*WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT*
Comment #127 was chosen by Random.org as our winner – Laura Lee
Please email us at feedback @ thefresh20 DOT com to claim your prize!
I feel in love with this book while doing research on cooking pantry items from scratch. It’s a monster of a cookbook, heavy and saturated with color and images. In between the art design and the cool graphics, is the story of a life well spent.
Recipes are told as if the author, Yvette Van Boven, was a dear friend. Nothing is complicated. Everything looks delicious and accessible but oh, so very stylish. I enjoy the way the author says “Let’s get started.” when laying out step by step instructions. Yes, let’s!
This is quickly becoming my new favorite and I can see myself cooking from its pages well into summer and then on to autumn.
A giveaway seems appropriate because I have to share this wonderful book.
Tell me about your favorite homemade pantry item. Or, tell me what you wish you could make from scratch.
Giveaway ends Sunday at 9:00PM (Pacific) Winner announced Monday.
For more information about this dutch author and her amazing work, visit http://www.yvettevanboven.com/





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I love to cook and I love trying new recipes and foods. Fresh 20 has recipes that even my husband (Meat and potatoes all the way, man!) really likes. That is no small thing since I am vegetarian-heading- toward- vegan and my husband is 100% carnivore who doesn’t believe it’s a meal if there is no meat present. I have been able to adapt the recipes in the meal plan, with a little judicious ingredient switching, so we can both enjoy the same meal! That’s awesome!
Due to recently diagnosed digestive issues, I have begun to experiment with making various items from scratch. I love my many homemade salad dressings and quick mixes. I also enjoy making my own soups. They are so much better than store-bought. Soup is now a staple in my household. Yum!
What I always keep in my pantry is “Red root relish”. It’s made of beets, red peppers, and red cabbages. Even my 4-yr-old who is not a big vege eater loves it so I like giving it to him when I don’t have any “healthy” stuff that he’d eat in the menu.
We are surprised and delighted by every meal I make from the Fresh20 – It’s an answer to what’s for dinner, even when I am in the grocery. I was tired of my repetitious menu. This saves time and money when planning out your meals ~ And I have expanded my repertoire! I LOVE the Fresh 20!
My favorite homemade pantry item, is the pantry itself! I live in a tiny apartment, with a fairly small kitchen and I was busting out of the seams….so we converted our coat closet into shelving for large pots and our microwave, but it wasn’t enough, so my boyfriend built this amazing freestanding pantry that bumps the dinning room area down a couple of feet, but opened up an amazing amount of space for food and kitchen utensils…. The outside walls are covered in drywall, so you would never guess that its not actually build into the apartment, but it stands like an “L” shaped bookcase with the shelves tucked behind the drywall and a motion sensor light so we can see into that dark shadowed corner.
It made our lives 100% better one that pantry was built, now we can buy as many types of flour, maple syrups, jellies, etc. as our hearts desire.
I”m so glad TheFresh20 introduced me to grapeseed oil. It’s cheaper and healthier than olive oil and my husband can use it on the grill! He refused to use vegetable or olive oil because they would burn off so quickly, so we were spending a fortune on cooking spray made for the grill. I recently poured some grapeseed oil in a spray bottle and it seems to work just as well, possibly even better than the commercial cooking spray.
Hello! What a wonderful giveaway! We just joined the Fresh 20 after going on a juice fast. We are omnivores, but we are dedicated to having more vegetarian meals and the Fresh 20 has given us the support we need to make this change. Thanks! Our best homemade pantry item is hot sauce & dried pepper shakes! My husband grows super hot peppers and makes THE best meal enhancers!
The cookbook looks lovely! I have quite a few pantry items that I love to make from scratch –vegetable broth, chicken broth, beans, and jams are among my favorites. They just taste so much better when they are homemade!
I love to make pasta from scratch. Kneading the dough is a real stress reliever. Then watching it turn into silky sheets as I run it through the roller, and cut it into ribbons is very rewarding.
I could use a great homemade sandwich bread recipe.
This cookbook looks interesting. I have always loved to cook, but find myself not doing it so much because of work and family commitments. Fresh 20 has helped us SO much. After coming home from working all day, knowing what to cook is more than half the battle. Thanks to Fresh 20, I don’t stress over that any more, I don’t even dread going to the grocery store like I used to. I was coming home with the same items all the time, and not even using most of them. Another plus, is that I am not wasting any food any more. I know exactly what to buy, and how much, thanks to Fresh 20. I would love to try the recipes in the new cook book. Thanks again!
I don’t think this counts as a “pantry” item – but I love flavored coffee creamer made from scratch!
Oh Jessica, please tell this coffee addict how.
I am in school on clinical rotations full time, and my husband works full time, so I love Fresh20 because I don’t have to deal with the stress of planning healthy meals for the week our two young children and us. Cooking brings me so much pleasure when I know the meal I’m preparing is healthy and delicious, and that I’ll be getting rave reviews from my husband and children!
My favorite pantry item I make from scratch is a dry rub for pulled pork and other meats. The item I’d most like to learn to make is homemade jam.
My 2yr old daughter is allergic to eggs and peanuts, so we cook almost everything from scratch. The Fresh 20 has made it super easy to get fresh, safe food to the table each week! Our go-to pantry staple is canned/boxed tomatoes and whatever fresh veggies we have in the fridge for a wonderful hearty pasta sauce! (A recipe that originated from Fresh 20! I had no idea I could make fresh yummy pasta sauce so easily until we tried it!)
Well we are just getting into eating fresh, non processed foods so I have little experience in making items from scratch….yet. I guess salsa is the only item I have ever really made “from scratch”. In the last 6 weeks (just by changing our diet and portion size) my husband has lost 23 lbs and I have lost 14 so I this is fast becoming a way of life for us. It is amazing what eating whole, nature, fresh food can do for you! Thank you for all the great recipes and meal ideas!
Tronnie,
That’s such great news. Feels good to eat for health and see the benefits.
I’m making almost all things from scratch these days…the idea of preservatives and those other strange ingredients you see on the label don’t sit we’ll.
I think one of my favorite creations is a homemade taco seasoning. I use it for so many recipes!!!
I am new to cooking and am loving my Fresh 20 membership! I would love to learn to can tomato sauce for my pantry!
My husband and I started fresh 20 a couple of months ago and have noticed a change in our pantry. Its not nearly as full as it used to be. YAY! It means we are eating betting and far less processed than we used to. That being said, protein bars are still a quick breakfast or lunch in our house. I would love to be able to make them myself instead of spending upwards of $2-3 per bar for the healthier bars.
I love to make homemade croutons… you can use whatever bread you want (think whole grain), and mine aren’t as cut-your-mouth hard as the store-bought ones.
I have just started with Fresh20..the Gluten free option. I have recently found out I have food sensitivities and have been working on changing our family meals accordingly. My favorite meal to make from scratch (that I can still eat
)) is Chicken Tortilla Soup! What a great warm & healthy meal for all our rainy days here in WA. I am looking forward to learning so many more recipes thru Fresh20! I LOVE the concept!!
My favorite homemade pantry item is jam, I love making it..
I would love to learn how to make a homemade cheesecake!
yum!
I love anything homemade, but especially love homemade sauces. I really wish I could make homemade pizza and pasta sauces. We use a lot of those in our house and it would be nice to create a sauce from fresh wholesome ingredients – perhaps one that can be passed along from generation to generation.
This looks great!
cumin, definitely, cumin…we call it “stinky sock” at our house…and still love it!
I love to home can tomatoes, then later make my own home made spaghetti sauce from those lovely jars of canned tomatoes. My kids grew up eating home made spaghetti sauce and don’t even like what comes from the store in a jar. My oldest son has taken the time to watch and learn how to make both my homemade sauce and his grandmother’s (father’s mother) homemade sauce. Now when he has the time, he asks if I have all the ingredients so he can make a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce combining the 2 recipes into his own homemade sauce. He does a great job and I feel I have passed a wonderful tradition that my mother once passed on to me.
My favorite homemade pantry item right now is dressing. I can’t tell you the measurements because I am employing my mother’s method of “you know, until it looks/tastes right”. I use whole grain mustard, dijon mustard, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, honey, and a pinch or two of salt. Delicious!
I’m a gardener, and I love to can, and canned tomatoes and salsa from my garden are my favorite homemade pantry item. I also love the spicy dill pickles I can in fall.
I wish I could make anything my grandmother could. She was a farm wife and so everything she made came from scratch and out of the garden. I spent two summers with her and learned so much. She made brownies and cookies by the truckload. She actually had bar pans like you see in commercial kitchens, but neighbors stopped by all the time and it would be rude not to have dessert on hand ready to go. But the best, was the stuff that came from her garden. She canned or froze most of her vegetables. And get this. . . she donated most of it to the school for their lunches. I’m a teacher and don’t eat what they serve in the cafeteria, but that’s what she did. And they loved it. Who knew that was even possible. Those kids must have gotten the best lunches, not just taste wise, but good for you. If I had a chef inspiration, it would be her and the other women like her. Too bad I grew up in the city and barely understand the concept of where my food comes from and how much work goes into it. I have had to learn most of it on my own.
I love cooking and especially healthy cooking. So hoping for some new ideas
I love the Fresh 20, it’s put new recipes on my table and I love variety. My favorite homemade pantry item is pizza dough, it doesn’t get better than fresh and with only 5 ingredients its incredibly easy to make. I’ve turned lots of friends onto the genius of it. I use Whole Wheat flour and organic olive oil as well as a little honey to activate the yeast and a touch of sea salt, let it rise at least an hour, the longer the better. Top with favorites – YUM!
I just joined Fresh 20 and am so excited to be making meals without preservatives. My husband and I are trying really hard to eliminate processed food from our diet and teach our 3 boys the value of eating healthy. I don’t know if this qualifies as a pantry item but I make homemade energy bars that are pretty good!
I am learning to cook all over again! I would love a great cook book to help me on the way!
I love Fresh 20….but I would love it more if I could download the grocery list to my iPhone with an app. Any plans for this?
This is a toughie…I am so impressed to date with the creativity of the Fresh 20. My favorite Veggie cookbook is Rebar (its a veg restaurant in Vancouver). They have amazing ideas of pantry items to make. One of my favs is a sweet red pepper chutney. We also love to make Tzatziki at our house!
I am so frustrated with food these days… At the point where’s just want to eat anything from the ground that wasn’t treated with chemicals. Is it possible to go all natural? Almost! Lol. Sounds like a great cookbook!!
This looks positively delicious! I have so many allergies to chemical additives in foods so I cook pretty much everything from scratch these days (it tastes better that way anyway). I would love to browse the pages of this fabulous cookbook any day of the week
I have just started with the Fresh 20, and I am loving it. We are a busy family which makes it very hard not to fall back on fast processed food, and I love how you can prep everything in one day and use it throughout the week making it easy and fresh. The staple that i would love to start making is fresh tomato sauce as everyone in our house loves it.
I have a 7 month old baby boy at home, so I love making baby food from scratch. That way I know that he is getting really healthy, fresh food that tastes good. For the rest of the family l really like making dressings and jams. So yummy!
I am loving cooking with FRESH ingredients and my recent fav is Tzatziki ! I would love to win this cookbook!!
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