Thursday, May 31, 2012

Real {Fast} Food-a book review & giveaway

I'm not sure how I found Trina Holden on twitter (@TrinaHolden), but I am OH SO GLAD that I did. Not only is she a goldmine of information on all things REAL food, she is also quirky and fun-she doesn't take herself to seriously, and she isn't pushy about her food revolution. She is genuinely happy to see people try things one step at a time so that more and more of us can feed ourselves and our children REAL food.

I received a copy of Trina's book-Real {Fast} Food-a couple months ago. I have put off writing the review mainly because I haven't done all or even half of the recipes or techniques. Then I realized that wasn't really the point. I am not here to rate every recipe-I'm here to tell you about the plan. And it is a GOOD ONE.

The thing I like best about Trina's book is that you can jump all in or you can test the waters and see what happens. Seeing as I am a mama of two young kids and studying for the bar exam, I opted for the latter. I had already begun my food revolution a few years ago when I realized that I didn't want to keep eating processed food. I made a few changes, got acquainted with my kitchen, and started feeling good about making my own food. Over time I have incorporated more and more recipes for things I used to buy without really thinking about it. The big one this year was bread. What a great decision! So when I saw Trina advertise her book on twitter, I was intrigued.

A photo to start--here is my first homemade hamburger bun. First attempt, complete success. The recipe is EASY and oh so good!

It has been an awesome addition to my life.

  • First of all-it is so DOABLE. I can incorporate one or two new things every week. See what works and what doesn't. Tweak it to my house and my schedule. For example. The book talks about bulk shopping once a month. Well, here we grocery shop weekly. I make a meal plan. We go Sunday after church. It works for us. Trina doesn't say you HAVE to go once a month. She just gives you tips and tricks so that you can make Real {fast} Food without feeling completely overwhelmed.
  • Second-she gives amazing tips and tricks to help you have a real life while you eat all this real food. She includes wonderful personal looks into her own life so that you can figure out what to do. She gives an in depth look at her baking day, and lots of info on how to reduce time in the kitchen without sacrificing anything in the food.
  • Third-it opened my eyes to a whole world of EASY ways to give my kids REAL food. Soaking and cooking and freezing my own beans for chilis and soups. Making my own cream of chicken soup, broths, seasoning mixes. 
  • Finally-she is honest. Some of the things are not easy-apparently yogurt is hard. But she encourages you to keep with it. I haven't ventured into my own dairy products yet, but I feel confident that armed with Trina's book, I could totally DO IT!
What I am saying is, it is worth a little time, a little prep, a little bit of unfamiliarity in the kitchen at first to give our kids and ourselves delicious, nutritious food. I'd encourage ANYBODY to go get Trina's book. You can find it here. And if you leave a comment you will be entered to WIN a copy of your own!! Make sure to include your name and email address so that I can send it to you!

(The giveaway will stay open until next Thursday at midnight. I'll pick the winner and post it on Friday!)





8 comments:

  1. Genna Powell
    gennapowell@gmail.com
    BAM!

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  2. Lauren Byrer
    laurenbyrer@gmail.com
    You've done a great job incorporating real food in your house!

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  3. I would LOVE to win this!! thank you!
    Lisa Gale - lisamgale@gmail.com

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  4. I love to cook, but don’t often hav time as I am currently in my 4th year of Med School. At weekends if I have time I like to make bread dough, roll it flat and scatter ingredients lik cooked ham, peppers, cheese etc. and then roll it up into a “log” kind of like a swiss roll, cook it in the oven and then throughout the week I can cut a chunk of it out for my lunch – as it saves me making sandwiches every morning – and gives me more time for things like my morning devotions – but also ensures that i can eat healthy food on the go. I vary the ingredients. My mum makes one with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or tuna, with egg and cheese beaten into it.
    annabradshaw"at"rocketmail"dot"com

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  5. Yes! This books sounds wonderful!
    themcbrides2{at}gmail{dot}com

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  6. yes PLEASE! chelsy8705@gmail.com

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  7. Your hamburger bun looks gorgeous! I don't know my way around the kitchen at all, but I'm will to read the book and try out some recipes! Reneighruns[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete

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