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Veggies & Virtue

Veggies & Virtue

Ashley Smith, RD, LD [Picky Eating Expert]

I help parents transform stressful mealtimes into enjoyable family moments with simple strategies that stop power struggles and encourage kids to explore new foods. Together, we create a happier and healthier approach to eating that makes everyone feel good at the table.
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Top 10 Veggies & Virtue Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Veggies & Virtue episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Veggies & Virtue for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Veggies & Virtue episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Are you running out of ideas for what snacks to take to the pool?

Well, whether your summer is still in full swing or you are wrapping up to get ready for back to school, you will see how this episode offers you five simple strategies to healthy kids snacks.

Because whether you want something that will satisfy your kids requests for snacks all afternoon at the pool or you are hoping to find some healthy snack ideas to send with your child to school, the ideas offered in this episode are going to give you transferrable ideas you can use at the pool and later for school!

SHOWNOTES:

  • Get my free Level Up Snack Guide here.
  • Order your own Combination Cards in print or PDF.
  • Find items mentioned on my Amazon storefront here.
  • Sign up to work with me 1:1 here.
  • Leave me a voice message to be answered on the podcast here.
  • Find out more about Mealtimes Made Easy Method here.
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Whether you find yourself going into spring break or just asking a question that I first covered this time last year, today's episode is going to help you know how to raise a healthy eater amidst eating out at restaurants as well as when routines are "off" during seasons like spring break.

You will walk away knowing both my advice and experiences as a dietitian mom of three, so that you can rest assured that time away travelling doesn't have to ruin your child's diet. Instead, tune in as we cover tips for how to feed your family easier and healthier, even when at a restaurant or on a vacation.

SHOWNOTES:

  • Sign up to work with me 1:1 here.
  • Leave me a voice message to be answered on the podcast here.
  • Find out more about Mealtimes Made Easy Method here.
  • Join my email community here.
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A few years ago, I saw the idea shared to leave simple love notes on each of my kid's bedroom door on the days leading up to Valentine's. Little did I know that this would become one of my kid's most favorite traditions - and something that "sticks" year round (literally - they leave the little notes up as long as they can!). So, grab your scissors, a writing instrument of choice, and get cutting. You can easily invest the 20 minutes it takes to tune into this episode to cut up 14 hearts (for each kid)

The idea is that for these first two weeks of February, you will use these hearts as a simple way to share 14 reasons why you love and adore your little one. Using whatever "hearts" you have or create, add words of encouragement that resonate with you and your child. Then, each evening, after tucking your child in, add another heart to their door. They will wake up feeling SO loved for the day!

50 Words of Encouragement for Kids:

  1. I love watching you learn new things
  2. I love how determined you are
  3. I love how you set goals and reach them!
  4. I love seeing you use your imagination
  5. I love how much effort you put into things that matter to you
  6. I love your willingness to try new things
  7. I love how helpful you are
  8. I love what a kind friend/sister/brother you are
  9. I love watching you be patient with yourself and others
  10. I love how you put others first
  11. I love how much you care about people
  12. I love your desire to do good in this world
  13. I love that you ask me for help when you need it
  14. I love that you never give up
  15. I love that you are a problem solver
  16. I love watching you learn
  17. I love spending time with you
  18. I love how you consider the needs of others
  19. I love who you are and who you are becoming
  20. I see you working really hard, and I am proud of you
  21. I know you will do amazing things
  22. Your giggle brightens my day
  23. Your smile always makes me smile
  24. Your jokes are so fun
  25. Your hugs make me feel so loved
  26. Your kindness makes a difference
  27. Your prayers encourage me
  28. Your laughs is one of the best things about you
  29. You have great ideas
  30. You are a great leader
  31. You are loved
  32. You make me smile
  33. You are gifted
  34. You are so talented
  35. You are courageous
  36. You are beautiful inside and out
  37. You make others feel special
  38. You make people feel so loved
  39. You make everyone feel included
  40. You make others feel important
  41. God has created you to do great things
  42. God has created you to make a difference
  43. God has given you the gift of ________________
  44. I am so blessed to be your mom
  45. I have never known a joy like you veg
  46. I delight in you as my son/daughter
  47. Starting my day with you is my favorite thing
  48. Spending my day with you is my favorite thing
  49. Ending my day with you is my favorite thing
  50. Snuggling with you is my favorite thing

SHOWNOTES:

Join my email community here.

Leave me a voice message to be answered on the podcast here.

Find out more about Mealtimes Made Easy Method here.

Work with me 1:1 here.

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Do you ever notice that when you're in a state of too much mental clutter, you somehow just add to the mound in attempts to find a way out?

It's as if, when our brains are already spinning with ideas and yet we are feeling stuck in the spiral of insecurities and struggles of feeding our families, that we reach for more, more, more.

...and we wonder why we still struggle.

But because of this piecemeal, grab as we go, random, haphazard approach, we aren't making momentum month after month, year after year.

The reason we struggle in the same ways is because we don't have systems set up nor the skills built nor strategies in place to actually create healthy habits. We also are turning to all the wrong people and places for support.

That's why, in this episode, I am going to challenge you to evaluate some of the reasons that you may be feeling stuck and what may be adding to your overwhelm. With this, you can walk away with a clearer perspective on how to best take action come the New Year!

SHOWNOTES:

Read the transcript

Sign up for the free workshop in 2023

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When routines are off and relatives are around, parents often stress over holiday feeding for their kids. Whether it be because you have a selective eater who may struggle to eat holiday fare or an outspoken family member who speaks their unsolicited opinion about that at the table, I hear from parents each year about how hard it is to handle feeding and family over the holidays.

In this episode, we chat about how you and your family can do a "dress rehearsal" of the actual gathering, family dinner, or holiday meal and how this can set you and your child up for a more enjoyable time - mealtime included!

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So, your child has dumped out their Halloween candy and begun to sort their stash. They have found all of their favorites, maybe traded a sibling, parent, or friend for more, and now, they have the Halloween candy they plan to keep.

What do you do with all that's left?

In this episode, we chat about:

  • Places you can donate candy in your community (and how to transition to a spirit of Thanksgiving in doing so)
  • Ways to repurpose unwanted candy (so that mom can save money on candy come Christmas)
  • Swapping the unwanted candy for other fun rewards (using the Switch Witch)

Before you decide how your family wants to approach all of the excess Halloween candy, be sure you know how to share the joy (instead of stealing it...via your child's candy).

SHOWLINKS:

Join Mealtimes Made Easy: www.mealtimesmadeeasy.com

Schedule a session to chat one-on-one with Ashley: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/schedule

Leave Ashley a voicemail: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/ask

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Based on the analytics for this podcast, one of my most popular episodes since launching in January was this one talking about non-candy Easter basket ideas.

With that, I made the assumption that many of you might also like to know some non-candy options for Halloween.

I'm going to give you some really fun novelty ways that you can still enjoy the holiday with less sugar offerings. So if you are wanting to minimize the amount of added sugar that's being passed out from your house or given to your kids or you are looking for more allergen-friendly ideas, this episode is going to be right up your alley.

SHOWLINKS:

Join Mealtimes Made Easy: www.mealtimesmadeeasy.com

Schedule a session to chat one-on-one with Ashley: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/schedule

Leave Ashley a voicemail: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/ask

The Teal Pumpkin Project: support kids with food allergies

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In this episode, we talk about how do we prepare for seasons that we may be expecting?

I don't just mean literally with expecting a child, but it might just be that we're expecting change, or we're expecting our plans to pivot, or that our responsibilities will shift, that people will come and go, or that life will just be a little different than we know it now.

As we welcome fall (literally, last week), I want to ask this question because this is something I address within the bonus blueprint of the Mealtimes Made Easy Method. I want families to see that no matter what season of life you're in, you can still make healthy habits happen.

BUT...this is a big but...you need them to be ones that function for your family and where you.

Because our greatest action steps are not the lofty aspirations that get us what we think we ought to do or have, but they are those that help us get closer to becoming and to raising the children and the families that we have imagined in terms of fostering a healthy understanding of how to fuel and nourish our bodies.

So in this episode, we are going to go over four steps I suggest you take if you're in a season of looking ahead. Maybe you can see that there might be some potential change or challenges on the horizon and you want to do what you can now in anticipation of those events so that you can be as set up for success as possible as a family when that next season comes. Or, maybe like me, it is more just being intentional about the discipline of "preparing" so that if and when life throws you a curve ball, you will already have the habits in place to support you AND sustain you in it.

SHOWLINKS:

Join Mealtimes Made Easy: www.mealtimesmadeeasy.com

Schedule a session to chat one-on-one with Ashley: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/schedule

Leave Ashley a voicemail: www.veggiesandvirtue.com/ask

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Recently, a mom asked me to share some “competitive” dairy free snack options that Owen likes. She shared how her daughter was newly dairy-free, and how the family was struggling to find snacks the little girl loves that also stand up to her friend's snacks at play dates etc.

While I will do another episode on how to handle this in a school setting, in this episode I teased out some of my family's favorite dairy-free snack ideas. These are options that are fun for anyone, including the child with food allergies or intolerances as well as siblings, friends, or the mama who often plans to share their snack (like me!). And while my goal is always to provide you with nutritious options, I also touch on how finding options such as these are important to more than just the child's physical health but also that of her social and emotional well-being in adjusting to life after being diagnosed with a food intolerance.

So beyond the basics of goldfish crackers or a string cheese, this episode highlights some easy dairy-free snack ideas for playdates. Each of these items are shown on my Combination Cards too (if you would like visual reference for the items mentioned). You can get the snack deck for 20% off right now, or the breakfast, lunch, and snack deck bundle for 30% off now through the end of August.

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On Monday's episode, we discussed the risk factors, signs and symptoms, and how to check for iron deficiency in your child.

In part II of this interview, with Angela Dodge, we are going to discuss:

  • How to improve iron intake from foods first, including with picky eaters
  • The best options for iron supplementation, if needed
  • How to monitor and evaluate if your child's iron status is improving

To listen to part I from this interview, go to episode 164.

SHOWNOTES:

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FAQ

How many episodes does Veggies & Virtue have?

Veggies & Virtue currently has 183 episodes available.

What topics does Veggies & Virtue cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Parenting, Kids & Family and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Veggies & Virtue?

The episode title '181. Help! My Child Has Very Few "Love It Food" Options for Dinner' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Veggies & Virtue?

The average episode length on Veggies & Virtue is 20 minutes.

How often are episodes of Veggies & Virtue released?

Episodes of Veggies & Virtue are typically released every 5 days.

When was the first episode of Veggies & Virtue?

The first episode of Veggies & Virtue was released on Jan 10, 2022.

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