Most of you know that I don’t post many personal details about our children on my blog. I’ve discussed it here. I occasionally share photos (as with today’s post) that show them as part of our family, but without identifying their faces and features. For the most part, I like to keep them anonymous so that they have their own life journeys apart from my blogging as an author.
Still, I AM a vegan mom of three strapping vegan girls! And, I realize that this is a unique perspective as a vegan author and blogger, and that I have useful information and experiences to share. I receive e-mails and comments daily about vegan parenting. So I know you are searching for more information and insight – either as vegans moving into parenthood… or parents moving into veganhood!
Last week I was struck with the idea to do a series on feeding vegan children. I should mention that I do share many family-friendly tips in my cookbooks, especially in Let Them Eat Vegan. There is an entire section in the back of the book called “Powering the Vegan Family” and “The Plant-Powered Lunchbox”. Plus, I sprinkle advice and tips all through the recipes. But, after a brief discussion on facebook (as well as numerous e-mails these past few weeks), I decided it was time to consider a “Feeding Your Plant-Powered Children” series – here, on my blog.
If I start this series, I need information from YOU. I need to know… what pieces of the puzzle you are missing, what stresses you, what is difficult, what is too time-consuming? I’d like to have a “Feeding Vegan Kids Wish List” of sorts. Tell me where you need help! Is it recipes? Day to day tips? Meal planning and preparation ideas? Social situation advice? Help with ingredient groups (ex: nuts or beans)? Lunch strategies? Snack ideas?
Tell me – What information would YOU like to tap into from this vegan mom of three?
My intuition tells me I am on track with this idea. I will run with this series if the response here is strong. I am off to Summerfest this week, and will work on ideas once I return. So, please comment if this is something you’d like. And, equally important – please share this idea to recruit more feedback. The buttons are above to share to pinterest, fb, etc, so get the word out – so I can get the word in!
Courtney says
Yes! Great idea. Recipes would be SOOOOOO helpful. Kid friendly recipes are hard to find, and then once you find them, you often get stuck in a rut of serving the same handful of things over and over just because you know they are “safe”. It would be great to get some new recipes!
Leigh says
Ahh! Would love this! I have a very picky 21month old that refuses all fruits and veggies (in their natural form) so I have to hide them all. Also, would love some high calorie/nutrition meals or snacks…we love your nut butter dip for these reasons!
Sara says
I hope you do this series! I went vegan last August and slowly transitioned my kids into it. They now eat 100% vegan at home but we still have to deal with birthday parties, daycare centers and play dates. I’d love to hear more about how you deal with similar social situations. My kids are picky eaters so I tend to cook them a separate kid-friendly vegan version of some of their favorite meals for dinner most nights (vegan nuggets, green smoothies, tofu hot dogs, Daiya nachos, mac & cheeze, etc.) but would love to find a middle ground so that we can eat the same thing (I’m the opposite of my kids and could eat brown rice and lentils with a vegan sauce or gravy of sorts and veggies every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it). I hope you get a lot of feedback on this!
Sarah says
Yay!!!! This is so needed. Help with picky eaters!!!!! Beans are a big issue for one of my four.
Also how to deal with doctors? My doctor is pretty live and let live most of the time but my older two children were always at the upper end of growth charts (we were vegetartians when they were little) but my two younger children have always been near the bottom (since we became vegan) which led to pediatrician referels, suggestions of formula and meat and cow’s milk and many blood tests which showed that nothing was wrong, B12 and Iron were all good they just were/ are growing slower than the average SAD baby. I figure my breast milk just has less fat since becoming vegan. Otherwise all my children are ridiculously healthy since becoming vegan….th issue is we never get sick and spend all winter waiting for our non-vegan friends to be well for playdates:)
Thanks!
Heather Mora says
I would love to know more about breastfeeding while eating vegan – I am sure simular things could come up for me when/if #2 comes along!
Robi says
I am not a parent, but I am a nanny of 2 non-vegan girls, aged 2 and 5. When I cook for them, I often make things with hidden veggies. Like when i make chili (they love beans!) I chop the onions and celer tiny, and leave big chunks of carrot and pepper, since they like those. For pasta sauce, I throw in any and all leftover veg (from peas to brocoli to baked beans) and puree it with a can of tomatoes and some onion and garlic. Another good one is a greens soup. Cook and puree veggies and kale/spinach/broc/etc in stock, then add a can of white beans.
They also like to snack on cashews and pistachios, so sometimes I’ll put those into a quinoa/bean salad with some brocoli or tomatoes. They love bell pepper slices, with or without hummus.