Vegetarian Zen Vickie Velasquez and Larissa Galenes

In recent years, there’s been this huge protein push with a lot of companies trying to convince us that we’re protein deficient, especially if you’re plant-based or plant-based leaning.  
While a lot of this is media hype, there is some truth to the importance of making sure you have enough protein in your diet. In this episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we’re sharing some High Protein Breakfast Ideas to help you start your day with a protein-packed meal with zero animal products. 
We’re going to discuss some of the benefits of making sure you get enough protein in your meals, share some great sources of vegan protein, and of course, we’re not going to leave you without sharing some recipe ideas from some of our favorite sites.
You can check out the show notes here. 
 

April is National Garden Month, a perfect time to embrace the warmer weather, get your hands dirty, and indulge in the many joys and benefits of gardening. 
Larissa and I have experimented with vegetable gardening over the years. We’ve had some very knowledgeable gardeners on the show in the past, including our friends Augie Sanchez (The Unkempt Gardener) and Megan Cain (The Creative Vegetable Gardener). These days, however, we’re sticking to flower gardens as they are easier for us to keep up with. 
Whether you're cultivating a lush flower garden, starting a vegetable garden, or simply looking to green up your living space, this entire month of April is dedicated to celebrating the beauty that gardening brings into our lives. 
In this episode of our podcast, we discuss some benefits of gardening for you and our planet and give you 10 ways to celebrate National Garden Month.  You can check out our full show notes here. 
 

In this episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we’re pleased to welcome Kate Galli, a visionary vegan health coach who's been at the forefront of the fitness industry for over a decade. 
What really interested me about Kate’s story is that she focuses a lot of what she teaches on mindset, which I feel is critical to accomplishing anything…including making changes to your health. Whether you're a vegetarian ready to go vegan, a vegan who just needs a bit more motivation, or an omnivore looking to start eating less meat, mindset is key to making any long-term significant changes. 
We’re also excited to talk to Kate about how she used her own advice about changing her mindset to move from what she describes as being an “angry “vegan into choosing compassion.
You can check out the show notes here.
 

In this episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, Larissa and I will be talking about vegetarian casseroles. The reason we want to talk about casseroles is that, much like a lot of topics we discuss on the podcast, they are a big interest to us primarily because of how much time we’ve been saving by making casseroles to have throughout the week.
Meal planning and meal prep can be a big challenge for a lot of people so, much like our beloved Buddha Bowls, casseroles have come to our rescue when it comes to quick meals that can be as healthy as you want them to be.
Today, we’re sharing 10 vegetarian casseroles we’ve either tried or will be trying soon. We’re also going to talk about how to store these because being able to eat these for days is a big benefit but you want to be sure you’re storing it properly so it actually tastes good when you reheat it. 
You can check out the full show notes with all of the recipes here. 

In this episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we’re going to be discussing some food and beverage trends expected this year.  Neither Larissa nor I consider ourselves “trendy” but when it comes to all things veg, it’s neat to see how much people are adapting even more flexitarian lifestyles whether it be  because of their own health, the animals, the environment, or a combination of these. 
Check out this page for full show notes. 

This episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast is all about us! One of our longtime listeners requested that we do a show letting eveyrone know what we're up to so here we are! You can get links to everything we discuss in the show notes.