Hello there, any big cooking plans for the weekend?

Not for me! I am off to Japan tomorrow with no plans to cook for at least a week... and even then, it will be super simple. We do have an AirBnB with a kitchen for three days midway through the 2-week trip, and I know my son in particular will be craving some quiet meals at "home." Eating out can be a bit stressful when you have a limited list of foods on your "green" list. When I do cook, it will probably be mostly noodles and tofu with greens and mushrooms. Aside from that, I envision many onigiri (rice balls) on the go in my future! And I'll be studying Itadakihealthy's vegan guide to Japan on the way there. I'm so thankful for the many useful resources created by the vegan community. 🙏

Back in the kitchen on March 24th for... COOKING CLUB!

​Cooking club is back for another three months starting on Sunday March 24th, running every two weeks until June 30th. Are you signed up yet? 👉 Register (free)

Wait, you haven't heard about cooking club? It's a bunch of really nice people - my "cooking gang!" - getting together on Zoom every other Sunday afternoon to have company while we do our batch cooking session. Humans are silly like that: having other people who show up to do the same task as us, even if it's remotely, helps us feel accountable and motivated, so we can GET IT DONE. That way, we enjoy healthy vegan meals throughout the week, without the stress.

Would you like to join us? Still have questions? Read more here:

​Cooking Club - Spring 2024 registration​

How to meet your nutritional needs in protein, iron, and calcium

Do I worry about protein? No, and I don't think anyone who eats a healthy vegan diet, including enough food to meet their caloric needs, should worry either. If anything, I am concerned about people who consume too much protein, especially from animal sources. More info in this post: Protein for vegans and plant-based eaters​

Do I worry about iron? Personally, no, as my iron has always been normal-high... but it's a legitimate concern for many, especially women. Despite the common belief, iron deficiency is not any more common in people who don't eat animals. Definitely a topic I recommend learning more about. You can start with my blog post: Iron for vegans.

Do I worry about calcium, then? It doesn't keep me up at night, but it's definitely on my radar as a nutrient to top up at every meal. Plus, I make it a priority to embrace other strategies to foster bone health (impact exercise and strength training). I strongly encourage everyone to learn more about calcium in plant-based diets, as it's not a topic vegans can afford to feel smug about: Calcium for vegans.

Do you have other nutrition questions you'd like me to write or record videos about? Hit reply!

Keep on cooking,

Brigitte

p.s. Now's a good time to plan your meals for the coming week. Go ahead and steal some ideas from the Vegan Family Meal Plan for weeks 11 and 12, just on the border between winter and spring! If you'd like the full recipes, shopping list, prep steps, and direct access to me by text messaging when you have questions, consider subscribing. With coupon code READY, it comes down to less than $2 per week to not have to decide what's for dinner. Totally worth it, if you ask me! Or ask Amanda.