About The Hidden Veggies Blog:
What you will find here…
- Only 100% vegan recipes! These are the tried and true recipes that I have been making for nearly 2 decades to feed my vegan family.
- All recipes can be made gluten-free as well. It is your choice whether or not you use wheat or gluten-free ingredients, but I make sure all my recipes have been tested both ways to always come out great however you chose to make them.
My mission is to help more people transition to a healthier diet without having to give up the great tasting comfort foods that they love.
I’ll give you recipes for delicious foods that bring you back to the time when you ate these favorite classics!
I will help you recreate all those old favorites that you are craving right in your own kitchen! And… they will taste even better knowing that they are healthier and no animals were hurt for your meal!
Making your life easier!
Your life is busy and I know how hard it can be to plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook after a long day. When you are vegan, it is really hard sometimes to do it all, and if you are gluten-free, well… it can just seem impossible!
I want to help make eating vegan simple and easy so that you can happily maintain the vegan lifestyle long term.
What makes this blog different?
- I’m vegan and have been vegan and gluten-free for a long time.
- My recipes are tried and true recipes that I actually feed to my family daily. (I see some large food companies targeting the gluten-free or vegan community because it’s currently a “food trend.” They create recipes to fill the niche, but these recipes really aren’t that great and sometimes don’t even come out at all).
- I make simple meals with common vegan ingredients. Most ingredients can be found at your local grocery store or I link to where you can find them.
- Some blogs share only super healthy dishes with no sugar, salt, fat, or processed foods. This is also not me! I use lots of fruits and vegetables and make “healthier” foods, but I’m also realistic. If you’re feeding a family and you want to maintain a vegan lifestyle long-term, you need to use some sweeteners, salt, and oils in your cooking or there will be mutiny. I try to maintain a balance between healthy recipes and those that will satisfy my family.
- I truly care about you maintaining a vegan lifestyle. Because of this, I have created a private Facebook Group where you can get help veganizing your recipes. Simply post any recipe you would like to veganize and get help to convert it to a recipe that will fit your dietary needs. I am in the group daily and can personally help you with any recipe that you want. Click here to join the private Facebook group!
- I’m a real gluten-free/ vegan mom sharing recipes that my family loves. I try to post at least once a week (sometimes twice) but I’m not going to mass produce recipes. You can be sure that my recipes have been tested many times by my own family, so if you follow the recipe, it will be delicious!
About me…
I made the switch to healthier eating and transitioned into a vegan lifestyle over 19 years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
It was difficult at times to transition to healthy eating. I missed those comfort foods that I ate as a child. Instead of giving up on veganism and a healthier diet, I learned to get creative in the kitchen and make vegan food taste like the foods I was craving.
Finding this middle ground between healthy food and food that still tastes good has helped me to stay vegan for 19 years (and my husband stay vegan for over 21 years), and has allowed us to raise 2 vegan children who have never wanted a drop of meat or dairy!
Why did I go vegan?
I grew up eating a typical American diet of meat, cheese, and milk. Then, in college and my early 20s, I ate lots of highly processed convenience foods. I was never overweight, so I thought that I was healthy. That is until I became debilitated with an autoimmune disease at the age of 23. I spent the next 2 years visiting doctors and taking medications which came with side effects that were worse than the illness itself.
After reading that autoimmune diseases may be caused by diet and environmental toxins, I decided to throw out all of the chemicals and heal myself with food. I gave up all animal products, processed food, and sugar and ate a strict macrobiotic diet. Within a few weeks, my body began to heal and I was beginning to feel better than ever.
After just 5 months of this healthy diet, my new energy enabled me to set off to backpack the Appalachian Trail!
It was there that I encountered my first Vegan. (I didn’t identify myself as a vegan at the time; just someone healing my body with food). We bonded over brown rice and broccoli and quickly fell in love.
That cute long haired hippy soon became my husband and we are raising 2 beautiful vegan boys together.
Vegan Life with Kids…
The hectic life of working as a behavior therapist and raising children challenged me to continue to create healthy recipes that were quick, practical, and kid-friendly. I saw first hand the power that diet changes had to heal when my clients’ parents eliminated gluten, casein, and food dyes in their children’s diet.
Then, when my own child developed an autoimmune disorder, doctors recommended that we go gluten-free. I faced a new challenge in feeding my family gluten free plant-based foods that they would still love.
My children have PANDAS/ PANS which is an autoimmune disorder triggered by strep or other infections. (The disease has a strong genetic component). It has been a long hard battle to get them well and diet changes have helped them to heal.
They have made significant improvements after going gluten-free. (I also try to sneak turmeric into many recipes to reduce inflammation). I do my best to avoid chemical additive, food dyes, and excessive sugar in my recipes and of course include lots of fruits and vegetables.
I am excited to share my recipes with you and wish health and wellness to you and your family.
Or to learn more about ways to help your child with behavioral or educational issues related to a medical condition, visit my other website fixingalphabetsoup.com
I am excited that you have found The Hidden Veggies! I hope that you give my recipes a try. I’m here to help you with any questions you may have along the way!