#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
- The Bold Bundle — EPIC plant-based wellness bundle!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
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LET'S BE FRIENDS!
CONNECT WITH TONI OKAMOTO:
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE CEHN:
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
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