Just the Good Stuff

100+ Guilt-Free Recipes to Satisfy All Your Cravings: A Cookbook

About the Book

Welcome to food freedom: 100+ recipes that prove you can make healthy choices without sacrificing the meals, snacks, and sweets you love—with plenty of gluten-free, Paleo, and plant-based options.
 
Rachel Mansfield’s vibrant debut cookbook proves that living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean adhering to restrictive diets or giving up all the foods you crave. Using better-for-you ingredients, such as grain-free flours, collagen peptides, and coconut sugar, you can indulge while still maintaining a balanced approach to eating.
 
Rachel’s recipes focus on creative, flavor-forward takes on favorite, comfort food dishes—think Almond Butter Pad Thai, Sweet Potato Nachos with Cashew Cheese, Homemade Pastry Tarts with Berry Chia Jam, and Epic Quinoa Burrito Bowls. Though Rachel personally doesn’t prescribe to a single diet or label, many recipes are Paleo-friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free, and none include any refined sugar. This highly approachable book is organized to reflect the rhythms of real life: grab-and-go breakfasts, meat and vegetables perfect to mix and match for meal prep, easy solo dinners, potluck-friendly spreads, shareable snacks, and, of course, sweets—lots of ’em because as Rachel says, “You can have your gluten-free cake and eat it too!”
 
Perfect for those who are new to cooking or learning how to incorporate healthy ingredients into their everyday lives, Just the Good Stuff includes an entire chapter on food prep (both a money and time saver!), lots of confidence-building tips, and inspirational advice.

Praise for Just the Good Stuff

“In Just the Good Stuff, Rachel creates recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, and deliciously vibrant. Her Crunchy Tahini Chocolate Grain-Free Granola and Paleo Everything Bagel Bread are just two of the many recipes you’ll crave over and over again. Plus, having a guide to prepping food for the week, this book has you covered for all aspects of eating.”—Frank Lipman, MD, bestselling author of The New Health Rules and How to Be Well  

“Rachel’s recipes are modern, approachable, and simple enough that anyone can make them! Just the Good Stuff is a new staple on my bookshelf!”—Gina Homolka, New York Times bestselling cookbook author and founder of Skinnytaste
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Praise for Just the Good Stuff

“These recipes are the perfect mix of classic, emotion-tugging comfort food made healthy and innovative flavor combinations that stoke excitement about just how good healthy food can taste. While Rachel’s baked goods are always drool-inspiring (the Maple Bacon Banana Nut Loaf might be the best banana bread I’ve ever had), the savory items shine as well. Enchilada Pie, in the sweetly community-building Gatherings section, is a new classic, and the crispy avocado tacos will win any #tacotuesday. Rachel’s personality is as winning as her food—flipping through feels like talking to your cool best friend. The genius inclusion of shopping lists and meal-prep guides will make healthy eating easy for even total novices.”—Liz Moody, author of Healthier Together and host of the Healthier Together podcast

Just the Good Stuff highlights how much there is to love about consuming real foods. With vulnerability and creativity, Rachel brings together recipes and stories that inspire us to use food as therapy every day. More than that, this book teaches us to embrace who we are in our journey to finding true self-love.”—Priscilla Tsai, founder and CEO of cocokind

“I’ve always been a fan of Rachel’s food philosophy of incorporating real, whole foods into your routine and listening to your body above any other source (of which there can be many in today’s world). Just the Good Stuff is a beautiful articulation of that philosophy, and it encapsulates recipes that hit on every craving and meal type. It’s impossible not to find something you can make on your own and love doing so, regardless of your culinary experience. The layout and commentary throughout make this so much more than just a cookbook. Rachel’s personality and thoughtfulness for her readers shines through each section, making it a useful and entertaining read. As a fellow nut-butter lover, the Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Coconut Glaze are currently on the top of my “to-make” list. Yum!”—Leigh Keith, president and cofounder of Perfect Snacks
 
“Rachel Mansfield turns healthy eating into an attainable and enjoyable experience with a beautiful collection of recipes that are simple to create yet complex enough in flavor that eating them makes you wonder what’s been holding you back from the kitchen in the first place. Not only will you learn why you should fuel your body with certain foods, you’ll learn how to translate these healthy ingredients into new favorite dishes as well as ones you have loved throughout your life.”—Dr. Will Cole, leading functional medicine expert and bestselling author of The Inflammation Spectrum and Ketotarian

“Rachel’s approach to eating is delicious, mouthwatering, and approachable— and I love that. The recipes in Just the Good Stuff are tailored to those looking to indulge without guilt, while also catering to anyone with dietary restrictions. Her recipes are based on various life experiences and learnings, making this book relatable to readers while also making us crave her healthier spin on Crunchy Baked Cinnamon Churro Chips and Homemade Sweet Potato Pierogis.”—Hannah Bronfman, author of Do What Feels Good and founder of HBFIT 

Just the Good Stuff is how I want my family to eat. I can make many of these recipes after work in less than thirty minutes—my toddler enjoys eating from this book, too, and the recipes are nutritious enough to eat every day. Rachel has made some of my favorite childhood staples, like nachos made with sweet potato chips and from-scratch marshmallows and graham crackers, just a little bit healthier.”—Colleen Wachob, cofounder and co-CEO of Mindbodygreen 

Just the Good Stuff so perfectly represents Rachel’s smart and wholesome approach to food and recipes! This entire book makes my mouth water and my stomach growl, and my entire family is obsessed with her healthier twists on classics like Frosted Blueberry Pastry Tarts and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. You really can’t go wrong with anything in this book!”—Melissa Ben-Ishay, president and chief product officer at Baked by Melissa
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Excerpt

Just the Good Stuff

Food as Therapy

My philosophy in the kitchen


My simple philosophy of eating real food is the culmination of years of yo-yo dieting and seeing my weight fluctuate like crazy. It has been an uphill battle for the past twenty-nine years, but I am finally in a place with both food and my body that makes me happy—and boy, does it feel good. I kicked calorie counting to the curb and ditched fat-free diet foods and fads. Now, I focus on what my body wants and what foods make it feel its best. To me, that means taking all the comfort foods I crave—pancakes, cookies, pierogis, pad Thai, burgers—and reinventing them with healthy, flavorful ingredients that make me feel great. I love sneaking in nutritious and wholesome ingredients like collagen peptides for an extra boost, and there is no doubt I get giddy over a good grass-fed burger with sliced avocado, plus some coconut milk–based ice cream for dessert—just don’t forget the nut butter drizzle and a sprinkle of crushed dark chocolate! Eating whole foods has proved to be anything but boring.

I wasn’t born craving whole and real foods—most people I have met weren’t either. For me, it’s been an ever-evolving transformation. There was a period when I was devouring fast-food double bacon cheeseburgers and chocolate milkshakes and eating large bags of peanut butter M&M’s as a snack. I was sneaking Pop-Tarts when no one was looking and feasting on greasy pepperoni pizza at two a.m. after a late night out. Then, swinging in the opposite direction, there was a time in my life when I counted my almonds as I ate them and was even afraid to eat a slice of focaccia while studying in Italy (who goes to Italy and is afraid of bread?!). I was petrified of cooking with any oil because of the fat content and didn’t want to touch anything with a carb in it. I wouldn’t even eat a cookie because I was so nervous I would gain weight.

We all have our ups and downs around food—a realization that felt so comforting once I understood it. We’re not alone and we all struggle from time to time. It was during my struggles of putting weight back on and making peace with my body that I found a connection to the kitchen. My love for cooking and baking was born out of my rocky history with food and body image. I wanted to figure out how to fuel my body with food that was both nourishing and delicious. I knew that if I ate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups every day, I wouldn’t feel good. But I wasn’t about to give up dessert to feel healthy. Instead, I started making my own alternative recipes based on of whatever I was craving. Sure, my recipes are “healthy,” but they are also easy and the results are delicious. My food looks and sounds a hundred times more indulgent than it really is, which is the best part! It’s “food porn” that won’t leave you in a coma or with a headache or a sugar high. Those Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars on page 237? They look like a super-gluttonous sugar bomb, but they’re made of almond and coconut flour that’s full of healthy fats and more nutrients than your typical white flour, and are sweetened with unrefined coconut sugar.

I want to inspire you and help you make a positive difference in your relationship with food. Being healthy doesn’t mean saying no to the things you love or only drinking green juice or eating kale with every meal—that would be horribly boring. When you begin to fuel your body with nutrient-packed ingredients like avocado oil and sprouted spelt flour, you will notice a shift in how you feel—without missing out on all the good stuff. A nutritious meal can be delicious crispy quesadillas made with almond flour tortillas, pasture-raised eggs and nitrate-free bacon, and freshly made guacamole on the side. And you can for sure have a Homemade Dark Chocolate Caramel Candy Bar (page 246) for dessert afterward.

It has been a journey there and back, but I’m finally eating with no regrets and restrictions, and now I’m excited to share my stories and recipes with you to feed your body, your mind, and most important, your soul with quality food that tastes good and makes you feel good, too.

Let’s chat about how to use this book

As we continue to grow and learn more about ourselves, our tastes and cravings evolve. I ended up on the healthier end of the spectrum, and now I search out recipes that use real food and real ingredients. To me, eating “real food” means using ingredients you can pronounce (even the ones we struggle with, like quinoa), loading up on organic veggies, fruits, and raw nuts, and shying away from heavily processed ingredients, like hydrogenated oils and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Yes, that includes healthy but comforting treats made without grain or dairy, like Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (page 254) and Spicy Cauliflower Wings (page 154). But that also includes occasionally eating cookies made with regular flour and sugar and enjoying a real bagel and lox when I’m craving it. (I hate to break it to you, but the birthday cake at parties isn’t going anywhere. And your significant other will want to go out for pizza once in a while. Just because a couple of slices of pizza aren’t going to give you a six-pack—which is overrated in my opinion, anyway—that doesn’t mean they aren’t good for your soul every so often!)

I favor unrefined sugars and alternative flours and oils, but I am definitely not down for sacrificing flavor. Food is meant to taste delicious. It should make you feel good. Food connects and brings us all together: whether it’s dinner with friends, baking treats for your boyfriend or girlfriend, or getting that ice cream cone after a long-ass workweek, meals should excite us and warm our souls. But it shouldn’t consume our minds 24/7 with thoughts of what will make us skinny and fit into those jeans we wore in college. These recipes will help free you from concerns that are unhealthy for both your mind and your body.

In this book, you’ll find recipes for all your cravings—dishes that you want to eat, enjoy, and savor every bite of, including droolworthy desserts (see page 224), family-style recipes to bring to a potluck (see page 176), ideas for what to make when you’re flying solo for dinner (see page 200), snacks to make for your besties and boo (see page 78), and more—recipes for pretty much all the parts of your life. You’ll love these dishes whatever your cooking abilities. I am by no means a professional chef. I didn’t go to culinary school. I’m not a registered dietitian or a health coach. I am just a twenty-some-thing-year-old who loves to experiment in the kitchen and is like a kid in a candy store when I’m perusing the organic section at the grocery store. If I can make these dishes, I promise you can, too. My recipes won’t take hours and hours of labor and don’t require twenty-plus ingredients that you will never use again. There won’t be a million confusing steps to get to the end (besides those Homemade Grain-Free Frosted Blueberry Pastry Tarts on page 93—but they’re worth it). I focus on whole foods—no crazy potions and fancy ingredients over here. To make it even easier, I show you what is in my pantry (on page 15) and how I food prep (on page 35) to help make the weekdays much less stressful.

I also want to give you more than just my go-to gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe (see page 242). I am sharing stories of my personal journey at the start of each chapter, dishing out all the details—from how I found peace with my body to that time when I didn’t eat meat for five years. These include some of my most vulnerable stories, thoughts, and struggles because without these experiences, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Sounds cheesy, right? But through cooking and finding the freedom to eat foods that make me feel good, I have been able to grow as a person. I want to put myself out there and share those moments because I want each of you to know you are not alone in this. No matter what the situation is, we all struggle and need some delicious fuel and support to get us through it.

About the Author

Rachel Mansfield
Rachel Mansfield is a recipe developer, food stylist, and founder of the wellness blog rachLmansfield. Rachel specializes in creating recipes made with simple, real ingredients that are suitable for anyone (Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, and more). She lives in New Jersey with her husband and their son. More by Rachel Mansfield
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