HI! I'M ALISON!
I’m the recipe developer, cook, writer, and photographer behind Keeping the Peas. I’m a wife to an omnivore, and mom with two picky eaters. I love chocolate, kale salads, and finding creative ways to encourage my kids and husband to embrace whole food plant-based recipes.
I help plant-based vegans, omnivores, and picky kids find peace in the kitchen with approachable, satisfying, and delicious whole food plant-based recipes.
I have always had a love for both food and nutrition. I grew up standing beside my mom in the kitchen helping her prepare traditional Armenian recipes. She was known around her circle of family and friends as the best cook! Sharing food was her way of sharing her love.
At the age of fifteen I became vegetarian. At this age I was becoming more and more aware that what we put into our bodies helps us to feel our best, and I wanted to incorporate more natural fruits and vegetables into my diet. Luckily, my family was 100% supportive.
In my adulthood I started to take an even stronger interest in food, and how it nourishes our bodies. I began watching documentaries like Forks Over Knives, Food Inc, The Game Changers, and What the Health. These movies sparked further investigation, and I began reading books about plant-based health such as How Not To Die, by Michael Gregor, and Whole, by T. Colin Campbell.
This spurred me to follow my heart and become a National Board Certified Health Coach through the Mayo Clinic.
However, as I shifted to a vegan lifestyle, the rest of my small family of four did not want to make the switch with me. That’s when I knew I had to figure out ways to prepare healthy plant-based recipes that my entire family would love!
Keeping the Peace in a Mixed Diet Family
My husband is a hamburger and french fries kind of guy. My kids are normal picky eaters who would be happy to survive on pasta and fruit. Finding compromise in the kitchen has not been easy.
I was pulling my hair out trying to grocery shop, and prepare three separate meals on a daily basis.
Finally, I declared a family challenge. If I was going to be the one to shop and cook for the family, I wanted to be able to eat and enjoy the meals I was preparing. Therefore, they were going to have to give plant-based meals a chance.
I started getting creative in the kitchen finding delicious ways to encourage my omnivore husband and my picky kids to embrace plant-based vegan meals.
My Goal:
Prepare one meal, made with whole food plant-based ingredients, that everyone will eat!
My husband still eats meat, my kids still love white pasta, but when we’re home, we’re eating healthy satisfying and delicious plant-based meals that everyone enjoys!
Features:
My recipes have been featured on Open Fit, Buzz Feed, Huffington Post, One Green Planet, All Recipes, Yahoo News, and many more!