What does plant-based mean? Is it all salad?
All of our recipes are created to help you get MORE vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruit onto your plates and into your bellies. So the recipes will not include any dairy products, eggs, or meat. Of course if you choose to add these things as condiments, or “condimeats” (snicker) that is completely up to you. Definitely not all salad. In fact you might see some salads pop up from time to time, but you may be surprised what all is going to be coming to your inbox that is quite hearty and satisfying. Of course, adding a salad on the side is never a bad idea, but we want to make sure even the non salad eaters are getting their fill of veggies too!
What if I don’t want to give up meat? Or dairy?
Signing up for the meal plan is not signing up to eliminate anything from your diet. :) We aren’t here to police you. We’re here to help you! We want to make it easier for you to bulk up the plant-based portion of your diet and hopefully make it far more delicious than you ever thought possible. :)
Why plant-based?
The research is in and it’s telling us that a whole food plant-based diet has remarkable health implications. But the great thing is that eating more veggies doesn’t come with a fine print disclaimer that there are potential negative implications. The side-effects are all positive! And if you look at almost any “diet” recommendation they all will agree that vegetables are good for us. Amen? We all know that right? But how many of us get enough? Not many of us. So we’re here to help as many people as possible eat their veggies and like them too.
What about gluten-free?
The recipes are not all going to be gluten-free, however the vast majority will naturally be gluten-free, or could very easily be made gluten-free with a simple grain substitution.
Are all the recipes dinner recipes?
While we imagine that most of our members will use our recipes for dinner planning, you are free to eat them whichever meal of the day you prefer. We've been known from time-to-time to eat our leftovers for breakfast, but that's just us. We also might include a "breakfast for dinner" recipe occasionally since that can be fun every once in a while.
How many people will the meals serve?
The recipes are designed to feed 4-6 portions. This can mean different things depending on the size of your family and how much you choose to eat at a sitting. For an individual you may be able to eat off of a recipe for most of a week. Some recipes will freeze well too if you feel like it is more than you want in the near future. For a couple you should be able to get at least a couple meals out of a single recipe. And for larger families you can double a recipe to feed large groups or ensure enough for leftovers.
Why only 3 recipes per week?
We put a lot of thought into this and realized we don’t cook a new recipe every day of the week and people we talked to don’t either. People often eat out, utilize leftovers, etc and many simply don’t want to put the work into trying a brand new recipe every. single. day. Yet many people have expressed wanting to try new recipes, have more variety and get more plant-based foods into their and their family’s tummies. Hence we landed on three new recipes a week. That way if you buy all the food on the shopping list we’re hoping you should be able to use it all. If we gave you a shopping list for 7 days there is a very good chance you’d end up with some you didn’t get around to using and we don’t want you to spend money on food that gets wasted.
What can I expect if I eat a plant-based diet?
We are not doctors and we cannot say for sure what changes you may see from eating a more plant-based diet or trying it out exclusively. That being said we’re happy to share what many other people around the globe have experienced. Research shows that eating a plant-based diet has helped people lower cholesterol, normalize blood pressure, reversed cardiovascular disease, reversed type 2 diabetes, had a positive impact on those with cancer/tumors, improved health of those with various autoimmune diseases, boosted energy, helped in weight loss and weight maintenance, truly we could go on and on. Anytime you are making a diet change and you have a healthy condition you should speak with your physician. To learn more about the health implications of a plant-based diet we highly recommend checking out NutritionFacts.org. Dr. Michael Greger is a wealth of information and pretty entertaining to boot.
Will I get enough protein eating plant-based meals? Where does it come from?
You certainly should! Many people, mostly Americans, have become protein obsessed. The Standard American Diet (ever noticed the acronym? "SAD") actually exceeds the recommended daily intake of protein. One thing I often ask people is if they know what the scientific term is for a protein deficiency? I have yet to find anyone who does. It is kwashiorkor. The reason you do not hear about it is because it so seldom exists in countries of affluence. If you eat enough calories you should get adequate protein. Why? Because almost all whole foods contain some amount of protein and our bodies were miraculously made knowing how to take what we need from the variety of foods we eat. Fruits have little to no protein, but this is not a fruititarian meal plan. And if you are trying to subsist off of oreos and soda pop you’re at risk of a deficiency. Of course this information is all speaking in generality. If your gut is in total disrepair your body may do a poor job assimilating many nutrients from your food. The only way to know for sure if you have any type of deficiency is to get blood work done, something we highly recommend you talk to your doctor about. However there are people of all shapes, sizes and physiques from models to body builders who are very healthy and get all the protein they need eating an exclusively plant-based diet.
When will I receive my meal plan each week?
We will send your meal plan out each Friday. For those operating on a traditional M-F week we hope this allows you to shop on Saturday and prep for the week on Sunday, if you choose. Then you’re ready to go starting on Monday for a healthy start to the week.
I want to change my diet, but I would love more group support. Is there anyway that can be included in the meal plan?
You’re in luck! In our wonderful age of technology we are able to offer this group support without all being in the same place. We have a private Facebook group for those who purchase the meal plan. All you have to do is request to join the group and you can ask questions, share pictures, or anything else with those who are on this journey with you.
What makes your meal plan different from others that may be out there?
You can think of us as a mom and pop meal plan. We really are humble, promise, but we truly believe WE are a big part of what sets apart our meal plan subscription. These recipes are literally coming from our kitchen to yours. We wanted to create a service at a price point where we could reach more people and reach them anywhere. There aren’t enough of us (techincally 1 at the moment) to have personal hands on classes with all the people wanting to eat healthier, learn new recipes and kitchen tricks, and improve their health. Our hope is that this is the next best thing to having us in your kitchen with you. And maybe sometimes as you read a recipe or take that first bite of a new dish you will feel like we’re there, journeying with you.
We care so much about our members and are willing to go above and beyond for you. We work hard every day to make sure our recipes are delicious and also easy to follow. We are also realistic, we aren’t perfect and need grace on a daily basis.
We look forward to growing this service and as we have more subscribers we look forward to creating jobs, so we can keep it personal and know our members and be here to answer questions, cheer you on, or give a pep talk when necessary. We aren’t doing this for us, we are doing this for you. And we are doing this because we literally feel like this is the reason God put us on this earth. We’ve been given knowledge, talent and passion and it isn’t to be coveted, it is certainly to be shared.
Any other questions?
Never hesitate to reach out to us. We want to hear from you! We love feedback on how the meal plans are working for you and your family. What type of recipes you’d like to see. What other support you would like to have. And you never know your question may end up on this page to help other people just like you. We believe that every question is worth asking and you’re never the only person who has it. So please reach out! Right now! Do it. :)
Cancellation Policy
Need to cancel? We are sorry to see you go! We hope you have enjoyed your healthy recipes. For those of you who signed up for monthly payments, we can cancel you subscription so that you will not be billed again the next month. Unfortunately we will not pro-rate any cancellations.
If you signed up for our yearly plan to enjoy the best savings, you are all set for the year. Your card will be charged again on the 1 year anniversary of your original payment. The yearly subscription is not refundable and we will not pro-rate any cancellations made part way thru the year. The only exception to this policy is if you have been a member with us a full year and simply forgot to cancel your yearly subscription and notify us within 3 weeks of your payment posting.
For any other inquiries into our cancellation policies, please contact emily@loveandplants.com or fill out our contact form.
