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    • About Lauren
    • My Cancer Story
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2022 Holiday Gift Guide

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2022 Holiday Gift Guide

2021 Holiday Gift Guide

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2021 Holiday Gift Guide

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2020 Holiday Gift Guide 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

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In the late 80’s, my father read a book that wou In the late 80’s, my father read a book that would change the course of my family’s life forever. “A Diet for a New America” by John Robbins introduced us to a new way of eating and living - one based on vegetarian foods to support our health, the planet and all of its inhabitants. Not long after my Dad read this book, I decided as a young child that I, too, wanted to eat this way, and haven’t looked back since. Little did I know then what a profound, positive impact going plant-based would have on nearly every aspect of my life, for decades to come.

I found out this morning that John Robbins has passed away and his impact on my life has been substantial enough that I want to memorialize him here, on this platform where I’ve done my best to amplify his message of health, wellness and compassion to my own audience because I know it is that important and life changing. 

Not only was John a pioneer in the vegetarian/plant based movement, he was, unsurprisingly, a deeply kind and decent human being who walked away from inheriting his family’s ice cream empire fortune in order to advocate for a healthier way of life. His unconventional and brave choice has inspired me throughout my entire career to always prioritize impact and service above financial success.

I had the great honor and privilege of working with John for several years in the planning of his massively influential annual Food Revolution Summit. John trusted me to help him vet speakers for this event, and reached out to me multiple times personally during my health ordeal in 2020 to offer his prayers and thoughts as I moved through my surgery and diagnosis. I will never forget his kindness.

John is a true hero, and I don’t use that term loosely. I will be forever in gratitude to him for his message and mission, and I know this world is a better place because of him. John, you will be missed so very much. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, my family, and your loving community.  Rest in peace ♥️ @foodrevolutionnetwork
It’s a beautiful night here in Rome, where we ar It’s a beautiful night here in Rome, where we are spending the last few days of our Italian adventure. I am feeling both sad and excited that our trip is coming to an end. I am ready to get back to my cozy home with my dogs, my own kitchen, my own bed, my washer/dryer, abundant ice for my drinks, my barre class, and having quiet moments to myself again during the day. I miss my regular life, mundane as it can be. That’s one of the gifts of travel: it helps you appreciate the fabric of your every day existence (or, atleast it should) while simultaneously exposing you to the beauty and differences that exist in other parts of the world. 

But, that means leaving Italy for while, returning to the hard parts of every day life, the drudgery of cleaning, decluttering and packing lunches, having my kids go back to school (I miss alone time but I also will miss having them by my side 24/7 - the baffling mom paradox), being back in the US with all of its current…”problems”. 

I am grateful for both. Travel recharges me, allows me to forget for a minute about hard and sad things, inspires and teaches me. 

Home reminds me that I am so very lucky for all that I have - every day comforts, the people and animals and places that make my life so full. The US - warts and all - is comfort and home, and I’ll be glad when the wheels touch down in Jersey (so I can start planning my next trip to Italy, ha).
A very solid first day in London 🇬🇧 A very solid first day in London 🇬🇧
I’m in one of my happiest places, Maine, where I I’m in one of my happiest places, Maine, where I always manage to take a step back from the general busy-ness of life, pare down and simplify, be present with myself and my family, and enjoy the rugged beauty all around. To be honest, if I didn’t love my home/NYC so much, I’d move here in a heartbeat. I am always my best, truest self in Maine. Grateful to be here, every time. 💙 🦞 🌲
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce 🍎 🍂 Hi 👋 Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce 🍎 🍂
Hi 👋 Long time, no feed post. If you’re not catching my stories, make sure you subscribe to my Substack newsletter, Plant Magic, where I’m in your inbox, weekly, oftentimes with a yummy recipe or other fun wellness-y things (and personal updates!). Today’s (free!) newsletter included a recipe for this Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce, which you don’t want to miss because it’s dead easy and tastes like apple pie (it actually does, as verified by my 8 year old). No added sweetener, super simple ingredients, and makes use of some of those apples you just lugged home from the orchard 🍎 🍁 https://laurenkretzer.substack.com
It’s been a while since I’ve re-introduced mys It’s been a while since I’ve re-introduced myself around here, and wanted to say hi to those of you who have been here for a bit, and welcome to the fresh faces! I’m Lauren and I’m a professionally trained vegan chef, recipe developer and holistic nutritionist. 

My career started through an immense love for food and the culinary arts, and became even more meaningful as my passion for health and our planet grew stronger. I faced a cancer diagnosis in 2020 and leaned heavily on whole plant foods and holistic healing to get better (as of today, I’m cancer free).

I have a love/hate relationship with social media, which is why my posting can be a little erratic on here. My life and energy is fully devoted to my family - two little girls, my husband and two rescue dogs - and our home in Northern New Jersey. I am my best and happiest self when I’m with my family, but also require longer periods of quiet and solitude than the average person. I love to read, drink hot coffee and tea, meditate, walk in the woods, make lists and meal plans, plan vacations (most of which I’ll never take), journal, cook and tinker around my house/garden.

I believe in being healthy 90% of the time, with a little room for being human (never met a French fry I didn’t like). Weird/dark humor is my favorite. Unaccountability is my biggest pet peeve in other people (slow walkers in big cities, too). Mountains and lakes over oceans and beaches, always. Secretly wish I lived in Maine or Italy. I struggle with mental health, and suffer through long periods of depression, but always turn to gratitude to pull me out. 

So glad you are here, really - welcome to my corner! 📷: @fineandfleurie 🩷
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: my f I’m going to let you in on a little secret: my family doesn’t always like my cooking.

Everyone’s got different preferences, and I mostly try to honor any strong likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, this limits our dinner rotation to about 5 meals (over and over and over), and/or is not the type of food that I necessarily feel like cooking or eating.

If you’re trying your best to put a healthy meal on the table most nights and, for whatever reason, your family isn’t having it, there’s a solution that I swear by:

Assembly line meals!

Assembly line meals are when you break down the different components of a meal and serve each one individually, so everyone in your family can customize their dinner to their individual preferences.  They leave out what they don’t like, and help themselves to more of what they do. No one is forced to eat anything they don’t want!

Some of my favorite assembly line meals are:
Tacos (beans, tortillas, rice, salsa, guac, sautéed peppers and onions)
Pasta (cooked pasta lightly tossed with olive oil, marinara sauce, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed spinach, cooked lentils)
Asian Style Noodle Bowls (pictured above!) (cooked rice noodles, peanut sauce, sautéed veggies, baked tofu/tempeh, chili crisp, tamari)
Mini Pizzas (divide a store-bought ball of dough into quarters and form 4 mini pizzas - let everyone top theirs with an assortment of toppings: tomato sauce, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, vegan pesto, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, sautéed mushrooms, etc.)
You get the idea! What are your fav assembly line meals?
Our RASPBERRIES are here! We have a bunch of berr Our RASPBERRIES are here!

We have a bunch of berry brambles growing in our yard, and it feels like the biggest luxury to have an abundance of fresh, organic berries at my fingertips for the summer.

I’ve talked a lot about the incredible health benefits of dark berries, both on Instagram and in interviews. They are a key food in my anti-cancer diet that I still follow to this day. 

Make sure you’re getting at least 1/2 cup a day of fresh or frozen berries to receive their health benefits. Not only do they have potent anti-cancer properties, they’re great for your immune system, liver, brain and cardiovascular system. 

Berries are so healthy partly due to their sky high antioxidant content. Raspberries contain 350 antioxidant units per cup, compared to 60 for apples and 40 for bananas. They’re also low in sugar and in calories, so adding them daily to your oatmeal, smoothie, coconut yogurt or just by the handful is a no-brainer!

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