#124: Healthy Habits with Chef AJ
Make those healthy habits stick so they can transform your life like you’ve always dreamed. Chef AJ is here to share her inspiring journey from a "junk food vegan" to a champion of whole foods, revealing practical tips and transformative insights that make healthy living accessible and fun. Listen in for tried and true advice and motivation to boost your healthy habits today!
LISTEN HERE OR ON SPOTIFY OR APPLE PODCASTS
Today we’re thrilled to bring you a guest who has been paving the path of healthy plant-powered living for nearly 50 years. Chef AJ is a world renowned chef, culinary instructor, speaker, host of a daily YouTube show, author of many bestselling books (including Sweet Indulgence & Unprocessed), and lives-and-breathes her passion for showing people how to make delicious, healthy, healing foods. From being the Executive Pastry Chef at a popular restaurant in Los Angeles to hosting a TV series, it’s no wonder she was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame in 2018 to honor all that she’s contributed to the plant-based landscape over the years.
In this engaging episode, Chef AJ opens up about her unexpected path to veganism (before she even knew that was a term!). She shares how a personal health scare mid-life shifted her focus to whole foods and gives all her best tips on how she made those lasting changes in her life. In his engage episode, she delves into everything healthy habits related, including:
- Batch shopping & batch cooking tips to get you in motion
- Convenient grocery options to save you time & money
- Best tips for staying on track when traveling
- How the “dump method” may make your healthy habits sustainable
Speaking of sustainability, we’re all about making changes that last here at the pod. Progress over perfection, as we like to say! And Chef AJ is onboard with wise insights on the following:
- How making things fun & easy can turn your habits around
- How to get kids involved in healthy habits
- Why easing into habits may be the key
This is definitely an episode you won’t want to miss with its wealth of hands-on, practical tips that can reshape your day-to-day, as well as your overall health! Don’t put off those health goals until after the holidays when there’s simple and proven steps you can take today!
EPISODE SHOW NOTES
- Chef AJ explains how she became vegan even before she knew there was a word for it
- Chef AJ & Michelle retell how they found animal advocacy in the midst of a biology major
- Chef AJ describes going from “junk food vegan” to primarily whole foods after the wake-up call of colon cancer
- How mindset & habits make change possible, even if willpower is a struggle
- What you can batch-shop for to keep a well-stocked healthy kitchen
- Convenient grocery options that make healthy eating quick & easy
- Chef AJ’s favorite batch-cooking meals & tips
- Where to find the best price on dates!
- Finding your why and your community to support your habits
- How making things fun & easy can make habits sustainable
- Ways to get kids involved in healthy eating
- How the “dump method” of cooking can save you oodles of time
- How to eat healthfully when you’re not at home
- Travel & airport tips that can make all the difference
- Budget friendly ways to make these healthy habits
- Vegetables for breakfast - and why many other countries do it!
- How to make vegetables more palatable for those not used to eating them
- Chef AJ’s best tips for healthy sweets & treats
- How easing into new habits may be the ticket to them sticking
RESOURCES
- ChefAJ.com
- Chef AJ's books
- Chef AJ on YouTube & Instagram
- How to Eat Healthfully Anywhere by Chef AJ
- Toni on Chef AJ's Show
- PCRM App
- Bulk Bin vs Packaged Face-Off with World of Vegan
- Ep121: Power Foods, Healthy Eating, and Weight Loss with Neal Barnard
- Explore the Bold Bundle for fantastic plant-based e-books, courses, and other life-changing resources.
RECIPES MENTIONED
- Chef AJ's Desserts
- Chef AJ's Date Paste
- Chef AJ's Cauliflower Bisque
- Chef AJ's Creamy Curried Kabocha Soup
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
PRODUCT RECS
- Books
- Meal Services
- Freezer Cube Molds
- Apple Slicer
- Instant Pot
- Mini Silicone Molds
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
As we step into the chillier season, and the days are getting shorter, that means it’s time to get more intentional about getting enough vitamin D. Did you know that 97% of women ages 19-50 are not getting enough vitamin D from their diet? We cover our needs by taking a multivitamin from Ritual. Ritual’s multivitamins are vegan, non-GMO project verified, gluten-free, and are made with traceable ingredients. Ritual uses lower-carbon packaging, prioritizes sustainably-sourced ingredients, and is a certified B Corp - which means a lot to us! Ritual’s Essential for Women 18+ is a multivitamin you can actually trust. Definitely check them out and get 25% off your first month at www.ritual.com/plantpowered!
In our commitment to weekly workout routines, it’s important to stay fueled, so we try to incorporate foods through the day with a good source of protein. West Life’s soymilk helps keep us on track. This deliciously smooth and creamy soymilk has 9 grams of complete protein per serving and we can feel good about adding it to our morning oatmeal or afternoon smoothies. It’s so easy to include in so many meals or enjoy on its own. Energy-boosting, plant-powered WestLife soymilk is dairy free, lactose free, gluten free, vegan, and non GMO project verified. You can conveniently order and then reorder online at Amazon.com! Use code 20WESTLIFE for 20% off your order during the month of November! Learn more at WestLifePlantBased.com.
LET'S BE FRIENDS!
CONNECT WITH TONI OKAMOTO:
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE CEHN:
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
WANT TO SUPPORT THE SHOW?
If you love our podcast and want to help keep this free resource alive for many years to come, you can become a supporter through Patreon with a donation as little as $2 a month or by making a one-time donation through Paypal. Can't donate? You can still be a huge support to us by subscribing and leaving us a review on iTunes! Either way, we're sending you massive hugs through the screen :)
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that we've linked to these products purely because we personally use and recommend them and they are from companies we trust. There is no additional cost to you.
WATCH OUR MINI DOCUMENTARY
