PLANTPURE NATION UPDATE

As many of you may know, we finally launched our 10-day Jumpstart program and our line of frozen entrees. These entrees are made with whole, plant-based foods, low amounts of salt and sugar, and no added oils. And the best news is that we can deliver them to your door for a landed cost of only $6.89, and this is for a full pound of food!

This is just the beginning for us. Now that we have launched this initial line, we are working on additional products, including an organic line of entrees, as well as a strategy for the bulk supply of our products to our Pod groups. 

This has not been an easy journey. Developing, producing, warehousing, fulfilling customer orders, and shipping these products constitutes a complex process, with lots of moving pieces and different players. And in any process like this, there are always mishaps that can occur. Just this past week, our fulfillment partner lost the disclaimer cards that go into our meal boxes and, without our permission, used paper copies of these cards made from a copier that was running out of ink. I was appalled when I learned of this on Friday.

But all in all, our launch has gone well, and whatever rough edges we have seen will be smoothed out quickly. We will continuously improve our products and processes. Already, we are incorporating a number of changes into the second production run, currently underway.

We hope that you can support us during this critical launch phase. As you know, we are committed to organizing a grassroots movement, but we need financial resources to fund this effort. We have made a great personal financial sacrifice to bring the organization to this point, and now we need your help. What we are doing is not about a business, but about a social movement. The money is a means to this higher end. 

One last word: When you try our food, please remember that you can season these meals to meet your own taste preferences. We made these meals with low amounts of sodium, and some of you may need more salt. If you find it necessary, you can sprinkle a little additional salt on your meal after reheating to make the flavors in the meal pop, as long as you work on reducing your salt intake over time. And if you are among the group who like more intense heat and other flavors, we encourage you to build a small PlantPure pantry of flavoring supplements, like sriracha, hot sauce, vinegars, spice blends, etc., that you can use to personalize the entrees to your palate. 

Many of you will like our meals as they are; we aimed for the broad midsection of the market. But we also know that people often have wildly different taste preferences, and that it is impossible to please everyone. The good news is that you can customize these meals within seconds, with just the flip of your wrist or a quick stir.

Finally, we encourage you to consider reheating your meals with the Hot Logic warming tray we supply. These trays make heating your meals more convenient, and they help to preserve the quality of the food. Also, after you heat the food, serve it on a plate, or, if it is a wetter meal, in a bowl. The food will look even more appetizing, and as much as we think our tastes are not visual, they are indeed influenced by visual presentation.

We hope you enjoy the food, and please know that with every bite of PlantPure food you take, you are contributing to a social movement organized around one of the most important ideas of our time. 

Please go to www.PlantPureFoods.com for more information on our Jumpstart program and entrée line. Thank you for your support.

— Nelson Campbell

WATCH OUR JUMPSTART VIDEO

PPN'S NONPROFIT GETS NEW NAME, NEW ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

We are changing the name of our sister nonprofit organization from PlantPure Nation Foundation to PlantPure Communities in order to more accurately reflect the organization’s mission and activities.

The mission of PlantPure Communities is to build stronger, healthier, and more sustainable communities, which we’ll accomplish through a wide range of research, policy, and program activities. We’ll also be working with local nonprofits, businesses, governments, hospitals and other health-related organizations, faith-based groups, and other community organizations.

In the short term, PlantPure Communities will be particularly focused on advancing the PlantPure Oasis Program through which healthy PlantPure meals and the PlantPure Jumpstart Program will be made available to low income and other under-served neighborhoods.

Also, Jody Kass has recently been brought on board as associate director. She brings 30 years of experience working in community-building nonprofit organizations.

Stay tuned for more information about PlantPure Communities and our formal launch party, which will also be a fundraiser to help support the work of the nonprofit.  

FROM OUR PLANTPURE JUMPSTART DIRECTOR

The Jumpstarts have officially (jump)started! This is a very exciting time at PlantPure that many of us have been happily anticipating. In just a little over a week’s time, more than 250 people have purchased Jumpstarts and the PlantPure meals. The team at PlantPure has worked diligently to keep the costs for the Jumpstarts and meals as low as possible, allowing as many people as possible to experience the health benefits of eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. I have received many emails from people on how much they like the food. People are trying tofu for the first time and loving it!

For those who have bought our meals, or who are planning to buy them, please refer to our PlantPure Meal Tips. You can find these in written form here and as a short video here.

Our independent groups are gearing up to support the Jumpstart graduates with education, guidance, and community after they finish their Jumpstarts. This is an excellent way for Jumpstart graduates to keep moving forward on their plant-based journeys after completing their Jumpstarts.

In each newsletter, I am going to cover frequently asked questions to keep everyone as informed as possible. We have also added a FAQ section that addresses many of the questions people are asking.

I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have questions: info@plantpurenation.com.

— Laura Dietrich

CHECK US OUT

We would love everyone to follow all of our social media channels, and tag us/use the hashtag #plantpure as much as possible. Come connect with us!

Instagram: @plantpurenation
Facebook: PlantPure Nation
Twitter: @plantpurenation
Pinterest: PlantPure Nation @plantpurenation
Snapchat: plantpurenation
YouTube: PlantPure Nation
LinkedIn: PlantPure Nation

FROM THE EDITOR

Spring is almost here! I know, I know—you northerners are rolling your eyes right now. But it’s true: Those of us at PlantPure Nation headquarters are looking at daylight saving time starting up again in less than a month, and it feels a little like we’re seeing some very promising light at the end of the tunnel, both figuratively and literally.

Our Jumpstart program is more successful than we’d anticipated, and it’s been exciting and gratifying to see sales rolling in. We’re also busily answering all your questions about the program, the meals, shipping, etc. Our web team developed a FAQ section, so do check that out if you have any questions about the meals or the program itself. If you don’t see the answer to your question, feel free to contact us.

Our second production run is underway, and while this run contains the same meals as the first one, we’re working hard on expanding our available meals and making sure the new ones taste as great as the current ones. We’ll let you know when our new entrees go into production, so stay tuned!

Stay warm and stay well.

— Amy Bissinger

FROM OUR PLANTPURE POD DIRECTOR

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for being a part of our community. Thank you for your passion and desire to spread the word about the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. Together we are making a difference! 

As many of you know, I have been working as one of the PlantPure Regional Managers and recently accepted the Pod Director position. It is a great honor to work with the PlantPure Nation team and so many passionate individuals across the U.S. and abroad! I am very excited and looking forward to making the Pod community stronger.

We are having a great start to 2016, with many exciting projects taking place. The Pod website has been improved. If you did not have a chance to check out and test the new look and improved functionality of our website, I highly recommend it! Go to plantpurepods.com.

Also, the number of recipes and listings of WFPB-friendly businesses keep growing. Find some inspiration for your next meal at www.plantpurepods.com/recipes/. You can also learn about your community through our PlantPure Directory and submit your community’s resources: www.plantpurepods.com/directory/.

Let's make 2016 the greatest PlantPure year yet!

—Katya Trent

NOW AVAILABLE

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that our Jumpstarts are finally available! We hope you enjoy participating in them as much as we've enjoyed developing them.

GROUP LEADER SPOTLIGHT

Key to Success? Making Connections!

I had the opportunity to talk with Phil and Judy Amerine, co-leaders of the Simply Plants group in Wooster, Ohio. Phil and Judy have taken a unique approach to starting their group, and I thought it would be interesting to share this with other PlantPure supporters. They have been very successful in creating a solid foundation for their group and have had an interesting journey getting to where they are today.

Phil and Judy were some of the first people I talked with about becoming group leaders, and they have a special place in my heart. They had met and talked with Nelson Campbell and Dr. T. Colin Campbell at a PlantPure Nation pre-screening and were passionate about helping Nelson spread the PlantPure word.

One of the first and most important connections was the partnership they developed with an area co-op called Local Roots Market & Café, a farmers’ market cooperative that promotes community. Its mission is to get people to think about what they’re eating and where their food comes from. Phil and Judy approached the founders of Local Roots, explaining about their Simply Plants group and its mission. Immediately the founders were supportive and offered the use of their building for meetings and events. Local Roots has provided a base and community identify for their Simply Plants group, as well as innumerable connections.  

The next key connection occurred by accident, while Phil and Judy happened to be watching gift bags being assembled at Local Roots for a local cardiologist. Melissa Williams, of Local Roots, mentioned that Dr. Ken Shafer was a cardiologist who promoted plant-based nutrition to his patients and suggested that they reach out to him. It turned out that Dr. Shafer had been having monthly plant-based potlucks for several years; his group had grown to over 80 people. When Phil and Judy contacted him, he was very supportive, connecting them with the potluck hosts. From this connection, the hosts suggested they present information about their group at the next potluck, which has led to numerous other community connections.

At Local Roots, Phil and Judy hosted three open houses, scheduled on different days and at different times, talking about their group and educating people on its purpose. To advertise, they printed some posters at the local print shop. Amazingly, an employee there saw their posters and told them that he was plant-based too and wanted to support them in any way possible. They took their posters everywhere they could think of, and along the way, they just kept making more and more connections. The local used bookstore owner who let them hang their posters finally said, “OK, tell me what this is all about, because I think I want to know more.”

The open houses were a huge success, and now most of the town knows about Simply Plants! There is even an 87-year-old man who frequents Local Roots who, since meeting Phil and Judy, is considering going on next year's Holistic Holiday at Sea. Melissa says, “The reason people are so attracted to Phil and Judy’s message is that they are calmly enthusiastic, accepting and open to receiving people where they are.”

What is the takeaway from talking with Phil and Judy? Keep on reaching out to people and making connections—you never know whom you might meet along your journey and who may be looking for you, ready to join.

— Laura Dietrich

WORDS FOR LIVING WELL

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

FEATURED PLANTPURE RECIPES
From LeAnne Campbell, The China Study Cookbook, www.globalroots.net  

Quick Three-Bean Soup 


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes 
Makes 4–6 servings 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with jalapeños

2 cups mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, and/or carrots)

3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 heaping tablespoon dried parsley 

1 teaspoon oregano

Directions
In a large soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons vegetable broth over medium-high heat until onion is slightly transparent. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. 


Tips: For variety, leafy greens like kale or chard and seasonal vegetables, like zucchini, are especially good in this recipe as a substitution for the vegetables. This soup goes well with the Fiesta Corn Bread.

***************************************************************************************
 

Fiesta Corn Bread

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes 

Makes 9 servings
 

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 teaspoon tarragon 

3⁄4 cup corn, fresh off the cob or thawed

1⁄3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg replacer (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons water) 

1 1⁄3 cups soy milk 
 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and tarragon in a large bowl and mix well. Add the corn, applesauce, and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and mix. Add egg replacer and milk, and stir until everything is well mixed. Pour into a 9-inch by 9-inch nonstick baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is firm and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving. 

Tips: Serve with beans and cooked kale or other greens. If you want a more Italian herb flavor, add 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 teaspoon basil.

START COOKING WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED RECIPES!

As the film’s official companion book, The PlantPure Nation Cookbook brings this powerful, science-based approach to nutrition from the big screen to your kitchen with some of the same mouthwatering recipes that kick-started the film, promoting the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.