I’m back from an amazing week in Dominican Republic with my family and my sister’s family. We stayed at Dreams Royal Beach, an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, and when I was posting stories from my trip on Instagram the most common question I had was “did you manage to find decent plant-based food?” For context, as trained chef and someone who LOVES food, I don’t go to an all-inclusive resort with high-hopes or any expectation of a Michelin star culinary experience. These resorts prepare massive quantities of food for hundreds (if not thousands) of people on a daily basis, it’s simply not ..read more

I was recently a guest on the Jacked on the Beanstalk podcast. I’ve been on the show in the past to speak about meal planning and it was a very popular episode, so I was invited back to have an even more in-depth conversation with hosts/sister duo Samantha and Sarah Shorkey. Sarah took to the mic the most during this episode as she is - in her own words - “completely clueless” and “overwhelmed” when it comes to cooking and meal planning for her family. During our conversation she asked me the hard-hitting questions about what I eat, recipe ideas for busy moms,  snack suggestions ..read more

If you’ve been a regular follower of my Instagram stories over the past few years you might’ve see that Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng (aka @kwadcast), an ICU doctor at the Ottawa Hospital, invited me to be on his podcast Solving Healthcare back in 2020 to speak about the benefits of plant-based diets. While we have different views on food and nutrition, we had a wonderful discussion. You can listen to the podcast here. Following our chat Dr. K invited me to host a 30 minute virtual class for his community. I taught the participants how to make a simple vermicelli noodle bowl with homemade peanut sau ..read more

If you’re an athlete, woman, vegan or vegetarian, you’re at higher risk of iron deficiency. As you probably know, low iron can lead to anemia, fatigue, weakness, poor circulation, headaches, and lots of other not-so-fun side effects. As a vegan for over a decade, I have my iron tested every year or so, and luckily I haven’t struggled with this issue (except for slightly low iron during pregnancy). That said, I have taken measures to ensure that I incorporate iron daily in some way, shape or form. Below I’m going to share a few of my favourite plant-based ways to increase iron consumption.&nbs ..read more

If you’ve been following my career in the past decade or so, you’ve likely heard of my friend Samantha Shorkey. She’s personal trainer and bodybuilding coach. She is the first-ever vegan World Naturals bikini pro and creator of the blog and podcast “Jacked on the Beanstalk.” In 2020, we published the "Vegan Bodybuilder's Cookbook" which includes 100 high-protein and low carb vegan recipes and meal plans for plant-based bodybuilding. Like me, Sam is a mom, runs her own business, and is a huge advocate for health and wellness. I’m really excited to share this Q&A as I know protein intake is ..read more

I wasn't a natural born chef. Far from it. In fact, cooking is something that came to me later in life and I think this is an important part of my story. Growing up in Halifax I always had healthy, homemade meals with lots of variety (thanks mom!). Looking back, I'm so grateful for this, but truth be told cooking wasn't a requirement for much of my life because it was done for me. When I was 24 I landed a job at the UN in Paris. I met people from all over the world and especially loved learning about food. Whether it was the French food culture, trying homemade empanadas from my Mexican coll ..read more

You’ve probably seen many Instragram stories showing my daughter eating her favourite meal: “cheezy noodles”. I’ve had countless requests for the recipe, so I apologize for taking so long to share this with you! This recipe is my healthified, dairy-free take on Kraft Dinner using sweet potato or squash, cashews (or other nuts or seeds) and turmeric to create a noodle dish that looks and tastes cheesy, without cheese. I hope you enjoy it! Cheezy Noodles  Yields 6 servings Ingredients: 3 cups sweet potato or squash, cubed  1 onion diced 2 whole cloves of garlic, optional 1 - 2 tables ..read more

Happy new year! I'm back in Ottawa after a nice family holiday. I was hoping to ease back into work, but it seems I'm hitting the ground running. I was home no less than 24 hours and I received an email from the producer from a local TV news program asking if I would be interviewed for a segment on eating more plant-based meals in 2024.   Of course I agreed, but it wasn't without some nervousness as it's been a while since my last TV appearance. You can watch the full interview here.  Or if you'd prefer a quick synopsis, here are the speaking points sent to the producer before ..read more

I know it can be intimidating planning for holiday dinners and gatherings, especially if you’re new to plant-based eating or if you’re making food for a vegan family member. I’ve been doing this plant-based thing for a while and I can tell you, I too was intimidated about my first family holiday meal over a decade ago. Especially because I was the only vegan person in attendance. In most cases, I’m still the only vegan person at holiday gatherings, but now I know how to navigate it a bit better. Here are my tips for your plant-based holiday meal: Plan ahead! If you’re trying to adhere to pl ..read more

I wrote about soy last week and I had such great response from my newsletter subscribers that I figured I’d continue the conversation by sharing the best ways to use tofu and tempeh and pass on a few recipes. Hopefully you’ll learn to appreciate these nutritious and delicious foods – if you don’t already! Let’s start with tofu. It’s a very versatile food. You can buy it in textures ranging from soft/silken to extra firm, and depending on the firmness you can use it in a variety of ways. Soft or silken tofu is great for baked goods (in the place of yogurt in recipes) and making puddings, dips o ..read more