Welcome Nourished on a Budget Summit Participants!

Creator of Mary’s Nest

If we are meeting for the first time, I’m Mary Bryant Shrader, creator of Mary’s Nest and the accompanying Mary’s Nest YouTube Channel with over one million subscribers.

Mary’s Nest is the traditional home cook’s free online video resource for easy recipes using traditional “nutrient-dense” and “nutrient-rich” foods for making delicious and affordable meals that you, your family, and friends will love!

On my website and YouTube channel, I share over 600 videos (with printable recipes) for how to make bone broth, cultured dairy, ferments, sourdough, and more—and use what you make to create nourishing meals.

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Series

I am also the author of two books published by Penguin Random House in the Modern Pioneer Cookbook Series:

1. The Modern Pioneer Cookbook is a bestseller and is in its fifth printing.
2. The Modern Pioneer Pantry will be published in August 2025.

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook

Although it might seem like a bit of shameless self-promotion, I humbly offer that if you have only one traditional foods cookbook on your shelf, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook is the one. I poured my heart and soul into this book, and it is so much more than just a collection of recipes—it’s a step-by-step manual for creating a traditional foods kitchen from scratch.

I walk you through the process of embracing time-honored techniques like how to make a variety of bone broths, cultured dairy, ferments, homemade condiments, how to develop a fool-proof sourdough starter and make tasty sourdough breads, and rediscover the joy of scratch cooking making meals your family and friends will love.

Whether you’re new to traditional foods or returning to the ways of your ancestors, this book offers everything you need to transform your kitchen into a place of health, heritage, and hospitality.

The Modern Pioneer Pantry

My second cookbook, The Modern Pioneer Pantry, is a complete guide to preserving food the traditional way. It’s also an essential companion to The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.

With easy-to-follow instructions and what I hope you feel is heartfelt encouragement, I teach you how to stock your Four Corners Pantry—the Working Pantry, Refrigerator, Freezer, and Extended Pantry—using time-honored methods like home canning, drying and dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, and pickling. This book is a loving invitation to embrace the wisdom of the past, reduce food waste, and fill your home with the comfort and security of a well-stocked, nourishing pantry.

I hope these two books will become your constant companions on your journey to creating a traditional foods kitchen.

A Cozy Northern Italian “Budget-Friendly” Supper

My mother and father lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s and the rationing of World War 2—and they learned a thing or two about living with economy and grace during the most difficult of times. I am blessed that my parents taught me many of their traditional ways of living well, even within a very tight budget.

My sweet mom, Gloria, was of Northern Italian heritage and lived to be just shy of her 99th birthday. So she knew a few things about the benefits of eating a diet of traditional foods. In this summit, I am sharing some of my mom’s favorite budget-friendly recipes for a cozy, nutrient-rich supper that she often made when I was growing up. I find each one scrumptious, and I hope you will too!

The Menu

1. Main Dish: Lombardy-Style Lentil and Barley Soup
2. Soup Topping: Crema di Latte (Farmhouse “Milk Cream”)
3. Bread: Rustic Soaked Barley Skillet Bread
4. Optional Side Dish: Dandelion Greens (or other greens) with Sea Salt, Apple Scrap Vinegar, and Melted Butter
5. Dessert: Poached Pears with Raw Honey Drizzle
6. Herbal Digestif: Mint Tisane

Note: Recipes 3-6 are part of my downloadable Nourished on a Budget Supper Menu PDF.

Continue Your Traditional Foods Journey

Keep In Touch With Mary’s Nest

1. Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) – When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
2. Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) – Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
3. Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy – For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
4. Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook – Get a hardcover book of Mary’s nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
5. Preorder The Modern Pioneer Pantry – Be one of the first to get Mary’s hardcover book about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary’s second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.

Teach Your Children and Grandchildren

More Free Downloads

I also offer a set of free downloads that you can print out and include in your Kitchen Journal. These downloads will help you build your traditional foods kitchen.

See all →

How to Make Meal Prep Fast with the Meal-in-a-Bag System

Make meal prep fast and easy with these seven free recipes you can download and print out to create your own Meals in Bags.

The FREE Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum – Teach Traditional Cooking Skills to Grades K-12

This cookbook curriculum gives students a love of traditional foods and kitchen skills that will last them a lifetime.

How To Build Your Great Depression Pantry

Download my free Great Depression Pantry Shopping Guide to identify the Depression Era Foods you need to stock to weather difficult times.