A few days ago several readers and I had a great discussion on Facebook about make-ahead breakfast ideas. As I was mulling over all the great options you suggested (and thank you for those!) I remembered that there was a gem of a recipe (details later in the post!) in my new favorite cookbook: Clean Eating for Busy Families
You have likely heard of “clean eating” or the “clean food” movement, but if not, the basic idea is that you attempt to eat food as close to its original source as possible, avoiding GMOs, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and high-fructose corn srup. I’ve been intrigued by the idea for a long while, but honestly, the thought of switching my entire approach to eating (and letting go of many convenience food options that are loaded with all that bad stuff) was pretty overwhelming.
My family actually was on the Paleo diet for about a month, and that was a great way to force a restart in our systems and get our bodies used to not inhaling sugar and additives constantly. We have since that time migrated over to a more whole foods, clean eating approach, and this cookbook has been instrumental in that process.
Why do I love it so much? Because it is REALISTIC. Michelle wrote this book with families just like mine in mind. We want to serve wholesome, delicious food. We also have a million things on our “to do” lists such that cooking complicated dishes from scratch constantly isn’t feasible. And we have real budgets, meaning that we can’t spend hundreds of dollars every week at places like Whole Foods. Michelle’s recipe ideas are the perfect balance between price, time and health consciousness!
Michelle even includes weekly grocery list ideas and practical tips to help encourage healthy eating habits in your home. And most of the recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less! Heck yes!!! Michelle is an outstanding resource for finding practical ways to clean up the food in your house. I actually had the chance to be part of a conference call with her a while back and I learned some fantastic tips for encouraging healthy habits for kids. Definitely give that a read if you haven’t yet!
Ok, so about that recipe I found for a make-ahead (and totally freezable) breakfast idea. Check it out!
Are you shocked to see a breakfast recipe with the term “cookies” in it? Especially in a “clean eating” cookbook? I think this gives you an idea about just how practical Michelle’s approach really is! Her recipes are delicious AND appealing to the entire family, including kids. When I told Darah were were having “breakfast cookies” she almost couldn’t contain her excitement. She inhaled these (and to be honest, so did Tim and I!). I am actually going to make another batch today to tuck away in the freezer for the weeks ahead. They come together fast, and they go so well with a cup of coffee! 🙂
 I’ve been wearing out the pages, lately, and I plan to continue doing so over the summer and beyond! Need a few more ideas for simple clean eating recipes? Check out my easy clean eating version of a Lunchable, as well as some picks for frozen foods that are clean (or close to it!).
I received a complimentary book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.Â
The Creamy Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Pepitas recipe sounds very tasty!
Red Potato Salad with Scallions & Greek Yogurt!! YUM!
The Skinny Chicken Parmesan with spinach sounds amazing!
This sounds great – Spinach Avocado Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette
Arugula & Shrimp Salad with Orange Vinaigrette sounds absolutely delicious!
The Spinach Avocado Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette sounds good.
Breakfast cookies
Just thinking about the Four Seasons Fruit Pizza is making my mouth water!
Four Seasons Fruit Pizza
Breakfast cookies
The Beef & Bell Pepper Stroganoff with Whole-Wheat Noodles sounds good to me!
I want to make Mint Hibiscus Lemonade
Four Seasons Fruit Pizza
Spinach Avocado Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette sounds delish!
breakfast cookies
Cajun-Crusted Tilapia Tacos with Pico de Gallo
Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach sounds delicious.
id love the Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach
Grilled Balsamic Chicken Medallions with Tricolor Bell Peppers & Red Onions
Lean & Green Dill Salmon Burgers with Creamy Cocktail Sauce sounds really good!
I’d like to try the Four Season Fruit Pizza!
The Quick-Broiled Open-Face Turkey Swiss Sandwiches with Spinach & Avocado sounds yum. I would love this book! Thanks!
My husband deploys soon and I feel that it will be a great time to get me and my 3 kids (5,3, and 8 months) on a clean eating start since hubby is the junk food king. The book looks wonderful!
i want to try the Slow Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
On-The-Go Tangy Chicken, Bell Pepper & Red Potato Packets
Creamy Avocado, Tomato & Black Bean Dip
On the go tangy chicken looks good, we just joined a CSA so this book wld help !
the Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives, Mint & Oregano sounds yum
Steve’s famous tailgate chili with kidney beans 🙂
I would love to try the grilled cilantro shrimp tacos with mango salsa!!
I think the Grilled Rosemary Dijon Pork Chop and Vegetable Skewers sounds very good.
I would like to try Steve’s famous tailgate chili with kidney beans
Grilled Rosemary Dijon Pork Chop and Vegetable Skewers sounds great
Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach
Chicken Parm w/ spinach….Nom Nom Nom!!! =)
The Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips would be my recipe of choice!
Breakfast cookies look delicious!
I’d love to try the Creamy Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Pepitas! sounds so good!
It’s nice to see people blogging about gmo free and clean eating. My family has been doing it for a little over a year. It’s definitely a lifestyle change and not easy, but very much worth it.
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Crispy Rice Treats.
avacado and black bean dip is the one i would like the most, doing clean eating to help with chronic hives
avacado and black bean dip
Four Season Fruit Pizza sounds interesting
The grilled cilantro shrimp tacos sound amazing! I am new to the clean eating movement, and I just added this book to my wish list on Amazon two days ago! Hope I win! =)
Breakfast cookies look great!
•Four Seasons Fruit Pizza
Hearty Broccoli Cheddar & Yukon Gold Potato Soup 🙂
On-The-Go Tangy Chicken, Bell Pepper & Red Potato Packets
the creamy avocado, tomato & black bean diP!
I like the Grilled Cilantro Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa recipe.
Grilled Cilantro Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
I love shrimp tacos!
Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach sounds good.
Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach
I think the Four Seasons Fruit Pizza sounds yummy!
The Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach sounds good.
I would like to try the Creamy Avocado, Tomato & Black Bean Dip.
I’d definitely like to try making the four seasons fruit pizza for my kids. I think they would really enjoy it.
Cucumber Quinoa salad sounds delicious, may have to see if I can get this from the library!
Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Sweet Potato Planks
The pecan crusted chicken strips sound like a great lunch or dinner!
Creamy Avocado, Tomato & Black Bean Dip (p. 35)
I would love to try the Four Seasons Fruit Pizza, my son is a fruit lover and I think he would really get a kick out of this one 🙂
Starting to eat healthy. This looks like a great book to help me.
Slow cooker beef and vegetable tacos all the way! 🙂
Four Seasons Fruit Pizza
I’d love to try the Spinach Avocado Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette. It sounds wonderful for summer.
the orange vanilla cheesecake bars sound yummy!
The Creamy Avocado, Tomato & Black Bean Dip sounds delicious. It would be great for summer cookouts.
I would love to try the Jamaican Jerk Chicken! Thanks for the chance to win!
Grilled Cilantro Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
The Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives, Mint & Oregano recipe sounds great to me and I have most of those ingredients on hand.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com
Grilled Balsamic Chicken Medallions with Tricolor Bell Peppers & Red Onions
I looooooove grilled food and i’ve never tried grilled bell peppers!
opps, I think I might have spelled my twitter account wrong on the entry… it is aggiewaterbug (not agiewaterbug) – Thanks!
I have been thinking about trying out clean eating – so this book would be great! I think the Chicken Tortilla Stew with Black Beans & Green Chile sounds great!
cucumber quinoa salad with feta cheese sounds delish. also i love she is an RD
The Hearty Broccoli Cheddar and Yukon Gold Potato Soup sounds delicious.
The Chicken Tortilla Stew with Black Beans & Green Chile sounds delish!
Lime Basil Watermelon Cooler
Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives, Mint & Oregano (p. 27)*
I would like to read more and see about cooking this one – •Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Sweet Potato Planks (p. 84)* always looking for different ways to cook chicken and we love sweet taters…
The slow cooker beef and vegetable tacos sound good.
This sounds yummy to me! Arugula & Shrimp Salad with ORange Vinaigrette!
I love slow cooker meals. I would love to try Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Tacos.
I’d love to try the Spinach Parmesan Stuffed Salmon recipe!
I’m all about the slow cooker! So this one sounds good to me: Steve’s Famous Tailgate Chili with Kidney Beans.
I love cilantro, so the fish tacos are first on my list.
The Four Seasons Fruit Pizza sounds good.
The slow cooker beef and vegetable tacos. Yum!
Sounds like a book I need!!
The cilantro grilled shrimp tacos sound delicious!
I bought the America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Cookbook hoping that it would have a lot of nice, simple recipes I could prepare quickly and easily, but no such luck…There are a few things in there, but most of them require a lot of preparation I don’t really feel like doing! A cookbook where most recipes are under 30 minutes is just what I need!
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Crispy Rice Treats
Oven-Fried Fish and Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders should like just what I need for my picky eating 4yo!! And with the yummy sauces to match, mama may have found some keepers as well!!
crispy, hazelnut rice krispy treats. its time for dessert…
Spinach Avocado Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette and Mint Hibiscus Lemonade both sounds amazing!
Lovely sounding recipes…just what I need.
Great review and thanks for the giveaway!
Pecan crusted chicken with yogurt dill dip.
I would love to try pecan crusted chicken strips with the dill yogurt dip. Yum!
The Four Seasons Fruit Pizza sounds great!
The Four Season Fruit Pizza sounds fantastic!
I want to try the Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Tacos.
Grilled cilantro fish tacos with mango salsa!
Skinny Chicken Parmesan with Spinach sounds really good!
Four Season fruit Pizza sounds refreshing and fun
On the go tangy chicken
I fall into a busy family! I need to look into this book more! I’m just starting to ease into clean eating.
oh i am trying those cookies! I love my morning cup of coffee and they sound like the perfect sidekick.
First time on your website. Interesting articles. Will add this to my list.