About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Sarah Root says

    I love these ideas so, so much and have for years wondered where the wooden, sectioned platter came from? I really like it and finally remembered to ask :). Thanks!

  2. Michelle Birdsell says

    5 stars
    You can also add a layer of sun-dried tomato pesto (under $2 at aldi) or use a mixture of tomato paste with Italian seasoning, water and crushed tomatoes, to add another taste element and some Christmas red.

  3. Jeannie Turpin says

    Can you leave out the pinenuts?

    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      Hi. I would replace them with another nut. I've made walnut pesto. It works well.

  4. Kelly Haefs says

    What a great idea. What did you use for the star on top?

    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      Hello Kelly. It looks like a yellow pepper to me. :)

  5. Melissa says

    I have a recipe for a very similar dip, but no-bake, so very easily made ahead - just spread softened cream cheese out in a thinner layer on a pretty glass serving plate (since it's unbaked I like it spread in a thinner layer, easier to get a nice balance of cream cheese and pesto in each bite) , spread thin layer of pesto all over, and sprinkle with chopped sundried tomatoes and olives, green onions if you like, and serve w/crackers - really looks festive with the red tomatoes and all the green and EVERYONE I have ever made it for LOVES it.

  6. Sherri Ahlers says

    Has anyone tried goat cheese?

  7. Tera says

    Made this for a holiday party - it was devoured! I used pomegranate seeds as "ornaments" - I just sprinkled them on when it was done baking. Sadly my Whole Foods only has cream cheese with guar gum, so it wasn't perfectly "real" :(

  8. Aimee says

    This is so yummy! Made it recently and it was everyone's favorite! Anyone tried making it ahead of time, keeping it in the fridge then baking it a few hours later?

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      Hi Aimee. I think it will work just fine. ~Amy

  9. Sarah says

    Hi! Love the christmas tree idea - what have you used for the star on the top? Thanks! Sarah

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      Hi Sara. You could use any yellow food item that you choose such as fruits, veggies, cheeses, etc. ~Amy

  10. Etta says

    Do you think MASCAPONE cheese could be used for this recipe? I make this cheese at home from raw milk with more success than cream cheese.

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      Hello Etta. I think you should test it out and let us know. :) ~Amy

  11. Lynn says

    hi! Just wanted to let you know when I click on "Whole wheat popovers", I get the whole wheat corn bread recipe. Do you have a popover recipe? Also, I wanted to tell you my 7 year old son loves the advent activities. He got so enthused doing something special, he attempted to do the laundry by himself for me! That's a funny story for another day... Thanks so much for the yummy recipes.

  12. Lynn says

    Can this be made a couple hours in advance? Looks great!

    • Amy says

      I too, want to know if it tastes good cold. Need an appetizer that I can travel 2 hours with.

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      Hi there. This one is really best served warm from the oven. ~Amy

  13. Rebecca says

    I love this one too. I'm going to try it for a family xmas party in lieu of the reuben dip I usually make. I'll make a homemade veggie dip to go with it.
    http://www.squidoo.com/veggie-christmas-tree

  14. Lisa says

    Looks great!! One question: if you put a rectangle block of cream cheese, how do you get a triangle tree??

    • Tara says

      Cut the rectangle diagonally, making two triangles. Flip and rotate one triangle and push them side by side.

  15. Christina Hogue says

    Do you just shape the cream cheese into the Christmas tree shape yourself?

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says

      Hi Christina. You should cut the rectangle diagonally, making two triangles. Then rotate the one triangle and place the two side by side to make a tree. Jill

  16. jaci says

    Ive never made or had Pesto before ....so how do I make it "to taste" when I don't know what it takes like? :)

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says

      Hi Jaci...I'm sorry, I meant to your taste (or preference). Hope you were able to make it and enjoy it. Jill

  17. jaci says

    Hi I plan on making the cream cheese pestle bake on Friday in 4days for a 31party I'm having but I couldn't find fresh basil at my grocery store...I'm too far from any health food stores to go before Friday...so I tot a 4oz tube of organic prepared Basil spread stuff...it has Basil and oil and a few other things that dont need to be there but its the beat I can do right this minute...my question is how much do I use? It says one the tube its equal to 3bunches...but how many cups is that? Please help ASAP

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says

      Hi Jaci. I would probably vary the amount based on how strong tasting the spread is. I would just start with a thin layer and then adjust it to your preference. Jill

  18. Kiran Dodeja Smith says

    I made this last night for a group and it got RAVE reviews ... everyone loved it! I've also used the pesto on pasta and chicken which my kiddos just love. This is going to be a staple for us from now on!

  19. Vanessa says

    Hi Lisa,

    Just wondering if you've ever tried Wasa brand crackers/flatbreads. I'm not sure if maybe they're a Canadian product, but I eat them a lot when I don't have time to make bread for sandwiches, for example. They're pretty basic and come in a wide variety of types (e.g. rye, multigrain, sesame...). From what I can tell, all of the types contain solely whole grains, which I was thrilled to find.

    • Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says

      Hi Vanessa. I'm not sure about the Canadian product, it may be different than ours here in the US, but, I know our version contains sugar and palm oil, both of which we would not recommend. Jill

  20. tracy says

    Have u ever tried making your own cream cheese? If so can you share recipe.

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      I have not...sorry!

  21. Lindsay says

    Any idea if Brie would work in place of cream cheese?

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      Hmm...maybe if you took the peel off the top of it first, but I have not tried it myself.

  22. Karen says

    I'm confused about cream cheese being "real" isn't is really processed? Your site says 0 processed foods... and yet cream cheese is a manufactured food.

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      We technically avoid all "highly processed foods" because even cooking is a form of "processing" or changing your food. If we didn't eat anything that had been processed at all it would essentially be a "raw diet," which is not how we eat. Per the list on our rules page we define "processed" as anything over 5 ingredients (just to draw the line somewhere)...and organic cream cheese fits the bill! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/

  23. Sherri says

    You know the famous line from Jerry McGuire, "You had me at hello"? You had me at "the low fat version is not recommended." I've recently found your website and so much is what I do (no lowfat dairy!) that we're ready to do more eliminating and tweaking of our diets. Thanks for giving out so many great ideas to make our goals seem attainable.

  24. Lindsay says

    What brand are the multigrain crackers you approve of? Always looking for a quick fix for the kids.

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      We look for "whole grain" crackers as opposed to "multi grain" and our favorites are Ak-Mak, Multi-seed, and Triscuits.

    • Angie B. says

      Mary's Gone Crackers are great and healthy! Whole grain and made from brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds, and sesame seeds.

  25. KC @ PsychoMoney says

    That looks amazing. I am so hungry right now, I should never read these while I'm hungery

  26. Leia says

    Beautiful spread and I love the tray! I'm hoping to pick one up; do you mind sharing where you found it?

  27. Kristin Thomas says

    OMG fabulous- thank you for the quick response.

  28. Kristin Thomas says

    what is in the appetizer photo, - something cut in half with some kind of cream cheese spread on it?? middle right item?

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      Figs with goat cheese...yum!

  29. Debbie says

    What is the name of the crackers that you show in the picture next to the cream cheese bake, and where can you buy them? I've tried the Ak-Mak crackers (they are good!) and of course, Triscuits. But I've been looking for other crackers that follow your rules and haven't had much success. Thanks!

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      The brand of those crackers is "Multi-Seed" and they have more than 5 ingredients, but they are whole-grain. They are tasty, too!

  30. Mariana says

    The pesto cream cheese sounds wonderful! I will have to try that out soon! I have a wonderful cheeeseball recipe that's always a hit. Cream cheese and green onions. Mix together and roll in chopped pecans or walnuts. (The original recipe calls for hard salami or dried beef but I don't think those are in the real food rules so I will be ommitting it next time I make it. It's just as good without it!

  31. Teresa says

    Sounds delish! Quick question, could non-dairy cream cheese be used?

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      To be honest I've never tried non-dairy cream cheese so I am not sure how that would work as a substitution.

  32. Marcie says

    What brand of cream cheese do you know of that follows the rules?

    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      Any organic, plain, full-fat cream cheese will do!

  33. Jackie says

    Lisa that pesto cream cheese bake sounds AMAZING!! Thanks for all the great ideas. They seem to slip right away from me when it comes time to bring something to a party. :)

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