Favorites
This website just might change your life. At the very least, it will help you figure out what’s for dinner and how to waste less food (my personal New Year’s Resolution this year). All you do is type in the ingredients that you have on hand -or the ingredients that you want to use before they spoil- and this site instantly populates a list of recipes that would work. Amazing!
What I Eat, Around the World in 80 Diets
by Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio
This is an amazing, thought provoking book that is a must read! There is also a fantastic website that you can check out. The authors provide a nice overview of the book:
From the authors: We used a typical recent day as a starting point for our interviews with 80 people in 30 countries, which led to the final food portraits and food lists, with their resulting calorie count. We specifically chose not to cover daily caloric averages as we wanted to include some extreme examples of eating, like one subject’s diet on a bingeing day—over 12,000 calories, and the 800 calories the Maasai herder in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley ate during extreme drought. An average would have muddied these up and been less instructive. If the herder had eaten goat the week we’d covered her or not been in drought, the calorie count would have been higher. The texts in the book provide the context for the photographs—detailing each person’s diet, culture, and circumstance. Please see the book for complete methodology and coverage.
Vitamix
I am obsessed with my Vitamix. It is the best investment I’ve ever made for several reasons: First, and most importantly, it stands up to abuse! I have made batches upon batches of peanut butter from raw nuts, ground flour from wheat berries, made hot soup with whole vegetables (entire potatoes, uncut), and made whole fruit smoothies that are full of fiber and nutrients (because nothing is lost in the process like some juicers). It is, in my opinion, the best single kitchen appliance on the market…aside from the dishwasher. Maybe someday I will get one to raffle off (fingers crossed), but for now, I can offer a free shipping code! Use the link below.
Center for Science in the Public Interest Nutrition Action Health Letter
This non-profit organization produces one of the best no-nonsense, evidence-based nutrition publications out there. My favorite section in each edition is “Food Porn” where they highlight an outrageously unhealthy food option and offer a healthy alternative.
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/index.htm
Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Kitchen by Heidi Swanson
You don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy these recipes.
Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart
Martha might have cringed watching me try, but with this book in hand, I finally conquered poaching an egg.
Find farmer’s markets, family farms, and other good sources of sustainably grown food in your area including fruits and veggies, and grass-fed meats.
Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/
What’s for dinner? Well, what’s in your fridge? This handy tool allows you to check off the items you have and searches for recipes that uses them. No more wasted food!
“The Mom’s Guide to Meal Makeovers” by Registered Dietitians, Janice Newell Bissex and Liz Weiss
This book is filled with delicious, kid-friendly (although they are really everyone-friendly), healthy recipes. I haven’t checked out their newest book yet, “No Whine with Dinner” but their first is a staple in my kitchen. Their entire website, including podcasts and cooking videos is excellent.
I love Nutrition Action, too!! It’s the best!