The Beginning

A long time ago - back when I was pregnant for the first time and didn't know many people in the town I was living in - and the people I did know either had grown kids or no kids at all. I found a prenatal group that met weekly through the Early Years Center.
Each week we picked a recipe out of the cookbook - they gave us each a copy to keep. Each week we made that item, using mostly pantry items and few fresh items. The cookbook that we used was/still is called The Basic Shelf Cookbook it was put out by the Canadian Public Health Association Health Resources Centre. It really is a good cookbook for people just starting out that do not have that much experience in the kitchen/money, which is probably why they gave it out to young mom's to be.
While at this group I noticed another book that was bright orange with this bird made of beans and cheese on it, I flipped through this book and was interested in a few of the recipes in it. But our group wasn't the ones to get a copy of that book.
Through the years I thought of this book on and off until 8 years after I saw it the very first time I put the question out on Facebook asking if anyone had a copy of it - none of the local libraries carry a copy - honestly a shame.
Someone answered that they had a copy and I could have it. I became the owner of More-With-Less Cookbook a copy from 1976, along with a copy of Diet for a Small Planet that she said went along the same ideas. 
I still use The Basic Shelf Cookbook, I've made a lot of the recipes in this book over the years. And I won't lend my copy out - I use it that much. I have only made one recipe so far from More-With-Less Cookbook - but it was a good one - and a requested one!