Starting on the real food journey can be daunting. There are new foods to buy. New techniques in the kitchen to master. New recipes to find.

If you’re lucky, your family will accept and eat the food without complaint. Usually even the most flexible family will occasionally mourn the memories of pizza, French fries, chicken nuggets and ice cream. (Stop drooling and keep reading, friends.)

A great many bloggers have undertaken eCourses in the past year to teach the basics of traditional foods, but if your life is anything like mine, you worry that you won’t have time to watch videos online (and still have time to cook the food). I’m so pleased to introduce Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama, who has just published an eBook that tackles the real food introductory problem with a baby steps approach.

If Nourishing Traditions overwhelms you, you’re not alone. With In the Kitchen: Real Food Basics, Kate has created the Cliff’s Notes version of the dense research at the beginning of NT with her short chapters on  healthy fats, real dairy, the backward food pyramid’s take on grains, sweeteners, and more. Kate takes Sally Fallon’s lead by offering a combination of information and recipes under one cover. Her family’s story alone is so inspiring, you’ll want to start transforming your kitchen immediately.

And the best part? All the recipes would be recognizable in a college cafeteria, but they’re made with whole foods and traditional preparation methods. Score!

Our Family’s Test

I’ve only had time to try one recipe, but the basic cheese sauce has gone on vegetables all week (it keeps and reheats great), and my son actually said, “Mom, when I eat everything on my plate, look out, because I’m eating ALL the cauliflower in the pot because this cheese sauce is so good!” (Oh, be still, my beating real-f0od-geeky heart!) I say it gives Velveeta a run for its money, and I can’t wait to try it with salsa for our former-favorite chip dip…when we can eat corn chips again.

I guarantee there will be very few ingredients that seem “off the beaten path” to you, even if you’re new to real food. Check out these recipe titles:

• Fried Chicken
• Meatballs
• Mexican Chicken Soup
• Perfect French Fries
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vanilla Ice Cream

There are also instructions for some basic fermented foods and even kombucha, plus some great information on sprouted grains and how to do that, for those of you ready to leave the cafeteria behind and embrace traditional foods whole hog (or no hog, if you’re kosher – there aren’t many pork recipes!). Kate is the master of sprouted grains, having learned that her family does really poorly on any other type of wheat. Check it out HERE.

Are There any Drawbacks?

You know I’m going to be honest here, so even though Kate’s my friend and I want to only laud praises on In the Kitchen: Real Food Basics, I have to offer my critiques as well.

This book definitely has a target audience: people rather new to real food who are looking for familiarity and an easy explanation. If you’ve been cooking with traditional methods for quite some time, chances are you have tried many recipes similar to what Kate offers. However – if you wish you had more “normal stuff” in your repertoire, then real food veterans and newbies alike will appreciate this all-in-one-place roundup.

This may be a personal pet peeve, but I also don’t love it when people write “raw cheese” in the list of ingredients, I feel like it makes people who can’t find raw cheese feel badly. I always figure if someone knows what raw cheese is, they’re wise enough to use it in a recipe that just says “cheese” or “milk”.

Maybe I’m just being a big meanie, though, because Kate really doesn’t use hoity-toity food language very often: her eggs are just eggs, she doesn’t remind you to use “virgin” oils in every recipe, and she’ll let you make your own call on organic produce or not. Her shopping and pantry stocking lists are actually really helpful, and another example of the lovely baby stepping that In the Kitchen will help you do.

Win it!

If you’re not ready to cough up $6.95 (less than a lunch out, you know) for this eBook – yet! – maybe you’d like to win it for free. Follow the directions below for your chance!

You can also use the coupon code “KitchenStew25” through the close of the giveaway (10/26 at midnight EST) to get 25% off the book. Click HERE to buy now! Your purchase will be refunded if you’re the big winner.

Giveaways at Kitchen Stewardship are run via a survey, which means comments on this post do not count (and will be deleted). In the long run, this is quicker for you if you go for extra entries.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY CONTEST.

There are 8 possible entries! Here’s what you can do to win:

1. Mandatory entry: Visit In the Kitchen: Real Food Basics and check out the sample (at the bottom under the cover photo). You’ll need to tell me something you’re interested in or something you learned from the sample pages in the giveaway survey.
2. Subscribe in a reader or via email to Kitchen Stewardship (or tell me if you already do).
3. Subscribe to Modern Alternative Mama via email or RSS feeds.
4. Follow @kitchenstew and @ModernAMama on Twitter AND tweet this:
   I’m going to make #realfood, diner style with @ModernAMama ’s #recipe book when I win it @kitchenstew http://bit.ly/9ZCDKY
5. “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
6. Email 5 friends about this giveaway along with the link to it. (Email subscribers can forward their message.)
7. Stumble or Digg your favorite post or recipe at Kitchen Stewardship (you can use the Share This icon at the bottom of the post). What is Stumble?
8. If you have a blog or website, post about this giveaway linking back to this post.

Remember, comments here DO NOT COUNT. You must use the survey form.

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner.  The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere.  Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, October 26th, and I’ll post the winners by Friday at the latest.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure:  I did not receive anything other than a sample copy of the eBook to run this giveaway.  I work with Kate as an affiliate, which means I receive a commission if you purchase the book starting here at KS. That’s just lovely, by the way – thank you. See my full advertising disclosure here.