🧠 Order Up! A Conversation with Amanda Ashcraft, Therapist & Registered Dietitian

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Amanda talks to us about the important connection between food and mental health.

👉 More Than a Summer Camp — It’s a Toolbox 🧰
The #LifeSkillsNow virtual summer camp gives kids practical tools to feel more independent and capable, and gives parents a break from being the only life skills teacher. Kids will cook, grow something, build confidence, and even learn to manage emotions — featuring over 100 short, practical videos all led by expert instructors who get how real family life works. We know and love Katie Kimball, and we love her #LifeSkillsNow summer camp!

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Mental Health Awareness Month: learning about how the food we feed our families ties into the emotional landscape and mental health of our family members and homes

We’re bringing you an interview with our friend Amanda Ashcraft as part of our Order Up! segment this week. Amanda is a licensed professional counselor, registered dietitian, and mom of two boys, whose Colorado-based practice focuses on the connection between mental and physical health—especially when it comes to feeding families.

Whether she’s talking about banana chocolate chip muffins packed with lentils or the magic of saving Monday’s dinner for Tuesday’s picky eater, Amanda brings compassion, clarity, and zero judgment to the often overwhelming world of parenting and nutrition. In this interview, she shares her honest take on everything from emotional comfort foods to grocery-store myths, along with practical ways to support mental wellness through everyday meals—even the frozen waffle kind.

And stay tuned: next week, we’re sharing an exclusive One Potato interview with Amanda and our friend Ann Kent all about their brand-new Mental Health Cookbook and Supplement Guide, The Brain Plate. It’s a groundbreaking, gut-brain-focused resource that’s full of recipes, real-life parenting wisdom, and thoughtful tools for families navigating stress, ADHD, mood changes, and more. You won’t want to miss it.

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A special announcement from our friends Ann Kent & Amanda Ashcraft:

🧠 The Brain-Gut Connection, Made Delicious
Our friends Ann and Amanda — Ann is the powerhouse behind Peas & Hoppiness — are back with something new we think every parent should see: The Brain Plate, a cookbook and nutritional guide designed to support mental health through food. It’s more than recipes (though yes, those are delicious too). This guide connects the dots between what we eat and how we feel, with practical, family-friendly tools to nourish bodies and brains alike.

If you’ve ever wondered how food, supplements, and simple habits can support emotional well-being — for you or your kids — this is the resource you didn’t know you needed. 👉 Get on the wait-list

Learn more about the Peas & Hoppiness meal planning app, which features an easy-to-use customizable app and made-for-you grocery list to save time and money with meal planning. Swap recipe ingredients for dietary restrictions and picky eaters, all while saving time and stress!

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Introduce Yourself:

Hi! I’m Amanda Ashcraft - I’m a licensed professional counselor, registered dietitian, and mom of two boys (ages eight and six-almost nine an seven). I have a private practice in Colorado, working primarily with individuals navigating disordered eating, ADHD, anxiety, and all the complicated intersections of mental and physical wellness.

Let’s start at the beginning—did you begin your career in nutrition or mental health? What brought those two fields together for you?