Veggies & Virtue

Latest Episodes:

22. Kids Tell All! What is it like having a dietitian for a mom and all things food, feeding, and family. An interview with my 6- and 8-year-old daughters May 04, 2022

Show notes

In this week's special Mother’s Day episode, I interviewed my daughters, Claire and Brooke. Maybe next year I will include Owen too (who is 3) but for now, I felt like his attention span may not be up for the chat! So, while he watched an episode of Paw Patrol, the girls and I chatted it up afterschool to answer the questions you asked about, what life is like with a dietitian mom? You get to hear their honest input on my cooking, my job, and many things related to food and feeding in our family. Unscripted and unfiltered, this was a fun chance to hear things from their point of view with plenty of laughs along the way. So whether you are a new mom, seasoned mom, struggling mom, or super mom, we wish all of the biological moms, adoptive moms, stepmoms, grandmothers, aunts, sister friends, and each of those who rise up to help us raise the next generation – a Happy Mother’s Day.

21. Need breakfast ideas with protein that aren’t eggs, yogurt, or a smoothie? 5 FAST & EASY hacks to add protein to breakfast (when you kid is either running behind or only eats a few bites) May 02, 2022

Show notes

A mom in my FREE Facebook group asked, "What are some easy breakfast ideas that aren't eggs, yogurt, or smoothies?" Another mom then chimed in to ask, "What are healthy breakfast ideas that are quick and easy on those mornings your child doesn't have time to eat before they head out the door?"

This week's Meals Made Easy Monday episode shares just that! With five fast and easy hacks to add more protein at breakfast (without relying on eggs, yogurt, or smoothies), you will walk away from this episode with new ideas in your AM arsenal.

20. Can You Pursue Your Dreams During Just Naptime and Nighttime? The top 5 things I have learned as the pediatric dietitian, mom, and boss babe ft. The 5-year Anniversary of Veggies & Virtue! Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Woohoo! In honor of Veggies & Virtue LLC turning FIVE, I am sharing the top five things I have learned as a dietitian, mom, and the faith-led entrepreneur behind this business.

It has been FAR from what I thought would be my family's story and professional journey with feeding kids as a pediatric dietitian. And yet, I am so thankful to take a hot second to reflect and share with you all an open and honest glimpse at it all.

Thank you for being a loyal supporter of this business and community! I truly could not do the last five years without moms like you.

19. Feeling in a rut with snack options at home? Here is your easy button, add to cart idea for next week. Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

When we talk about snacks, you are hopefully familiar with my sharing that we want to have some protein, some fat, and some fiber. This helps minimize grazing (aka helps out the kid who is constantly wanting snacks but never seems actually satisfied) and is the go-to way to make snacks more like "mini-meals" (aka to help out the kid who only wants snacks > meals).

So listen in to why THIS is one of the go-to items in my kid-friendly snack drawer this spring (and summer). You will walk away knowing how to curb a common pitfall with picky eating AND how to boost nutrition with barely any extra effort.

18. Is your kid hiding candy? Advice from a dietitian mom Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Easter is over and whether you decided to be more practical with your basket-fillers or load them up with candy, chances are you are in that post-holiday hard spot when it comes to the added sweets and treats that are around. So whether it is only a few pastel candies left to consume or a bunch of candy from the big egg hunt being asked for all day, this episode takes you through how to remove shame, emphasize safety, and ultimately neutralize foods, like candy, to be something your family is open and honest about enjoying as a part of life.

This episode comes after a conversation I had with a fellow mom, following a presentation I gave to her MOPs group. Since it was a situation like one I had faced in my own home; I knew many families must be wondering – what do we do when our children hide food, specifically candy? Particularly when we, as parents, think we are being proactive about promoting food neutrality, this can feel like an embarrassing discovery and awkward situation address.

So, let’s get this conversation out in the open! These are the four things I have done as a dietitian mom and encourage other moms to do too when they find sneakiness around food.

17. Stuck in a rut? EASY swaps that add variety with zero extra effort from the busy mom Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

A friend recently sent me a message about an epiphany she had when listening to episode 5, "What is a BALANCED diet? This is why having the same “healthy” foods every day isn’t healthy and what you can do to begin covering your kiddo’s nutritional bases better."

This is a friend I know well, and I know both her deeply rooted desire to feed her children healthfully and yet the rut we can still find ourselves in when we find something that just works! Easy wins are a saving grace in motherhood, but how can we also make sure that the ease they offer doesn't end up creating bigger issues like picky eating? This episode addresses just that!

With advice for the parent who may offer the same kind of noodles multiple times a week, consider what simple swaps you can make to add variety but with zero extra effort. These will gradually help add variety to your child's diet without compromising what your kid loves about go-to's like buttered noodles.

16. How bad are soft drinks for kids? A Parents Guide to Allowing Fun Drinks like Lemonade, Juice, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages with Children. Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

In today's episode, we are featuring a message from a sweet mom, Sarah, who chimed in to ask a question about how to handle soda with her kids.

Ashley loves getting listener-submitted questions, like this, so thank you Sarah for submitting this message. You can send Ashley a voice memo here.

In this episode, Ashley walks families through how to make decisions around what your family's approach is to things like soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Ashley challenges you as the parent and nutritional gatekeeper to identify what your family may be doing or need to begin doing with their beverage choices from the perspective of building healthy habits. Lastly, Ashley shares sample dialogue on how you might want to approach talking about things like soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages with you kids. This gets to the bottom of Sarah's question: How do we talk about these with our kids in a way that doesn't give them emotional value or label them good, bad, unhealthy, healthy, but instead equips our kids to handle sugar-sweetened beverages.

15. EASY TO PEEL hard boiled eggs! Your new go-to method that is kid-approved AND easy enough for kids to peel. Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

There is no better time than Easter to introduce EGGS away from just at the breakfast table and outside of the Easter basket!

Hear how to cook the most PERFECT hard-boiled egg with Ashley's 5-5-5 method. It will quickly become your new go-to, meat-free, no-fuss, prep-ahead protein to add in at lunches...and as a bonus, it is easy enough for even a toddler to peel. This way, you and your family can start enjoying hard-boiled eggs straight out of a bento box or with your favorite snacky lunch.

So whether your child refuses most animal products (and complete proteins for that matter) or is on a saying "no" to sandwiches streak, this episode has you covered.

With a kid-friendly form of protein that is easy to make and even easier for them to peel independently, this method is going to be a game changer for you and your family this Easter season (and in all those that follow).

14. Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas: try these 4 core ideas for making your child’s basket fun AND festive! Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Are you looking for non-candy Easter basket filler ideas? Whether you need some alternatives to candy to put in those colorful eggs or you are trying to think beyond the chocolate bunny for what to put in your little one's basket, this episode has it all!

Ashley spells out safe and easy ideas to fill eggs with that don't lack fun, plus festive ideas that fall into one of Ashley's core four categories for filling an Easter basket. These are tried and true by this dietitian mom and are sure to add some egg-citing additions to your family's upcoming festivities.

So pop in your airpods on the way to Target and take note of a few things you may want to pick up while there!

13. Easy ways to add variety to your everyday scrambled eggs: 5 must try tips for the mom who is in a rut with what to make each morning! Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

These Meals Made Easy episodes are quick, easy, actionable meal and snack ideas you can add to cart and begin incorporating into your busy life RIGHT AWAY.

In episodes that are 10 minutes or less, I will share a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas with you each month (plus a bonus on the months with five Mondays!). I hope these help you begin adding in some EASY variety with the ingredients you already have on hand or during the grocery shopping you are already doing.

So, appropriately in time for Easter, we are going to kick things off talking about EGGS and why you shouldn't get too stuck on serving them just scrambled every day. Instead, take advantage of the Easter season to try one of the five ways I share here, and help your child learn to like eggs LOTS of ways!

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