Like so many others, I’ve followed Lisa Leake’s blog 100 Days of Real Food for several years. For those who don’t know the backstory, what started as her family’s experiment to eat no processed foods for 100 days (bringing separate food to parties, eschewing all white flour and sugar, and avoiding anything in a package with more than five ingredients) turned into a way of life. A bag of candy and highly-processed goodies she stashed away to eat after their experiment was over got tossed in the trash halfway through. Turns out, their tastes–and their minds–had changed for good.
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you already know that while I advocate eating a mostly whole-foods diet, I don’t like extremes. I don’t like the way “toxic”, “poison”, and “dangerous” are tossed around when it comes to food. Above all, I don’t like when people get nasty and judgey in the name of healthy eating. Two things you’ll hear me say a lot are “We’re all works in progress” and “Nobody is perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist”.
But the beauty of Lisa’s blog and new book 100 Days of Real Food is that you feel like a good friend is simply sharing what worked for her–and giving you gentle encouragement to change your diet for the better too. If you’re not ready to go all in, she’s got lots of baby steps you can take. Not about to relinquish your white pasta? She won’t judge you. But be warned: Her enthusiasm is contagious, so you just might be convinced.
In the first half of Lisa’s book, she presents her rationale for avoiding processed foods, advice for reading food labels and stocking your fridge and pantry, and tips for getting your family on board. In the second half are 100 recipes for meals, snacks, desserts, and lunchboxes. I’m already a fan of many of Lisa’s recipes. We make her granola nearly every single week. I’ve got several servings of her slow cooker refried beans in my freezer. I like that her recipes are simple and straightforward, for dishes my family already loves (like tacos and pasta) or hopefully will (like black bean tostadas and fish cakes).
This Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread mixes up quickly and makes the house smell like a dream. For my batch, I left out the raisins and used homemade slow cooker applesauce I canned last fall, and it turned out great. Here is Lisa’s recipe:
Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with butter and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a fork, mix in the eggs, applesauce, melted butter, and syrup until well combined, taking care not to overmix. Gently fold in the raisins.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Slices Serving Size: 1 SliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 192Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 278mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g
Whether you’re just starting to reduce processed foods–or are already there and want some new family-friendly recipes to add into the mix–Lisa’s book is a wonderful guide.
Disclosure: As a Cookbook Ambassador for 100 Days of Real Food, I received a free copy of the book to review.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, your cost will be the same but I will receive a small commission to help with operating costs of this blog. I only link to products I personally use and love. Thanks for your support!
[email protected] says
Thank you for reviewing Lisa’s new book. Your review helped me to decide to buy it as a gift for a friend. Love your blog!
Margo says
Did you sub equal parts applesauce to the raisins in the recipe ? Thanks
Sally says
Hi Margo–I just left out the raisins and used the amount of applesauce the recipe called for.
Katie says
This sounds so delicious for breakfast – but my family could never wait for a loaf to cook! I wonder how long the cook time would be as muffins?
Sally says
Hi Katie–I haven’t tried that with this recipe, though I routinely convert quick bread recipes into muffins. Generally, I check muffins after about 20 minutes. You could apply the same technique of using a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean.
Kari Johnson says
This was really good! The kids loved it for an after school snack then requested more for breakfast. I left out the raisins and added 1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice to give it a little more flavor. I will make this again especially since I usually have all of these ingredients on hand!
Tina Hennessey says
Made this tonight, but I used coconut oil instead of butter (I didn’t have any butter) and mini chocolate chips for raisins (I didn’t have raisins either). The kids LOVE it. It’s great!
Tina Hennessey says
Rating on my previous post is wrong – clumsy finger error. Sorry!
Emily says
I don’t have applesauce. Is there something I can substitute?
Sally says
Emily–applesauce is typically used as a substitute for oil. But in this case, I would not recommend using a cup of oil to replace the applesauce! I have never tried this but perhaps a puree of mashed bananas or another fruit puree would work. Or make a batch of applesauce in the crockpot and then you can make the bread AND have yummy homemade applause on the side! Recipe here: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/2012/09/22/easy-crockpot-applesauce/