Lauren McNeill - The Simple Vegan Kitchen: Nutritionally Balanced, Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Meals for Daily Wellness

LAUREN McNEILL, RD , MPH

CREATOR OF TASTING TO THRIVE

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DEDICATION

TO AVERY, FOR BEING MY FOREVER
RECIPE TESTER

TO MOM, DAD, ANDREW AND JEFF,
FOR BELIEVING I COULD DO THIS
BEFORE I EVER DID

Welcome to The Simple Vegan Kitchen! Thank you so much for choosing this cookbook.

My passion for plant-based cooking and nutrition began when I decided to go vegetarian at 17. If you had told me back then that Id be writing a plant-based cookbook, I probably wouldnt have believed you. I decided to go vegetarian for the animals, but I told myself that Id never be vegan because I couldnt imagine giving up cheese. Fast forward through my journey of becoming a registered dietitian, getting my masters of public health in nutrition and starting my business, Tasting to Thrive, and I couldnt imagine it any other way.

When I first went vegetarian, I didnt know how to fuel myself properly, so I started experimenting with different ways of eating. You name it, Ive tried it. Most diets that I tried focused heavily on restriction, highlighting what I couldnt eat rather than what I could eat, which just made me crave those foods more. I wanted to find a way of eating that made me feel good but that was sustainable and easy to follow during the busy seasons of life. I kept coming back to one truth: I wanted to eat in alignment with my values. Ive always been a massive animal lover and knew that one of the best ways to support animal welfare was to stop contributing to the meat and dairy industry. I started transitioning from a vegetarian to a vegan diet when I was 21, and I slowly realized that Id never felt better. Not only did I have more energy, deeper sleep and better overall wellness, but I also felt better mentally and emotionally. For the first time in a long time, I was eating in abundance and truly enjoying food.

I didnt really grow up cooking. I was lucky enough to have parents who cooked for my brothers and me every night, so cooking for myself was never really a necessity or something I was interested in. It wasnt until I transitioned to a plant-based eating style that I quickly realized that I would need to learn some cooking skills. I bought a few cookbooks and slowly began working my way through the recipes. I was shocked by how delicious and simple plant-based cooking could be and how good I felt after eating. I was feeling energized by my food and actually loving the process of creating delicious meals. Anyone who knows me now knows that Im truly so passionate about creating food, from grocery shopping for delicious ingredients, to planning out what to eat, to cooking and serving food for friends and family. My mom even jokes that I dont care about gifts on holidaysits all about the food for me.

Going vegetarian was a fairly quick and simple transition for me, but it took three years before I could say that I ate fully plant-based. I was wrapped up in so many different worries about what others would think of me, not wanting to be a burden and worrying that I would be missing out somehow. I also had a lot of questions during my transition to becoming fully vegan. Where was I supposed to get my protein? How would I make sure I was getting enough iron and calcium? And what would my meals look like without the traditional meat, veggie and starch plate breakdown? While I was confident that eating a plant-based diet could be super nutritious, I was confused about how to put these nutrition considerations into practice.

As I dove into the research and became more confident in my plant-based journey, I knew I had to find a way to inspire others to try more plant-based meals. To demystify plant-based nutrition myths and share that it is possible to get all of the nutrients you need on a plant-based diet, I started my Instagram page, @tastingtothrive_rd. My main motivation was to be a voice of evidence-based nutrition information in a sea of misinformation. I wanted to show people that eating plant-based didnt mean always eating salads and that we could eat the food we love while also taking care of ourselves. I could only have dreamt of it turning into what it has grown into today: a full-time business based on sharing recipes on social media and my blog, personalized nutrition coaching where I help clients one-on-one and my online programs.

My job as a dietitian is to translate the evidence-based knowledge we have about nutrition into attainable, actionable steps to make eating balanced, tasty and simple. But let me get one thing straight: This isnt a diet book. You wont see calorie counts, macronutrient breakdowns or any emphasis on eating as little as possible. Youll notice a pattern throughout this book. Youll notice that I like to focus on what were adding to our everyday eating pattern, rather than what were taking away. Its truly my philosophy that what we are eating is so much more important than what we arent eating, and I hope I make that abundantly clear to you throughout. My motivation is always to help you feel your best, which comes down to eating for both satisfaction and for health. If you dont enjoy the food youre eating, chances are you wont feel very good, regardless of how healthy the food is.

This cookbook puts together the what and the how of plant-based eating. Its important to know what nutrients we need to be focusing on, like protein, iron and calcium, but its equally important to understand how to put that into practice. Most of the recipes in this book are a great balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat and micronutrients to help you get there! Plus, they all taste amazing, meaning youll fully enjoy the food that youre eating.

As a plant-based dietitian, this is the book I wish Id had when I first started adopting a plant-based diet. Whether youre vegan, vegetarian or simply wanting to incorporate more plant-based foods into your everyday eating pattern, this book is for you. My goal is to share approachable, affordable, easy and delicious recipes that shed light on the fact that you dont need dairy, eggs or meat to make mouth-watering meals and snacks, and that you can eat balanced and enjoy your meals while doing so.

Whether youve been vegan for years or are just dipping your toes into trying more plant-based recipes, one thing remains true: We need to eat food that we enjoy, enough food for our bodies to thrive and in good variety so we feel our absolute best. I want you to know that wherever you are on your plant-based journey, youre welcome here.