Whether you’re simply trying to incorporate more plants into your diet, or you’re trying to make a full transition to plant-based eating, APB: Eats is here to inspire you and prove to you that you don’t ever have to trade flavor for nutrition or give up the indulgences you love!
Hi, I’m Lisa. Welcome to APB: Eats — a blog devoted to:
• my delicious plant-based recipes (plus some of my favorites from others)
• the photos I take of my food with a camera in my home studio (read: my iPhone and that table I set up in the living room of my NYC apartment)
• the sketches and drawings I make (while I’m waiting for the bread to rise)
Although I’ve always loved making art and have been cooking since I could reach the kitchen counter, it was my transition to plant-based eating that inspired me to create APB: Eats. I never want to feel deprived when it comes to eating, so offering recipes that sacrifice nothing on the flavor front (and that everyone, regardless of their diet, can enjoy) has become one of my passions. I began sharing the best results of my new recipe experiments on social media years ago. Because so many friends (and friends of friends) responded with interest, I decided to create this site. It turns out a lot of people want to eat more plant-based foods and are trying to figure out how to do it!
You may be wondering about the artwork you see peppered (pun sort of intended) throughout the site. Another one of my passions is art: I have both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the fine arts (painting and drawing) as well as a minor in art history. My work has been exhibited in New York, New Mexico, Chicago, Texas, and Europe, and I am represented by Kasia Kay Art Projects in Chicago. I invite you to check out my paintings at my website: lisacaccioppoli.com.
A Bit More of the Story
My transition to plant-based eating started out a bit rocky — mostly because I had no idea what I was doing. I struggled to understand what to buy at the grocery store, what to cook when I got home, how to eat dessert once in a while, and which foods made me feel good and which ones did not. After years of trial and error, research and experimentation, and a lot of cooking and creating in the kitchen, it all just clicked: The more whole, plant-based food I ate, the better I felt. And the most notable results? Glowing skin, no more headaches, weight loss, tons of energy, and never getting sick anymore!
Wanting to learn more about the science behind the decisions I was making (and the incredible health changes I was experiencing), I earned a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. Does this certificate give me authority to offer you health advice? It does not. What does it do? It equips me with the tools necessary to evaluate the constant stream of nutritional claims made by the media; understand the role nutrition plays in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases; identify the most common misunderstandings about protein, fat, carbs, and supplements; understand the grave environmental consequences of my food choices; and recognize the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet and apply the evidence of this diet to my own health.
My Approach to Plant-Based Eating
It’s really quite simple: Whole foods are those that have been processed or refined as little as possible and that are free from artificial substances. I believe the closer we lean toward having a whole-foods, plant-based diet, the healthier we’ll be and the better we’ll feel — certainly it’s been true for me and for the people closest to me who have also changed their eating habits.
I try to be mindful about what I put in my body each day: Although I do not adhere to a strict whole-foods diet, I do maintain a completely plant-based diet, erring on the side of whole foods as much as possible. That means my pantry and fridge contain mostly whole foods (such as fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, beans, lentils, rice, spices, and herbs), minimally processed foods, and foods made with a minimal amount of ingredients (such as whole wheat flour, organic mustard, miso, and non-GMO cornmeal). I generally consume raw fruits and vegetables (and to a lesser extent, because of their oil content, nuts and seeds) in the form of juices, health smoothies, snacks, and salads.
But I also love to cook and bake… obviously! Although white sugar, all-purpose flour, and oil are all in my pantry, I don’t eat muffins, cookies, desserts, and sweets on a daily basis (in fact, I eat all of these things sparingly). Although I make homemade ketchup, I don’t slather it on everything. I make little adjustments where I can — such as using unsweetened applesauce instead of oil in my blueberry cornbread scones, and dates instead of refined sugar in my banana-nut granola. I’ve found that even when I’m eating snacks or meals that contain processed or refined elements — such as white flour, cornmeal, or coconut oil — I still feel mentally and physically better when those snacks or meals are made without eggs, dairy, or meat. This is one of the myriad reasons I no longer include them in my diet.
My only regret about going plant-based is not figuring out how to do it sooner (especially considering how easy it is). It’s my hope that APB: Eats will inspire you — whether you’re simply trying to get more plants into your daily routine, or you’re trying to transition completely to plant-based eating — as well as prove to you that you don’t ever have to trade flavor for nutrition or give up those little indulgences you don’t want to do without.