Dietitian Jenn

10/12/2026

If you're trying to eat more fiber, start by looking at the foods you're already eating.

Say you usually have one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables a day. Try adding one more, for three total. Once that feels manageable, you might add another serving, put nuts or seeds in a snack, or stir a handful of beans into your rice.

The added prep can sound like a lot. Buy the fruit that's already cut. Use frozen vegetables or canned options. Get the bagged salad if that's what you'll actually eat.

Pick one addition that works with your meals and your energy. You can build from there.

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10/10/2026

Most mornings, I microwave something or eat something cold.

I usually have frozen egg and cheese sandwiches on hand, and breakfast burritos when I can find them. For some reason, not all the grocery stores near me carry them.

If I've been particularly proactive, there might be breakfast bowls, sandwiches, or tacos that I made and froze myself. Other mornings, I have whole-grain crackers and cheese, sometimes with fruit, or yogurt. Occasionally, I've made chia seed pudding the night before.

It's easy, and it works for me.
You might need a much larger breakfast. You might hate breakfast food and prefer reheating last night's dinner. What I eat in the morning doesn't have to be what works for you.

Find a breakfast you enjoy and that meets your needs, then figure out how to keep it available consistently.

That might mean keeping a freezer option stocked, setting aside leftovers, or preparing something ahead when you have the capacity.

If making breakfast ahead would help, I've collected ideas here:

Tired of hectic mornings? These make-ahead vegetarian breakfasts are easy, nourishing, and designed to help you start your day stress-free.

10/07/2026

While I do meal plan, I usually decide what we're having for dinner that day.

In this phase of my life, the hard part to plan for is often my energy level or capacity.

A detailed plan doesn't tell me what I'll feel capable of cooking on Thursday. And the more specific I've made my meal plans in the past, the less I've stuck to them.

So I keep ingredients around for meals I know I can make, then choose what sounds good or doable that night.

Sheet pan nachos are one of my defaults: canned lentils (seasoned), pico, sometimes green chilis, and queso.

I might only need corn chips and queso when I shop because the other ingredients are already on hand.

Other nights, it's something from the freezer in the air fryer with a bagged salad or sliced cucumbers. Or breakfast for dinner. I also keep whole-grain pasta and sauce available.

The planning happens when I check what we have and put replacements on the grocery list. If I'm about to use my last can of lentils, I'll add another can or two.
Or if I'm feeling creative, I'll find a new recipe to try and add those ingredients to my list.

More detail hasn't made my plans more useful to me. Having options has.

What do you keep around for a night when cooking feels like too much?

10/05/2026

Going vegetarian isn’t just about cutting out meat. It’s about learning what to add in.
Protein, iron, and vitamin B12 are a few nutrients you’ll want to pay attention to. Otherwise, it’s really easy to feel tired or unsatisfied, which makes sticking with it harder.

In this post, I explain how to avoid the common “side dish only” problem and make sure your plate feels complete.

Learn how to go vegetarian in a meat-eating household with easy meal ideas, practical tips, and strategies to avoid cooking two dinners

10/03/2026

Most of my snack decisions come down to how much effort I’m willing to put into the snack.

Sometimes hunger decides. Usually, convenience has a bigger sway.

I try to have Greek yogurt and nuts or seeds daily. They’re easy options that provide protein. Nuts and seeds also bring fiber and unsaturated fats.
I like fruit with something easy, such as cheese, nuts, or nut butter. Often, I’m running around and just eat the fruit.

I tend to save vegetables and beans for meals, but bean dips or tzatziki with some veggie sticks are good snack options, too. And I use protein shakes before a workout because that works for me.

You can choose a snack you’ll actually eat with the effort you have available. Pairing foods is an option; fruit doesn’t become a bad choice when you eat it alone.
What do you grab when you want a snack but have very little interest in preparing one?
If you’d like ideas for adding protein to help a snack keep you satisfied, I’ve collected some here:

High Protein Vegetarian Snacks: satisfy hunger, stabilize blood sugar, and boost energy with easy recipes, global flavors, and smart meal-prep tips.

09/30/2026

This goat cheese pasta is one of those recipes that feels a little fancy, but doesn't require a lot of effort.

Which is my preferred level of fancy, honestly.

You cook the pasta, save some pasta water, stir in goat cheese until it turns creamy, then add pomegranate arils and black pepper.

That’s mostly it.

It works well as a side dish, but you can make it more filling with chickpeas, white beans, tofu, roasted vegetables, or a simple protein on the side.

I like recipes like this for multivore families because the pasta can be the shared part of the meal, and everyone can adjust their own plate without turning dinner into an argument.

Recipe here:

This easy, four-ingredient goat cheese pasta dish comes together very quickly in one pot! This dish packs a TON of flavor.

09/29/2026

The protein-maxxing trend has been out of hand for a while.

I’d like to eat a meal without being told to add cottage cheese to it.

Getting enough protein matters. If you struggle to get enough, a protein-boosted recipe can be useful. That still leaves plenty of room for foods you enjoy without adding protein powder to everything.

I’d focus on everyday options such as beans, dairy, eggs, nuts, and seeds that fit your budget. Mock meats and protein pancake mixes can be useful options, too, without becoming the basis of every meal.

What bothers me is the idea that everything we eat needs to be “maxxed” for health or "longevity." The goals keep multiplying, and people end up confused or convinced they can’t possibly eat well.

Before taking on another food rule, consider what you actually eat, how you feel, and what fits your life.

Give the person making the claim a closer look, too. Are they selling something? Are their credentials relevant? Do they explain the evidence, and how do other qualified providers evaluate it?

Selling a book or supplement doesn’t automatically make someone wrong. But it does give you a reason to look carefully at the advice.

If you feel well and your healthcare team has no concerns, an influencer’s routine alone isn’t a reason to overhaul your meals.
If you don’t feel well, bring that up with your team and ask for additional support when you need it.

Which nutrition rule has made eating feel unnecessarily complicated for you?

09/26/2026

“I tried this diet and it worked for me.”
Cool. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe, sustainable, or healthy for everyone.
One person’s experience is not universal truth. But fad diets love to present individual stories as proof, especially when they bypass actual science.
Let’s talk about what makes a diet truly safe and effective. (Hint: it starts with you, not a weight loss ad.)
💬 Read here:

Not all diet advice is safe. Learn how to spot a fad diet before it damages your health, with tips from a vegetarian-friendly dietitian.

09/04/2026

I am not spending my Sunday afternoon lining up seven matching meal-prep containers.
I am buying the salad in the bag. 😂

Most of my favorite dinner shortcuts aren’t really meal prep at all. They’re just ways I make future dinner slightly less annoying.

A few that get a lot of use in my house:

✔🥗Bagged salads.
Sometimes even making the side dish is one step too many. Open bag, add dressing, done.

🫘Canned beans.
Cheap, vegetarian, filling, and they require approximately zero foresight. I use them constantly in tacos, nachos, soups, salads, casseroles...whatever dinner has become.

❄️Frozen vegetables.
I still buy plenty of fresh vegetables, but I’ve been leaning on frozen ones more lately. Nothing needs to be washed, chopped, or rescued from the crisper drawer before it turns questionable.
The texture may be worse, but it's totally worth it sometimes.

None of these are groundbreaking.

Dinner doesn’t always need a new system. Sometimes removing two or three annoying steps is enough to make the meal happen.

I have a much longer list of shortcuts I use here: Dinner Shortcuts I Swear By

What dinner shortcut have you fully stopped apologizing for?

20+ vegetarian dinner shortcuts, from sheet-pan meals to jazzed-up sandwiches, that save time, cut dishes, and keep flavor front and center.

08/29/2026

There is a point in some days when my brain is just...done making decisions.

And usually, that means the kitchen department has closed for the evening. 😅

Those are the nights when I’m especially grateful that I usually have a few things in the freezer that require almost no thought. Frozen pizza. A freezer meal. Something I can heat up and call dinner without consulting a recipe, chopping six things, or asking anyone what they’re in the mood for.

I usually throw a bagged salad or some fruit next to it if that’s easy.

I also might not.

I think having an extremely easy default dinner is underrated. It doesn’t need to be your ideal dinner. It needs to be something you’ll actually make when your capacity for dinner-related decision-making has hit zero.

And because I’m always looking for more options to add to my own list...

What’s your “my brain has officially closed the kitchen” dinner?

Cereal, sandwiches, frozen pizza, snack plates...all answers welcome.