About Me

Hi! I’m Leanne Brown, an avid home cook in NYC by way of Edmonton, Canada.

I’m the author of Good and Cheap, a cookbook for people with very tight budgets, particularly those on SNAP/Food Stamps benefits. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!), and has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times.

I also spearheaded a project to fund a print run of Good and Cheap to get it into the hands of those who can’t afford a copy. For every copy sold, we give another away. To date, generous buyers have donated more than 70,000 copies of the printed book!

IACP Cookbook Awards Winner

I’ve been unbelievably lucky with all of this: Good and Cheap won the 2015 IACP Judge’s Choice Award, I made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Food and Drink, and Food & Wine and Fortune named me one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink.

I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Dan, and our black cat, Yoshimi. (He’s a boy, but has a Japanese girl’s name. He doesn’t know that.)

I think everyone should eat great food every day. Eating well means learning to cook. It means banishing the mindset that preparing daily meals is a huge chore or takes tremendous skill.

Cooking is easy — you just have to practice.

Oh, and while I’ve got you here, would you like to follow me on social media?

19 Comments

  • Heather Nadon says:
    December 7, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Hi Leanne,

    We wanted to order more copies of your cookbook for programs we run. Can you provide me with the name of a Canadian supplier?

    Thank you!

    Heather

    Reply
  • Joanne says:
    December 31, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    Hi! I volunteer at a foodbank in the second-lowest-income county in West Virginia. Any chance we could get some copies of Good and Cheap for our clients, please? We serve 650 families each month and can only give each family one box of groceries, so your recipes would definitely help them stretch their food and eat healthfully.

    Hope you can help!

    Thanks!

    Reply
  • Misty says:
    March 12, 2017 at 4:02 am

    I would really like to have some crockpot respies if you have any I’m on a very fixed income with 5 people in the home .. Thank yoy

    Reply
  • Kimberly A. Bartek says:
    June 4, 2017 at 1:43 am

    Hi Leanne,
    I am a Canadian from Alberta in a small community very close to Edmonton.
    I found you while taking a Health Coaching course through the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute.
    I am thrilled with your cookbooks and was so surprised to know you were homegrown in Alberta.
    Thanks for doing what you do!
    Kimberly

    Reply
  • Karima B says:
    June 21, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    Hello Leanne,

    I am a physician interested in dietary interventions in patients with heart and brain disease. I would be interested in talking to you about a project I am working on. Please reach out to me if possible.

    Thanks,

    KB

    Reply
  • Michele Sturtevant says:
    July 24, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    i always thought that good food that is good for me costs more money. how can i make a good for us meal for 2: my husband and I for only $4.00?? it must be a very LEAN meal!!

    Reply
  • Shani says:
    September 4, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Hi leanne,

    Is there a way to donate money without actually buying the book? I’d rather not have a paper copy if possible, but would love to support the cause!

    Thanks, shani.

    Reply
    • Leanne Brown says:
      September 5, 2017 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Shani, it’s a lovely thought, but we don’t have a way to do this now since the donations are built into the book buying and that system works very well for everyone. However, if you are determined, I think the best way you could do this is for you to donate a carton of books to a non-profit in your community. You could either approach a favorite organization you know or look at the list on my website (https://www.leannebrown.com/impact/) and reach out! Then you could buy the case at the non-profit discounted price and make it a gift. Here’s the site where you can buy at the discounted non-profit price: https://www.workman.com/features/goodandcheap/

      Reply
  • Mark says:
    September 20, 2017 at 11:58 am

    Hello,

    I just picked up a copy of your book from Amazon after skimming though it online. It’s a great cookbook for anyone, not just those on a tight budget. Thank you for taking the time to write it. I hope this book gets a lot more exposure; it could help a lot of people.

    Kind Regards

    Reply
  • emma says:
    September 26, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Dear Leanne First many thanks for this cookbook as I relearn to cook after stroke, and struggle on a tiny budget.

    I’d like to make the zucchini chocolate muffins but want a domed (just slightly) top. I see in thee picture that the tops are flat. How could I change the leavening with baking soda and/or baking powder to achieve this? It looks like a rather heavy batter. I want to make them for a bake sale, and people do think if the top is flat the leavening didn’t work, so the muffin will taste bad. I can’t afford to experiment. Could I use 2 tsps baking *powder* instead of baking soda, and maybe 1/2 tsp baking soda?

    Reply
    • Leanne Brown says:
      April 16, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      Oh I’m so sorry Emma, I have not checked this page in ages! I’m sorry to say I am not sure about the tweak for creating the domed tops. I would have to do some experimenting to be sure and I don’t want to steer you wrong! I hope the bake sale went well and sorry again.

      Reply
  • Bernadine McCarron says:
    October 27, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    Hi Leanne,
    We offer a program called the Culture of Wellness in Preschools which is a childhood obesity prevention program. We work with preschool staff, children and parents in low socio-economic areas of Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, promoting healthy eating and increase in physical activity. We LOVE your book and are hoping to get a reduced cost to give to parents that we work with. We are funded by SNAP-Ed and they will only pay $4 toward the cost of a “gift” to parents.
    Bernie
    Culture of Wellness in Preschools

    Reply
  • alle says:
    July 12, 2018 at 8:34 am

    Hi Leanne, I just found your book at our library and loved it. thank you for making this book so easy to read and follow, especially for my budget and my health! Please continue to create more nutritious meals for us!
    best to you and your family, alle

    Reply
  • Kristin says:
    March 27, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    I just found your cookbook as I was volunteering at my college’s food pantry. Our food pantry was started last year by two faculty who noticed food shortages we had on campus. There is a copy of the cookbook in the pantry for those who want some good, fast, cheap recipes. I’m going to download a copy because I’m vegetarian and I always like finding a cookbook that’s veg-friendly.
    Thank you!

    Reply

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Leanne Brown

Hi! I'm Leanne Brown, a home cook in Brooklyn by way of Canada. I write cookbooks, like the one below!

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Good and Cheap cover 2nd edition

Good and Cheap is a gorgeous cookbook for people with limited income, particularly on a $4/day food stamps budget. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!) and has been downloaded over 1,000,000 times. I have more cookbooks!

AmazonFree PDFPDF (Español)Amazon.caIn bulk: $5.19/copy!

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