(This post is long, so bear with me — and please share it.)”It seems like there is a form of nutritional elitism going on, which is really doing more harm than good. The message is, if the food you eat is not fresh picked organic, local, GMO-free, tha…

Sushi, Scramble & Soup — Oh my! This week’s meal plan is EXPLODING with easy, fuss-free eats that are sure to be tummy-pleasers!

New recipes on this week’s plan include: Sweet Potato & Kale Sushi (NEW!), Chickpea & Cabbage Soup (NEW!), Pizza Bites (NEW!), Ginger Zucchini & Noodles (NEW!), and Mexican Chickpea Scramble (NEW!).

You’ll also find user favorites like Greek-Style Pasta and Pumpkin Chili (perfect for the fall season!).

Ginger Zucchini & Noodles

Individual Highlights

• Pizza Bites (NEW!)
• Pumpkin Chili
• Sweet Potato & Kale Sushi (NEW!)
• Chickpea & Cabbage Soup (NEW!)
• Caribbean Black Bean Bowl
• Ginger Zucchini & Noodles (NEW!)
• Mexican Chickpea Scramble (NEW!)

Get this meal plan now.

Sweet Potato & Kale Sushi

Family Highlights

• Greek-Style Pasta
• Chickpea & Cabbage Soup (NEW!)
• Pizza Bites (NEW!)
• Ginger Zucchini & Noodles (NEW!)
• Pumpkin Chili
• Sweet Potato & Kale Sushi (NEW!)
• Smashed Sweet Potato Burritos

Get this meal plan now.

Chickpea & Cabbage Soup

Testimonials

“I always thought that I didn’t need the meal plans because I had all of the HH cookbooks. About a year ago I noticed that I was in kind of a rut, always eating my favorites from the cookbooks. I tried a few of the weekly plans and liked them, so I signed up for the yearly subscription. WOW!!! I eat an amazing variety of awesome tasting food every week and I even lost 5 pounds in the process!“- Karen B

“I fell in love with the meal plans after trying the free three day sample! It’s easy with the shopping list provided. The recipes are so refreshingly different from what I have been cooking, too. Every day I’m excited to taste.”- Lisa C

I started getting emails in July about Thanksgiving 😉

Thanksgiving seems to be the one holiday my herbies get a little stressed over!

Well don’t fret my friends (especially my Canadian herbies who celebrate next week!), I’ve got ya covered and the list of options just keeps getting longer and longer each year!

P.S. Today’s the last day to get the entire Thanksgiving section (plus two not-in-the-book-recipes) from Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings (out November 4th!). See this post for more details on how to get it!

Recipes to make from the blog:

• Acorn Squash & Apple Soup
• African Kale & Yam Soup
• Brown Gravy
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Citrusy Cranberry Sauce
• Curried Pumpkin Lentil Soup
• Deviled “Eggs”
• Hippie Loaf
• Low Fat Pumpkin Bean Bars
• Maple Glazed Vegetables
• Pumpkin Bread
• Skillet Green Bean Casserole
• Pumpkin Pie

Recipes to make from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook:

• Cornbread (p. 49)
• Sweet & Spicy Butternut Soup (p. 59)
• Garden Chowder (p. 71)
• 5-Spice Harmony Bowl (p. 122) (*perfect for those dining solo!)
• Seitan Pot Roast (p. 133)
• Torkey (Tofu Turkey) (p. 152)
• Baked Shells & Cheese (p. 156)
• Corn Pudding (p. 173)
• Mashed Potatoes (p. 190)
• Traditional Stuffing (p. 195)
• Cornbread Stuffing with Chorizo (p. 196)
• Dijon-Herb Green Beans (p. 199)
• Thanksgiving Gravy (p. 255)
• Cranberry Sauce (p. 267)
• Pumpkin Pie (p. 218)
• Pumpkin Cheesecake (p. 221)

Recipes to make from Everyday Happy Herbivore:

• Glazed Pumpkin Biscuits (p. 57)
• Harvest Cornbread (p. 65)
• Quick Sweet Potato Soup (p. 94)
• Cauliflower Pumpkin Curry (p. 146)
• Greens Quiche (p.152)
• Quick Pumpkin-Sage Pasta (p. 199)
• Roasted Carrots (p. 221)
• Rainbow Greens (p. 235)
• Apple Fritter Cups (p. 248)

Recipes to make from Happy Herbivore Abroad:

• Colcannon (p.60)
• German Potato Salad (p .63)
• Mediterranean Chard (p. 67)
• Savory Glazed Carrots (p. 74)
• Roasted Tomato Pilaf (p. 124)
• Asparagus Quiche (p. 162)
• Stuffed Acorn Squash (p. 254)

Recipes to make from Happy Herbivore Light & Lean:

• Olive Gravy (p. 34)
• Classic Cornbread (p. 55)
• Butternut Soup (p. 106)
• Cajun Corn Chowder (p. 111)
• Chipotle Harvest Chili (p. 115)
• Pumpkin Chili (p. 118)
• Lemony Asparagus (p. 183)
• Easy Mashed Potatoes & Gravy (p. 187)
• Quick Gravy (p. 188)
• Everyday Mushroom Gravy (p. 189)
• Deviled “Eggs” (p. 203)

Recipes to make from Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings:

• Butternut Soup 3 Ways (p. 12)
• Thanksgiving Loaf (p. 15) <— way better than faux meat!
• Mushroom Gravy (p. 16)
• Thanksgiving Gravy (p. 16)
• Mashed Potatoes 12 Ways (p. 18)
• Asparagus Casserole (p. 19)
• Cornbread (p. 19)
• Skillet Green Bean Casserole (p. 19)
• Traditional Stuffing (p. 20)
• No-Sugar Cranberry Sauce (p. 23)
• Sweet Potato Casserole (p. 23)
• Fat-Free Pumpkin Pie (p. 24)
• Stuffed Acorn Squash for Two (p. 24)
• Pumpkin Cheesecake (p. 26)
• Black Eyed Pea Collard Greens (p. 61)
• Creamed Kale (p. 65)
• Creamed Spinach (p. 65)
• Brown Gravy (p. 87)
• Beet Salad (p. 120)
• Savory Glazed Carrots (p. 123)
• Mini Pumpkin Pies (p. 27) << you read that right!

These blog posts might also help:

My Parent’s First Vegan Thanksgiving (2011)
*This was before my parents were plant-based.

Mama & Papa Herbivore’s Plant-Based Thanksgiving (2012)
My Thanksgiving (2012)
My Thanksgiving Menu & Prep Sheet (2013)

p.s. I’ll have a special Thanksgiving meal plan (coming soon!) perfect for those who are the lone veg head OR want to keep it healthy! *and* I’ll be sharing my Thanksgiving feast next month!

ThanksLIVING!!!!!

Meet our Herbie of the Week: Bethany!

Bethany has been on a weight loss journey her entire life. From fad diets to portion control to counting calories — she’s done it all.

Then, in May of 2013, something clicked and she decided to change her diet. A couple months later her brother showed her a documentary, which ultimately led her to going plant-based.

Since making the switch, Bethany’s lowered her blood pressure, shed inches from her body and cut her mile run time in half! She’s also down 65lbs, which she says aren’t “lost”, but rather “gone forever”!

Continue reading for Bethany’s inspirational story!

HH: What was your diet like before starting a plant-based diet?

I’ve always been on a weight loss “journey”. Fad and crash diets, watching portions, counting calories, you name it. I was raised on an all natural/organic pig farm in small-town Nebraska. We ate meat, bread, and potatoes (as well as other vegetables) and drank milk at nearly every meal. This was the norm for me and I did this day after day.

HH: What made you decide to change your diet and lifestyle?

Something just clicked. I wish I could remember the exact moment, course it may have been an array of things: always being the “bigger friend/sister”, my healthy and fit brother, Trevor, asking how my eating and working out has been going (the scale was sure moving up!), having trouble shopping for and fitting into clothes, not being able to cross my legs, or even go up the stairs without getting winded and tired. I battled anxiety and depression and low self esteem from my early teens into my early 20s. My hair was thin, my skin was red and spotty, my mood and energy levels were very low, and I had constant headaches. Then, the click. I was so tired of all that.

HH: When did it happen, the click?

My true and life-changing transformation began in late May of 2013. I was 23 years old and teetering over 230 pounds.

HH: What did you do? What happened after the click?

I changed my diet first, not to completely vegan, but close. My amazing boyfriend (now fiance!), Zane, was so supportive in helping me get all the bad “food” (processed fake garbage!) out of the house and keep it out. I cut out fast food and alcohol as well and started working out on my own. Weight was coming off!

HH: How’d you find your way to a plant-based diet?

In July 2013, my brother, Trevor, introduced me to Dr. Joel Fuhrman via a PBS television special, talking about the plant-based diet.

I thought, “I can eat as much nutrient rich foods as I want? Seriously!?” I immediately ordered Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live and have been plant-based ever since.

HH: What’s your diet like now?

I eat anything and everything from chili, black bean brownies (my FAVE!), homemade hummus with veggies, banana ice cream, mushroom soup, peach cobbler, bean and pepper enchiladas, mashed cauliflower, gourmet salads…all 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} whole food plant-based. No dairy, no meat, no eggs, no processed sugars, no oils, and no bleached flours. I take on every challenge to make any dish into a nutritious one.

HH: Did you make any other changes, beyond changing your diet?

In late August 2013 I hired a personal trainer, Keith, to help on the workout end with technique and motivation. I also discovered mud run obstacle courses (Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Rugged Maniac, etc). I am obsessed! I have run 7 to date, and am not stopping now. With this new found energy I also got back into jogging, tennis, and running hills. My family and friends began noticing a change in me, and words of encouragement began coming in. I became super close to a long-distance friend, Kristi, who is passionate about health, fitness, and nutrition as well. We text daily workouts, recipes, motivation, inspiration, and the occasional (or more than occasional) fitness selfie. She’s been a rock!

HH: WOW! You are amazing!! What a change!!! Have you experienced any other improvements or benefits since switching to a plant-based diet?

By Christmas 2013, I was down about 35 pounds. Around the year mark (June 2014) I had just passed 50 pounds lost, and to date (October 2014) I am nearing 65 pounds lost. Not “lost”, but more “gone forever” since I don’t intend on finding it ever again! So far, I have dropped over 7 inches on my waist, 6.5 inches around on my hips, 4.5 inches on each thigh, 2 inches on each calf, 2 inches on each upper arm, and even over an inch around my neck! I have dropped almost 12{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} body fat. My blood pressure went from 126/86 in December 2012 to 103/62 in June 2014. I started at a size 18-ish and am now comfortable in a size 8. My mile pace went from a 17-minute mile to around 8:20. All of those numbers are still going down!

At this rate, not only am I continually losing weight, dropping off inches and body fat…I am protecting myself against diseases, infections, pre-mature aging, helping prevent cancer, stroke, heart disease, and so much more. I have higher energy, my asthma and allergies are near gone, I sleep so much better, my skin and mind are both so much clearer, headaches are rare. I feel like I discovered who I really am.

HH: You mentioned you were engaged (congrats!) and that your fiancé, Zane, was very supportive of you and your new lifestyle from the beginning. I couldn’t help but notice in your pictures together (above) that he looked more healthy and youthful, too. Have your plant-based ways rubbed off on him too?

Zane recently agreed to do a 100 day 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} Vegan challenge with me. I am so excited to share this experience with him. We are almost halfway through and he is down 33 pounds! 🙂

HH: That’s fantastic! Have any of your friends or other family members made a change too?

Others have reached out to me after watching my transformation as well. I love helping others change their lives and overhaul their health. Being healthy and eating plants feels so good, I just want to shout it from the rooftops! I just feel so great about my life and my health and where this road is taking me. I am looking into health coaching, blogging, perhaps writing a book. Stay tuned… because now, I know I can do anything. Whole food plant-based for life!

HH: Any other thoughts or comments?

People often ask me if eating this way is more expensive. It’s definitely more time consuming, but for me I think it pretty much evens out financially, considering I no longer spend money at restaurants, bars, fast food, or on alcohol, candy, chips, prescriptions or over the counter drugs.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Bethany!

Meet our Herbies of the Week: Lesli & Rich!

After struggling with weight for much of her life, Lesli turned to a plant-based diet after her doctor wanted her to consider taking a statin for high cholesterol. Much to Lesli’s surprise, her husband Rich decided to join her on her plant-based journey and they haven’t looked back!

Since making the switch, Rich has lost 40lbs (and at the lowest weight he’s ever been in his adult life!) and Lesli is down 30lbs!

Read on for Lesli & Rich’s journey to becoming plant-based!

Happy Herbivores. That’s what my husband Rich and I are now, and our lives are so much better we can hardly believe it.

We have both had struggles with weight for much of our lives, for my husband because of family genetics and for me because of constantly dieting and searching to find something that would work to keep weight from coming back. We had tried different programs together, only to find the pounds came back, or that we were just hungry all the time because of calorie restrictions. We even felt we were eating healthy as we had long ago removed all red meat from our diets, and ate little junk food. Still, we saw the pounds continuing to creep upward.

My husband had issues with stomach irritation to the point of taking a pill quite often to help, and I had suffered intractable hives for almost an entire summer in a previous year. Neither an allergist, endocrinologist nor dermatologist could diagnose the cause, and only by going through an elimination diet did I find relief. Even so, as I added foods back, I would still get hives requiring antihistamines and allergy meds. We thought these were just things we both had to live with.

The catalyst for change came from a bit of a different direction. At the beginning of 2014, I needed a physical for our healthcare coverage. I knew I had elevated lipids from previous screenings – it was my genetic issue. This time the results showed that ignoring this was no longer an option. My cholesterol and lipid profile were to the point that my physician suggested I think about starting a statin. I did not want to go in that direction, so I researched how to improve without drugs. I considered several diets, but many were not that different from how we were already eating.

Then I came across Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Dean Ornish and their work with low fat vegan diets. I read their research and books, and from there, found more support of improving health via a vegan diet. My local library was a great resource for books like “Forks Over Knives“, “The Starch Solution” and countless others that showed me firm data that a plant based whole food way of eating was the way to go. Plus, I had long felt uncomfortable about factory farming and the treatment of animals and the people who work in those conditions, and by going vegan I could lessen my impact and dependence on that.

In February, I started the change to plant-based. And even though I did not ask nor expect my husband Rich to change his eating, he decided to come along on the journey. He decided we should be a team and took up the challenge. After almost 30 years together, we have always supported each other and he felt this was important to do together. That’s one reason I love him so much!

In March, my father became very ill and subsequently died in early April. It was a challenge to stay on the vegan path because of the stress, having to travel from Washington to Illinois several times to help with arrangements and family matters. I slipped into my old way of eating as I dealt with his loss. Once I was able to return home, I recommitted to plant-based eating in full force.

One of the wonderful discoveries along this journey was finding the Happy Herbivore group of cookbooks and blog! After checking out one of Lindsay’s books and recipes, I quickly found these to be my “go-to” guides for great and delicious meals – especially the Light and Lean cookbook! I own nearly all and find the recipes easy, quick and fabulous! We love all the international flavors and spices as well as learning about new cuisines and trying new recipes.

As of the beginning of August, my husband has lost 40 pounds, and I have dropped 30. He is now at the lowest weight he has ever been in his adult life, and I am lower than I have been in 15 years. We have more energy – so much that we started both walking and bicycling together almost daily! Rich has not had to take any stomach medication and my recheck of my lipids after only one month of plant-based eating showed a 10{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} decrease overall. Plus I have had zero instances of hives, or even the slightest tingle. We feel tremendous, our skin looks better, and we are eating wonderful nutritional and delicious fresh food. We joined a local organic CSA and love the beautiful fresh produce we get, and I am planning a garden of our own next year.

Was this easy? Well, yes and no. Food cravings happen, especially early on as you change, and if you have stresses that challenge you. Yet once you understand the huge positive benefits of a plant-based diet, all those foods you once ate start to look (and taste!) less appealing and you get hooked on fresh and healthy foods! So we plan to keep on, reaping the rewards that a vegan way of eating have brought us. And thanks Lindsay, you have truly helped on this exciting journey of life!

Thank you so much Lesli & Rich for sharing your plant-based journey with us!