While my daughter Natalie was the first person to open my eyes to a better way of eating, my first professional Real Food Hero was Lisa Leake.

Her book 100 Days of Real Food was a game changer for me. It’s a perfect Real Foods 101 introduction to removing processed food from our diets.  I came across Lisa’s website a few years ago while in search of a recipe for whole wheat donuts.  Her family’s story of their challenge to be free of refined and highly processed food for 100 days is inspiring. Her passion for helping others do the same is contagious.

Lisa also shares advice for grocery shopping and navigating social eating situations.  She has loads of ideas for eating real food in real life, which is of course, the Real Challenge!  She recently announced the upcoming release of her third cookbook: 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget.  And my copy of her second book, 100 Days of Real Food Fast and Fabulous, has so many sticky notes coming out of the pages that my husband commented, “So you’re just gonna cook everything in there.”  I think so!

Here’s a recipe for  Veggie Corn Chowder which I adapted from the one in her first cookbook. I’ll be posting photos and links to of many of Lisa Leake’s recipes in the coming months.  But, why not go ahead and check her out for yourself?