It’s my birthday today.

Most everyone in my life is afraid to bake me a cake because they’re not sure how to make it “healthy” enough.

A terrible hazard of real food, if you want my opinion!

The photo above is Paul’s cake from this year, using this healthy birthday cake recipe (the coconut one). How awesome did I feel when he asked for a cake that looked like dirt and grass?! It was hard to mess that up (phew!).

I figured I’d throw myself a little party at my online “home” here at Kitchen Stewardship and share some of my favorite emails with you, the ones that randomly land in my inbox and just warm my heart.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying an eBook around here, you might appreciate reading these candid reviews and the fact that everything’s on super sale in honor of my birthday, including the introduction of the new “bundle packs” which can save you some bucks if you buy more than one eBook.

It’s like party favors that won’t cause clutter. The best kind!

(The sale lasts until August 13th, John’s first birthday, at midnight EST, although the bundles will always be available. I’m still kind of pondering a grain-free, refined-sugar-free cake for him, and am pinning some things on Pinterest if you’re interested.)

Ready to Go Camping?

Maybe you’ve never been camping before.

Maybe you’ve done it as young adults, but you can’t imagine taking wee little children along.

Maybe you camp all the time, but only with hot dogs, S’mores, and bags of potato chips. Now that you do “real food,” you can’t figure out how to take it into the woods with you.

If you saw yourself in any of those three scenarios, you will love Kitchen Stewardship in the Big Woods: A Family Camping Handbook with Real Food Options.

Here’s what a reader had to tell me, unsolicited via email:

“We FINALLY got to go on our first trip over this past weekend. I used your e-book as my guide and I was so happy that I did! I packed what you said to pack, followed all the details, used your meal plans and it was all great! So very, very helpful to a total novice like me. My family was very pleased with the food and I felt great that we got to go camping and still eat wholesome food (along with the occasional s’more). Anyway, just wanted to say great job on the e-book and thank you for putting it out there! I know I’ll be using it for many years to come.”

$6.95

**use code BIRTHDAY10 for 10% off!**
or buy a bundle as seen at the end of this post

Need Healthy Snacks for Busy Families?

Both the end of summer and the beginning of the school year can be hectic, crazy times. Who doesn’t need wholesome food that they can grab quickly to help keep the hungries (i.e. cranky children!) at bay?

A very sweet (and long-winded, like me) reader sent this, which left me smiling and laughing out loud. She also, like me, doesn’t always follow directions, and it pleased me to no end that all the recipes still worked out. If you have the book already, you’ll love hearing this gal’s experiences with the recipes (and you  might go running to the kitchen, hungry):

Hello Katie!

I’ve piddle around and tried a few of the recipes from your Healthy Snacks to Go eBook (I have it on my nook), and I have to say, I had rave reviews from family and friends this weekend on our camping trip when I went all out on a bunch of recipes. There were three adults camping (one of whom is my husband, who typically grazes all day like a horse).

Here goes:

Crispy chickpeas - 3 large cans of garbanzo beans roasted in our oven, with your homemade ranch dressing mix (I pulsed the mix in my food processor so that everything would stick, although it definitely left room for little green beasties to stick in your teeth, but the chickpeas tasted better). Sooo tasty, I even have some left over for work now. I kept these in a wide- mouthed mason jar, and since we had to go right away, I placed a sprouting lid on top to let them ventilate while they cooled. They turned out fine, although some were a little over-roasted (they were on the bottom rack of my oven).

Kid-friendly beef jerky - I used two pounds of grass-fed and finished ground beef (I didn’t read the directions and thought it was for 1 lb., so I thought I was doubling the recipe, haha). When I finally read the directions, I “attempted” to use 2/3 of the flavorings for the entire batch…in any case, I don’t think my dehydrator would have handled 3lb…2lb took all but one rack! (I have a Nesco circular dehydrator). Good tip on the parchment paper, that made it really easy to pat out the meat and slide it on to the trays.

Next time I make it, I’ll still do 2lbs, but I’ll use the whole amount of spices that you call for in the 3lb recipe (feedback from my hubby). I loved it as it was, but he prefers things slightly saltier. I loved  having homemade jerky since I cannot eat soy, msgs, gluten (if it’s not freshly ground or sourdough, my body doesn’t like it too much), anything from the nightshade family…so I get to control all of that with this recipe. Love it! We didn’t have any left over after the weekend…all gone (with sad sighs and mournful looks toward the empty jar from my husband, I might add).

Power bars – Cinnamix version, we did the small batch x4, and had plenty left over. I think next time we’ll do two small batches of two different kinds just for variety. They were very tasty, and held up really well in a sturdy bpa-free container in my pack while we went hiking and fishing. They are quite sustaining! We made them into 1/2″ balls, maybe a little larger, and it was just enough to keep one going.

Grain-free cardamom spiced granola- I did one batch, and added more coconut flakes to make it less crunchy (from your tip in the e-book), used dried apple rings as my dried fruit, and it was soo tasty. I didn’t read all of the directions (see a trend?) before I cooked that day (I read it earlier in the week), so the dried apples went in the beginning, but they were really good anyhow. It made almost an entire gallon of granola…and we had just under 2 quarts left over, and we ate it constantly…that stuff goes a loong way. My husband is not a huge cardamom fan, so I ground it finely before adding it, and he really enjoyed it, and I was happy with my slight hint of cardamom flavor.

KS healthy granola bars - I did the chewy and crispy variations for one batch (melted the fats and sweets first and then toasted individual bars after). My baking sheet only fit so many of the bars after, so there were some that didn’t get toasted (helpful for comparison), and we liked the toasted better, but after all the chewing of other hard items (chickpeas, jerky, etc), I preferred the non-toasted, even if they were a bit crumbly. It was late when I made these…so I didn’t anticipate the mini chocolate chips melting right away, and I added dehydrated strawberries for my dried fruit, which made them more of a healthy oat chocolate and berry bar, which were really sustaining, great for morale at the end of a horribly windy day on Saturday evening, and we only have a few left.

Last but not least, I have been dying to make the grain-free coconut muffins. I have a convection-type cookware system that is stackable (it’s called iCook), so I doubled the recipe, forgot to melt the oil first, and put all of the ingredients in a pot that I lubed with a little butter before…and it still turned out amazing. It ended up being more of a coconut cake, and on day 2 of camping, I have to tell you, it was an absolute crowd pleaser. We each ate 1/3 of it…probably equivalent to 4 muffins apiece. It was light, airy, flavorful, not too sweet, but enough to satisfy the sweet tooth and take care of that last bit where you’re not 100% sure if you want to eat more or just be done with eating. I’m making these again- a lot. It also provided an easy way for me to try cooking/baking with coconut flour, and I was surprised to find it wasn’t that difficult.

So – all of the recipes were a success. All of them will be made again (I love that there are so many variations which appeals to my sanguine personality type) I learned that reading the directions in their entirety is probably helpful, and that I shouldn’t start making all this at 10pm on Friday night like we did…we finished at 1am, and then did the chickpeas in the AM while we packed for our trip, so I was a bit tired, but everybody was pleased, happy, and excited about all of the healthy and nourishing food/snacks, thanks to you.

My friend A. will probably be purchasing this e-book and some others I’m sure, since she helped me prepare everything and saw how easy it was, how inexpensive it was overall (she’s a single gal embarking on the healthy and nourishing route, but has often found it quite daunting so has never really made the plunge). I wanted to pick up your camping e-book on sale before we left, but I never had the time (I work full time as well, and with a recent diagnosis of Fibromyalgia- something I am believing in faith that God is/will heal me through Jesus’ blood, I do find that my energy levels can be affected on some days, and pain can affect me on others), so I’ll wait for it to go on sale again and get it then.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You have helped our family go in the direction of health, healing, good nutrition, etc, the way God has called us to.

And you bet I sent her the camping book, stat, after this amazing and uplifting note!

$8.95

**use code BIRTHDAY10 for 10% off!**
or buy a bundle as seen at the end of this post

How Not to Cook Beans

My aunt, who’s been a vegetarian for a long time but is recently retired and thus has more time on her hands, told us the story of her first time preparing dry beans from a bag.

Somehow, she was instructed to soak them, but not actually COOK them, and the poor gal put these soaked beans directly into her recipe!

They were a bit crunchy, as you might expect. Yowch.

I sent her The Everything Beans Book, and the next time we saw her, she had success stories!

For more really excellent reviews that will make you wish you had your own copy, check out Everything Beans on Kindle! It has 10 reviews, all 5 stars. (If you have the book, an honest review there would be a great birthday present for me, or even marking some of the reviews as “helpful.” Thanks!)

Here’s one example:

I have had this book for about 6 months and I love it. I try to make at least two recipes from it a month, sometimes more. This is a great cookbook for someone looking to save money on their grocery budget, or someone who is trying to eat healthier. My family loves the recipe for Black Bean Brownies! I don’t have to feel guilty telling my 4 year old that he can have another brownie with this recipe. We also love the Black Bean Burgers. There are lots of good and kid friendly recipes in this book.

$8.95

**use code BIRTHDAY10 for 10% off!**
or buy a bundle as seen at the end of this post

If you already have all the books…

Here’s a funny old post giving some other ideas on How to Tell a Blogger Happy Birthday…

Introducing: New Bundle Packs

I’ve often been asked if I have any discounts if people buy multiple books, so I’m excited to (finally) introduce some bundle packages to do just that…and the 10% off code for my birthday will take an additionalfew dollars off each of the packages, which are already some pretty good deals.

“Traveling with Real Food” Bundle includes Healthy Snacks to Go and The Family Camping Handbook

Regular price $15.90
NOW $14.00
saves 12%

Click for more about Healthy Snacks to Go or The Family Camping Handbook… “Treats & Sweets” Bundle
includes Healthy Snacks to Go and Smart Sweets

Regular price $17.90
NOW $15.00
saves 16%

Click for more about Healthy Snacks to Go or Smart Sweets….

“Frugal Food” Bundle includes The Everything Beans Book and the Family Camping Handbook

Regular price $15.90
NOW $12.99
saves 18%

Click for more about The Everything Beans Book or the Family Camping Handbook… “KS Favorite Recipes” Collection
The Everything Beans Book, Smart Sweets, and Healthy Snacks to Go

Regular price $26.85
NOW $20.99
saves 22%

See all KS eBooks HERE…

“KS Super Pack” – all current eBooks! Healthy Snacks to Go, The Family Camping Handbook, The Everything Beans Book, and Smart Sweets

Regular price $33.80
NOW $25
saves 25%

**Don’t forget the code BIRTHDAY10 will take an additional 10% off any of the bundle packs!**

See all KS eBooks HERE…

All KS eBooks are delivered only as PDFs. You will not receive anything by mail.

Thanks in advance for any purchases you make, and remember – all KS eBooks come with a satisfaction guarantee. Even if a food allergy prevents you from making too many recipes, I’ll happily refund your money. Just email!