I have been so looking forward to receiving and reviewing this book.*  I’ve reviewed many different things on my blog, but this may well be my favorite to date.  It’s a book, and it’s about FOOD!  Two of my favorite things.

The first thing that you need to know is that this is just a really lovely book.  Visually stunning.  It is big and heavy (I love that!) and filled with gorgeous pictures.  Particularly in this day and age of e-books and digital recipes, I truly appreciate a bound, paper book that I can hold in my hands as I flip through the pages.  I may have even smelled it in order to inhale that “new book” smell.  The layout is clear and organized, the pictures of the recipes are mouthwatering, and the pictures scattered throughout of Lisa Leake’s family and children provided a really nice, personal touch.

As for the content itself:

The first third of the book is an introduction to get you started on your journey to ditching the processed stuff, and eating and cooking with real, whole foods.  What is real food, you ask? She covers that, as well as outlining the changes you can start making to improve your diet. She even includes 14 weeks of challenges for a step-by-step approach to making slow and gradual dietary changes.  Week 1’s challenge is to include two fruits or vegetables with every meal.  Pretty doable, right?  She also gives detailed tips and information on shopping, meal planning, budgeting, and getting the whole family on board.   This section is invaluable, especially for those who are just starting out.

Following the introduction are the 150+ pages of recipes and their accompanying beautiful photos.  They are organized by type of recipe – breakfast, lunch (including a whole section for lunch box ideas), snacks, dinner, desserts (desserts!!), and homemade staples such as salad dressings and sauces – so it’s easy to quickly flip to and find the section that you want.  The recipes themselves are simple, clear-cut, and easy to follow.  They don’t call for any crazy or hard-to-find ingredients, and they don’t ask you to do anything that’s intimidating for someone who’s new to cooking from scratch.  The recipes use food as their ingredients, and give you an easy step-by-step plan for preparing it, no matter who you are or how experienced (or inexperienced) you may be in the kitchen.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread with cream cheese. I love these lunch box ideas!

Another nice touch is the inclusion of the list of recipes organized by dietary need in the back of the book.  You can quickly and easily find all the recipes that are, for example, gluten-free, vegetarian, or dairy free, without having to search through the entire book.  Leake truly thought of everything, and as such has succeeded in making one of the most user-friendly cookbooks I’ve ever read.

If you’re someone who is wanting to get back to basics and start eating good whole foods with simple ingredients,  get this book.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see if I have everything I need to make the mini chocolate truffles….

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to leave a positive review, and all opinions are my own.*