1 Book a Month to Move Towards your Best Self

Posted on by Kerri

Good evening friends!

I am ending this night with a freshly sprayed table and stove as I sit and write this, which, if you know me, is the best way to end the night. There is something so wonderful about coming downstairs in the morning and having the kitchen clean with no dishes in the sink and no crumbs on the table, even if its just for a few minutes 😛

Tomorrow is April, which I am thrilled about since that technically ends the Winter months here in NY (yes, I count March in there because I have learned from many years of false hopes). This winter, I was so proud of myself. I took my Vitamin D supplement, which I know combats that seasonal depression and I also manifested exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted my kids to learn to ski and they did AND also want to go again next year. So, I would mark that as a win/win for me! I plan to write a whole post on starting kids skiing so I won’t go too far into it, but there is something about seeing the things you envision play out that makes the momentum want to keep going.

Today though, felt like a very ‘off’ day. Not in a bad way. Just in a not-really-much-to-do type of day. It didn’t help that I was still ‘reeling’ from seeing Riverdance yesterday (pun intended). The show was just amazing and all I wanted to do was listen to the soundtrack and relive the show in my mind, but, alas with kids involved I never get to listen to my own music, am I right??? The kids were also off due to school conferences and it was a very misty, gray, damp day out there. The type of weather I am glad to get out of the way before summer officially starts.

My eating was also really off, so I won’t even list it out tonight and will just start fresh tomorrow. I know my first step is to eat oats in the morning because that always gets me back on track.

But what I really wanted to talk about tonight is the book I read for March. Back in January, I was still feeling really down from this running injury and feeling like I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I told myself I would read a book a month that would work on moving me towards my best self. I actually wake up an hour before the kids get up to get the reading in but I have noticed an overall increase in my well being.

I read 101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Weist. https://www.amazon.com/Essays-That-Will-Change-Think/dp/1945796065

I really enjoyed the book and have actually have had this book for years and have never finished it. Since it was a collection of essays, I never knew how to approach it that I would get the most out of it. This time I would read 5 essays at a time, which was just enough to get through the month. And here are my biggest take aways:

  • We choose what we perceive in life.

A lot of our problems and drama are self created and can be avoided if we chose to see someone else’s side, stop playing the victim, or look at what this problem is doing for us.

  • We are constantly trying to run from out pain when that is really our greatest teacher.

All we want as humans is to be comfortable and coast through life, yet the danger of that is never really living at all.

  • Stop trying to chase happiness, it is inward.

This one is a huge one for me and one that stops me in my tracks to grapple over in my mind. The balance between desire and working towards a goal to create a life of awe and what you deserve while also not being caught up in the rat race of always needing more.

There were tons of other great points made and a lot of great quotes to take out of it. Let me know if you have any thoughts related.

Have a great night and talk soon 🙂

-Kerri

3 Things I Learned From Planning Out My Meals

Posted on by Kerri

So, I’m sitting here on this rainy Monday night; the baby has been asleep upstairs for a while now and the older kids are sitting in their rooms reading. I always feel super grateful for being home on nights like this. Just when you can get everyone snuggled in pjs, light a candle and settle in for the night.

I was super proud since I was able to prep the dinner I planned before picking the kids up from school. I had the table set and ready to go with my little springtime tree in the middle of the table lit up. And as I went to walk out the door for the rest of the afternoon, the diaper bag over one arm and holding my 15 month old in the other, I felt very comforted by the scene I had created.

Now, this is not to make it feel like I have a beautifully set table every night, because I definitely don’t. I feel for the most part, I am throwing bowls with pasta in front of my kids while trying to get the rest of the dinner out. Then what happens? I am back at the kitchen sink with a mountain of dishes again, as my kids move on to something else.

But today reminded me why I want to be more intentional about meal scheduling. And a few things I noticed by having the meal ready to go:

  • There was no arguing – I think I can sympathize with any mom who just is there trying her hardest to get dinner on the table and then she hears ‘I don’t feel like that tonight’.
  • There was no time for snacks – Those multiple trips to the snack closet which then result’s in ‘I’m not hungry anymore’.
  • We were able to sit down together – Family meals are really important to me and I just felt like I was doing them wrong because I was always missing the sitting-down-to-dinner part by always getting everything ready last minute.

As we get to tonight’s dinner, if you are following along, this post shows this weeks meal scheule and links to any recipes: Plant-Based Meal Planning for Spring: A Week’s Guide.

I made Lentil Taquitos were from High Carb Hannah, the inside filling was really tasty, but I do think I maybe should have made a sauce to go on top of them. https://highcarbhannah.co/recipes/lentil-taquitos/ And the Spanish Rice was a take on my aunt’s recipe that I modified a little.

Hope you all had a great start to the week 🙂

Talk soon,

Kerri

Plant-Based Meal Planning for Spring: A Week’s Guide

Posted on by Kerri

Happy Sunday! It’s the first full week of Spring and I am so excited to get started with my first plant-based meal schedule!

So, we are back from our spring trip to Florida and I feel like it always takes me a good couple of days to get back to a routine when it comes to meal planning. All I can say that works for me is by writing up a grocery list, giving myself a deadline where I am gonna have it all together again (somewhat :P) and taking baby steps that week to get back to my baseline. And I am giving you all that with this post : a grocery list, a deadline (tomorrow!) and baby steps (If plant based eating is new to you, I would start with just one meal and see how it goes).

I usually try to come up with the dinners for the week because then I can fill everything else in around it. I do a lot of leftovers for lunch and for breakfast I tend to have a consistent repertoire of meals I rotate around that keep me full for a good amount of time. I can share these as well, but they tend to look the same by season and that works for me. Dinner is usually where I like to end the night with a bang. Try to sit around the table together and enjoy a filling and delicious meal that culminates our day.

My goal for these posts is to not only keep myself accountable and planning ahead but to maybe encourage anyone else out there to add a plant based meal to their weekly menu, even if it is just one night a week. I’m not going to pretend that I am any recipe guru, but I have been around the block or two when it comes to finding great plant based recipes that are not only well-balanced, health-wise, but appealing to others as well (ehem.. such as some skeptical family members).

A few more points about this meal schedule:

  • I will give dinner ideas Monday-Friday and all ingredients for those dinners are in the grocery list in this post.
  • I will link the recipe for each meal and give credit to the creator so it will take you to that creator’s page to do the recipe. If I make any adjustments to the recipes it will be on the post of the recipe for that day with a picture of how it looks as I made it. Some recipes are mine and they will be written out as my own recipe.
  • I will do my best to share my kids ‘deconstructed’ versions of our meals. My kids enjoy pretty simple foods (I was very similar as a kid) and as long as the basis of the meals are substantial I am ok with them choosing which part of the meal they want to eat.
  • I try to use oil sparingly. A lot of the times I will adjust a recipe by decreasing the amount of oil or just not using oil.
  • Monday and Tuesdays I am off from work, so I can do more complicated recipes those days since I have more time during the day to prep the meal, so you adjust the days that work for you.

Monday 3/24: Lentil Taquitos by High Carb Hannah https://highcarbhannah.co/recipes/lentil-taquitos/ and spanish rice

Tuesday 3/25: Italian herb stuffed portobello with cauliflower mash https://ohsheglows.com/cookbook-search/

Wednesday 3/26: 5 minute Tofu, Kale and chickpea curry by The Happy Pear https://thehappypear.ie/plant-based-and-vegan-recipes/5-minute-tofu-and-chickpea-curry/

Thursday 3/27: Lemony pasta salad by The First Mess https://thefirstmess.com/2019/04/17/lemony-spring-pasta-salad-vegan-recipe/

Friday 3/28: French onion soup with homemade bread

I’m excited to have a place to organize my meals and I hope you’ll join me this week!

Family Adventures in Plant-Based Living

Posted on by Kerri

I’m Kerri and welcome to my little area where I can share my story, my interests and my life with you all!

I have always been a writer and I love journaling and documenting the day to day, the adventures with my kids, the small but life changing habits, and the magical moments that make life so wonderful.

So, grab your coffee, or whatever cozy drink you like and I’ll tell you a little about me and what I plan to share here.

  • I live in New York with my husband and 3 kids. We live in a little beach town (yes NY has beaches! and really great ones too).
  • I’ve been vegetarian since college but eat primary plant-based. I truly believe that nutrition is one of the most underutilized tools in medicine.
  • I career changed from a therapist to a Registered Nurse as a mom with two kids and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
  • I love being active with my family; walks in the neighborhood, skiing in the winter, swimming, running or surfing in the summer.

Any of these you may be more interested in feel free to ask and I would love to share what I can!

The name ‘When we eat plants’ has popped out at me as a name for …. something, I just couldn’t pinpoint what that something was yet. This has been in my mind for a while now and I feel like this blog is the perfect home for it. I have big plans for this name, which I hope you will follow it’s growth over time.

This name pretty much sums up the shift that changed my life and that I attribute with not only my physical health, but with a healthy mindset, food freedom, satisfaction in my career, feeling connected with the Earth and with something even greater. Maybe someday I’ll tell you the whole story, but for right now, just know that the simple focus of making plants and a plant-based way of living the center of my lifestyle is what started a feeling of peace that is hard to explain unless you experience it.

With this blog, I want to share the meal preps and plans for each week that keep me on track. I want to take you along on staycations or vacations and show that with a little planning or restaurant tweeking, it is not hard to live your best plant-based lifestyle out-and-about. I want to be that non-judgemental voice inviting you to take small steps in changing your nutrition and ask questions as well!

So if you are interested, I am pumped to connect with you!

We’ll talk soon,

Kerri 🙂