I'm Elisabeth — I'm 87 years old, and I've been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the counter. I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — plain country, Amish neighbors, and a mother who never bought anything she could make herself.

In my late 50s, my digestive system fell apart. Conventional medicine didn't have much to offer me, so I went back to what I knew: I cut out refined sugar and processed flour, and started sweetening things with bananas and dates. Within six months, I felt better than I had in years. My doctor was surprised. I wasn't.

These recipes are what I actually make — every week, in my kitchen, for myself and whoever happens to stop by. I'm not a nutritionist. I'm just a woman who found her way back to health through real food, and wants to share it with you.