I love books. Almost any kind of book. Fiction. Non-fiction. Biography. Historical. Classical. Mystery. Most self-improvement (there are some wackos out there, though). Funny. Adventurous. Even cookbooks. Especially cookbooks.
Nothing will replace the feel and smell of a real hardbound novel, but I like electronic cookbooks. It seems so much more efficient to search and bookmark and link to new recipes and old favorites. I have developed a real love affair with cooking e-books as I have forged the trail toward healthier eating. Some of our old recipes could be adapted with healthier ingredients, but some just had to be dropped from the list. Since we didn’t want to eat the same 10 or so meals every other week, I have compiled a new list of favorites. Thank you Internet and e-books for making this soooo much easier.
Let me tell you about an awesome blogger and healthy e-cookbook author, Katie at Kitchen Stewardship. She’s a hardcore researcher of real food eating, combined with real life. She doesn’t just give you the facts; she backs them up with her own experiments, testimonials, and tweaks for making it work in a busy family. Since I love her stuff so much, I signed on as an affiliate to introduce you to her genius.
My favorite healthy e-cookbook, shockingly, is Smart Sweets. It has a brownie recipe that is to-die-for with coconut oil (which gives it just a hint of a coconut flavor, whole wheat, and walnuts. Katie gives lots of ideas on using alternative sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, sucanat, applesauce, etc. There are thirty seriously easy and yummy recipes in this book, like coconut macaroons, peanut butter bars, fruit pizza, and chocolate syrup. All made from real food and less sugar.
My next fave is The Healthy Lunchbox. We often fall into a serious lunch rut around here. Sandwiches are easy, and everyone can just about fix their own. But Katie gives lots of “out of the box” ideas for spicing up lunch. She has 45 recipes for meats, sides, dips, snacks, and wraps. Plus, she gives lots of tips for packing a lunch for adults and children. I had more than a few “why didn’t I think of that” moments reading this book. It is a great resource for school lunches and meals on-the-go. I really want to try her grain-free crepes and fruit/nut bars.
Moving right along is The Healthy Breakfast. I tested a coconut banana bread recipe for this book. She wanted feedback on how the recipe was written and if it was “brain-dead” easy to follow. I made it pre-coffee one morning and succeeded, so I’d call that about as brain-dead easy as you get. It’s full of alternatives to cereals with 52 recipes, many of which are gluten, dairy, nut, grain, and egg-free. I think anyone with food allergies could find a few gems in here for breakfast.
If you like to camp, Katie has the definitive guide on fixing real food in the great outdoors, The Family Camping Cookbook. It’s about more than food, though. She gives tips on camping with babies and toddlers and organizing a campsite. From prepping and packing to cooking and cleaning, she knows her camping etiquette. Katie’s recipes are good enough to fix at home, too. Thirty-five easy-to-prepare meals will make eating enjoyable for everyone and leave more time for relaxing and hiking.
The fun thing about Katie’s books is that she’s very honest about how her family has navigated the path from processed food to real food. She knows why people push back on giving up their convenience packaged food. So, she wrote Better Than A Box where she reverse-engineered 20 recipes to get rid of the boxes and cans and replace the ingredients with real food. She also includes resources on making some of those canned things, like cream soup, Bisquick, stuffing, and salad dressings. You don’t have to give up easy food when you make real food, and Katie shows you how.
Did I say that Katie has written a healthy e-cookbook or two? Well, there is also Naturally Sweetened Treats, Healthy Snacks to Go, Winter Soups, and The Everything Beans Book. They are all great and helpful. And if you love cookbooks, like me, you’re probably twitching right now trying to decide which books to order. To help you out, Katie has several packages available where you can order multiple books at a discount. Great idea, huh?
Well, that’s enough of me rambling on about Katie’s awesome healthy e-cookbook collection. Go check them out for yourself. Please use my links, so she’ll know I sent you over. Of course, as an affiliate, I make a commission off the purchase, but that doesn’t change the price for you. I really wouldn’t recommend these books if I didn’t think they were helpful.
Come back and tell me which ones you bought and your favorite recipe. Did I mention the brownies in Smart Sweets?
Georganne
P.S. All links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase anything after following my link, I will make a commission off your purchase, but the price will not change for you. I appreciate your support.