Author Archives: Jessica Krock

Celebrating Our One Year Potato-A-Versary By Eating Plain Potatoes Again

By | |
6 Comments

We began this journey back in June 2018. As we approached the one year anniversary of our two weeks of potatoes, we started thinking of ideas to celebrate. When Brian came home and said “I’ve got it! Let’s eat plain potatoes again!” … I was not even mildy impressed 😉 Then I thought about it, and you know what? I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our first year on this journey than with a plain potato. We owe a lot to those potatoes, for better or worse. They kicked off this entire lifestyle change for us, and I honestly don’t think we would be here doing this right now if we hadn’t started with those two weeks of plain potatoes. Continue reading →

Black Bean Throwdown: Canned vs. Instant Pot (365 Everyday Value, Aldi & Rancho Gordo)

By | |
16 Comments

We eat a LOT of beans. They are a great source of whole food, plant-based protein and we love adding them to our salads, enjoying them in soup, blending them into hummus or even baking them on top of a pizza! But we have always wondered… are all beans created equal? Does it really make a difference if you use pre-cooked canned beans or cook your own dry beans? We set out to answer these questions and more with this Black Bean Throwdown! Continue reading →

Top 7 Small Appliances in the Krock’s Kitchen

By | |
3 Comments

If you checked out our Top 10 Tools & Gadgets, you probably realize we have quite the collection of kitchen stuff. We got a ton of really great stuff when we got married back in 2011, and we have continued to grow our collection of kitchen “junk” 🙂 for the past 8 years of marriage. But what do we actually use the most while following a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet? In this post, we are going share our Top 7 Small Kitchen Appliances! Continue reading →

270 Pounds Down! What Is The Secret To Our Weight Loss?

By | |
17 Comments

After losing 270 pounds (155 for Brian and 115 for me), we get asked ALL the time – what are you doing to lose weight? The most simple answer is: we switched to a whole food, plant-based diet. But it’s a little more complicated than that, so we thought we’d start by answering a few questions! Continue reading →

Recipe: Spicy Refried Pinto Beans (Oil-Free, Vegan, Fat-Free)

By | | ,
24 Comments

We used to love eating canned, fat-free refried beans, so I was pretty sad when I realized most of the canned versions have oil and a ton of sodium. We decided to get a few cans of no salt added pinto beans and try to make our own! It was kind of an accident how this one came together, but these turned out pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself! Our favorite way to enjoy them is on tacos, but they would be great as a dip, in a salad or simply as a side dish. Continue reading →

Recipe Review: Smoky Vegan Carrot Dogs from Brand New Vegan

By | | ,
4 Comments

One of our favorite bloggers is Chuck Underwood of Brand New Vegan. His website and YouTube channel were a HUGE help when we first started out and had no idea what we were doing! His site features delicious vegan recipes that make following this lifestyle a lot less overwhelming. We saw his recipe for Smoky Vegan Carrot Dogs a while ago and knew we had to try them out at some point. So, over Memorial Day weekend, we gave it a shot! Continue reading →

Oil-Free Hash Brown Throwdown: Skillet vs. Air Fryer vs. Griddler

By | | ,
11 Comments

As you may remember, we started our “diet” with two weeks of eating nothing but plain baked potatoes. Since then, we have adopted a whole food, plant-based lifestyle and lost over 260 pounds combined! For a while after the two weeks of potatoes, neither of us wanted to see another potato again! However, time heals all wounds, and eventually Brian was the first to want potatoes (just not plain). I took a bit longer to come around. One day last week, Brian was talking about wanting to make hash browns. I always assumed this couldn’t be done without oil, butter, etc. to make them crispy. So we set off on a mission to figure out the best way to make them oil-free, but still crispy and delicious! Continue reading →

Recipe: Three Ingredient Chocolate Banana “Nice” Cream (Oil-Free, Vegan)

By | | ,
19 Comments

I love my sweets and anything with chocolate is at the top of my list! When we started on this whole food, plant-based journey, I thought I’d be giving all of that up, but this recipe proved me wrong! The best part is you only need THREE ingredients. It took me several tries to get the balance of ingredients JUST right – but I think I finally got it. I’d even pick it over “regular” ice cream! It’s that good. Continue reading →

Recipe: “Crispy” Baked Italian Tofu (Oil-Free, Vegan)

By | | ,
36 Comments

It took us a few months after starting our whole food, plant-based diet to start experimenting with tofu. It was a mystery to me and honestly, I was kind of freaked out to try it! Eventually we tried it and I am so glad we did. We eat these cold on top of our salads for a nice added texture and flavor. We also put them on top of our veggie pizzas before baking in the oven and add them to our veggie/rice bowls for some extra protein. Continue reading →

Top 10 Tools & Gadgets in the Krock’s Kitchen

By | |
23 Comments

We have always had a lot of kitchen “stuff.” Between small appliances, gadgets and random tools, we have collected a lot in our 7+ years of marriage. Since we are following a whole food, plant-based diet, we cook pretty much every single meal we eat. As a result, we have finally started using a lot more of the gadgets that we have collected over the years! But which tools and gadgets do we actually use the most? In the video, we count down our Top 10 list. Check it out and let us know what your favorites are! Continue reading →