Veggies & Virtue

On today's episode, I get the chance to chat with Lauren White, who is a mom and former teacher, turned business owner and professional home organizer. I love Lauren's approach to simplicity and how passionate she is about being organized, efficient, and helping families find simplicity. There are so many parallels that with the work that Lauren does over at The Intentional Edit and the work that I do in feeding at Veggies & Virtue. I know that you all are going to find a lot of really valuable nuggets for how you can simplify your summer routines, get your kids involved in a way that lowers the stress for you and creates some family management, and systems that will help make your summer more enjoyable for you and your kids. So join Lauren and I in this interview, as she helps busy overwhelmed moms find solutions that bring simplicity to their home and to their life.

Summer is starting and it took me all of one morning with my kids home to realize: I need a plan to hit the ground running with each day! Whether you find yourself still heading out to work but with kids now heading to childcare or you are at home and busy coordinating summer sports, camps, and such, how we start our days matter! Even when it comes to the new and "not normal" routine of summer. That's why in this episode, I am sharing my current menu for fast and easy breakfast ideas. I am telling you the exact dietitian-mom approved menu we are working off of each week so that you can take it and copy it for your own use, or so that you can hear what I am doing as some inspiration to get you started with when coming up with your own weekly rotation of breakfast ideas. So reheat that cup of coffee and make sure that you come up with a menu for your morning rotation as summer gets started. You can swap in and out new ideas at any point as you see tweaks are needed, ingredients are out, or plans change. The main point here is to start your day with one less thing to think about, since summer brings enough added coordination of kiddos already!

In this three-part series on how to handle seconds, we have reviewed what not to do and what is okay to do when it comes to giving your kids more of a given item. But if you listen back to the mom’s initial question, you might remember that she spoke specifically to how to handle the request for seconds with one child versus the other? As with many families, we may have one child who eats everything and then still wants more. That seems to not rock the boat for too many parents as we associate it to true hunger and a larger appetite. But with other children, particularly those with more particular appetites (i.e. those who are “picky”), we as parents can fumble on how to respond to their requests for more of a given food when they haven’t eaten any of the other ones offered. Should our response be the same to both kids? Why, when one is clearly eating “better” than the other? How do we do the things we ought to do and not the things we are not to do when it comes to feeding kids with very different appetites and preferences? This episode will address just this. Running through the final three things to set your WHOLE family up for success, we will wrap up this three part series with 3 tips to maintaining a fair feeding approach among picky eaters, great eaters, and any kind of other eater.

For the months with five Mondays in them (like May), many of you had requested that I do a bonus episode on healthy desserts. So, although you can expect easy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas every month, I am excited to also share a special red, white, and blue episode here too! To help get us ready for the summer months, celebrating things like Memorial Day, and the 4th of July, this episode will give you EASY ideas you can involve your kids in whether you want to make it fun and festive or are searching for ideas that are food-dye free for families. I am always looking for an excuse to have a little extra fun with food. Particularly with the given nature of doing more patriotic things and incorporating red, white, and blue foods, summer can be a fun time to start experimenting with food, practicing having more fun with your food, incorporating your kids in the kitchen, and getting them a little more hands-on with what items you might be offering. So whether you're hosting some sort of a festive holiday gathering or bringing something to a potluck or a party, this episode will give you healthy dessert ideas the whole family will enjoy. Each are fun, festive, and food dye free!

If you listened to part I in this three-part series, you might be thinking I have lost my mind. Not limiting our kids from having more seems so counter-intuitive at times, especially when they aren’t even touching the other things being offered. As a mom, I understand this and have felt your frustration first hand more times than I can count. But as a dietitian, I also know the impact of having a positive and pressure-free feeding environment on raising kids who truly are amazing eaters…in their due time. So in this episode, we are going to review when it is okay to say no to seconds. There are three main reasons you might find yourself needing to limit extra helpings, and I want to review each of these so you feel empowered and equipped when the answer really does need to be, “no.” However, with each of these situations, I compare and contrast how the message you are reinforcing isn’t one of pressure or restriction, but rather of values like learning manners, money-management, and mindfulness with their body’s response to food. This is a must-listen episode for any parent who struggles with how to respond when their child asks, “Can I have seconds of ABC?” (even when they haven’t eaten any of XYZ).

I think it was at least five years into motherhood that I ate a raspberry, and that wasn't because I hadn't been buying them. Rather, knowing that a $3 pint barely satisfied a single child, it seemed like something I better "save" for my kids to enjoy. However, as fresh berries come into season and become a bit more accessible for families to enjoy, I am sharing three tips to stretch your food budget so the whole family can enjoy more of the coveted foods in your cart, like berries. You will find how you can incorporate fresh berries in more affordable ways so that there are enough for everyone!

The concept of "more" or allowing seconds can be tricky to navigate, particularly when your child hasn't eaten at least a little of everything they were offered. As a mom, I understand not wanting my own picky eaters to fill up on bread or fruit when there are many other nutrient-dense options available. But as a dietitian, I know that allowing my child to decide if/whether and how much they eat (from the foods offered) is imperative to establishing a healthy relationship with food. That's why in this episode, we will dive into three clues that the parent is more of the problem than the child's actual request for more at mealtimes. These are common responses and often feel counter-intuitive to not do in situations like your child asking, "Can I have seconds?" So come hear me out for part I of III on the subject of allowing more at family mealtimes.

In this Meals Made Easy episode on dinners, I talk about a meal that my husband and I love but my littles are still learning to like. I know there are many families who struggle to make one meal be a crowd pleaser for all, especially with picky eaters at home or parents that have preferences very different from their kids. That's why this episode is going to tee you up for summer and walk you through the thought process I go through to make easy weeknight dinners for my family - even when what is on the menu is something I know my kids don't particularly want.

This episode features an interview with friend and fellow podcasting mom, Liz Henderson. Liz is THE Tough Love Mom of The Tough Love Mom Podcast, and she brings so much empathy, encouragement, and actionable insight to moms. Journeying from being a Division I athlete to a mom of two littles, Liz shares how moms of all different personality types and fitness pasts can accomplish healthy, sustainable habits in motherhood. From finding your Kickstart Habit to actually making it happen, Liz brings the consistency and community I know a lot of moms are looking for. So get ready to listen in, and then to exercise your follow through muscle in response to this episode!

On this Meals Made Easy Monday episode, we are diving right into one of my all-time favorite tools for easy lunches that are super impactful. That is, the muffin tin! It can be so tempting to just eat the scraps off of our kids plate for whatever they didn't eat at lunch. But take a quick minute and think about not only what that does for you and your own mental and physical health, but also what teachable moments may be missed here. You are likely eating excess of their love it foods or more than likely, their learning it foods. What if you had a way to eat from and enjoy these foods alongside them in an effortless way AND you could use up the random ingredients you have on hand in the process? You can, and this episode will walk you through the details of when, how, and why!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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!

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!

Whether you have already had spring break (like us here in Texas) or are getting packed up and ready to go, this episode is a must listen! You will hear about the top SIX things to consider when it comes to safe, easy, and healthy snacking for kids on vacation, plus how to plan healthy travel snacks that align with: Your Child's Safety (and where snacks are offered) Your Structure/Daily Routines While on Vacation (and when snacks are offered) Non-Perishable and Perishable Go-To Snack Ideas (and what snacks to offer) Your Feeding Strategy (including who else is offering snacks when other friends or family is travelling with you and may have a different approach to snacking than you and your family) Having a Limited Snack Supply (and the difference between letting your child decide if/whether and how much to eat when there are only so many snacks packed) Food Allergies & Sensitivities (your own child's and those of children around you) Consistent with the feeding roles I talk about each week, you will walk away from listening with a clear understanding of how each of these considerations impacts the next and how together, these play a big part in helping your family have a well-fueled and fun-filled trip… wherever you might be off to!

Are you struggling with your child asking to come sit in your lap (after they have already gotten down from the table)? This can be a perpetual problem that really pulls on a mom's heart strings. Because although we want to connect with our child and feel like the most loving thing to do might be to allow them up to sit with us, boundaries can quickly get crossed and meal time expectations quickly take a turn for the worse. We may assume our child will eat better if we let them back up also, but Ashley outlines how this isn't actually an effective approach for eating competence. That's why in this episode, Ashley outlines how to discern if how you are responding is showing love or setting limits. Through three different value-based considerations, Ashley helps you walk through how to handle the season you are in with compassion and yet clear boundaries so that everyone is able to eat and enjoy the meal.

Struggling with getting your kid to stay seated at meal times? This listener submitted question asked how she could get her kids to stay at the table and engage in the family meal. To help with both the listener's 18 month old and four year old, Ashley shares how to GET S.E.A.T.E.D.! This episode defines each of the steps in GET S.E.A.T.E.D. so that you: know exactly what to do to bring your child to the table set appropriate boundaries and expectations around meal times offer your child(ren) the social, emotional, and developmental support they need to not just survive but thrive at meal times Have a question you want to Ask Ashley? Record it here, and she will answer it live on an upcoming episode!

Wondering how Ashley feeds her kids when her family goes out to a restaurant? Tune in to this episode for real-life dietitian mom advice and encouragement on: How to handle ordering out for our kids (or letting them choose!) Important considerations that you as the parent can control (even if/when your child doesn’t eat what they ordered) Keeping a big picture perspective of navigating nutrition during an occasional meal away from home or when on an extended vacation For all of your families who need a night off from cooking or are packing for spring break, this is an episode you will definitely want to make sure to tuck in the diaper bag to take with you!

Do you feel like it is a struggle just to wrangle your toddlers (or teens!) for family meals? If so, Jennifer Zumbiel can relate. Jennifer has a Bachelor's in Business Administration Marketing from the University of Kentucky and a Master's in Secondary Education from Xavier University. She is the creator and owner of Togather Moments LLC, Togather™ conversation sticker games/tools, and the host of The Families That Stick Togather Podcast. As a mother of four and a wife of 18 years, she understands how everyday distractions can impact face-to-face communication and threaten the strength of our relationships. She has found a way to help us all to gather with easy meaningful, and fun communication in real-life in the small moments we already have. The mission of Togather™ is to protect the strength of communication within families so that we can protect the strength of the Family the way God intended. Jennifer has been in the trenches of just trying to get dinner made to now making sure her whole family can find a time to all eat together (amidst afterschool sports and activities). And although her challenges have changed, Jennifer opens up about how she made small yet intentional moments happen in the early years to set her and her family up for the teen years. With thought-provoking conversation starters your kids can literally peel and stick, Jennifer gives busy moms the ideas we need for becoming more intentional around the table. Plus, Jennifer shares some thoughts on how to incorporate rhythms and routines around the table, like saying grace. So for the mamas who have asked me, "How do we start praying together as a family before a meal," I know this episode hitting on Ash Wednesday is going to be particularly helpful to you. Helpful Links: Visit Togather Moments Listen to The Families That Stick Togather Podcast Shop Togather Products Get Togather Freebies (perfect conversation starters for spring break coming up!) Connect with Jennifer on Facebook and on Instagram

Oh hey there, mom who loathes meal prepping on the weekend and doesn't want to feel guilty about spending nap time on Sunday doing something else. Boy, does Ashley have a dietitian mom hack for you here. In this episode, Ashley shares her go-to solution for moms who don't plan on nor want to do a bunch of meal prep on the weekend, but who do need easy dinner ideas that are doable day after day. This system works without requiring a bunch of extra ingredients or energy (because who wants to make a last minute run to the store for something they forgot...NO MOM DOES!). Instead, this episode walks you through how to go about gathering all the goods so that when you are ready to cook (or assemble) dinner, you have everything ready in one simple, straight-forward swoop. Learn how you too can decrease food waste, use up random ingredients you otherwise might not know what to do with, and make your family's dinner meal ideas that much more straight-forward and simple come 6:00 pm (or whenever you do dinner).

Ashley's strategy for meal planning has changed again, and again, and again over the years. What worked for her as a dietitian mom of one, two, and later three kids has continued to evolve and adapt to the areas of highest importance in her life. And while yes, the nutrition of this meal plan is important and part of the reason she meal plans to begin with, Ashley knows the need for a sustainable system to getting easy dinner ideas executed night after night. So join Ashley in an episode where she introduces the five pillars for meal planning. Even amidst all of the systems she has used and shared over the years, they all come back to these five pillars. Applying these to your life, you will find how to come up with a practical plan that fits your unique family. Ashley also gives a little dose of dietitian mom advice for how to pivot when life happens and plans change. Hint: it doesn't have to derail all of your dinner ideas!

In this episode, Ashley defines what a "balanced diet" even is (for those who are confused about it!) and frees you from the pressures of planning a perfectly balanced diet each and every day. Instead, she shares an illustration for keeping a big picture view of your child's diet, how to build a balanced plate, and how to leverage those ideas to ensure all areas of their diet is covered.

Wondering how to order your day so there are clear meals and snacks without the endless grazing, complaints about being hungry, and uncertainty around if and when to feed your child again? Well tune in for this episode as we breakdown the five C's to setting up a meal and snack schedule. These aren't rules to follow but rather a routine that will help your family build trust, minimize food fussiness, boost confidence, and promote healthy habits.

In today's episode, we take a deep dive into discussing some of the more personal aspects of feeding and: How filling in the blank is holding you back, "I have my own stuff, but for my kid I just want _______________." The unaddressed insecurities you may face in your own relationship with food (and how they may be impacting your child) The anxieties about feeding you feel, your child experiences, and the ineffective interplay you may be experiencing when worry and anxiety impact appetite What you can do to move forward (without getting ahead of yourself) This isn't the easiest episode to listen to nor apply, but tuning in with your head and your heart can be one of the biggest impetus to change if you're ready to go there with Ashley in this episode.

In today's episode, we are going to be talking about the blueprint for feeding your family and: How to create a firm foundation for feeding your family and raising a child who has a healthy relationship with food The roles you and your child each have at and around the table Establishing healthy boundaries for more peaceful mealtimes (instead of living with the stress that comes from switching roles) Creating consistency with a big picture approach amidst the minutia of meals and snack This is an episode you will want to reference often, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast so that you can easily pull it up any time you need! Connect with Ashley On Instagram: @veggiesandvirtue Online: www.veggiesandvirtue.com By email: [email protected]

Welcome to the Veggies & Virtue podcast with pediatric dietitian and Christian mom, Ashley Smith. In this episode, Ashley shares her word for the year in 2022. She also opens up about how God has been moving in her personal and professional life to include launching this podcast and : Recognizing the pace of the present day and current season of parenthood Recovering from perfectionism and reclaiming a place for flexibility, fun, and freedom Living more disciplined than distracted with our time, including on social media Ashley is excited to use this place and space to serve you better. Come pull up a stool at her kitchen counter! Connect with Ashley On Instagram: @veggiesandvirtue Online: www.veggiesandvirtue.com By email: [email protected]

Wondering what you can expect here? Take a peek at the Veggies & Virtue podcast teaser where you can learn more about who this podcast is for, what the heartbeat is behind each conversation here, and how Ashley plans to serve you through all the short episodes to come.