Kaitlin talks about the health benefits she has experienced since changing her diet to vegetarianism. Plus, get her mouthwatering recipes that will encourage you to become a vegetarian.
Can you tell us about yourself, your family, and “The Garden Grazer”? What inspired you to start the site?
Hi there! My name is Kaitlin, and my husband and I live in Illinois with our beautiful one-year-old daughter. I was born and raised in Michigan, my husband in Illinois, and our daughter was born in Oregon. My husband and I got married after college, and then took some time off to travel around the United States. Most of our time was spent exploring and camping around the western half of the country. Our favorite places to explore are Yellowstone and Arizona – amazingly gorgeous!!
For years I dreamed of starting a food blog and The Garden Grazer was finally born after we made the switch to vegetarianism. I was so excited to share how simple, quick, and delicious it was to make meat-free meals and encourage others to try it themselves. It has truly been a life-changer, and I want others to experience that joy as well.
Why did you decide to become a vegetarian? Have you experienced health benefits since you changed your diet?
The two main things that powered me to try vegetarianism were the health benefits and my deep love and care for animals. I love knowing that no animal suffers for what we choose to put on our plate every day. Also, a book called “The China Study” by Dr. Colin Campbell was a huge influence and an interesting read if you get the chance.
I get so excited to share the health benefits I’ve experienced since switching to a vegetarian diet because they are truly life-changing. I used to struggle with migraines and menstrual cycles with extremely painful cramps. For both of these issues, I’d miss school, work, events, etc. because it was too painful to get out of bed. My body would be out of commission for several days (sometimes a week or more) out of the month, and I’d miss out on so many things. A few months after switching to a vegetarian diet, that agonizing pain completely went away. No more migraines, no more cramps. It was like magic. Beautiful, beautiful magic 
I absolutely love feeling great and healthy, with more energy and no pain to keep me down. That’s some real veggie power!
When you first became a vegetarian, was it difficult to give up meat? What did you initially do when you started craving meat?
It really wasn’t difficult at all to give up meat. It started as an experiment that my husband and I quickly fell in love with. I think I was having too much fun trying and learning about new foods to notice that anything was “missing” from my plate. Soon it became the norm, and our bodies craved the food that kept us healthier and going strong, so meat cravings were really non-existent.
You’ve created a lot of wonderful vegetarian dishes. What are your best recipes?
Thanks! Here are a few of our favorites:
Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas
Ultimate Greek Salad
Ultimate Greek Salad
Chocolate Oat Balls
Chocolate Oat Balls
Mexican Quinoa Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing
Mexican Quinoa Salad
It seems like most people aren’t vegetarians because they think a vegetarian diet is more expensive or think it will be too difficult to give up meat. What advice can you give them?
Surprisingly, we find vegetarian cooking to be cheaper than our diet used to be with meat. We replace animal proteins with less expensive plant proteins such as beans, lentils, quinoa, peas, etc. Beans and lentils, especially when you cook them yourself, are a fantastic way to stretch the budget. We also keep our grocery costs down by purchasing in-season produce, which is typically a better price because it’s so readily available. (Plus I think it’s so much fun to cook with the different produce each new season brings!)
If you think you’d have difficulty giving up meat, I’d suggest trying a gradual reduction. Start with meatless meals a few times a week and work your way up from there. When we first made the switch to vegetarian eating, I immediately realized how much fun it was to experiment with new foods I’d never cooked with before. Like many people, I’d been so focused on getting chicken, turkey, or other meat in every meal to make it feel “complete”. But once you ditch that notion, you’ll find there are so many wonderful tastes and textures to discover!
Which food items are constantly on your shopping list?
The usual suspects are quinoa, beans, onions, garlic, vegetable broth, and whatever fruits and veggies happen to be in season.
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The Garden Grazer