Alison Corey from the vegan food blog Keeping the Peas shares her tips on how to cook for a family with different tastes. Learn how to make a meal that everyone can enjoy without any fuss.
Today’s episode is for anyone who has ever struggled to cook a meal to suit a bunch of different tastes.
My guest, Alison Corey, knows this all too well. She’s a plant-based vegan, married to a meat eater, with two picky kids. Talk about a tricky meal time.
I picked Alison’s brain about how she simplifies meal times when everyone likes to eat different types of food, and she even shared suggestions for how to handle the holidays with picky eaters.
Alison has a vegan food blog, Keeping the Peas, where she helps families with different eating styles find peace in the kitchen. She’s a plant-based vegan, married to a meat eater, with two picky kids. She uses whole food plant-based ingredients to create a delicious compromise in the kitchen. Her goal is to create simple and flavourful main dishes, salads, snacks, and the occasional dessert that she feels good about feeding her family, and they delight in eating.
Whether you’re a parent with fussy kids or married to one like me, you’ll get so much out of this chat.
LISTEN IN
Listen in to today’s episode on Apple, Stitcher or Spotify.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
The recipe of the week is my Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry. It’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog and it’s vegan too – which is very fitting since we chat about vegan cooking in this episode! If you’re looking to try your hand at Meatless Monday, or just want a super quick and nourishing dinner this week, give this curry a go!
EPISODE 14 – How to Cook for a Family with Different Tastes
How to create one meal with options
- Try and pick one meal that everyone will eat in some form.
- Think DIY meals – tacos, stir-fries, nachos.
Encouraging picky eaters to try new foods
- Try different textures – e.g. if they don’t like roasted broccoli try steamed or broccoli in a pasta bake.
- Get the kids involved in the cooking process & the shopping experience. Take them to a farmers market and get them to pick a vegetable they want to try that week.
Approaching Thanksgiving in a mixed diet house
- Divide responsibilities – For Alison that’s having her husband make meat dishes (Turkey) and Alison creating the rest of the meal vegan-friendly.
- Delegate – ask those who are coming that have certain preferences or allergies, ask them to bring one thing they can eat so they have at least one thing.
How to raise your kids when you and your partner have different diets
- Come to agreement about your non-negotiables in terms of your children’s diets.
- Be open to compromise and allowing treats on occasion.
How to create family friendly classic meals using healthy ingredients
- Try a chickpea pasta instead of regular white pasta.
- Making tacos or burgers? Try using beans and lentils instead of meat.
ALISON’S SUGGESTED RECIPES
The BEST Traditional Meatless Meatloaf
Gluten Free Vegan Thanksgiving Meal Plan
WHERE TO FIND ALISON
Free E-Book – Plant Based Family Favorites
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