stir fried noodles, carrots, spinach, cabbage, tofu, and scrambled egg. 

leftover party: cabbage, carrot, beet coleslaw and rice, potatoes and kale sauté

almond milk chia pudding with blueberries. 

ginger turmeric lentils and spinach tossed with white rice. 


pre mixing of rice and lentils…. and the rice look invisible. 

oatmeal, blueberries yogurt, topped with loads of berries and peaches and mango.


rice + veggies, black beans with avocado.

rice + veggies, black beans tossed together as leftovers. so much of this lately.
messy veggie patties. similar to chickpea patties + grilled tofu
grilled tofu, blackbeans, salad.
tumeric ginger coconut soup with veggies and tofu.

chickpea patty. brown rice, greens, and a hard boiled egg.

yep, eggs are now part of a normal routine— but only at home. eggs are a no no at restaurants and what not since we don’t know where the eggs are sourced and whatnot. But at home? she likes a good fried egg (how colombian of her). And/but she has requested that we do not put eggs in her pancakes and baked goods because she can’t taste the batter— and that bums her out. Smart kid, ya know? 😉 She won’t be eating/drinking dairy though since I don’t see cows or goats in our future. And really, because I don’t think there’s enough nutrition (not that she needs and doesn’t eat elsewhere anyway) to counter the bad it does to your gut. You can read more about the new egg eating thing HERE.

Sorry these are all a bit dark and messy. Focusing is not my strong suit– especially with food lately. We’re all sort of in survival mode still. Hope you guys are having a great week! Thanks for being here <3

ps. I’m realizing there’s an annoying pop up ad floating at the bottom of this blog— working on removing it! I never set this up (annoying). 

21 Comments

  1. Oh these all look so yummy! When is your cookbook out?
    I'm not fully vegan, but I've recently cut out dairy, and I don't eat eggs… and just from cutting out dairy I feel 100x better! It's amazing how food can have such an impact on our health!

    • OCTOBER! Crazy right?! You can pre-order it now 🙂

      I honestly stayed vegan after I realized how much better I felt once I cut out dairy. I was like a new person. I could never, ever imagine eating dairy again. The GI research doctor I met with said it best "if only we knew more about how diet affects us"

  2. This makes me so, so excited for your cookbook! I love all your posts, but your food posts make me hungry.

  3. This almost makes me want to cry and inspires me at the same time. My boys (5and 3) won't eat avocados and one won't eat eggs. They both loved everything when they were little, avocado toast? everyday!, Migas? all the time! Now, they act lke it's poison. It causes battles at the table, not fun. We don't eat meat either and I would like my older to eat an egg for quick protien. He also will not eat hummus or anything creamy like that, not even a smoothie (texture dislike). Nobody will eat rice if it has things mixed in. I love the beautiful plates of food Marlow eats! Good job Mama! I will keep trying though, what else can you do, and I am getting your cookbook.

    • Marlowe totally has days where she says "I don't like avocados anymore" but then a few days later she decides she does— we just keep insisting and eventually she says yes and falls in love again. Black beans is our preferred method of protein around here. We usually have a lot in the fridge to re-heat. But yeah, in Massachusetts my mom def. would just cook up an eggs for Marlowe as a quick protein. We also like to puree our black beans and toss them in a quesadilla for a quick and healthy snack. Maybe something like that? Just keep trying! <3<3

      mmmm migas.

  4. I am always so amazed at what Marlowe eats. My daughter is not so picky but my middle son is and he is starting to make my youngest son picky too. I just keep serving the same things I always do and try to block out the complaints. It's hard because I work and I know there grandparents don't cook like I do, but I can't complain about that because they watch them for free. Hope you are still on the mend! happy thoughts

    • it's very hard with the grandparents! They're not going to cook like you do or enforce like you do— because they want to be the good guys, not the parents 😉 I try to send meals when I can, but in times like this, where I haven't even been cooking for myself much, I'm just sending her off and hoping for the best— and then I just plan to have her eat a vegetable packed meal at home. Grateful that at the very least, she eats a lot of rice + beans and carrots + hummus when she goes elsewhere. Totally worth it with free care 😉

    • Not if she's eating eggs. Check out books like 'The China Study' by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, 'Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease' by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and great documentaries like 'Forks Over Knives' and 'PlantPure Nation.' No matter how restrictive your diet, there is never a need for the use of animal ingredients as a source of protein. Plants of all kinds have plenty the protein. Only the influence of an uneducated doctor (which many have little to no nutrition background) would say otherwise. I've been a bit disappointed in this change on the blog and hope that it doesn't send the message that eggs are in any way healthy. Please read the science behind it from people doing great work. Cheers, Aubrey

    • Heather— thank you dear! Nervous to see how it all goes when school starts (she did manage to eat great in daycare when she went a few years back though), but we’ll see how it goes! For now, she’s a pretty great eater (most days!) and I’m feeling pretty grateful!

      HI Audrey!
      Sorry for the misunderstanding—You're absolutely right, a well done and healthy vegan diet absolutely can provide enough nutrition to people big and small. We didn't let Marlowe start eating eggs (at home) because we felt she was lacking in anything— she eats well balanced meals everyday so I've never worried that she wasn't getting enough of this or enough of that– especially protein! I think she's pretty well off in the protein section with her love for legumes, nuts (in pureed form), and occasional tofu.
      There are however certain situations where sometimes protein can be lacking because of restrictions— like with with my own diet for example. I still can't eat most/all plants still. I can only eat nut butters (almond only) in small amounts (less than two tablespoons a day) and I still can't really eat legumes. SOMETIMES I can have a tiny bit of soft lentils, but even that is a huge risk factor and might leave me crotched over with pain for most of the evening if I do it. Marlowe however? She's good in the protein and well balanced section, like I said, thats not really why it was added, you can read back on the older posts about my new diet and her choice to eat eggs if you care to or haven't. I chose to have a vegan pregnancy and chose to raise Marlowe vegan from the start because I know the benefits behind it. But she is her own person (as small as she may be) and might not be vegan or vegetarian forever, no matter how I feel about it. And I've chosen to be vegan for 8-9 (?) years now, un-blindingly. I know the good, the bad, and the science. I don’t love eggs, but I do feel comfortable eating them for now, without putting myself at risk for other conditions. They do provide more benefit than loss to me with my current (pretty freaking terrible) condition. The same as I feel comfortable letting Marlowe eat tofu once in a while or the occasional processed foods— we have a healthy and trying balance of everything.

      But don't worry, you wont be seeing that much about eggs around here— Other than maybe the pop up of an egg picture every couple of what marlowe eats posts or in a picture of our family meal— or us collecting them from our own chickens. I just added “feeding my vegetarian kid” because last post I hadn’t and someone on the internet needed to comment on that and tell me how I was doing that wrong and being deceitful. everyone has something to say on the internet, right? 🙂 But I’m glad you did comment so I could clear it up! I won't be endorsing eggs or sharing recipes, because while I do think it's not an issue to eat eggs once in a while from backyard happy chickens, I don't like the idea of promoting eggs or sharing egg recipes and having people running out buying any ole' caged up and beaten up chicken eggs.

      sidenote: you’re right about doctors, it’s incredibly disappointing. I will share though, this past few months I’ve been lucky enough to meet a good amount of doctors who supported our vegan diet. It was such a relief to not get the expected lecture from like you said, people with no nutrition educated background. I think people are starting to see that if done correctly, a vegan diet is a great choice for adults and good eating kiddos!

    • Hi Drea,

      I only mentioned the point on protein because when you first wrote a post on including eggs again you discussed how you didn't feel your diet had enough protein. So I was commenting on that. I did read the post on what your diet now is and, even still, there are plenty of ways to get protein and I'd be happy to help. Plus, the health costs of eating animals is just too high to incorporate.

      Nevertheless, I didn't comment to criticize nor did I comment about you and never would. I generally leave my own opinions to myself because people are going to make their own decisions. I made the deliberate choice to comment on this comment and not on the post because the person's comment was about health and I didn't want there to be any misleading information that eating a diet that includes animals is in any way healthy. The science just proves it otherwise and we have enough doctors and media misrepresenting the facts. So that's why I commented on the comment, not on your post.

      Again, my comment wasn't about your choice at all. Your health and your kid's health is up to you. My comment was to Heather directly, hence why I commented to Heather directly, to clarify that eating eggs is not healthy. That is all. When I see misinformation that can impact people's decisions and health (not something like a titling a blog post 'vegan' or 'vegetarian') then I have to say something.

      Cheers and Sincerely, Aubrey

    • Hi Aubrey and Drea, I appreciate the polite discourse going on here and just thought I would offer my own two cents. I am also a former vegan who now has incorporated eggs back into my diet, from a compassionate source like Drea mentions in her blog posts. I have previously been a vegan for several years and have read, like Drea has, the literature and science behind veganism. However, I still wouldn't make the comment that "eating a diet that includes animals is" not in "any way healthy." There are, obviously, certain nutritional aspects to certain animal foods. However, veganism at its core is about the ethical treatment of animals and about compassion, which is why vegans find other sources for the same nutrients. I think it is misinformation to spread the idea that there are, and have never been, any nutrients found in eggs, milk, or meat. If you read the book Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice, a former vegetarian, she explains some very interesting research about nutrient density, absorption, and healthy fats found in animal products that are sourced from compassionate and small scale farms. The nutrient profile actually changes depending on how the animal was raised etc. Also, there are some critiques around regarding The China Study, which you mentioned in an initial post, have you read any of them? I do realize that I am speaking to a vegan, and I myself am a vegetarian–I do not want you to change how you eat, I simply want to point out that I do support and understand Drea's decisions and find the meals she prepares for Marlowe to be extraordinarily healthy, and made with love. Also, given her illness lately I certainly can understand why she isn't able to turn to beans or even tofu as main sources of protein. From my perspective, we should be worried more about industrial agriculture/factory farming, and sugars/refined and processed foods in our diet, which I feel does more to destroy our relationship with animals and our health than someone who chooses to source her ingredients so carefully, and does so from a place of compassion and knowledge. (Posting this long comment in 2 sections…)

    • (….part 2, still to Aubrey) I believe you already know this, because you mentioned having read some information on nutrition yourself, but an unplanned/unresearched vegan diet can be unhealthy, too. There are certain nutrients that I myself have had to make sure I purposefully incorporate into my diet through careful meal planning or supplementation, such as B12, D (the sun vitamin–I live in Florida and yet have been depleted since pregnancy and 3 years of nursing, so I supplement–with D3, because my body didn't absorb the vegan D2, which is also common), DHA/EPA (some people also have problems with the ALA to DHA/EPA thing, and even Dr. Campbell has written about this and sells his own line of supplements), and well, those are the ones I can think of now and don't want to turn this into a novel. I am definitely glad that there are vegan supplements out there for people who want to keep a purely vegan diet, but I do think one of the benefits to a non-vegan diet is having access to whole foods versions of those nutrients (with the exception of D, which we get from the sun if we don't have an absorption issue). Also–I know there are whole food based vitamins, but the vitamins I have seen for b12 as well as dha/epa have been engineered in the labs, which is not necessarily bad, but it is not natural, per-say, which makes me feel that veganism for some can be a luxury dependent on if you can afford those supplements, some of which cost 20, 30 dollars if not more for a one month or less supply. Unless of course you are super healthy with no absorption problems whatsoever, which I believe happens, but definitely not for everyone—it is not a rule that every diet suits every person, and as I read once in Vegan for Life, veganism is not the most natural diet, but the most compassionate–so I think that is something to remember to—I won't argue with that point! Thanks for your time, if you have read all this.
      Lauren (Wren)

    • Dear Wren,

      Let me address some of your comments and it would be easier for me to do that by breaking it out.

      1) You said that you want to 'point out that I do support and understand Drea's decisions' That is very lovely of you but if you re-read the conversation and my two comments you will come to find that I was not ever addressing her personal choice. I was addressing the comment on the blog by Heather that stated that a diet that includes eggs is healthy.

      2) "I believe you already know this, because you mentioned having read some information on nutrition yourself, but an unplanned/unresearched vegan diet can be unhealthy, too. " – You're right, I do already know this. But if you read my comments I never even said the word vegan. Again, I'm very deliberate with my writing. I personally eat vegan but, more specifically, I eat a whole foods plant-based diet which is healthy.

      3)"even Dr. Campbell has written about this and sells his own line of supplements" – No he absolutely does not. In his own words, from his website, he says, 'I do not subscribe to the view that medical practice can be best improved by the use of these supplements." And here is an article from his website including that quote and his view on supplements: http://nutritionstudies.org/vitamins-supplements/ Possibly you are thinking of Dr. Fuhrman, here: http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx

      4) "veganism is not the most natural diet, but the most compassionate" – please consider reading 'The China Study' by Dr. Campbell (I can later provide other sources) that prove that otherwise. Because you had Dr. Campbell confused with Furhman, then I'm guessing you have not read that ground breaking and most comprehensive book on nutrition ever conducted. That will address all other points you have made that I have not addressed.

      Sincerely,
      Aubrey

    • Aubrey, I guess the part thats frustrating for me about this is that—( and I could absolutely be wrong– I'm obviously just assuming here) but had there been a picture of plate of french fries (which fits in both a whole foods and plant based diet) or some sort of vegan chickn' patty or something of that nature instead of eggs, you probably wouldn't have commented to Heather's comment. The comment was solely made because there was one egg pictured in one meal (which Heather said nothing about). And as we all know, a plate of fried potatoes or some other processed plant based item— mock meat, protein powders, whatever are not really "healthy" Sure, there are some benefits to lets say a pea based protein powder, but there are still a lot of negative aspects of it too. But again, you know this. So I guess, I just find it frustrating and slightly unfair (to all parties involved) that the comment was made solely based on a single egg and not because she was eating a plate full of french fries (which has been shown in the past).

      Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not at all mad– I'm totally okay with your comment— and I do hope you can see— just as Wren pointed out— there really is no perfect healthy diet. And there is no one size fits all diet. We're all incredibly different and our bodies have different needs. And even though I could never imagine eating meat, I wouldn't say someone is unhealthy because they decide to include meat in their diet. Unfortunately, I know a lot of meat eaters who have a much healthier diet than many of the vegans I know. I I would never consider someone who eats the occasional “unhealthy” item a person who is lacking in health— especially if they’re diet is well rounded otherwise, you know? Even a person who eats a completely natural, plant based and whole food diet can be majorly lacking in one nutrient or another. And right now I’m really a perfect example of that. I can’t eat beans/peas/any legumes, soy (with the exception of a little bit of tempeh every once a while), seitan, stalky leafy greens, seeds of any variety, and I reach my (very small) quota of almond butter and protein powders each day— and things like quinoa? Well it comes out looking exactly the same as it went in (overshare, gross). Whether I’m eating eggs or solely a whole foods plant based diet, I would not say at all that I’m healthy right now, I’m still lacking in A LOT and obviously not by choice.

    • One thing I know for certain— is that there really is a HUGE lack of research when it comes to the gut and to diet. And I don’t think anyone is right— or wrong here— not Aubrey, not Wren, not any of the articles linked. There is not an absolute standard for what is the perfect healthy diet. Every diet can have its faults. As someone who primarily chose to become a vegan for health reasons (sorry animals) and had a well rounded and healthy diet (in my opinion anyway) and as someone who was not deficient in anything (except on the low side with glutamine) prior to this hellish gut experience, I’ve been really rocked off course to find how truly malnourished I’ve become due to gut damage— and all the plant based whole foods that worked for me before, do not— and probably will not for a long, long, long time. I never could have imagined how hard it to to bounce back from the difficult malabsorption issues and deficiencies that I have now— and that many people struggle with daily. I’m not saying this to defend myself, but to point out— that sometimes, somethings work out well, until they don’t. Not all bodies are created equal and not any single person has the perfect diet.

      Anyway, I don’t ever argue about food (unless it’s about mc donalds or food grown in space) it’s far too political for me. We’re all right and wrong here. I hope at the very least, everyone can agree on that 😉 And I mostly just want to say sorry to Heather— who might be receiving email updates on this comment— all she did was leave a thoughtful and nice comment and now got stuck in a chain of emails. Sorry heather!

      ps. they are totally growing vegetables in space now. I wouldn’t eat those.

    • Hi Drea,

      French fries, in the traditional sense, are not a whole food. The potato is but the oil it is fried in is not. Dr. Campbell and others address well what a 'whole food' is. Therefore, if you eat french fries like I do, with no oil but just potato and seasoning, then they are healthy.

      Can I ask you something, in all kindness and out of sheer curiosity – but hoping for an honest answer? Have you personally read 'The China Study' by Dr. T. Colin Campbell? I ask because if you have not then it's really difficult to be on the same page of understanding in that matter.

      Please, again, read my comments as I never claimed 'perfection' in any diet. I never once said that a vegan diet is perfectly healthy nor did I say it isn't. What I did was point out that the diet cannot be healthy with the inclusion of animal protein. So what I was saying was what wasn't healthy not what was. Do you understand that distinction? Nor did I once say a person who includes an egg here and there is 'lacking in health.'

      The thing is there is not a huge lack of research on diet, not at all. I don't mean to beat a dead horse (for lack of a better phrase) but 'The China Study' by Dr. Campbell is the 'most comprehensive study on nutrition ever conducted' (and that's just one book of many others I could list). What is lacking is accessibility and how we deliver the information. Dr. Campbell also wrote the book 'Whole' which addresses why we hear things like 'chocolate is great for you' and 'chocolate is unhealthy. It's not a lack of research but a whole slew of reasons (ie the funding behind it, how the research was conducted, and how it was presented). He does an exemplary job of addressing that the research is most definitely there but most don't know because many don't want them to know. And if you're not a reader then maybe you've seen 'Forks Over Knives' which explains the 'what to eat' but the newest film, from the same people, 'PlantPure Nation' addresses the 'why' we don't hear this research that exists. It clarifies the confusion. …..

    • ….And it's not really about right and wrong. It's about fact. So we can apologize to Heather (who I assume is a grown adult and knows that when you make a comment then, hey, people might comment back – let us not diminish her ability to handle a response of any kind). The only reason to publicly make an apology to Heather is make a point of saying that the comment to her comment was somehow unnecessary or mean, or just unneeded. So you saying that isn't really to her (unless you don't think her capable of handling a comment) but to me. I didn't make a mean comment. I just, personally, cannot see something stated as healthy that is not. When there is science, like in 'The China Study,' that shows absolutely profound results such as the fact that when given animal protein, cancer grows and when removed it reverses is incredible and says, hey, probably not a good thing. Granted, he covers his own research much better than I do but that fact alone is terrifying to me.

      But again, this comment was to Heather, who can likely, I trust in her to do so, handle a simple response to her comment. As for others joining in, including yourself, that is your choice to have lengthened the discussion (though, hey, what's the harm in discussing – gosh doesn't the world need more discussion and understanding). For if my initial comment was about you and your decision then I would have commented on your other post talking about including egg. But if you look back, I did not comment on that post because I respect people's ability to make their own choices. Instead, I commented on an inaccurate comment. And yet you hopped on and took it personally when I wasn't even talking to you and Wren hopped on to defend you (both not taking a moment to understand my comment to someone else). That is all. I really hope you re-read what I said and you will understand maybe more of where I'm coming from.

      With all do respect and sincerity,
      Aubrey