Many families today don't need to be told to eat better. They already understand the "why's" behind a whole foods diet, but where they really struggle is figuring how to afford it all. In tough economic times, and even on single-income budgets, is there a way to stick to wholesome, nourishing foods in an affordable manner? Yes, there is a way, and Real Food on a Real Budget will help you do just that. I have felt the pinch on my own grocery budget but was unwilling to throw up my arms and concede defeat. I have spent years learning various methods to save money and get the best deals, without compromising on the high-quality foods that I feed my family. The result? I have learned the keys to keeping my budget 30% lower than the average family, while still serving up foods that are nourishing, traditional, organic, ecologically-grown... in other words, real, whole foods. Best of all, I want to show you how I do it and how you can do the same.

#1 New York Times Bestseller The creator of the 100 Days of Real Food blog draws from her hugely popular website to offer simple, affordable, family-friendly recipes and practical advice for eliminating processed foods from your family's diet. Inspired by Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, Lisa Leake decided her family's eating habits needed an overhaul. She, her husband, and their two small girls pledged to go 100 days without eating highly processed or refined foods—a challenge she opened to readers on her blog. Now, she shares their story, offering insights and cost-conscious recipes everyone can use to enjoy wholesome natural food—whole grains, fruits and vegetables, seafood, locally raised meats, natural juices, dried fruit, seeds, popcorn, natural honey, and more. Illustrated with 125 photographs and filled with step-by-step instructions, this hands-on cookbook and guide includes: Advice for navigating the grocery store and making smart purchases Tips for reading ingredient labels 100 quick and easy recipes for such favorites as Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale Pesto Cream Sauce, and Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn Meal plans and suggestions for kid-pleasing school lunches, parties, and snacks "Real Food" anecdotes from the Leakes' own experiences A 10-day mini starter-program, and much more.

In her first cookbook, 100 Days of Real Food, Lisa Leake revealed how simple it is to think out of the box in the kitchen by replacing unhealthy prepackaged and processed foods with “real food”—mouthwatering meals made with wholesome and familiar ingredients. Now, Lisa is back with 100 quick-and-easy recipes and simple cheat sheets that will work with every family’s busy lifestyle. 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous gives Lisa’s devoted fans and newcomers exactly what they want, quick and tasty favorites for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even snacks that are a snap to make. Insideyou’ll find recipes sure to please everyone, from Cinnamon Raisin Scones, Couscous and Tomato Salad, and Corn Muffins to Citrus Salad With Crispy Quinoa, Honeydew Green Smoothie, and Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup to Easy Fish Tacos, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and Chocolate Banana Pops. While some dishes are blog favorites, seventy-five percent are brand new. Along with these family-friendly recipes, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous incorporates ideas for adult, big-kid, and little-kid packed lunches and new seasonal meal plans and shopping lists—everything you need for accessible, quick, and real home cooking. Lisa also includes a “CliffsNotes”-style resource section packed with easy guidelines on how to buy real food, supermarket staples (including her Top 10 Shopping Lists by Store), the truth behind more than a dozen grocery store myths, and other handy kitchen tips (such as food prep guides and storage cheat sheets). Making and enjoying healthy meals the whole family will love doesn’t have to be difficult, boring, or expensive. With this essential cookbook, illustrated with color photos for every single recipe, you’ll see just how fast and fabulous good home-cooked meals can be.

Does fear and insecurity keep you from looking at your bank account? Is your financial anxiety holding you captive? You don’t have to stress about money anymore. YOU can take back control. As a newly divorced single mom making $24,000 per year and facing down $77,000 in debt, Kumiko Love worried constantly about money. She saw what other moms had—vacations, birthday parties, a house full of furniture—and felt ashamed that she and her son lived in a small apartment and ate dinner on the floor. Worse, when her feelings began to exhaust her, she binge-shopped, reasoning that she’d feel better after a trip to the mall. On the day she needed to pay for a McDonald’s ice cream cone without her credit card, she had an epiphany: Money is not the problem. Self-Doubt is the problem. Shame is the problem. Guilt is the problem. Society’s expectations for her are the problem. She is the solution. Once she reversed the negative thinking patterns pushing her toward decisions that didn’t serve her values or goals, her financial plan wrote itself. Now, she’s not only living debt-free in her dream home, which she paid for in cash, but she has spread her teachings around the world and helped countless women envision better lives for themselves and their families. Now, building on the lessons she’s taught millions as the founder of The Budget Mom, she shares a step by step plan for taking control back over your financial life—regardless of your level of income or your credit card balance. Through stories from navigating divorce to helping clients thrive through recessions, depression, eviction, layoffs and so much more, you will learn foundational practices such as: How to use your emotions to your financial advantage, instead of letting them control you How to create a budget based on your real life, not a life of self-denial How to create a motivating debt pay-off plan that makes you excited about your future, instead of fearing it My Money My Way will give you the tools to align your emotional health with your financial health—to let go of deprivation and embrace desire. Love’s paradigm-shifting system will teach you how to honor your unique personal values, driving emotions, and particular needs so that you can stop worrying about money and start living a financially fulfilled life.

Low-Budget Should Never Mean Low-Quality In this practical cookbook, Shannon Stonger, author of Traditionally Fermented Foods and co-author of The Doable Off-Grid Homestead, invites you into her bustling homestead kitchen. She shares how she feeds her family of eight with delicious, nutritious meals for less. Based on the wisdom of traditional food diets, these recipes are focused on unprocessed ingredients, pastured animal products and frugal foods that people have thrived on for generations. The resulting meals are gluten-free, almost entirely dairy-free, picky eater–certified and, most importantly, deeply nourishing. Find tips and tricks for cutting down on costs while prioritizing nutrient density per dollar. Follow easy directions for sprouting or soaking grains and legumes to unlock their full nutritional value, then use them in yummy meals like A Better Kefir-Chia Soaked Granola or Soaked Gluten- Free Artisan Bread. Learn to tactfully utilize more expensive produce, with foolproof recipes like higher-protein, lower-cost Stretched-Out Guacamole. With recipes like Homemade Coconut Milk and Cultured Oatgurt, you can make your own pantry staples, saving you money. There are also tons of incredible dishes that maximize wholesome animal products, mouthwatering flavors and cost-effectiveness, such as Mediterranean Hide-the-Heart Meatballs, Stretch-the-Meat and Bean Loaf and Real Food Copycat Tomato Soup. Give your family the gift of nutritious meals made from real foods—without breaking the bank.

Hailed as the "patron saint of farmers' markets" by the Guardian and called one of the "great food activists" by Vanity Fair's David Kamp, Nina Planck was on the vanguard of the real food movement, and her first book remains a vital and original contribution to the hot debate about what to eat and why. In lively, personal chapters on produce, dairy, meat, fish, chocolate, and other real foods, Nina explains how ancient foods like beef and butter have been falsely accused, while industrial foods like corn syrup and soybean oil have created a triple epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The New York Times said that Real Food "poses a convincing alternative to the prevailing dietary guidelines, even those treated as gospel." A rebuttal to dietary fads and a clarion call for the return to old-fashioned foods, Real Food no longer seems radical, if only because the conversation has caught up to Nina Planck. Indeed, it has become gospel in its own right. This special tenth-anniversary edition includes a foreword by Nina Teicholz (The Big Fat Surprise) and a new introduction from the author.

In Real Food Real Easy veteran Food Network chef George Stella serves up 120 of his signature good-carb recipes using only a handful of readily available, fresh ingredients. Once weighing in at 470 pounds, George turned his entire life, and the life of his family, around simply by eating . . . simply. A family of four, they dropped an astonishing 565 pounds, and they ate great food doing it! George Stella's cookbooks have been a favorite of thousands of families everywhere, but they have never included recipes as inexpensive, fast, and easy as this. With some recipes made with as few as four ingredients, George doesn't sacrifice flavor or ingenuity to keep things easy -- instead he has handpicked his family's best recipes that just so happen to be easy to prepare. From appetizers and snacks to main courses, desserts, and even slow cooker recipes . . . make full family meals fast, make them healthy, make them real!