Plant Forward

Hello Santa Barbara (+ beyond)!

Life is starting to shift over here and it’s been some time since I posted on The Vine. I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce this friendly neighborhood plant-based enthusiast. :)

My name is Beth Skidmore, MSACN. This summer I completed a Masters Degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition ( with honors! I am a little bit proud :) ). With graduation, I’m now officially launching into a career centered around nutrition as a Whole Food Plant-Based Nutritionist. I won’t be immediately launching a practice - I have some goals and projects in the works, and I am super excited to keep you up to date as my new path starts to take shape.

For those of you who I haven’t met yet personally, I spent the first fifteen years of my career as a nonprofit and fundraising professional, helping to build community around shared missions and raise over $30 million for organizations I care about. Eleven of these years (and the vast majority of those funds-raised), I spent at the Santa Barbara Bowl (my happy place) as the development director for their foundation and part of a hard-working team that raised funds for the renovation and restoration capital campaign. If you’re local, you know how magical it is. :) And if you’re familiar with the organization, you can imagine what an incredible opportunity I had to grow and learn with some of the most committed leaders in our community.

Now, after three-years of studying and more than eight years of everyday real-life learning, I’m excited to be entering a new space where I’ll be combining my developed nutrition knowledge, my nonprofit background, and my experience raising a plant-based family as I officially launch into the growing field of evidence-based, plant-based nutrition (yes, it’s a field, yes, it’s grounded in research, and yes, it’s growing!).

While I’m on a heartfelt mission to share the science and every-day application of whole food, plant-centered eating, at the core of my drive is that I know others want what I’ve been wanting and working towards for my family - the very best chance at a long, happy, healthy life. I did not used to think that what I ate was such a large driver in my health. Now I know it is. I thought when we first experimented with a plant-based diet that it was temporary. Now it’s a purposeful life-long commitment I’ve made with my family.

Change is hard. Particularly when you have littles. When you’re used to making chicken everything, fish, or meat every night for dinner, and when you’re used to adding dairy-based cheese and butter to pretty much everything, it’s hard to imagine a plant-based life or taking foods that feel like a side to the main course. I know how hard eating more (or all) plants can seem because I made the transition to a plant-based life during one of the most challenging times in my own life - we made the shift in-line with the birth of my first child, so not just was our lifestyle was new, but motherhood was new, and being a working mother was new. But we did it, and I know it’s possible because we did it and we surely were not likely candidates for eating all plants. We shaped a new life where we put our health first and prevention became paramount and it was powerful, life-changing, exciting - the benefits outweighed the discomfort and work it took.

My goal here actually isn’t to convince you to go plant-based (as obvious as that may seem;)) but to help you understand how the foods we eat impact our bodies so that we can all make more informed decisions about the foods we eat and marry those with our health goals for our families. To whatever extent you incorporate plants into your life, I’m here to help you with ideas, resources, and support.

I hope when you spend time on Plant Based Santa Barbara or my pretty active @plantbasedsantabarbara Instagram account (and currently fairly inactive Facebook account ;) - @plantbasedsantabarbara), that you come to find that eating more plants (or all plants) feels less challenging and more fun and accessible. I hope it expands your view on how food interacts with our bodies and impacts how we live. I’m excited to bring more of the science to my work in addition to sharing my experience. We all deserve to understand the basics of nutrition science so that we can make the most informed decisions for our families. I hope you find my spaces to be opportunities to add to the conversation, ask questions, challenge some long-held thoughts on nutrition, and full of tools and inspiration for eating more plants with your families. And stay tuned - I’ll keep you up to date on what’s to come! I’m just getting started.

Lifestyle work is hard. But it’s so worthwhile. If you have ideas, questions, needs, etc., please reach out! I’ve paused a bit on my site while I’ve been finishing up school, but I’ll be picking back up on building content, the calendar, and more. I love making this the community resource I wish I always had and I’d love to hear from you on how I can make it even more applicable for your life and what would be helpful for you on your plant-forward journey.

Let’s keep the conversation going. Let’s keep moving together, plant-forward.

Wishing you health + happiness for you and your families!

Beth Skidmore, MSACN
Whole Food Plant-Based Nutritionist
Nutrition Educator
Public Health Advocate
+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Plant-Based Enthusiast :)

Quick Tips from My Pics!

I share a lot about what we eat at home and around town on Instagram. Following, find several of my favorite recent quick tips and resources that I’ve posted on Instagram for eating plant-based at home and loving it!

• Think of your plate as a quadrant - legumes in one corner, whole grains in the other, fruit in another, and veggies in the last. This is the Power Plate from PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and it's a great guide for looking at meal to meal plant based eating, or how you eat over the course of a day!

• Remember to include a source of Vitamin B12! Here's a great article by Julieanna Hever on why it's important.

• You don't need recipes every day. Think whole foods. Go to recipes are helpful. But you can use the Power Plate to put together yummy bowls or plates filled with a grain and/or starch + legumes + greens + other veggies you love + fruit, if you like! And get a few sauces going to switch up day to day! We like some simple combinations of seeds or nuts blended with lemon, water, and herbs, garlic, and/or some kind of whole food sweetener like maple syrup. Nut butters + soy sauce + a citrus make awesome sauces. Or just top with soy sauce or teriyaki or regular old marinara (Trader Joe's has a great oil-free spaghetti sauce.) Keep it easy, keep it whole. Add some sauce. 

  • We love this go-to dressing for pad thai like pastas and stir fries, and this is one of our favorite salad dressings!

• Avocado replaces almost everything. Cheese, mayo, salad dressing, sandwich meat... so many ways to sub in avocados!  Guacamole or avocado are an easy way to chase out meats and cheeses and processed fats like oils. Here's a more in depth article on subbing in avocados from The Vine.

• Get your greens in early! Start getting in the habit of chopping kale for your breakfast. I sometimes lightly steam it and sometimes I eat it raw. Having it alongside toast, under oatmeal, or topped with lots of fruit and a nut butter helps me be sure I get a head start on greens. Also delicious topped with some heart healthy balsamic vinegar.

• Add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a plant based milk for your pancake recipe to get a fluffier buttermilk type pancake. YUM! 

• You can easily cook dinners oil free. Sauté in water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce. One of our favorites is soy sauce with nutritional yeast!

• I've been loving this chickpea omelet recipe! And always great to have yummy go to tofu scramble!

• Fruit is an AWESOME snack! Don't overlook whole foods when you get the munchies.

• Try some store bought cream cheeses to replace dairy with healthy nut based options - look for oil-free Miyokos and Kite Hill at our local stores!

• Another product I love is the Whole Foods brand refried black beans and the refried pinto beans (get the one labeled "fat-free"). These are so handy for making quick dinners and snacks with the kids (and oil free!). You can also whip up your own by smooshing beans and adding a bit of veggie broth or "juice" from the bean can while cooking on the stove.

• Hands down one of the best cookie recipes out there - Lunchbox Cookies by Isa Chandra Moskowitz for Forks Over Knives.

• Here are my top five go-to recipe resources right now - 

  • DreenaBurton.com/Plant Powered Families Cookbook

  • The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming (blog and cookbook)

  • Engine 2 Cookbook by Jane and Rip Esselstyn

  • This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt cookbook

  • Happy Herbivore has been a long-time resource - lots on her website and a number of great books with super simple recipes.

  • Remember Kindle or iBooks are often great ways to get new cookbooks for a bit less!

Enjoy!! And let me know if you have any questions or wonderings! I hope you enjoy eating more plants as much as I do. :)

LITTLE EARTHLINGS: Snackin' Crackers

Let's talk snackin'! Crackers have been a tricky snack for me since going plant-based. A lot of crackers, especially those that kids are drawn to, have dairy or oils and I'm always searching for oil-free, whole grain crackers for snacking. Here are our favorites:

• Jilz Crackers - These are our newest favorites. They are gluten-free (if you need that) made simply of almond flour + seeds and a few other wholesome ingredients and they are deeeelicious. We like the Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt, but there's a few flavors. These are softish too so the littler Little Earthlings can enjoy them. You can get these online at Amazon or Thrive Market, I've also bought them at Whole Foods and Lazy Acres, and the first place we actually tried them was at Martial Arts Family Fitness in their mini store.

• Engine2 Organic Crispbread - These are simple and yummy. Engine2 is only at Whole Foods and there are two flavors of these guys - Original and Seeds & Spice. These crackers are pretty hard so they are better for kids with a solid track record of established teeth for chomping. Good for topping with seed butters and such like mini toasts too.

• Lundberg Thin Snackers - These rice crackers are a great size for little hands and just enough cracker to hold some toppings or enjoy plain. Also gluten-free and come in a few flavors. I love that they make a smaller size, the original rice crackers are just a bit too big and make big messes with the littles, I've found. You can get these also at Whole Foods, Gelsons, and Isla Vista Food Coop or online at Amazon or Thrive Market.

• Mary's Gone Crackers - These are soooo delicious, and probably the best for a cracker that both kids + parents will enjoy. These are awesome with a plant-based cheese plate. They are seed based and there are several flavors. Super Seed Chia + Hemp is our favorite. We've picked these up at several places around town - here's a store locator with locations between Goleta and Summerland. Also on Amazon or Thrive Market.

One more cracker we like (not pictured) are Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps. They aren't all oil-free - you gotta double check the labels, but a few versions are and they are super simple, delicious, and Little Earthling-friendly. The main plain organic snaps are oil-free and so are the black sesame - those are the two we generally pick from. You can find these all over town too using this store locator as well as online at Amazon or Thrive Market.

So get snackin' on crackers with your Little Earthlings! Whole food, plant-based style. :)

LITTLE EARTHLINGS: BYOT (Bringing Your Own Treats) Cookie Edition

I love being a plant-based mom. And now I am a plant-based mom of three! I've taken a bit of time from online postings to get to know and tend to our itsy bitsy Earthling born earlier this year, and now I'm back to some semi-regularly posting and planning to pick up more steam as we get closer to Fall. I'm super excited to be back though, and kicking off a regular blog series on living and loving being plant-based with kids, Little Earthlings!

As you know, treats are super important to kids (well, and adults;)) and a somewhat sensitive part of eating vegan. At nearly every birthday party, class party, and kids-focused outing there are treats. And usually they aren't vegan. Saying no to a treat is hard. We never ever mind bringing our own treats, even if it is a bit of extra work. I love knowing for sure that my little ones are happy with their own vegan option, and they've rarely been bummed about missing out on the group treat if they have their own special treat in hand. We aren't a perfect system, but do our best to have replacements ready to go at school or in their lunch bag or by bringing our own (you name it) to parties and get-togethers. Or we follow up with any missed treats later the same day or following weekend. As long as a treat promise is made, usually they're cool with that.

When our Earthlings have been super little, before they really understood what it means to be vegan and eat differently than some of their friends, it's been a bit more challenging. We always make sure to sensitively talk through with them why we can't have the treat at hand as it has ingredients we can't eat being vegan. We emphasize that it's ok though, because we have wonderful treats that we can still enjoy with wonderful ingredients that ARE vegan! I'd say two to three years old are really the most challenging years for these conversations when they want to grab everything and devour everything that looks delightful. But still, I remember around this same time is also when my little ones began to develop an understanding of what vegan meant, or at least could articulate that we eat vegan. I still remember the sweet sound of the first day my middle earthling said "beegan" for the first time. It was so sweet and I couldn't help but feel so proud that she identified (also proudly) that she was vegan! 

Here's what we do to bring our own...
vegan cookies!

This first Little Earthling post is an extra special post focused on bringing your own chocolate chip cookies! Internationally renowned (and local!) wellness activist and New York Times Bestselling Author Kathy Freston is generously sharing one of our favorite chocolate cookie recipes with you - Chocolate Chippers!! So kind! Thank you so much, Kathy!! Chocolate Chippers are from The Book of Veganish: The Ultimate Guide to Easing into a Plant-Based, Cruelty-Free, Awesomely Delicious Way to Eat, with 70 Easy Recipes Anyone Can Make (co-authored by Rachel Cohn). Kathy's work has been a super big inspiration for me personally. Her book Veganist was one of the first books I read when we realized how well a vegan diet was working for us and I wanted to understand it better. It was a particular turning point for me in understanding not just the health benefits of plant-based eating, but the ethical impacts of our food choices and offers ideas for transitioning to vegan eating gradually, emphasizing progress not perfection. The Book of Veganish is particularly great for families as it's specifically geared towards kids and young people with lots of simple and kid-friendly recipes. Kathy also has an awesome new book out, Clean Protein, co-authored by Bruce Friedrich, that is a really important read on the future and impacts of our protein choices. 

Ok, now back to the cookies. :) These Chocolate Chippers are so classically-chocolate-chip-cookie-delicious and so simple and quick to whip up. They are pure plant-based kid (and adult!) heaven! AND school friendly if your school is nut-free. Check 'em out:

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My homemade Chocolate Chippers - Yum! :)

CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS
by Kathy Freston with Rachel Cohn,
The Book of Veganish

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon safflower oil
2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened nondairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, nondairy milk, and vanilla until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Drop the dough by the spoonful about 2 inches apart on to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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We often sub the oil for 1 tablespoon of applesauce to make them oil-free and coconut sugar for the brown sugar for a less refined sweetener and these cookies are still wonderful with the minor adjustments. Our Little Earthlings love them, and I hope yours do too! :)

We have two other favorite vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes - one whole food, plant-based (oil-free, although not nut-free) and one that is vegan and gluten- and nut- free (but not oil-free). If you're looking for a few more ideas to experiment with, these are super yummy and our Little Earthling approved! 

Lunchbox Chocolate Chip Cookies by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (for Forks Over Knives) (whole food, plant-based, has nuts - can also be found on the Forks Over Knives recipe app!)

BabyCakes NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies by Erin McKenna (vegan, gluten- and nut-free - this is the recipe on the side of Bob's Red Mill's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour bag! Also can be found in Erin McKenna's recipe book, Babycakes)

If you have no time to bake and are looking for vegan cookies you can quickly grab and go to an event with (or for any old day), Whole Foods and Lazy Acres (generally) have a vegan chocolate chip cookie in their bakery cases and, while they may not be chocolate chip cookies, Savoy Cafe and Deli has some amazing vegan chocolate mint cookies and vegan almond cookies in their bakery case, French Press has a yummy vegan snickerdoodle, and oftentimes Breakfast has a vegan cookie too!

For more on plant-friendly living with your kiddos, head on over to my page LITTLE EARTHLINGS, with more to come on THE VINE. Happy baking! :)