I’m Rachel, the dreamer behind The Occasional Vegetarians; my three pre-teen and teenage boys and hungry husband are on this journey with me to make a change in the way we eat, but like your family, they won’t let me sacrifice flavour or sustenance for one bite. When so many of my friends would ask how we were able to do this, I came up with the idea of The Occasional Vegetarians! I’m here to help you do the same thing in your house.
No Labels!
You name a food trend and I’ve ridden it – Keto, Paleo, low-fat, low-carb, low-sugar, I’ve done it all, and while each has benefits, I often felt I had to be “all-in” and when I fell off the trend, I felt I’d failed. This isn’t about being dogmatic! It’s about helping families make one healthy choice at a time, while showing them how you can eat a delicious meal that will satisfy your whole family… and it just happens not to have meat! You don’t have to go Vegan to enjoy a Meatless Monday!
Feeling Better & Living Better
So how did we get here? A combination of wanting to feel better and wanting to live better.
Feeling Better
My body just wasn’t getting out what I needed from the food that I was putting in it. Since I was a child, my stomach would hurt after eating certain foods and as I grew older, I didn’t have the energy I wanted. Over time though, I learned that the better I ate, the better I felt. This sparked my interest in nutrition and wanting to know more and more.
Living Better
While it would be great to live longer, as we have gotten older, my husband and I have been thinking more and more about living better as we get older. We’ve realized that we can’t decide when we’re senior citizens, that’s time to eat better; we have to make changes now.
Learning More
On this journey to feel and live better, I have spent a lot of time reading, listening, and learning about health and nutrition. Books like The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, that looked at attributes that helped people live to be a hundred, or Super Life by Darren Olien, that examined how what we eat affects how we feel and our health. I have taken Forks Over Knives Ultimate Cooking Course and Plants Plus on Rouxbe and with each new piece of knowledge, I want to help pass it on through my recipes.
Enjoy!
Regardless of what you call it, I love to cook! I’ve spent my life trying new recipes and I’m so excited to have a chance to share them all with you and your families. Enjoy!
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