Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Sneak Peek Recipe from My Cookbook...

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Today I want to give you a sneak-peek at the print copy of our cookbook, which is due out very shortly. We can't wait to give you all those details, so be watching for the release right after Thanksgiving!

I'm sharing a simple–but delicious–recipe perfect for fall and winter. Coconut Maple Carrots.

You can see from the image how this recipe looks in our cookbook. This is an actual page from the cookbook. I am very pleased with how the print copy has turned out. There are nearly 150 photos for just over 100 recipes in the print copy! (The e-book version has about 100 photos.) 

I hope you enjoy this recipe from our new cookbook: Whole Foods for the Everyday Cook written by myself and my sister, Christy Greer, over at Whole Foods On A Budget.  Take a peek at her amazing blog!!  She is the one who has done all the design and format work (as well as many of the recipes!) in our book.  

Coconut-Maple Carrots

SERVES 8 | Yum yum yum—these carrots are delicious! Carrots are a frugal and nutritious vegetable. You will find yourself making a side dish of carrots more often after you taste these.

2 lbs carrots

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

pinch of unrefined salt

Finely slice the carrots by food processor or mandolin to ¹/₁₆-inch. Place the carrots in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes or until just tender. Remove the carrots from the steamer and place in a serving bowl. Add the remaining 4 ingredients, gently toss and serve immediately.  

New Giveaway to Celebrate Our Cookbook Release

My sister and I are doing another giveaway to celebrate the release of our new cookbook!  Please check it out HERE on my sister's blog, Whole Foods On A Budget!

Before I share our next giveaway, I'd like to share a short portion of the preface in our cookbook, because it explains why we wrote this cookbook.

...[and so] we landed upon the idea behind this cookbook. A diet based on whole foods is a solid middle ground, a stepping stone if you will, from a standard American diet to other healthier, beneficial diets. Whole Foods for the Everyday Cook is a cookbook designed to make it easy for anyone to transition to a whole foods diet. Furthermore, we wanted our cookbook to be not just for the newbie but also for those already familiar with whole foods. We wanted to create a resource for them too—a resource meant to bring fresh inspiration and new recipes into the kitchen. Thus our recipes span from simple to more advanced. 

So if you're looking to eat more whole foods, eat more vegetables or whole grains, cook from scratch more, transition to a traditional food/real food diet, or if you already do some or all of these and you simply want some fresh inspiration, then you will very likely enjoy and appreciate our cookbook. With over 100 recipes, you're sure to find some new favorites!

AND NOW...the giveaway for this weekend! Yep, you've got the whole weekend to enter. To celebrate our Kindle release, we are giving away two books that have inspired us to cook and write a cookbook. (And actually we hope to write many more!)

BOOK ONE

Julia Child's My Life in France focuses on a portion of her life, mostly when she was overseas in France. It was there that she took up cooking, began teaching cooking classes, and then began writing her first amazing cooking resource.  We have enjoyed reading about her love of fresh, quality, whole foods. And we've enjoyed cooking some of her recipes and learning skills from her. We even found ourselves relating to her a bit (though on a much smaller scale) as we were emailing and calling back and forth across the country working on our cookbook. As she wrote her first cookbook, she corresponded often with Avis de Voto back in the USA, and manuscripts and ideas went back and forth over years. (In fact, I'm reading this book right now.) My Life in France was the book used as the basis for Julia's life in the movie Julie & Julia. If you love France, if you love good food, if you love cooking or Julia Child herself, you will thoroughly enjoy this book!

BOOK TWO

The other book we're giving away is Under the Tuscan Sun by France Mayes. This is a beautiful, inspiring story about a woman who buys a house in Italy to stay during the summers when she is not teaching as a professor. She chronicles fixing it up, but intersperses it with stories of daily life in Italy, gardening, harvesting olives, cooking fresh recipes and more. It is truly a relaxing, delightful read that will make you want to sell your home and move straight to Tuscany! Tuscany holds a special place in my heart after visiting there, and this book sealed the deal for me. If you love Italy, fresh eating, gardening, different cultures, the dying art of old ways, cooking or good wine, you'll love this book. It has inspired us to garden and cook and write about it!

To enter to win BOTH books (lucky you!), please share either this post or about our new cookbook on Facebook or Twitter, and comment below to tell us you did. You can enter twice—once for a Facebook Share, once for a Twitter share. Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST, Sunday, 11/17/13. This contest is only open to those living in the USA.

Hope you win!

My Cookbook is Now Available!

My cookbook, Whole Foods for the Everyday Cook, is now available on amazon (my affiliate), in the Kindle format (hardcopy to follow in a few weeks).

To celebrate it's release, my sister and co-author, are giving away TWO FREE copies of our Kindle version today.  Even if you do not own a Kindle, you can still read a copy of our book (more explanation on her blog).

To enter the giveaway, please go HERE, to her blog, where you can enter.  The contest ends tonight, so be sure to get over there today for your chance to win a free copy!

So what's in our cookbook?

 

- Over 100 recipes with colorful, professional photos.

- Sections on Breakfast, Baked Goods, Vegetables, Grains, Beans-Lentils, Meats-Eggs-Fish, Desserts, Kids, Condiments.

- Information on whole grains and how to cook and bake effectively with them.

- An introduction to beans and lentils, cooking methods and troubleshooting tips. 

- Appendices explaining whole foods ingredients; what to stock in your pantry, refrigerators and freezer; and our most efficient, effective and favorite kitchen appliances and tools. 

 

The E-Book vs. the Print Copy

 

Reasons why you may want to purchase the e-book:

 

1. Your personality is one of efficiency and productivity. The e-book has links throughout that send you to other recipes or resources with just a click. For instance, if we mention that one recipe is good with another, just click the link and it takes you right to the other recipe. From the "Table of Contents," with just a click, you can go straight to any recipe.

 

2. You're a minimalist. No book taking up space in your kitchen; just another title on your Kindle or E-Reader. The e-book is a crisp, clean copy—just clear text and photos.

 

3. You love your Kindle. Here's another book to enjoy on it!

 

4. The Kindle version is cheaper due to it's virtual nature—no printing costs, no shipping, etc.

 

Reasons why you may want to purchase the print copy, when it is released in a few short weeks:

 

1. You are visual and you are inspired by what you see. The print copy is gorgeous—with backgrounds behind every recipe and photograph and unique fonts that enhance the artistic quality of the cookbook.

 

2. You want a cookbook to keep in your kitchen; one you can flip through, peruse and be inspired by.

 

3. You still like physical books in your hands. Here's one we hope you will love, enjoy and use often! We hope the pages grow floury and crinkly from regular, loving use. Such are my favorite cookbooks.

 

And of course, who's to say you can only own one version. You're always welcome to buy both!

 

Our Book is Scheduled for Release TOMORROW!!

I am SO SO very excited to announce that a cookbook I have been working on for a few years with my sister Christy, at Whole Foods on a Budget, is finally ready to be released!!!

We have poured ourselves into this book and it is scheduled to be on sale on Kindle tomorrow.  Our hardcopy version will be available in just a few weeks, just in time for Christmas!  Stay tuned for more info tomorrow about some fun giveaways we will be doing to celebrate the release of our book!

So, what is our cookbook about?
Whole Foods for the Everyday Cook is a cookbook filled with over 100 recipes useful for everyday cooking. All recipes are whole foods based. Our idea behind the book was to provide a springboard for healthier eating. We wanted to provide a resource that makes it easy and inspiring to eat healthfully.

We have some very simple recipes that are especially useful for busy times when you hardly have the time to cook and for those of you who may be new to the kitchen. We also have basic recipes that are perfect for regular day-to-day cooking--not too much time involved, not too many steps. We've also included a few more advanced recipes for when you have to the time to experiment and explore new ways of cooking and baking.

Our Photos
There is a gorgeous, professional photograph (by Jonalee Earles) for nearly every single recipe in our cookbook. Photos were very important to us, and we wanted beautiful ones and lots of them. I am always more inspired when I can see a picture of what I am trying to make.

How to Buy
As I said at the beginning, our cookbook goes on sale TOMORROW, Wednesday, November 13th! Tomorrow I will be posting first thing in the morning with links to our e-book and lots more details...including some giveaways!! So stay tuned, and come back to visit tomorrow!

Healthy Child Summit

I am so excited to share with you about the FREE!!!  Healthy Child Summit that was put together by a few good friends of mine and is sponsored by the Nourished Living Network that I currently blog for.  One of the reasons things have been a bit quiet here, is that I have been busy preparing my talk for the Summit, which will be addressing the use of Herbs and Essential Oils in Pregnancy, Labor, and Post-Partum.



We are offering a sneak peek of the Summit, Nov. 18th - Dec. 20th, featuring some of our speakers (my talk will be featured in Feb. 2014 when the entire Summit will be offered), and this is a great opportunity to get a jump start and be able to listen to all kinds of speakers sharing about different aspects of raising a healthy child.

Again, this is free!  If you would like to participate, please sign up HERE.

• Would you like to learn how to prepare your body for the healthiest pregnancy possible?
• Are you interested in preparing for a natural birth, one with no or limited interventions?
• Would you like the support, encouragement, and resources to get off to the best start with breastfeeding?
• Would you like to learn about common childhood illnesses, how to prepare a natural medicine cabinet, and how to get your child off on the right foot nutritionally?
• Do you have questions about the signs of autism, adrenal fatigue, sensory processing disorders, and more? Wondering how you can support your child naturally through these deeper challenges?
• Are you looking to rid your home and environment of toxins, make your own natural cleaners and skincare products, and choose safe toys for your children?
• Are you looking for support in dealing with the teenage years including hormones and food choices?
• Are you a overwhelmed mama, struggling with self care?

Join Over 50 Professionals and Experts As They Empower, Educate, and Inspire Your Family’s Natural Health and Wellness Journey!

Again, this is free!  If you would like to participate, please sign up HERE.