3.12 - "Garden-Fresh Cooking" Feat. @ABeautifulNest — Bri Books Podcast

If you’re interested in going in-depth on how I create this podcast, I'm sharing all of my tips, secrets and resources! All in the Bri Books Podcast Newsletter. Today’s episode features @abeautifulnestTV, talking all about the book “Garden Fresh Cooking” by Judith Benn Hurley, and it’ll leave you longing for summertime! We’re infusing harvest-time healthy foods into our holiday menus. 1:40 - About @abeautifulnestTV - Sandria’s YouTube channel focuses on building strong relationships, growing as a family, ecohing truth and knowledge and teaching folks to love unconditionally. “Our YouTube channel is a family lifestyle channel. We focus on faith, family, inspiration and life. We believe in making a house a home. I love making a house a home. I want to infuse love and beauty in everything i do. I try to make sure that comes across in our videos. 8:25 - Sandria on authenticity in her videos: “People need to be able to relate to the real life things.” 9:25 - Sandria’s Soil Story: “I come from a long line of gardeners and farmers.” 10:04 - Why Sandria set down roots in the Georgia country: “Where we moved and decided to purchase land was a decision we wanted to make for our children.” 10:25 - Sandria’s health story: “When it came to growing our own food, over the years, unfortunately, i’ve experienced a lot of death in my family.” 11:30 - How Sandria and her husband planned their garden 13:45 - Brionna’s grandmother story: “My dad’s mother is originally from Mississippi, and moved to St. Louis as a young woman. She always said she wanted her yard to look like the country. She grew tall beautiful sunflowers. She grew her own onions and garlic, tomatoes, potatoes. Of course, she went to the grocery store, but knowing that food was accessible and there’s a process by which food is created you can be part of the process, was buried deep in me.” 15:00 - Grandmothers inspire us to pass on traditions for generations. 16:10 - The crops Sandria didn’t expect to love, and the easiest for you to grow! 16:20 - Coolest crop: Dinosaur kale. Easiest/ beautiful: Okra. Low maintenance: Green beans. 19:47 - How Sandria’s cooking style has changed since growing her own food. 20:45 - Sandria: “When you start eating more whole food, you start figuring out and planning out menu based off what you grow.” 21:15 Sandria’s husband and son shed 40 lbs after taking on a plant-based diet. “Everyone in the house was like, ‘I feel so much better, I feel so good. It was an amazing transformation. I’ve seen a complete turnaround with the way I prepare food and how I plan our meals.” 22:12 - Sandria has been a meat-eater her entire life, and transitioning hasn’t been easy, but she and her family are feeling better. 23:55 - “When you transition from eat to a plant-based or vegan diet, it should be something you want to do.” 26:40 - Sandria on Rodale’s: I’ve been reading Rodale’s Organic Life for a long time, and I really enjoy it. I love that they have so many different topics for you to dig into--food, gardening, lifestyle. Everything's right there for you. It’s a great site. If you’re reading the recipe book, I know that’s amazing.” 27:25 - Sandria’s #brit books: “ Lemony Snicket” with her sons, “Better Homes and Gardens,” “Georgia Gardens.” 30:40 - Find Sandria on YouTube @abeautifulnestTV, on Instagram @abeautifunlest, Facebook @ABeautifulNest, and Twitter @abeautifulnest.

Today’s episode features @abeautifulnestTV, talking all about the book “Garden Fresh Cooking” by Judith Benn Hurley, and it’ll leave you longing for summertime! We’re infusing harvest-time healthy foods into our everyday menus.

Today’s episode of Bri Books will leave you longing for the sweet peaches and leafy greens of summertime gardens! Inspired by the book “Garden-Fresh Cooking” by Rodale’s, Sandria of the YouTube channel and platform “ABeautifulNestTV” shares the story behind what prompted this city girl (with soil in her veins) to move to the Georgia countryside, buy land, and start growing her family’s food.

The #BriBooks: “Rodale's Garden Fresh Cooking” by Judith Benn Hurley inspired me to chat with Sandria about how she prepares garden-fresh food for her family. Reading “Garden Fresh Cooking” reminded me of the simple flavors of so many of the fruits and veggies I love to eat. The book is segmented into chapters about nearly two dozen crops: Green beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, apples, grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries and raspberries .

I stumbled upon Sandria's YouTube channel in early 2017 while searching for gardening tips. I was so grateful to find myself screen-to-face with such an encouraging, resourceful, ambitious, eternity-minded woman! @abeautifulnest is passionate about making her house a home, and the same goes for making her PLATE a RAINBOW! After watching loved ones fall ill and pass away due to health-related illnesses, she decided to take start growing her family’s food.

In this episode:

Brionna’s “grandmother story,” and the magic of grandmothers
How and why Sandria decided to start growing her family’s food
The easiest crops you (yes, YOU!) can grow this spring
How Sandria’s family has changed since growing her own food.

Sandria on Rodale’s: I’ve been reading Rodale’s Organic Life for a long time, and I really enjoy it. I love that they have so many different topics for you to dig into--food, gardening, lifestyle. Everything's right there for you. It’s a great site. If you’re reading the recipe book, I know that’s amazing.”