I really love this cookbook*. That shouldn’t be surprising. It should be clear by now that I have love relationships with a lot of cookbooks. Especially cookbooks with recipes that fit into my narrow diet restrictions. And yet, I almost missed the pleasure of this one entirely.
As I read through the introduction I was struck by all the photos of a strong and healthy woman exercising with her family, doing chin-ups with her husband, washing veggies with her children, and smiling and looking beautiful while doing it. Maybe it was a bad day. Maybe I had a little bit of jealousy at being confronted with the mom that I wished I could be. I wish I had that vitality and energy and vibrancy. I wish I was approaching this diet out of a desire to simply be healthy, instead of out of a desperate need to just eat something and not be in pain. In any case, I was so discouraged that I almost walked away from the book at this point.
I’m so glad I didn’t. Because the recipes–the recipes!–are truly spectacular. Within a week I had tried about a dozen recipes and they were all superb. First came the best Pumpkin Muffins I’ve ever made with almond flour (and I’ve made a lot). Then I made a delicious Zucchini Salad, a Chopped Broccoli Salad, Turkey “Sushi” Rolls, a Paleo Pumpkin Pie, Pear and Ground Pork Stuffed Winter Squash, and a Paleo Stuffing–all of which disappeared so quickly I had no hope of photographing them. And I have a dozen more of them dog-eared, just waiting to be tried out.
Sarah’s recipes are not only delicious, but also simple. She uses simple foods (meat, veggies, herbs) and she prepares them simply and without fuss. The result is tasty food that you can gather your family around and enjoy together. The prep time on most of these recipes is 30 minutes or less, but the result is food you can feel good about feeding to your family.
Everyday Paleo also includes handy resources such as meal plans, lunchbox ideas, budgeting tips, shopping lists, and 15 “Quick and Simple Meal Ideas” for hectic days. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there is a full-page color photo of each and every recipe (If you are out to print a cookbook to capture my heart, be sure to include big beautiful photos of your food).
And those vibrant, energetic, beautiful-mama photos in the introduction? Well, once I had tried a few recipes and went back to read it again (on a good day) I discovered that even though our photo shoots would look quite different, our values are the same–nurturing ourselves and our families, feeding them well, and keeping them close. Sarah has poured all of those values into her recipe collection, and done it well.
The Paleo-cooking market tends to be glutted with recipes for Paleo “truffles”, Paleo “ice cream”, Paleo chicken “pot pie” and all sorts of other Paleo-tized non-Paleo foods. These recipes have their place, and I will never be one to turn my nose up at them. But there is no substitute for good, simple cooking. Everyday Paleo is a breath of fresh air, bringing pure, wholesome food to the family table. If you’re looking for just such as this for your table, even if you don’t ascribe to the Paleo Diet per se, don’t miss this cookbook. It is a gem.
* Review posts are my opinions on items that were sent to me free of charge. The items were given to me, but the thoughts and opinions are my own. I only provide reviews of items that I find to be truly worthy of recommendation.
