Prices for food, especially meat, eggs, and fish, are sky-high these days and families are feeling the pinch. Although shopping sales and clipping coupons can definitely help, trying some new plant-based meal ideas can go a long way in helping you to save money, give your kids a nutritional boost, and help you to model healthy eating habits. In this episode, I sat down with Nicole Centeno, a French Culinary Institute-trained chef, founder, and co-CEO of Splendid Spoon, a meal-delivery platform that offers more than 50 ready-to-eat, plant-based meals. Nicole is also the author of “Soup Cleanse Cookbook: Embrace a Better Body and a Healthier You with the Weekly Soup Plan.” We talked about the benefits and misconceptions about plant-based eating, how to get started, and how to get more plant-based foods in your kid’s diet. Nicole also shares some of her favorite plant-based meal ideas for kids—including delicious alternatives to hot dogs. 2:03 Let’s talk about your story! 2:43 How did Splendid Spoon come to be? 5:05 Have you always been a plant-based eater? 6:09 What do you think are the most common challenges today for parents when it comes to feeding their kids? 8:02 How can we spend less money on food? 9:56 What are the benefits of plant-based diets? 14:06  What are some misconceptions about plant-based eating? 18:00 What are some ways we can get more plant-based foods in our kids’ meals? 21:25 How do we get started with plant-based eating? 23:05 What are some of your favorite plant-based meal ideas? 24:46 Are there ways to get plant-based foods in at breakfast? 25:56 What about plant-based snacks?  28:40 What are your best tips for modeling healthy eating habits? 31:16 What is Splendid Spoon and what can new customers expect? LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Julie mentions that the cost of meat, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 14.2% over the last year. Learn more about Nicole on Splendid Spoon.  Follow Splendid Spoon on Instagram.  FROM OUR PARTNERS Kids Cook Real Food eCourse The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, created by a mom of 4 and a former elementary school teacher, is designed to build connection, confidence, and creativity in the kitchen. The course includes 30 basic cooking skills, 45 videos including several bonuses, printable supply and grocery shopping lists, and kid-friendly recipes. The course is designed for all kids ages 2 to teen and has three different skill levels. More than 18,000 families have taken the course and The Wall Street Journal named it the #1 cooking class for kids. Sign up now for the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse and get a free lesson for being a “Food Issues” listener. Thrive Market Thrive Market is an online membership-based market that has the highest quality, organic, non-GMO, healthy, and sustainable products. From groceries, clean beauty, safe supplements, and non-toxic home products to ethical meat, sustainable seafood, clean wine, and more, Thrive Market is where members save an average of $32 on every order! Through Thrive Gives, every paid membership sponsors a free one for a low-income family. Join Thrive Market today and get 25% off your first order and a free gift.