Episode 265

Plantastic Cooking (feat. Gwen Kenneally)

Published on: 28th August, 2024

We all know that we need to eat more vegetables, but what if you just can’t stand them? And what if the only way you can think of to eat them is salads? Maybe you just haven’t cooked vegetables in a way that you truly enjoy. Our guest this week offers ideas and tips but, above all, encourages you to play with your food to find what you love!

On this week’s episode, Jenn is joined by Hollywood caterer and cookbook author, Gwen Kenneally. Gwen gives some great tips on how to make vegetables pop and become more desirable to add into your daily food. She shares some simple ways to get started when cooking vegetables, and provides tips on how to season them and experiment with new ways of serving them up on your plate. Gwen talks about the best tools to have in your kitchen, and shares some of her family favorite recipes! Tune in for some great tips and tricks to add more plants to your plate. Don’t forget to grab her Plantastic Cookbook also!

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

  • [5:10] Gwen shares her story and what led her to focusing on plant based cooking. 
  • [8:50] What are some simple ways to cook vegetables aside from roasting and steaming? 
  • [11:28] How can someone determine the best ways to season vegetables? 
  • [13:20] What are some vegetable combination ideas?
  • [18:59] Gwen shares recommendations on how to make vegetables that people usually stay away from such as kale, mushrooms, and cabbage. 
  • [24:33] What are some great staples to keep in the house that are versatile and easy to use?
  • [25:58] How else can you use quinoa, beyond as a rice substitute?
  • [27:53] How can you identify and use jackfruit?
  • [30:32] What are the best kitchen tools to have on hand? 
  • [32:18] How can you make family favorite recipes - especially with school lunch season coming up?
  • [33:45] Which recipes from the Plantastic Cookbook are best for nights when you are short on time? 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Play around with your food, try different spices, herbs, seasonings, etc. Try cooking them in a different way, barbecuing, steamed, roasted, etc. Experimenting will open up all kinds of possibilities for you.
  • The recommended goal is to have at least 30 types of plants in your diet per week for great gut health. 
  • Meal prepping can make a huge difference and save you time throughout the week. Do your shopping on a weekend, wash everything, cut it up, prep it, it’ll save you a lot of time during the week. 

QUOTES: 

  • [14:09] “When chefs are like, oh no, you have to do it this way, I’m like, no, you get to play with your food. You get to have fun, and you get to create it for yourself and anybody you’re cooking for.” - Gwen Kenneally
  • “It's really about playing...if you're not so worried about how it's going to turn out...I think sometimes we take it so seriously and we're so afraid of 'what if I don't do it right?' Well, the chocolate chip cookie was invented by mistake.” - Gwen Kenneally
  • [30:33] “A microplane is the long grater that you can put it over a pot and grate your garlic and ginger right over it. That’s a great tool. A good, sharp knife. Invest a little money in a knife because if you’re chopping and prepping nothing is better than a good knife.” - Gwen Kenneally 
  • [33:04] “I mean we used to get a sandwich, a carrot and an apple, but I think if you do lots more little portions of lots of different things, you’ll get them to start eating and trying more and if their friends are eating it, that’s the best.” - Gwen Kenneally
  • "There’s 0 evidence that 100% of people would benefit from a plant-based diet but there IS OVERWHELMING evidence that 100% of people would benefit from adding more plants to their diet. Hopefully today we made that a bit easier for you." - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES

Back to the Kitchen Catering Website

The Plantastic Cookbook Goodreads

Gwen Kenneally's Instagram

GUEST BIO

Gwen Kenneally is a Hollywood caterer, highly acclaimed chef and food enthusiast with over 20 years of culinary experience. She is known for her innovative and sustainable approach to plant - based cuisine. Gwen is passionate about creating delicious meals that are good for both people and the planet. Her work has been featured in top culinary publications, and she continues to inspire food lovers around the world with her creative recipes.

Gwen has been featured in numerous publications and TV shows, and she brings her wealth of knowledge and expertise to her latest cookbook.

She believes that plant - based cooking is not just a trend but a lifestyle that promotes health, ethical consciousness, and a greener planet.

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About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
What to eat and when to cheat! Let's decipher between all the “diets” out there. You know what to do but it itsn't working. In fact, your diet could be making you fatter.

Ever wondered if cryo-freezing your fat cells would really work? Should you try acupuncture? A hypnotist? If you do, how do you know if someone’s good?

Salad with a Side of Fries is the podcast that will answer all these questions and more! Talking wellness and weight loss for real life, because most of us are going to drink, eat out, skip the grocery store and who wants a life without fries or dessert?! Host Jenn Trepeck’s expertise as an optimal health coach, in practice for over a decade, along with experts in various modalities will clear up the myths, mis-information, bad science and marketing to reveal the truth of HOW TO EAT and HOW TO CHEAT!*



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast, its content and guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

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Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!