You've got questions...
Q: I, too, find I do much better if I stick to yourmeal planspretty strictly. But then my question is...how do I incorporate recipes from your cookbooks, etc. ??
A:It's a great question!
If you use a cookbook recipe, that's fine... as long as black bean brownies don't suddenly become dinner ;)
I include the calories with all the recipes so look at the servings, and try to keep it under 415 calories total for that meal :) You can also use this handy HH recipes by calorie count spreadsheet as a reference!
Q: How can I limit the sodium in my meals WITHOUT sacrificing the flavor? Unfortunately I love salt and I put it on everything so this will be quite the adjustment for me. Do you have any suggestions?
A: If you're used to eating salt, I'm afraid cooking without it will mean your food may taste bland for a few weeks while your taste buds readjust. Then you'll be fine :)
If you eat a whole foods, plant-based diet, your food should be low in salt, since most whole plant foods are very low in sodium naturally. Cooking from scratch also helps. Avoid any kind of item that comes in a package as it will have salt.
My Dad wrote a post about salt recently, with seasoning suggestions, check it out:
Papa Herbivore's Guest Post on Salt + Salt Free Spice Blend Recipes
(He's on a very low sodium diet)
Also check out the meal plans! It makes cooking from scratch so easy! And low in salt!
Q: If I like your page on Facebook, will I get your updates in my newsfeed?
A: Yes, if you like Happy Herbivore’s facebook page, the posts should show up in your news feed. However, if you don't participate, i.e. like things I post, leave comments to Happy Herbivore updates, etc., Facebook will assume you're not interested and take the updates OUT of your newsfeed. Lame, I know… but Facebook tries to only show us what we like, and judges that based on what you like and comment on.
Q: My husband does not have access to warm up his lunch. Will the lunches on the meal plan work for him?
A: Yes. The meal plans are designed with “work lunch” and transport in mind. Most recipes do not need to be reheated. For things that are better warm, like a soup, pack it in a thermos.
Q: Can you recommend any good places to order specialty ingredients online, such as heirloom beans, specialty pastas, etc?
A: I don't order (or use) a lot of specialty ingredients. For example, I don't even know what heirloom beans are ;)
Googling the item you’re looking for should bring up some websites that sell it. Amazon also has lot of stuff, along with Vitacost and Bulkfoods.com (which is where I get my nutritional yeast in bulk).
I try to stick to everyday ingredients at my local supermarket - sorry!
