Ever since they co-founded Spork Foods more than a dozen years ago, LA-based sisters Heather Golden Ray and Jenny Engel have been sharing their culinary skills and educating people of all ages on just how easy, delicious, and healthy plant-based food can be. Their energy and enthusiasm has long been an inspiration to me, and I continue to be amazed at the way they integrate fun into positivity into everything they do. And I love the recipes they share in VegNews! Heather and Jenny are a dynamic duo to emulate.
12 Questions With Heather and Jenny, Founders of Spork Foods
- Vegan for:
21 years - What do you love most about your vegan life?
We love waking up and being in alignment with our highest self which we feel is rooted in compassion and kindness. - What does your morning routine look like?
A big glass of lemon water followed by a smoothie filled with spinach, coconut, banana and any other fruit. We wake up, hug our kids, think of all we're grateful for], and get excited about starting our day. - What is your evening routine?
We take a long walk after work and then play with our children/read/cook a yummy dinner. - What are some tips for productivity you swear by?
Happiness is a choice, and when you choose to be happy, you are more able to freely flow from home life to work life and all of what is in between. So first tip: choose happiness. Second tip is partnering with people you trust/love. That way you don't have to do everything. Third tip: Each decision we make we hold it up to our inner being. Does our soul want us to make that choice? If not, we dump it and move on to what aligns better and more effortlessly. - What's your go-to breakfast each morning?
Rocket Cakes: pourable vegan, gluten-free pancake and waffle batter. - What are your must-have healthy vegan meals?
Bowls. We always have our rice cooker started in the morning and fill it with brown rice, quinoa, or other grains so that we can whip up veggies and protein when we get home from work quickly. - How important is a healthy lifestyle to your quality of life?
One-hundred-percent important. We meditate each day at work,even if it's for five minutes, and exercise six days a week. It is absolutely critical to functioning from a body, mind, and soul perspective. - Please share some of the ways that you unwind and create a work/life balance.
Spend time out in nature. Read books on bettering ourselves. We want our children to see us read and not be on devices, so we let them just watch us read sometimes without reading to them! We have long uninterrupted dinners, no phones, no technology. - What tips would you share with entrepreneurs in the making?
1. Always operate from the perspective of following your inner guide.
2. Only put into the world that which will better the world.
3. Partner with people who don't have your skills and vice-versa, then trust them. - What advice would you give to your younger self?
Travel four months of the year. - Who inspires you?
Our friend, Enrique. He has a full-time job, a wife who is ill whom he cares for, and fights to make ends meet each month. But he greets each day with hope and a smile.