Healthy Parenting Handbook with Katie Kimball

We just celebrated 10 years of teaching kids to cook online, which honestly feels surreal. It still feels like yesterday that we were filming the very first lessons, crossing our fingers, and wondering if anyone would even want this.

Fast forward a decade and nearly 20,000 families served, and the answer is clear. This work matters. It is changing kitchens, confidence levels, and family dynamics in real ways.

Over the years, parents have consistently asked me about two skills that go beyond what we teach inside Kids Cook Real Food:

• How to help kids meal plan
• How to help kids grocery shop

These are higher level executive functioning skills. They build on cooking, but they are a step further. They require decision making, budgeting, and thinking ahead. That is why they were never part of the original Kids Cook Real Food course.

For a long time, I knew these skills belonged in a future, more advanced program for teens and young adults. And now, that next step is almost here!! They are a big part of Teens Cook Real Food, which releases to the public on January 26, 2006!! (But only for a week right now, so put it on your calendar.)

Today we'll hit on steps 1-3 of meal planning on a budget!

Resources We Mention for Meal Planning on a Budget

• Some tips to stretch your meat and save money
• More tips for reducing food waste
• Meal planning is the key to healthy eating
• Routines to make healthy meal planning doable
• 3 Habits to help your grocery budget with high inflation
• More tips and recipes to save you mone

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Somewhere between “I can do hard things” and “Can you order for me?” is a whole lot of teen growth waiting to happen.

Arthur C. Woods has spent decades working with teens, and he brings a refreshingly practical take on leadership that starts way earlier than a title, a team captain badge, or a future resume. We talk about why teens are more capable than we think, why they are not always being challenged to prove it, and how everyday life skills at home connect directly to leadership, resilience, and work readiness.

In this episode, we cover

• Why many teens are entering adulthood less prepared, even with more resources than ever
• How to raise “work ready” teens before they ever clock in for a first job
• Why adaptability is both a mindset and a daily practice (especially when things change)
• A simple definition of leadership that makes every teen a leader right now
• Arthur’s SPARK framework for emerging leaders (and what “singularity” means for teens)
• How chores and life skills build leadership (not because of the task, but because of the skill of learning skills)

We loved Arthur in #LifeSkillsNow Season Two, and I know you'll love hearing from him today!

Resources We Mention for Work-Ready Teens

• Check out Work-Ready Teens from Arthur C. Woods and use code KCRF for $30 off!
• Grab Arthur’s book SPARK for Emerging Leaders (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• Start building life skills with #LifeSkillsNow
• Interview with Amy Carney on launching your teens and teaching them life skills
• Teach teens cooking and cleaning right now! 
• Visit Arthur at his website Arthur C. Woods, or check out his socials: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Way back when my husband and I were new-ish parents, he read a headline that talked about parents being "bone tired" at the end of the day.

For years, we referred to that phrase: "We're BONE TIRED. Parents are all BONE TIRED." (Put a little lilt and emphasis on "bone" and you can hear us in your head now.)

As it turns out, Dr. Evan Hirsch would recommend that we stop with those negative thoughts, because they're not going to take us anywhere good. He's an international expert on chronic fatigue (and now long haulers), and this was an interview I was HIGHLY looking forward to. I was right!

Prepare to be fascinated by Dr. Hirsch's wisdom on:

• The 33 causes of fatigue
• How you KNOW you have chronic fatigue (and aren't just bone tired like every other parent out there - and it's way easier than I expected to figure it out!)
• Why solving your chronic fatigue may also make you live longer
• Why some people become long haulers and others don't (this has fascinated me for a while and I couldn't wait to discuss it!)
• Dr. Hirsch's process for helping people reverse chronic fatigue (that more or less translates to long haul)
• How you know if 5 jumping jacks is pushing your body too much
• A simple "recipe" to raise healthy kids (i.e. what an integrative MD would tell you to do to prevent your kids from getting chronic illnesses and BOOST their real energy—not the sugar-laden kind—to help them live happier lives now)
• THE most important technique he recommends to everyone, preventative and restorative (and there are only 4 steps to it and zero cost!!!)

I'm going to be thinking about this interview for a long time...can't wait to hear what you think about it.

Resources We Mention for Chronic Fatigue

• Dr. Hirsch would like to give you a FREE PDF download of his book Tired of Being Tired that has helped thousands of exhausted humans resolve their fatigue and achieve more in their lives
• Here is Dr. Hirsch’s book Fix Your Fatigue
• Here’s an interview about one of those infections, Lyme disease
• Here’s the Jack Canfield book The Success Principles we talked about
• Follow Dr. Hirsch on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Have you ever blown up at your kid because they’re melting down?

Just wanted their bad behavior to STOP because you feel like a bad parent if it doesn’t?

Committed that you would parent differently than your parents, but see some cycles repeating you don’t like?

My guest today is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has seen a lot of hurting and struggling families in her decade-plus working with clients, and she brings some of the best scripts I’ve ever heard to this interview today.

Get answers for issues like:

• Your teen says everyone else gets to do X and it’s not fair that she doesn’t!
• Your preschooler throws an epic 45-minute tantrum
• You try to put the child in time-out but it only makes things worse
• Your child’s behavior triggers anger or resentment
• Feeling like you have to choose between being a warm, connected parent and giving your kids chores and boundaries

Plus Bryanna tells us the two most important things we can say to our teens - and they’re good ones.

I know many parents are going to have a mindset shift after this one, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

When your podcast guest says, “Our goal as parents is to raise up these self-sufficient, independent people someday,” you know she’s in the right place!

Diane Boden and I talk all about her journey to minimalism and the intentional mindset she’s fostered over the last 14 years.

It’s not just about the “stuff” but about experiences, relationships, schedules, and even goals.

We dig into all that and more in this encouraging interview!

Resources We Mention for Living with Intention

• Diane’s book, Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity, is available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or wherever you find your books. 
• The Bullet Journal System
• My stewardship philosophy 
• Building mom friendships and overcoming isolation with Heather MacFadyen
• Visit Diane at her website Minimalist Moms Podcast or on social media: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

My guest today is 17-year-old Abdullah Ansari, and listening to him talk about teen health, food, stress, tech, and purpose made my jaw drop more than once. Not because he sounded rehearsed or polished. But because he sounded awake in a way most adults are still struggling to be.

He talks about teen health like it is urgent. Because it is. He talks about food like it is power. Because it is. And he talks about freedom in a way that completely reframes how most teens think about independence.

If you are raising a teen right now, or if you will be in the next few years, I truly believe this episode is one you will want to listen to together.

Here is just a small taste of what we unpack in this conversation:

• Why ultra-processed food is designed to override a teen’s self-control
• How the gut microbiome directly affects mood, anxiety, focus, and skin
• Why scrolling is not actually a “break” for a stressed-out brain
• Two free, simple stress reset tools every teen can use today
• How Abdullah handles peer pressure when everyone else is eating junk
• Why gratitude is not just emotional but biological
• How purpose changes the way teens use their bodies and their time

Resources We Mention for the Teen Health Revolution

• Order The Teen Health Revolution: Unlocking Lifestyle Secrets for the Mind, Body, and Soul by Abdullah Ansari, Zain Ansari, Emaad Ansari, Qasim Ansari, and Madiha Saeed, MD on Amazon or Bookshop.org
• If you order the book before December 11, 2025, get the awesome bonuses from Abdullah and fam!
• Holistic Parenting with Dr. Saeed
• Getting to the Root of Chronic Inflammation and Disease in Kids with Dr. Madiha Saeed
• One Simple Stress-Busting Habit to Use Every Day
• Listen to the Holistic Kids’ Show podcast!
• Visit Abullah and brothers at their website The Holistic Kid’s Show or visit them on Facebook or Instagram

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Coughs, Flu and School Germs, oh my!

If cold-and-flu season causes tremors in your heart but you hate the idea of using over-the-counter drugs on your kids just to get through the night, I have great news: The bees got your back.

Carly from Beekeeper’s Naturals joins us today to share about the power of nature – she will feed your science geek brain and share SO many practical ideas and uses for bee products (bet you’ve never even heard of some of them!):

• What beats coughs as effectively as OTC cough meds but with no side effects?
• Find out about a natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal product that you can ingest or use on the skin for coughs, rashes, scrapes, immunity boosting, allergies, and “that ominous tickle.” Amazing stuff!
• What gives queen bees the vitality to have 1500 babies a day and live 20x longer than other bees? Want some? Humans have been using it for centuries!
• Two different ways to calm anxiety and get better sleep, something we know everyone needs!
• Find incredible focus with an age-old nootropic that may help heal concussions, build new brain cells, prevent signs of aging brains and more…this stuff is so cool!!

Resources We Mention About Health Benefits of Honey

• Shop Beekeepers Naturals (use code KITCHEN20 for 20% off!)
• Pre-order Carly’s picture book, Little Bee and the Bloom (releasing August 2026) on Amazon or Bookshop.org
• How to Bake with Honey
• My interview with Carly about bee population decline
• More ways to improve sleep
• Health benefits of honey
• More natural ways to combat coughs and colds
• Find Beekeeper’s Naturals on Instagram or Facebook

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

We’re lonely!

It’s hurting us!

And we’re not very good at connecting with other humans.

Heather MacFadyen is here to help. Author and podcaster of Don’t Mom Alone, she’s all about building connection to help moms do their jobs better.

“Loneliness can be when you’re with others but not feeling truly known,” she said in this encouraging interview. We talk about the 3 kinds of relationships moms need to nurture, how to shed the unattainable standards society is trying to place on us, and how to antidote loneliness in the most practical of ways.

We hit on anger, lies and truths, podcast clubs and more.

If you’ve ever felt the vulnerability of making a new friend or wish you were brave enough to take the risk and make a coffee date or go for a walk with a new friend…you need this interview.

Grab Heather’s book at your local library or bookshop and be sure to subscribe to the Don’t Mom Alone podcast (along with of course The Healthy Parenting Handbook)!

Resources We Mention for Building Mom Friendships

• Heather's books: Don't Mom Alone (Amazon/Bookshop.org) and Right Where You Belong (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• Subscribe to Heather's podcast, Don't Mom Alone
• Mel Robbins podcast episode: Why Making Friends as an Adult Feels Impossible
• The Science of Friendship with Dr. Marisa G. Franco
• People Fuel by John Townsend
• Good and Angry by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller 
• Emotional Regulation for Moms with Emily Hamblin
• Visit Heather on her website HeatherMacFadyen.com or on social media: Instagram, Facebook

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

If you’ve ever felt that homeschooling can slip into a checklist of math pages and grammar drills, you’ll love this conversation. Pam Barnhill, a veteran homeschooling mom of over 15 years, reminds us what education can truly be: a chance to connect deeply with our kids and nurture a lifelong love of learning.

Resources We Mention for Homeschool Routines 

• Get Pam’s free Advent Morning Time Plans
• Check out her books: Gather; Better Together (Amazon/Bookshop.org); Plan Your Year (Amazon/Bookshop.org); The Confident Homeschooler 
• Is homeschooling right for me? 
• What is a morning basket
• Nurturing Young Skeptics
• Get on the wailist for Teens Cook Real Food
• Visit Pam on her website Homeschool Better Together, and follow her on social media: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

The very morning I did this interview, my husband was complaining about how badly he felt because of a certain number...and when I heard Heidi's final "practical" challenge to parents, I knew we had to do it. This interview was a HUGE paradigm shift for me, and you will alternately want to turn it off as it gets challenging and find yourself cheering out loud!

Heidi Schauster, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S is an expert on eating disorders and talks with me today about how we as parents can foster a healthy relationship with food for our kids. We cover risk factors for eating disorders, mindful eating, how to handle treats at school and elsewhere, what "rules" parents should (and should not!) have for food in the home, the quickest way to make your child into a binge eater, how we should talk about weight and body image with our kids, and so much more.

This is a MUST WATCH interview because our entire culture is disordered in how to think and talk about body image, so we have a LOT of work to do to make positive change! 

Heidi and I continued to talk after I ended the recording and I kept catching myself using the wrong language about food. She said, "This is great - you're creating new neural pathways right in front of my eyes!" 

Resources We Mentioned for Healthy Relationships with Food:

• Heidi's books: Nourish: How to Heal Your Relationship with Food, Body, and Self (Amazon/Bookshop.org) and Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• More on Ellyn Satter's division of responsibility in feeding
• Health at Every Size
• The No More Picky Eating Challenge
• What happened when the 8-year-old sneaked Halloween candy?
• Visit Heidi's website here or follow her on the socials: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

Get my favorite organic clothes and home goods at Pact here! Get 15% off your first order with code KITCHENSTEWARDSHIP15.

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!