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Book cover: Keep the Foods You Love. Just change how you make them. By Mark Reed. A strawberry cheesecake on a plate.

A cookbook for the years after 50

Keep the pancakes. Keep the pizza. Keep dessert.

Just change how you make them.

30 comfort-food recipes rebuilt around Greek yogurt, oats, eggs and cottage cheese. Ordinary grocery-store ingredients. They still taste like the real thing. Nothing is off the menu.

30 recipes4 chaptersA 14-day plan

Keep the foods I love • $37.00 $12.97

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Instant download. The full 105-page illustrated cookbook plus a print-ready edition, yours to keep. Try it for 7 days or your money back.

Sound familiar?

"Eating better" turned into a list of things to give up.

  • "No more dessert."
  • "No more bread."
  • "No more pasta."
  • "No more pizza."

You have heard all of it. Maybe you tried it for a few weeks. Then Sunday came and you wanted pancakes. Friday came and you wanted pizza. And you felt like you had failed at something.

You did not fail. A plan that bans every food you look forward to was never going to last.

Mark asked a different question: Could I make this differently?

A look inside

Read a recipe before you buy.

Every recipe is laid out the same way: what makes it different, how long it takes, what you need, and what to do.

A stack of golden pancakes on a plate, one cut open to show the inside.

A Better Start

Fluffy Sunday Pancakes

Soft, golden pancakes worth slowing down for.

The better-way ingredients

Cottage cheese • eggs • oats • banana

Active 15 min • Total 25-30 min • Serves 2

Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (225 g) 2% cottage cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (60 g) rolled oats
  • 1 very ripe banana (120 g peeled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) unsalted butter, for the pan

Make it

  1. Blend the cottage cheese, eggs, oats, banana, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Rest 5 minutes while a skillet heats over medium-low.
  2. Lightly butter the skillet. Add about ¼ cup batter per pancake, leaving space to turn them. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the edges set and the underside is golden.
  3. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more, until the centers are firm with no wet batter. Lower the heat if the outside browns too quickly. Repeat with the remaining batter and serve warm.

If you need a fix

Brown outside, wet inside? Use smaller pancakes and lower the heat; give the center time to set.

Estimated per serving • ½ recipe (about 4 small pancakes)356 kcal • Protein 22.7 g • Carbs 41.0 g • Fiber 4.9 g • Sugars 12.6 g • Fat 11.5 g • Sat. fat 4.6 g • Sodium 724 mg

Wondering about the cottage cheese? It blends into the batter. What you taste is pancake.

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30 recipes like this one, in one digital book.

Mark Reed in a kitchen holding the book Keep the Foods You Love.

A note from Mark

I'm a home cook. I still want pizza to taste like pizza.

I'm Mark. I'm in my fifties and I cook at home. I'm not a doctor and I'm not a dietitian. I'm a man who likes to eat.

As I got older, I started paying more attention to what was in the food I ate. Protein. Fiber. Variety. Ingredients that did something useful. But I still wanted pancakes on Sunday. I still wanted something chocolate after dinner.

So I stopped asking what I had to stop eating. I started asking whether I could make it differently.

That question led to cottage cheese ice cream, Greek yogurt cheesecake, chickpeas in cookie dough and lentils in dinner rolls.

Every recipe in this book answers to one test:

Would I want this again if nobody told me it was "better for me"?

Mark Reed

The idea behind every recipe

The Keep What You Love Method™

It starts with the food, not with a list of things you are supposed to avoid. Three steps, and you can use them on your own favorites too.

  1. Start with food you want.

    A better ingredient list cannot rescue a meal you never wanted in the first place.

  2. Find what makes it worth eating.

    Is it the crisp edge? The melted cheese? The cold creaminess? Protect that part.

  3. Change the parts nobody notices.

    If cottage cheese can disappear into a sauce or beans can disappear into soup, let them.

A chocolate lava cake with its center running onto the plate. A bowl of creamy mac and cheese. A sliced blueberry lemon loaf cake. Crispy Parmesan chicken tenders, one cut open.
You're not trying to prove that you can follow a plan. You're trying to find a few things worth keeping.

Inside the book

30 recipes in four chapters.

Pizza is called pizza. Cheesecake is called cheesecake.

Strawberry cheesecake on a stand with a slice on a plate.

Chapter 01 • 8 recipes

A Better Start

Yes, that is cheesecake in the breakfast chapter.

  • Fluffy Sunday Pancakes
  • Warm Apple Pie
  • Blueberry Lemon Cake
  • Strawberry Cheesecake
  • Cheddar & Herb Breakfast Muffins
  • Banana Bread Cookies
  • Cinnamon Apple French Toast
  • Carrot Cake for Breakfast
A chocolate lava cake with a soft chocolate center.

Chapter 02 • 11 recipes

When You Want Something Sweet

Dessert stays dessert.

  • Chocolate Fudge
  • Strawberry Ice Cream
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
  • Chocolate Mousse
  • Peanut Butter Cups
  • Warm Peach Cobbler
  • Lemon Cream Pie
  • Banana Cream Pie
  • Cinnamon Roll Bites
  • Chocolate Lava Cake
  • Pecan Pie Bites
A thin, cheesy pizza on a wooden board.

Chapter 03 • 8 recipes

Comfort Food, Made Differently

Keep the comfort. Rethink what builds it.

  • Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls
  • Creamy Mac & Cheese
  • Friday Night Pizza
  • Creamy Tomato Pasta
  • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • Loaded Potato Skins
  • Crispy Parmesan Chicken
  • Crispy Potato Nachos
Two glasses of pink strawberry kefir shake.

Chapter 04 • 3 recipes

Something Fresh

Cold, bright, simple.

  • Pineapple Pepper Cooler
  • Strawberry Kefir Shake
  • Ginger Lemon Sparkler

What "made differently" looks like

A slice of strawberry cheesecake on a small plate.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Creamy, cold, and unmistakably cheesecake.

Cottage cheese • Greek yogurt • strawberries • almonds

Active 25 min • Total 6-7 hr • Serves 6

Three scoops of pink strawberry ice cream in a bowl.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Cold, creamy, and strawberry first.

Strawberries • cottage cheese • Greek yogurt • banana

Active 10 min • Soft serve in 10 min • Serves 4

A bowl of creamy mac and cheese.

Creamy Mac & Cheese

The pasta stays. The sauce works harder.

Pasta • cottage cheese • cauliflower • sharp cheddar

Active 15 min • Total 25-35 min • Serves 4

Keep the foods I love • $37.00 $12.97

Digital book • 30 recipes • 14-day plan

Your kitchen is fine as it is

Buy food, not a whole new lifestyle.

You do not need a pantry purge before you make anything in this book. Most of the ingredients are the same things you already see at an ordinary grocery store.

  • No protein powder. Not one scoop.
  • Fruit does a lot of the sweetening. Honey, dark chocolate, butter and oil stay when the food is better with them.
  • Measurements come in US cups and spoons first, with grams and milliliters next to them.
Oats, eggs, chickpeas, yogurt, apples and lemons on a kitchen counter next to a blender.

Good things to have around

Eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, lentils, oats, fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheese, herbs, spices, olive oil, and dark chocolate.

Useful equipment

A skillet, saucepan, baking sheet, mixing bowl, small baking dish, muffin pan, good knife, blender or food processor.

Where to start

Flip until something looks good. Then make that.

Don't start with the recipe you think you should make. Start with the one you can't stop looking at.

  1. Pick one

    Pancakes on Sunday. Pizza on Friday. Something chocolate after dinner. Any of them is a fine place to start.

  2. Make it once

    Active time, total time, difficulty and servings sit at the top of each recipe. A short fix-it note tells you what to do if something goes wrong.

  3. Decide if it stays

    Would you make it again? Yes, maybe or no. That is the only score in the book.

Or follow the 14 days

14 Days of Eating Better Without Giving Up What You Love

One small idea a day and one thing to make. This isn't a reset, a cleanse, or a test of willpower. There's no weigh-in at the beginning. If you miss a day, nothing has gone wrong.

  • Day 1 Choose breakfast Fluffy Sunday Pancakes
  • Day 4 Plan for dessert Chocolate Fudge
  • Day 7 Keep pizza night Friday Night Pizza
  • Day 10 Make the potato the base Loaded Potato Skins
  • Day 14 Choose what stays Choose your own repeat

Two questions. Two very different kitchens.

The old question

"What do I have to give up?"

  • A list of foods you are not allowed to want.
  • Meals you eat because you should.
  • Starting over every Monday.

The question in this book

"Could I make this differently?"

  • The foods you already like, with a few things changed underneath.
  • Meals you would choose anyway.
  • A few recipes worth keeping in regular rotation.

You don't need all 30 recipes to change the way you cook. Sometimes three good ones are enough to change Tuesday night.

Keep the Foods You Love by Mark Reed, book cover.

What you get

Keep the Foods You Love

Just change how you make them.

  • 30 recipes you already want to eat: 8 breakfasts, 11 sweets, 8 comfort dinners and sides, 3 cold drinks
  • The Keep What You Love Method™: three steps, so you can rework your own favorites
  • A 14-day plan that tells you what to make today, with a one-page tracker
  • A grocery list sorted the way the store is, plus a pantry list
  • What Matters a Little More After 50: plain notes on protein, fiber and variety
  • From the Kitchen Cabinet: four simple warm things Mark makes at home
  • Estimated nutrition per serving and cook's notes for every recipe
  • Food-safety notes and safe cooking temperatures
  • Two PDFs: the 105-page illustrated book for your screen, and a 43-page print edition with the recipes and worksheets

Sale$37.00 65% off today

$37.00 $12.97

One book. One payment. About the price of one delivered pizza.

Start cooking tonight $37.00 $12.97
  • Instant download
  • One payment, no subscription
  • 7-day money-back guarantee

The guarantee

Cook from it for 7 days.

Make the pancakes first. If you wouldn't make them again, write to keepthefoodsyoulove@gmail.com within 7 days of buying and we'll refund you. The details are on the refunds page.

Also in the book

The pages that make it easy to use.

The 14-day plan

One small idea a day, each tied to a recipe. No perfect streak required.

Grocery list

One page, sorted the way a store is: produce, refrigerated, grains and baking, cans and jars, nuts, spices.

Pantry list

What Mark keeps around and keeps cold. You don't need all of it before you start.

14-day tracker

What you tried, and whether you would make it again: yes, maybe or no. Type into the PDF or print it and use a pen.

From the Kitchen Cabinet

Warm Ginger Tea, After-Dinner Mint Tea, Warm Cinnamon Prunes and Golden Evening Milk. Mark shows how he makes each one and is honest about where the tradition ends and the evidence stops.

Before You Cook

Food-safety basics, safe temperatures for chicken and egg dishes, and when to get things into the refrigerator.

Is this your kind of book?

For adults over 50 who like to eat.

This book is for you if

  • You want to eat a little better and keep the foods you look forward to.
  • You are tired of plans that begin with a list of things to stop eating.
  • You cook at home with food from the store you already shop at.
  • You would like protein and fiber to show up in meals you already enjoy.

It is not for you if

  • You want a strict diet, a cleanse or a weigh-in schedule.
  • You need a medical eating plan. That is a conversation for your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Fair questions before you buy.

Will a printed book come in the mail?

No. It is a digital download with two PDFs: the 105-page illustrated book for your screen, and a 43-page print edition with the recipes and worksheets on a white background, so you can print the pages you want to cook from.

How do I get it after I pay?

You get the download link right after checkout. The download has both PDFs and a short start-here note. They work offline once they are on your device.

Is this a diet?

No. There is no forbidden-food list, no weigh-in and no meal schedule you have to follow. It is a cookbook. The 14-day plan is one small idea a day, and if you miss a day, nothing has gone wrong.

Will it taste like health food?

That is the question the whole book is built around: would I want this again if nobody told me it was "better for me"? In most of the recipes the cottage cheese, yogurt, oats or beans blend into the batter or the sauce. Make one and decide for yourself.

Will I need a specialty store?

No. Most are things you already see at an ordinary grocery store: eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, oats, beans, lentils, fruit, vegetables, nuts and cheese. The book has a one-page grocery list.

Do I need special equipment?

A skillet, a saucepan, a baking sheet, a muffin pan and a blender or food processor cover most of it. A few recipes use a small springform pan or loaf pan.

Does it show nutrition numbers?

Yes. Each recipe shows eight estimated values per serving: calories, protein, carbs, fiber, sugars, fat, saturated fat and sodium. They are estimates worked out from the ingredients, not lab measurements.

I'm under 50. Can I still use it?

Of course. It is a cookbook. Mark wrote it with people over 50 in mind, which is why there is a short section on protein, fiber and variety, but pancakes are pancakes at any age.

Can I use this in place of advice from my doctor?

No. This book is for general educational and culinary purposes. It is not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, or have food allergies, talk with your doctor or a qualified health professional before you change how you eat.

What if I buy it and don't like it?

Write to keepthefoodsyoulove@gmail.com no later than 7 days after you buy and ask for a refund.

Mark Reed smiling and holding up the book Keep the Foods You Love.

You don't have to stop loving food to take better care of yourself.

Keep the pancakes. Keep the pizza. Keep dessert. Keep the warm pasta on a Tuesday night.

"Just keep finding better ways to make them."
Mark Reed

You don't need all 30. Sometimes three good ones are enough to change Tuesday night.

Keep the foods I love • $37.00 $12.97

Sale$37.00 65% off today

Instant download. Both editions are yours to keep, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

30 recipes • Ordinary ingredients • Food first

A stack of Fluffy Sunday Pancakes on a plate.

Before you go

Take three recipes with you, free.

Fluffy Sunday Pancakes, Banana Bread Cookies and Creamy Tomato Pasta, laid out exactly as they are in the book. Tell us who you are and where to send the PDF.

The next page confirms your email and sends the PDF.