to never drink dairy milk again.

From there, my curiosity about plant-based eating grew with every passing week. I slowly started swapping out animal products, adding more greens and beans to our plates, and learning what it really means to build a satisfying, nourishing meal without meat. I’ve always been a veggie lover, so it wasn’t a huge leap — but it did take a whole new way of thinking about what dinner should look like.

When my kids started eating solid foods, I was determined to feed them nutritious, whole food options from the very beginning. I made almost all of their baby food from scratch and loved every minute of it. As they grew, I tried to keep them away from the typical processed “kid food” and just fed them what we were eating — in smaller, softer portions when needed.

Fast forward to today: I have one kid who eats everything and makes genuinely healthy choices on her own, one who could happily live on snacks (sweet or savory, doesn’t matter), and one who would survive entirely on bagels, rice, and plain noodles if I let her. So yes — I get it. Feeding a family with different tastes, picky eaters, and zero time to spare is hard. That’s exactly why I’m here.

Why I Started This Blog

Veggie Inspired started as a personal challenge — I wanted to document 30 days of whole foods, plant-based eating and share it with anyone who was curious. What I didn’t expect was that people would actually start making the recipes. When the challenge was over, I kept writing. Over a decade later, I’m still here.

I initially called the blog Veggie Inspired Journey — because I believe that health isn’t something you achieve once and then forget about. It’s a lifelong journey. I’ve since dropped the “Journey” (mostly because it was a mouthful), but the spirit behind it hasn’t changed.

I welcome everyone here, no matter where you are in your own journey. Whether you’re fully plant-based, vegan-curious, or just trying to sneak more vegetables onto your family’s plates — there’s no judgment. Just good food.

My Cookbooks

I’ve had the privilege of turning my passion into print. I’m 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.

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