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

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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:

My homemade Chocolate Chippers - Yum! :)

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.

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! :)

Top 10 Reasons to Eat More Plants: #3 You'll Still Enjoy What You Eat (Seriously!)

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Are you an omnivore? You may think eating plant-based sounds like a drag. It can seem like it. I know from experience - both as a former omnivore and now a sometimes-sympathized-for-vegan. Finding out someone only eats plant foods can bring up this kind of case of “FOMO” (fear of missing out). Particularly a fear of missing out on favorite foods. There are so many favorite foods in the standard American diet based on animal products that the idea of eating vegan can seem so limiting and extreme to a lot of people. People like pre-plant-based me. But rest assured, it’s really truly not a drag! Going plant-based can actually be really delicious and fun! 

There are a couple of points I want to discuss here in relation to enjoying food while eating more plant-based. So many delicious foods you're likely already eating come from plants - for those meals and recipes that are animal-centered, it's easier than you may think to make plant-based versions. I had often thought (and often still hear others say), that I want to enjoy my food and live it up, so by golly I'll eat what I want. And what I want is cheese. Bacon. Burgers. Fish. Fried food. Etc. But... how much are we really in the drivers seat controlling our food cravings and preferences? There may be more to our cravings than meets the eye. And ways to keep our taste buds just as happy eating plant-based. Let's explore.

1) THE SCIENCE OF CRAVINGS
“…EVERY INSTINCT IN YOU IS TELLING YOU TO SEEK THE MOST PLEASURE FOR THE LEAST PAIN AND THE LEAST EFFORT…YOU’RE TAKING IN CUES THAT ARE FOOLING THE SYSTEM AND PULLING YOU RIGHT INTO WHAT WE CALL THE PLEASURE TRAP.”
— Doug J. Lisle, PhD

Have you ever thought about how your cravings and food preferences are shaped? Much of this goes back to when we’re first developing our taste buds and developing our understanding of healthy foods and culture as wee little ones with our families. You often even hear in pregnancy that the foods you eat could be developing your growing little peanut's taste buds for life (oy the pressure!). But there are some really interesting biological considerations that I’ve learned about since being plant-based that make me wonder, 1) how much we’re in control of our cravings, and 2) how easy it could actually be to chase out those cravings and develop new ones for healthier foods.

Dr. Douglas Lisle, co-author of the book “The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Underestimates Health and Happiness,” has this great TedTalk describing how our bodies come to seemingly crave and prefer calorie (not nutrient) dense foods in a similar manner to drug addiction – so cravings can come on, not because it’s what our bodies are needing or are even craving from a taste perspective, but biological triggers for perceived efficiency and pleasure can cause us to crave certain foods. Dr. Lisle offers how we can start to rethink our cravings and encourage our bodies to develop and prefer healthier, nutrient dense foods by resetting our taste buds to healthier whole foods. You can check out the talk here, and in his book "The Pleasure Trap" in the TOOLKIT.

www.tedxfremont.com - One of psychology's most innovative and curious minds, Dr. Douglas Lisle is the Director of Research for TrueNorth Health Center and coauthor of The Pleasure Trap.

2) MAKING OLD TASTES NEW

There are soooooo many foods that you already love that are likely naturally vegan or just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Easy modifications can help you enjoy foods that you already love in healthful ways. One food that always comes to mind as a natural whole-food favorite is a nice creamy hummus. YUM! And almost always entirely plant-based. Most hummus products and recipes don’t bring in any animal-based additions, you actually have to make an effort to make hummus not-vegan. Gotta love hummus. Creamy. Delicious. And vegan.

For animal-centric recipes that you are having trouble imagining plant-based, here's a great resource from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) for some basic subs for cooking and baking so at the basic level when you're starting to visual shifts to plant-based options, you have a reference point to roll with. I found finding new ingredients that still kept our taste buds happy but that made our bodies feel better to be one of the most fun parts of going plant-based! Win, win! So much winning;).

The notion of veganizing good ol' American favorites can especially be a major turn off to someone who's not already focusing their plates on plants - such as the summer grillin', tailgatin' favorite, the hot dog. But have you tried Carrot Hot Dogs?? This always comes to mind as a seemingly-bummer-but-not-really-a-bummer plant-friendly food. With a little marinating (like in this recipe!) and grilling, carrots can actually taste pretty darn close to the real thing AND hot dogs have to be one of the (dare I say) scariest things I can think of to put in our bodies with all of their mystery ingredients and processing (check out this article by the Anatomy of a Hot Dog by PCRM - yikes!). Comparing the health benefits can make anyone feel better about a slight shift to these smoky-flavored veggies, even if at first it sounds a little ridiculous. But carrots, my friends, make some pretty tasty hot dogs. 

Luckily for us, there is a whole village of vegan recipe developers whose missions are to make old omnivore favorites vegan or plant-based in ways that you may even prefer the new tastes for sooooo many dishes! At this point, I am not quite whipping up my own extensive recipes in the kitchen on a regular basis, so this village has been huge for me.

A sampling of some of my favorite resources from over the years! Learn more about these resources and more in the list below and through the TOOLKIT!

A sampling of some of my favorite resources from over the years! Learn more about these resources and more in the list below and through the TOOLKIT!

So, who are these said magical vegan and plant-based creatives developing delicious recipes that can help us replicate our old tastes new? Oh my, there are so many. I’m going to list a sampling here who have blogs or sites that helped me find exciting new recipes. Also be sure to visit the RECIPE TOOLKIT for a whole range of recipe books you can check out! Locally, Chaucer's Bookstore actually has a great selection of plant-friendly recipe books too. And new sites and books are popping up all the time, so also get your Google going for "plant-based recipes" and be specific if you're looking for a specific old taste to make new. You'll be sure to have some fun recipe hunting.

I seriously bow to these individuals creating magical plant-friendly recipes. Recipe development is such an art and can be life-changing for those of us looking for plant-friendly resources that make our mouths, our bodies, and our families happy. They can help the most committed carnivore resolve an acute or chronic case of FOMO, for sure :). So now, instead of fearing that I'll miss out on my formerly favorite foods, I get butterflies excited when I finish making a new-to-me dish that checks off all my plant-based boxes and ignites my taste buds. See what you think! 

PLANT-BASED & VEGAN RECIPE RESOURCES

A couple more quick notes on cooking plant-based. Keep an eye on our community calendar POP UP for local and online cooking event opportunities! There are some really fun ones coming up, including through Farmbelly Cooking School and Women's Heritage that can help you build skills in different areas and expand your palettes and plates. Forks Over Knives also has an online cooking program in partnership with Rouxbe Online Cooking School - it's a larger time and financial investment, but if you're ready to roll, this could be a great comprehensive tool for you to dive into the world of plant-based cooking at your own pace! 

I could go on, obviously;). There are so many great resources for upping your plant-based game these days. It's an exciting time to go plant-based, and you don't have to be a trained chef or make intagram-worthy meals. Just explore, experiment, and enjoy! 

I hope this post gave you some "food for thought" and fun resources to explore. Transitioning to more plant-centered eating can seem full of barriers at first but, seriously, you can still enjoy what you eat! You don't have to choose flavors or cravings over your health. Reshape your cravings. Think flavor and delight as you normally would, but find a rainbow of ways to shift your cravings plant-based! Happy eating!