Interview Series: Liz Wolfe of “Cave Girl Ea...

There are so many bloggers, writers, and smart “paleo-people” out there!  I thought it might be fun to ask some of them a few questions to see what is going on in their “neck of the woods.”   I am hoping to make this a weekly element on my website…  If you are a blogger, and would like to be featured on EasyPaleo.com, be sure to comment on this post so I can contact you.

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This week we’re talking with

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Liz Wolfe

of CaveGirlEats.com

I can say with complete sincerity that Liz Wolfe is my absolute favorite “Paleo celebrity.”  I love her real, no-nonsense point-of-view, and I especially love that it is always peppered with humor and goof!  Liz gets it.  She has some serious smarts, and I’m grateful that she shares that with us!  I have applied a ton of her fantastic skin care ideas/approaches in my own life (see here and here), and I particularly appreciate her stance on body image.

I was thrilled to meet Liz at a recent Balanced Bites Workshop, and I’m happy to say that she is just as kind in person as she sounds on her blog, and on the Balanced Bites Podcast.

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Bio: Liz writes the CaveGirlEats.com blog and is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (LizWolfeNTP.com) working on her Master’s Degree in Public Health. She co-hosts the Balanced Bites Podcast and Workshop series, serves as Ambassador to Steve’s Club National Program, and is on the board of directors for The First Twenty, a firefighter’s organization. Her professional goal is to bring nutritional guidance to at-risk populations; her personal goal is to remember the oven mitts when moving a hot cast iron skillet!

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Easy Paleo:  If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

Liz: I’m grateful for so many things – family, food ,and friends are daily blessings!

EP: How did you discover Paleo, and what is the BIGGEST difference it made in your life?

Liz: Coach Rut (Michael Rutherford) introduced me to the concept, and it didn’t just change my perspective on food. It opened the door to a better relationship with my body, and a new appreciation for where true nourishment comes from. For a gal who struggled with food, body image and self-worth for many years, being able to let go of food-centric emotional baggage was profound.

EP: Do you have an all-time favorite recipe?

Liz: I absolutely LOVE “Grandy Kyp’s Chicken Soup” from The Food Lovers, made with homemade chicken broth! It’s so simple, warm and delicious – and there’s nothing better than homemade broth. Something about the dill just makes it so perfect. Recipe here.

I’m not the best or most creative chef – I almost described myself in question #1 as “a food blogger who can’t cook” – so I was quite proud of myself when I made a Paleo-style “Paella” for my blog. It’s been a long time since similar inspiration hit!

EP: What has been your biggest Paleo challenge, and how did you overcome it?

Liz: There was a time when I had this nagging feeling that I needed to be “lean,” with a very low body fat percentage, to truly epitomize Paleo “success.” I finally realized that health is the REAL truth-teller, and the body must be loved and appreciated for wherever real health brings it. There was nothing to be gained from giving old food neuroses a new disguise; or from allowing old insecurities to manifest themselves over and over again through different types of food. I had to forgive myself all those mistakes! I’m grateful to have come through that internal battle, because it has shifted my perspective entirely and allowed me to appreciate my body and my food in ways I never thought possible. But it wasn’t an easy mind-set to relinquish.

EP: What do you wish EVERYONE knew about Paleo?

Liz: I want everyone to know that there are RECENT cultures who serve as messengers of the food wisdom we’re passionate about! This isn’t just about “cavemen” – Dr. Weston A. Price studied cultures in the last century who possessed what he called “accumulated wisdom” about food, nutrients and responsible stewardship of this planet. We don’t have to look far to observe ancestral principles in action.

EP: Paleo-eating does not have to be difficult… how do you make this lifestyle an easy element of your life?

Liz: What’s easier or faster than ground beef and tomato sauce; scrambled eggs and sweet potato; or grabbing a Paleo Kit or some coconut flakes for “just in case?!” When you eat the most nutrient-dense foods, you don’t need volume; and you don’t need to eat six times each day. We (Diane Sanfilippo and myself) talk about this in our Balanced Bites Workshops – REAL FOOD keeps you full, well-nourished, and satisfied all day long for less investment and less work – once you make it through that paradigm shift, and find your own rhythm and routine, you’re good to go. Although I don’t have a family to feed, I observe this same attitude from those who do – like Sarah Fragoso and Michele of Nom Nom Paleo, and all the other bloggers I love and respect. It’s do-able!

EP: Tell us a little about your interest in body care, and why it’s important to you.

Liz: A few years ago, I looked at my bottle of conditioner and was horrified to see not just ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, but ingredients like “hydrolyzed wheat protein!” It made me angry to realize that I’d never so much as questioned whether gluten could be so ubiquitous as to appear in my personal care products, and I’d never even bothered to google what “sodium laureth sulfate” was. I wanted something easy and something natural; something that would take me out of Paul Mitchell’s pocket and allow me to be more self-sufficient! I learned quickly that all you really need is baking soda, vinegar and coconut oil for almost any task – and from there, you can build as needed from the volume of fun oils and techniques the world of natural body & home care has to offer!

EP: Tell us about your upcoming “No BS Nutrition Guide.”  When can we expect it?  What else is in the works?

Liz: Oh, goodness…the No BS Guide has been in the works for a VERY long time! I’ve also got a skin care guide in the works, in conjunction with Trina of Primal Life Organics. And I’ll tell you a secret – just a few weeks after I began work on my No BS Guide, I inked a book contract and started working on a manuscript that will be published in Spring 2013. It’s called “Modern Cave Girl” and is about my own story, the truth about health, fat, carbs, and animal protein and the history of industry hoodwinkery that underlies “conventional wisdom.” It’s about everything I wish I knew when I began this way of life! And, of course, it also contains a good dose of my usual goofiness. Think of it as Nora Gedgaudas meets Carrot Top…or Gary Taubes meets Lucille Ball. (Okay, maybe not Gary Taubes meets Lucille Ball. Maybe Encyclopedia Brown meets a Kathy Griffin impersonator!)

EP: If you could drop everything right now and take a month-long vacation, where would you go, and which recipes would you want to be sure and make while there?

Liz: I would go to Greece; to the island of Milos! My husband and I were so fortunate to honeymoon there, and we want to return and tour the beaches again, enjoy the local fare and just do nothing together! (I attached a photo from our honeymoon – I want to return and eat eggs from that “Happy [Greek] Chicken.”)

EP: Is there a food item (Paleo or not) that you absolutely can’t stand?  Or are you pretty “equal-opportunity” when it comes to grub?

Liz: Bananas. I can’t STAND bananas! I don’t know why – I love plantains, so it can’t be a texture thing; and I even like banana bread (or, I used to!) Yet there’s something about bananas that I simply can’t abide. And I must say – although I’ve developed a fondness for organ meats and the “odd bits,” it was a hard-fought fondness. I had to REALLY work hard to love that stuff!

EP: Tell us about Steve’s Club, and why this organization is so important to you.

Liz: Steve’s Club is utterly important to me. Steve’s Club is a national non-profit that provides athletic training, mentorship, personal development and nutritional guidance to at-risk youth. I see the kids of Steve’s Club at my CrossFit affiliate all the time, and they are PHENOMENAL kids who deserve every opportunity to succeed – yet their life circumstances just can’t afford them all the good things they deserve. I attached a video of our Steve’s Club kids that might help everyone understand why I’m so passionate about my work with Steve’s Club.

EP:  Tell us about your family (husband, dog… anything you wish to share).

Liz: My husband is the most wonderful man in the world! He’s an Air Force pilot, an amazing friend, and a man of extraordinary integrity. I’ve never known a man like him, and I’m more grateful for him and his support every day. My pup is a close second – he’s goofy, gigantic, floppy and as good-natured as they come. And he’s Paleo too!

EP:  What is your FAVORITE kitchen tool or appliance, and why?

Liz: I’m a simple gal – I only just learned to chop “properly” through Diane’s book Practical Paleo; and my first cookbook was Make it Paleo by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley. This Paleo lifestyle has been a slow education, filled with mistakes and kitchen mishaps – but things could have been far worse without my Cuisinart stick blender/combination food processor.

EP: You recently completed The 21-Day Sugar Detox… how did that go?

Liz: It went well, and it was VERY necessary! I’ve worked harder in the last few years than ever before, and I let late-night study and work devolve into moments of sugar-craving craziness. I needed a reality check. I gravitate toward Diane’s honest, gracious, yet no-nonsense approach. We work well together, and I’m grateful to know her and to have a great resource close at hand!

EP:  What is your trademark expression?

Liz: Unfortunately, “where’s the beef” was already taken, so I’m still at the drawing board – although I did realize that, after 53-some episodes of the Balanced Bites podcast, I may have a somewhat recognizable opening line: “Heyy everyoooone…” I’d like to be known for something a bit better, though, so I’m going to work on coining a phrase.

EP: Anything you wish to add?

Liz: Jennie, thanks for everything you do! Your blog is an inspiration. I’m grateful to know you!

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Thank you SO much, Liz!  You are fantastic!

Interview Series: Primal Palate, Part 2: Bill Stal...

As I mentioned yesterday, I LOVE The Food Lovers Primal Palate.

Check out my glowing review of their cookbook, Make it Paleo, here.  Not only do these folks know how to make AMAZING Paleo-friendly food, they also have amazing creative flair, and they shoot beautiful photos!

A while back, I started a fun blog project called “The Interview Series.”  So far I’ve enjoyed some great interviews with The Civilized Caveman,Melissa Joulwan (author of Well Fed),  The Paleo Parents, Clean Eats in the Zoo, Ginger Lemon Girl, The Domestic Man, and Paleo on a Budget.  What fun!

 It has been really interesting to learn some little-known facts about some of these Paleo Powerhouses!

Now it’s Bill and Hayley’s turn!  We heard from Hayley yesterday, and we’re talking with Bill today… enjoy!

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Part Two:

Bill Staley

The Food Lovers Primal Palate, and Make it Paleo

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Easy Paleo (EP): If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

Bill Staley: I’m a landscape architect and musician turned food photographer and cookbook author.

EP: Tell us about you… anything you want to say!

Bill: Well, I’m sure a lot of your readers know our back story (and if you don’t you can get more than your fill here: http://beta.primal-palate.com/us/). What people may not know about me is that I have so many other hobbies and interests besides the paleo stuff. I’ve been a drummer for 16 years – well over half of my lifetime. I had two times in my life when I was really good at playing – once was in high school and the other was the last few years. When I was 18, I had a chance to play in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland – that was pretty cool! I didn’t get to play much during college and the first few years after, but when I moved back to Pittsburgh, I picked them up again and played in a few bands. That was actually how I ended up meeting Hayley – on the set of a music video.

I’m also really into autocrossing, which is a form of racing that is focused on driver skill. It’s sort of like a time trial, and drivers navigate a course laid out with cones. I’ve been doing that about 10 years, so I’m starting to get pretty consistently good at it. All of the guys I race with know about the cookbook Hayley and I wrote – it’s kind of funny when these gearheads come up to me to inquire about Paleo, rather than car talk. I love it!

EP: How did you discover Paleo, and what is the BIGGEST difference it made in your life?

Bill: Hayley introduced me to Paleo when we met. The whole idea of it made sense, so I was totally down with changing my diet. I was only slightly reluctant, because I didn’t necessarily want to lose any weight (crazy, right?) I did end up losing about 10 lbs in the first month, but my physique definitely improved, so I can’t complain. The biggest difference if has made for me is the clarity of my skin. Before paleo, I used to have pretty bad back acne. I will still get flare up’s if I cheat (a recent bachelor party comes to mind), so it is good incentive to stay on the wagon. I love the way it makes me feel, in terms of energy levels.

EP: Do you have an all-time favorite recipe?

Bill: Not really – like many people, my tastes constantly change. Right now, I’m really digging this bbq sauce recipe I recently came up with. I’m using it on everything from fish, to pork, to chicken – but it’s best grilled on chicken wings. We’ve had it a few times this week with grilled chicken thighs… it’s SO good.

EP: What has been your biggest Paleo challenge, and how did you overcome it?

Bill: I think my biggest challenge has been (and continues to be) sugar. Doing Diane’s 21-Day Sugar Detox has definitely helped kick my sugar habit, but I can’t help but always let it back in. I’ve come to the conclusion that I genuinely enjoy things that taste sweet. Right now, I’m in a pretty good place where I eat fruit when I need something sweet, and will occasionally have something a little more “conventional”. Oh, before I forget, we have this great meal plan on our website that goes hand-in-hand with the 21-Day Sugar Detox – everyone should check that out!

EP: What do you wish EVERYONE knew about Paleo?

Bill: I wish everyone knew how good they would feel if they would stick to it for a few months. Some of the best parts of living a paleo lifestyle are also some of the slowest to be fully realized. I think we’d have a lot more people in our ranks if they knew what their quality of life could be like.

EP: Paleo-eating does not have to be difficult… how do you make this lifestyle an easy element of your life?

Bill: Well, we’ve always based our recipes on a few core ingredients that any good kitchen should have. We also try to keep the recipes simple, and for the most part inexpensive too. We’ve been working on a set of features on our new website recently that shoot to make Paleo eating even easier. We’ve created a set of tools called “My Kitchen” which allows our site users to add notes to recipes, save them as favorites, and then compile shopping lists (which they can even edit). In addition, all of the recipes on our site have nutritional information, and we’re just getting started. We also plan to launch a meal planner sometime this summer which is already in the works, and even allow registered users to post their own recipes which use our database of ingredients and My Kitchen tools. All of this we’re providing to the community for free, with the focus of making Paleo cooking easier than ever before.

EP: What is your favorite Paleo memory?

Bill: Two really stick out. The first was the dinner Hayley and I shared at the beach two summers ago that was SO GOOD that we decided to start a food blog. Looking back, we’ve had plenty of better meals since then, but that first one will always be special – the one that kicked off our journey. The other was the night we got an email from Victory Belt, asking us if we’d consider doing a cookbook with them. We were both over the moon, and literally got to work on it the next day!

EP: If you could drop everything right now and take a month-long vacation, where would you go, and which recipes would you want to be sure and make while there?

Bill: I’d love to rent a house somewhere in the tropics. Living in Pittsburgh, we don’t always have the best seafood selection (nor do we have the worst, either), but there is something amazing about caught-that-day seafood. I’d love to have more good quality fish in my diet!

EP: Tell us about a bad recipe experience you’ve had… if there have been any!

Bill: Last year while we were making the book, we decided to try our hands at a sunbutter bar recipe. We had no idea, but the chemical reaction in the sunbutter turned it DARK green. It looked atrocious, but still tasted good. You can’t help but laugh when stuff like that happens.

EP: Tell us what you thought of PaleoF(x). What was the best part?

Bill: The best part of any of these events is always the social aspect, in my opinion. Our little blogging community is a tightly knit one, and it’s really nice getting to know our people beyond their blogs. We stayed in a big house in Austin with a bunch of friends: Diane from Balanced Bites, George from Civilized Caveman, Henry and Michelle from Nom Nom Paleo, Stacy from Paleo Parents, Laura from Ancestralize Me, Bobby Gill (the man, the myth, the legend)… and Liz from Cave Girl Eats even stayed a few nights. We had a blast hanging out together, cooking fun food, and taking foodie field trips to restaurants. Of course the talks at the conference were great too, and we gained quite a bit of critical insight into our own health issues (thats a story for another time though.)

EP: What made you and Hayley decide to start blogging? And what made you decide to compile a cookbook?

Bill: Hayley and I decided to make a fresh commitment to Paleo during a long weekend at the beach. We were cooking all of this great food, and taking photos for facebook. On the last night, I declared that we should try to write a cookbook. Looking back, it was extremely naive of me, but the ambition was there from the beginning. Hayley suggested that we start a blog, but 9 months later (haha, this is sounding like a baby story), along came Victory Belt with a real-life book deal.

EP: What is your FAVORITE kitchen tool or appliance, and why?

Bill: Nothing is more essential than a good quality knife. We have a few nice knives – an 8″ chef’s knife and a 7″ santoku, and a whole assortment of those colorful little Kuhn Rikon knives. Without good knives, cooking would be pretty tough!

EP: What is something we might be surprised to find out about you?

Bill: Hm, interesting question. Well, it’s a bit of a confession. I’m just not that wild about offal. I know, It’s sort of disgraceful. I just do not like liver, and heart isn’t all that swell either. However, I’m totally down with beef tongue – that stuff is excellent. I’ve been trying to incorporate more offal (in things like burgers and meatballs), but it’s a slow process getting into it. Hayley is so much better at eating that kind of stuff – I admire that about her.

EP: Anything else you’d like to add?

Bill: I believe I’ve said it all… and then some. Thanks for having us!

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Thanks Bill!  You and Hayley have been such an inspiration to me, and I’d be lost without Make it Paleo!

Okay, if you haven’t already, be sure to read more about Bill’s FIANCE (that’s right!!), Hayley.

Interview Series: Primal Palate, Part 1: Hayley Ma...

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE The Food Lovers Primal Palate.

Check out my glowing review of their cookbook, Make it Paleo, here.  Not only do these folks know how to make AMAZING Paleo-friendly food, they also have amazing creative flair, and they shoot beautiful photos!

A while back, I started a fun blog project called “The Interview Series.”  So far I’ve enjoyed some great interviews with The Civilized Caveman, Melissa Joulwan (author of Well Fed),  The Paleo Parents, Clean Eats in the Zoo, Ginger Lemon Girl, The Domestic Man, and Paleo on a Budget.  What fun!

 It has been really interesting to learn some little-known facts about some of these Paleo Powerhouses!

Now it’s Bill and Hayley’s turn!

Bill’s Interview: check it out here!

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Part One:

Hayley Mason

The Food Lovers Primal Palate, and Make it Paleo

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Easy Paleo (EP): If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

Hayley Mason (HM): Quiet, relatively shy, girly girl turned dirty hippie – but still girly sometimes, patient, artistic, happy.

EP: Tell us about you… anything you want to say!

HM: Well, I think everyone pretty much knows all my dirty secrets, so I don’t think there is much left to say… haha.

Let’s see…Bill is actually my very first REAL boyfriend. I dated a few guys off-and-on, but I always had this gut feeling that I would never be in a real relationship until the right guy came along, and that is exactly what happened. I used to be super independent, and now I really can’t go anywhere without Bill. Partially because I hate driving and he has a fun red convertible that I can’t drive because it is a stick, and also just because I miss him even when he is in the other room. Sounds mushy, but it’s the honest truth. We are ALWAYS together, and we have definitely found a way to keep it that way by building a business together.

Other things about me. I’m pretty artistic. I love painting and drawing, usually peoples faces, which would make sense because I am a high definition makeup artist. I love wearing crazy, bright-colored nail polish, I love working out, and I am pretty obsessed with CrossFit. I can back squat 205 lbs at 5 foot 1 and a half, but I can’t do an unassisted pull up.

I LOVE chocolate and anything sweet really, which is pretty much a curse since I try to avoid that stuff as much as possible. I have crazy curly hair that I try to keep as tame as possible, usually with a flat iron. I love animals, and little kids (especially babies). That’s about it for now I think

EP: How did you discover Paleo, and what is the BIGGEST difference it made in your life?

HM: I first heard about Paleo from a friend of mine who is a CrossFit coach here in Pittsburgh. I was trying to follow a vegetarian diet at the time, so I had absolutely zero interest in eating animal protein. I couldn’t maintain my weight very well, and was extremely frustrated. I changed my diet to more of a paleo diet (not realizing it), but I was eating low fat, lean protein, and watching calories. I lost a ton of weight very quickly, but was hungry and miserable. I learned more about Paleo from my cousin who has been following the Paleo diet for about 12 years or so, and it really clicked with me. I knew this was what was best for me. I eventually lost my fear of fat, started eating fatty meats, red meat, saturated fats, gained a bit of healthy weight, and felt way better.

The biggest difference Paleo has made in my life is that it has restored my relationship with food to a much more healthy one. I now love everything I eat, and I no longer resent the food I eat or feel deprived. I have so much love and passion for good food and cooking, and I have found a way to enjoy food, feel good, and feel proud about how I nourish my body.

EP: Do you have an all-time favorite recipe?

HM: That’s actually a really hard question for me to answer. We have made so many delicious things, and there are so many different types of meat that I love. Currently we are pretty obsessed with our par-boiled and then grilled pastured pork ribs recipe, which is a recipe that Bill created, so for now I will say that is my favorite recipe…ask me again next month and I will give you something different

EP: What has been your biggest Paleo challenge, and how did you overcome it?

HM: My biggest Paleo challenge has been trying to figure out the right Paleo diet for ME. Paleo is actually not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are general guidelines, but you really have to dig deep through trial and error, and be aware of which foods make you feel good, and which foods make you feel badly, which foods cause inflammation, which foods make you feel sad, and which foods make you gain weight. It has definitely been a long journey for me, and I’m still learning and growing as each day passes.

EP: What do you wish EVERYONE knew about Paleo?

HM: How good it feels to eat this way. So many people walk around feeling ill, and not even knowing it. I am so in tune with my body now that I know when I eat something that hasn’t agreed with me. Eliminating grains from my diet was one of the best things I ever did, and most days I feel great, unless of course if I have a grain-free treat or indulge in some alcohol

EP: Paleo-eating does not have to be difficult… how do you make this lifestyle an easy element of your life?

HM: I think the way we have made it easy is by not making any exceptions. We don’t even consider eating another way, so we make it work however we can. Our cheats are homemade treats, local grass-fed ice creams, wine, or dark chocolate. We never have grains, and we don’t feel deprived because we don’t allow those foods to even be an option for us. Of course, preparation, planning, and precooking foods always helps. You should see us going on a road trip. We pack our cooler bag with chicken thighs, hard boiled eggs, some fruit, and paleo kits. We are always prepared when we are going on a long trip. One benefit to this lifestyle, though, is that we aren’t often caught overly hungry without something to eat. When your body burns fat instead of sugar, you can go much longer without food, so even if we don’t have anything made, we can quickly cook up some food without being totally ravenous by the time it makes it to our plate.

EP: What is your favorite Paleo memory?

HM: The very first time Bill and I went to the beach together. It was his first weekend trying out Paleo full time. We were able to get fresh fish locally, and produce from the farmers market each day. We would cook out, and eat on the porch of the beach house each day. That is definitely my favorite memory.

EP: If you could drop everything right now and take a month-long vacation, where would you go, and which recipes would you want to be sure and make while there?

HM: I have always wanted to go to Greece. I think it is absolutely beautiful there, and I love lamb, so we would definitely have to cook up a lot of lamb in Greece!

EP: Tell us about a bad recipe experience you’ve had… if there have been any!

HM: I am actually pretty good at burning things. Often because I don’t usually set a timer for foods, and just cook by feel, but sometimes that does not work to my advantage. I can’t really think of any specific kitchen nightmares we have had, but there was one time when I tried to light the grill and it blew up in my face. Luckily I only singed some eyebrows and the ends of my hair a bit, but that was a close one for sure!

EP: Tell us what you thought of PaleoF(x). What was the best part?

HM: PaleoF(x) was great. It was my first time visiting Texas, and I really enjoyed listening to all of the speakers and the masterminds. The best part of our trip was definitely trying out fun restaurants in Austin with some of our blogger friends that we don’t get to see everyday. A bunch of us stayed in a house together, so there were lots of laughs, lots of good food, and lots of chocolate

EP: Tell how you and Bill met and got together.

HM: Haha, I think everyone is sick of this story by now so I will keep it brief… As I said I am a makeup artist, and Bill has been a drummer for about 11 years or so. He was playing in a band in Pittsburgh for fun, and the lead singer is a good friend of mine. They were filming their first music video, and the lead singer asked me to do his makeup for the video. Bill and I spent 15 hours together on set the day we met, and after some conversation we both knew we were interested in each other. He was the sweetest guy I had ever met, and the first to really treat me with a lot of respect, even in the short bit of time we spent together. We talked for a while after the video, but didn’t see each other or go on a date for about a month after we first met. The rest is history.

EP: What is your FAVORITE kitchen tool or appliance, and why?

HM: Hmm…that’s a tough question. I really love our Le Crueset cookware. You can do so much with it, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I love my Le Creuset!

EP: What is something we might be surprised to find out about you? I am very short (5 ft 1 and a half) and I have huge feet. I wear a size 9 womens shoe. I actually have scoliosis, about a 25 degree S-curve in my spine, which takes two inches off my height. Even so, my feet would still be pretty big for 5’3” if my spine were straight…

EP: Anything else you’d like to add?

HM: I think thats about it. Thanks so much!

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Thanks Hayley!  And thank you SO much for contributing so much to the Paleo community.  We appreciate you!

Okay folks, get ready to learn more about Hayley’s other half, Bill, tomorrow (check it out here!).

Interview Series: THE CIVILIZED CAVEMAN!

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There are so many bloggers, writers, and smart “paleo-people” out there!  

I thought it might be fun to ask some of them a few questions to see what is going on in their “neck of the woods.”  

For a look at some previous Paleo interviews, click here.

If you are a blogger, and would like to be featured on EasyPaleo.com, be sure to comment on this post so I can contact you.

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This week we’re talking with

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George Bryant

The Civilized Caveman

George has, by far, one of the largest Facebook followings of any Paleo Powerhouse out there.  His Facebook page is a fantastic community of people trying to do this Paleo thing!  And if you think that’s cool, his website is even better.  The recipes are FANTASTIC.

One of my favorites is Cannibal Pasilla Peppers.  Delicious!

George was kind enough to agree to an interview, and I have been SO looking forward to sharing it with you!  So who is the caveman behind the site?

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EasyPaleo (EP):  If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

Civilized Caveman (CC): I try to be the most driven, dedicated, loyal, caring, unselfish person I can be to anyone I come in contact with in my life.

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EP:  Tell us about you… anything you want to say!

CC: Wow this is a tough question… I mean honestly, who likes talking about themselves?  It’s like listening to yourself on voicemail; you never want to hear your voice, or I don’t at least.  I’ll give it a shot and tackle something I don’t think a lot of my readership knows about me: my profession.  So for the past 11 years I have been an active duty United States Marine.  I have been on multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and many other countries that I can’t remember to list.  I work LONG, LONG, LONG days everyday, and then I dedicate whatever free moments I have to training, cooking, photographing, and website work.  I am a one-man show with my website and Facebook page, and I still manage to respond to every single comment and email I can.  I think it is important for people to know this for two reasons:  One reason is that I know I am far from perfect, and I make mistakes on my site, but I ask that everyone bear with me as I don’t always get the opportunity to make it look like I need, or type the words out like they should be typed, but I try my hardest.  The second reason is that I am living proof that, given the toughest of situations in your life, you can still incorporate a healthy Paleo lifestyle and be 100% successful at it.

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EP: How did you discover Paleo, and what is the BIGGEST difference it has made in your life?

CC: I actually stumbled upon Paleo while I was deployed to Afghanistan in January of 2011.  In my infinite state of insomnia, I was very bored at 2am and was looking around for something to keep me awake.  I found  ”The Paleo Solution” (Robb Wolf’s book) on someone’s desk, and decided to pick it up.  Now mind you, I have never read a book without pictures in my life… they just don’t interest me… so this shows the level of delirium I was experiencing from sleep deprivation.  Well, I can honestly say that was the best sleep-deprived decision that I have ever made.  I read that book from cover to cover in a day, and tried my hardest to implement it in Afghanistan, even with my limited food choices.  Once I came home, I was able to dial it in and start reaping the full benefits of the Paleo lifestyle.

As far as the biggest difference, there isn’t just one, but I can narrow it down to the top two.  First: all my allergies (that I had been popping pills for going on 13 years) disappeared.  I was allergic to dogs, cats, dust, dirt, pollen, mold, seafood, etc., and as soon as I did my first “30-Day Transformation Challenge,” they all disappeared.  Second: my body image.  I don’t care what anyone says, men have some serious self-image issues even if they hide it.  Overall, my body composition drastically changed with Paleo, but that’s not what made the difference.  Just knowing I didn’t have to count this, weigh that, portion this, eat at this hour, etc., liberated me to just enjoy food and its place in my life.  If you follow a simple Paleo lifestyle and break all the traditional bull crap molds you are taught throughout life, you will really start to enjoy what life has to offer.

EP: Do you have an all-time favorite recipe?

CC: Ok, so I am really bad at answering questions, apparently, because every time you ask for one answer I want to give two or ten.  But I will keep this simple and just give two.  The first one would have to be the first Paleo recipe I ever made when I got home from Afghanistan.  It was the Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies from my amazing and loving friends (family), Hayley and Bill from the Food Lover’s Primal-Palate.  They have two websites you can find HERE and  HERE. 

My all-time favorite recipe of my own would have to be my Blueberry Espresso Brownies.  These things were just thrown together in my kitchen using whatever I had around, and they turned out amazing.  This is the most-requested recipe for me to make for friends and family, and that is awesome because it stops me from eating them all myself.

EP: What has been your biggest Paleo challenge, and how did you overcome it?

CC: I am sure that after reading the previous question you are assuming this answer would be my sweet cravings, but you are wrong.  But for real, if you do have sugar cravings you need to run your butt over to see Diane from Balanced Bites and do her 21-Day Sugar Detox.  Oh yeah… told you I was bad at interviews since I can’t even answer this question without tangents – haha.  My biggest Paleo challenge, hands down, is my profession.  Having to deal with extended operations in the field, deployments, and long nights away from home has proven to be difficult, but doable.  My best advice for everyone is to just plan ahead.  I always have at least ten packages of assorted stuff from my awesome buddy Steve at Steve’s Original to hold me over if I have failed to plan, or if work gets a little crazy and keeps me.  Just ensure that you are always setting yourself up for success.  Not planning to bring meals, and limiting yourself to whatever options you have around are a sure-fire way to fail, and I won’t allow myself to do it.

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EP: What do you wish EVERYONE knew about Paleo?

CC: Everyone needs to know that this isn’t a diet.  It is not about losing weight quick, looking good for a wedding, fitting into a pair of pants, looking your best for your high school reunion, etc.  It is ALL about taking control of your health and making the decisions that are going to benefit you in the long-run.  Yes, one of the benefits of living a Paleo Lifestyle may be some weight loss or inches lost, but what is happening on your insides is way more important to ensuring the longevity of your life.

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EP: Paleo-eating does not have to be difficult… how do you make this lifestyle an easy element of your life?

CC: This is always my favorite question to answer, and the first part of it never changes.   BUY A CROCKPOT.  I can honestly tell you that I have 7 of them, but the possibilities are limitless.  Stressed about recipes? Stressed about food for the week? Stressed about time to cook? Not anymore.  Pretty much all of my crockpot recipes start the same way: a mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots), a hunk of meat, some salt and pepper, and then, depending on the cut, sometimes a liquid.  I prep it the night before and put the whole crockpot in the refrigerator.  At 4am when I am leaving for work, I pull it out, put it in the crockpot, and never worry about dinner.  I come home to an amazing meal.  If you are curious I have an entire section on my website dedicated to crockpot recipes… find it here.

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EP: If you could go back to eating a particular food that you choose not to eat now, what would it be?

CC: I love that you asked me this question, because there isn’t anything.  I do not miss anything that I cut out, and I feel amazing.  It’s very empowering to know that food doesn’t control your life, but you control what nutrients you are giving your body.  All those SAD foods people say they miss, I definitely don’t.  I don’t miss the hazy feelings, the stomach pains, the sugar cravings, the irregular sleep patterns, the lack of energy, etc.

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EP: If you could drop everything right now and take a month-long vacation, where would you go, and which recipes would you want to be sure and make while there? 

CC:  I want to go anywhere with enough room to house myself and the following people (and a GIBOSTIC kitchen)…  In no particular order, I would like the following people there with me: Bill and Hayley from Primal Palate, Diane from Balanced Bites, Michelle and Henry from Nom Nom Paleo and Fitbomb, Bobby Gil from Ultragrassfed, Liz Wolfe from Cave Girl Eats, Stacy and Matt from Paleo Parents, Laura from Ancestralize Me, Diana from Radiance Nutrition, Anthony from Kasandrinos, and Julie and Charles from Paleo Comfort Foods.

Before we get to the recipes, I have to tell you what the staples in the house would be.  We would have to have Fermented Cod liver oil to keep a few people happy.  On top of that, I think all of us would need some grass-fed butter for our bulletproof coffee, and dark chocolate. Those would be all of our basic sustenance necessities… and now for recipes.  Haha – honestly a lot of people think us bloggers eat all fancy-schmancy, but truth is: we keep it simple.  As long as we have bacon, it pretty much doesn’t matter what else we eat.  So yeah, that’s my final answer… BACON.

EP:  Is there a food item (Paleo or not) that you absolutely can’t stand, or are you pretty “equal-opportunity” when it comes to grub?

CC:  So this is a loaded question, but I will stay as politically correct as possible – haha.  There are lots of non-Paleo items that I cannot stand now, just because I simply understand how horrible they are for you.  I am personally not a parent, but to be blunt, the options that the children in this country are provided at schools is $#(!($)%*$(@*#$&(^($*#&#$… and that is the nice version.  As far as Paleo foods, I am pretty equal-opportunity.  During Paleo Fx in Austin this year, I happened to hit my 1-year Paleo anniversary, and went to dinner with all those awesome people listed in the previous question.  Well, that was the first time I ever ate raw beef in the form of a delicious tartar, and I also had duck breast for the first time.  You can see the pictures, as well as all of Austin here.

EP: Tell us what you thought of Paleo f(x).  What was the best part?

A.  This has to be the easiest question for me, and I already answered it above.  I pretty much lived with all those people for a week, and it was amazing.  It was the total Paleo real world, and the conversations that took place with the great company into the wee hours of the morning made the whole trip worth it.

EP: Tell how you started Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations.

CC:  So my website and page actually kind of all started as a way to deal with an inconvenience.  When I returned from Afghanistan in March of 2011, I started eating Paleo and decided that it was time to teach myself how to cook.  I started making all this food, and never had anyone to share it with.  Solution: I would bring it to the gym with me.  Everyone would ask for the recipes, and I didn’t feel like constantly sending emails, so I made a Facebook page.  The name was just a quick-witted idea that popped into my head, and I ran with it.  Well, I posted strictly on facebook for about a month until I started have complaints about reading the recipes in the notes, and that is when I decided to start a blog.  That was April 1st, 2011, and here we are today.

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EP: What is your FAVORITE kitchen tool or appliance, and why?

CC:  I feel like I have an arsenal of favorites, but as I mentioned above, I think the best “all around bang for your buck” tool is a Crockpot.  I personally have 7 of them, and they get used religiously due to my hectic work schedule.  For anyone who tells me that they never have time to eat this way or cook, my first question is always “do you have a crock pot?”

EP:  Tell us about your current giveaway.

CC:  Ahhh, the giveaways.  First off, I think everyone should know that you can ask any Paleo blogger (or blogger, period), and they will all tell you the same thing: these things are a pain in the butt to put together.  The logistics on the back end are a nightmare, as well as dealing with all state and federal laws and regulations governing giveaways, as well as all the policies and procedures that social media outlets have.  But, there really is no hurdle that would stop me from doing them.  I love them because it gives people the opportunity to get excited about their health, and in some cases, it affords people the opportunity to win something they might not be able to afford.  It is the most rewarding feeling knowing that you touched someone’s life for the better, and makes all the hard work worth it.  No one knows about this yet, but keep your eyes peeled for May 1st… I guarantee you that EVERYONE will be excited about the giveaway I have coming up.

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EP: Anything else you’d like to add?

CC:  Just a final issue I see throughout this community that needs to stop.  All too often I see people trying to make the Paleo/Primal movement into a dogmatic society.  It drives me nuts.  Take a step back and lead by example, don’t try to force feed your beliefs on anyone because you became addicted to the Paleo Kool-Aid.  I am a firm believer that actions speak way louder than words, and a slice of humble pie never hurt anyone.  You know this lifestyle works for you.  You look, feel, perform and just glow excellence… just let those be the words you use to explain the benefits.  People will come flocking once their interest is peaked.  All you need to do is be supportive.

Interview Series: Melissa Joulwan!

There are so many bloggers, writers, and smart “paleo-people” out there!  I thought it might be fun to ask some of them a few questions to see what is going on in their “neck of the woods.”   I am hoping to make this a weekly element on my website…  If you are a blogger, and would like to be featured on EasyPaleo.com, be sure to comment on this post so I can contact you.

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This week we’re talking with

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Melissa Joulwan

Author of Well Fed

I am Melissa’s biggest fan.  Period.  She is an amazing Paleo Powerhouse with more creativity than most of us have in our pinky fingers.  If you have never tried her recipes, you are missing out!  

One of my favorites is her Chocolate Chili.  Her cookbook is fantastic too… see my review HERE.  

Melissa was kind enough to agree to an interview, and I have been SO looking forward to sharing it with you!  What fun!

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Easy Paleo: If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

MJ: She is relentless, in spite of herself.

Easy Paleo:  How did you discover Paleo, and what is the BIGGEST difference it made in your life?

MJ: I’d been eating grain-free Zone for about a year when I started working with Melissa Hartwig of Whole9 (http://www.whole9life.com). She suggested (insisted?!) that I give up dairy for a week to see how I felt and gently encouraged me to eat a little more fat. That was in 2009, and I’ve never looked back. The biggest difference it’s made in my life is that food is no longer the enemy. I spent over 25 years of my life on a “diet” of some kind; that is not a loving way to treat oneself. Now, I know how to eat healthfully and it’s made food a pleasure instead of a source of stress.

Easy Paleo: Do you have an all-time favorite recipe?

MJ: To this day, my favorite food is buttered popcorn — the tiny white kind, not the big, fluffy yello kernels. But my favorite paleo recipe? I really love the Rogan Josh in Well Fed, and I’m proud of the grain-free Chicken Bastilla recipe (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/08/02/paleo-chicken-bastila/) I created because the traditional Moroccan dish is both stunningly tasty and packed with non-approved ingredients. It felt like a pretty big triumph to figure out an acceptable alternative.

Easy Paleo: What has been your biggest Paleo challenge, and how did you overcome it?

MJ: Socializing is one of the hardest parts of paleo, and I still work on it. When I’m feeling optimistic and energetic, it’s not a big deal to pack food or skip cocktails or say ‘no’ to an invitation to go out for pizza. But on those days when I “wish I could just be normal,” it’s still a challenge. I get over it by reminding myself that “normal” in the modern U.S. is now overweight, unfit, unhealthy, and probably, unhappy. I don’t really want that!

Easy Paleo: What do you wish EVERYONE knew about Paleo?

MJ: You will not feel deprived; the food is delicious and you can make it work without always feeling like the weirdo in the room.

Easy Paleo: Paleo-eating does not have to be difficult… how do you make this lifestyle an easy element of your life?

MJ: One of my biggest success factors is that my husband Dave is 100% supportive. I do all the cooking and he has never once complained about missing non-paleo foods. In fact, if a meal comes out boring in my opinion, he usually defends it and thanks me for cooking. That makes it easier to stick to the plan. Preparation is also essential for me. As I explain in Well Fed, I always do what I call a “Weekly Cookup” so there’s grab-and-go food available. I’m a terrible decision maker if I’m hungry, but I will always choose healthier foods if they’re ready for me before I reach the point that I want to gnaw on my own arm.

Easy Paleo: If you could go back to eating a particular food that you choose not to eat now, what would it be?

MJ: POPCORN! And feta cheese. Sometimes I really miss feta cheese.

Easy Paleo: How did you come up with the name of your cookbook?  It’s super-creative!

MJ: The book title is the result of gathering some of my favorite people around our dining room table, feeding them a bunch of food made from recipes included in the cookbook, and plying them with wine. Then we had a brainstorm of names that ranged from silly to rude to terrible to boring… and eventually found a gem: Well Fed.

Easy Paleo: If you could drop everything right now and take a month-long vacation, where would you go, and which recipes would you want to be sure and make while there?

MJ: Right now, I think I’d pick Paris because I just read Julia Child’s book My Life in France and I’m inspired to follow in her footsteps. I think it would be really fun to make some Moroccan and African food since there’s a France-North African connection. When we were Paris last Fall — for a few days, not a month! — I ate some traditional Ivory Coast snacks cooked to order by the most regal, friendly African woman… in an outdoor market in a residential neighborhood in Paris. The market was amazing! It was like the world had shrunk down and come to that street to sell everything delicious to us. I would love to be in that environment with some great recipes and my knife.

Easy Paleo:  Is there a food item (Paleo or not) that you absolutely can’t stand?  Or are you pretty “equal-opportunity” when it comes to grub?

MJ: I really don’t like capers, and I don’t like cilantro in Mexican food. I can only eat cilantro in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Also, chicken hearts; not a fan. Although I do love chicken livers.

Easy Paleo: Tell us about the success of your cookbook!  It has done so well!

MJ: I didn’t set a sales goal before the book was published. I wanted to force myself focus on the project being its own reward. But the response has far surpassed anything I could have imagined!

It’s been so rewarding and so much fun to see people fall in love with Well Fed. I’m very happy that readers are finding the Weekly Cookup and information about how to streamline cooking to be helpful. I got email from a woman who said she was able to spend more time playing with her kids because she got all of the “heavy lifting” cooking out of the way at once. That made me feel successful.

But… we’ve had sale success, too! Well Fed has been out for a little less than three months, and we’ve sold over 12,000 copies.— but the cookbook has made it possible for me to resign from my dayjob so I can focus on writing full time. That is a tremendous gift!

Easy Paleo: Tell us why your blog is called “The Clothes Make The Girl.”

MJ: I know that, really, it’s what’s inside that counts, but I love fashion: little black dresses, stompy black motorcycle boots, sparkly things. Sometimes I wear all black just so I can pretend to be a spy who might need to outrun a bad guy.

I started my blog in 2008 to write about clothes, but I also started CrossFit around that time. Before I knew it, the changes taking place INSIDE my body were more interesting to me than what was hanging on the outside. I kept the title as a snide reminder that it’s what inside that counts — and if you work on the inside with solid training, clean eating, meditation, and yoga, the outside will look great.

Easy Paleo: What is your FAVORITE kitchen tool or appliance, and why?

MJ: This is totally unsexy, but I have a sauté pan that I use for almost every meal, every day, and I love that workhorse. I also couldn’t get very far without my food processor, and right now, I’m in love with the julienne peeler because I had a very tasty batch of zucchini noodles for dinner last night. It’s also essential for any cook to have one very good, reliable knife that makes them feel confident; keep it sharp!

Easy Paleo: How did you learn so much science behind Paleo/food?

MJ: I just look like I know a lot because I trust other smart people: Melissa and Dallas of Whole9, Robb Wolf, and Mark Sisson are the experts I rely on to help me understand enough of the “why” so I can focus on how to translate that into things that taste really good.

Easy Paleo: Tell us about Smudge!

MJ: Smudge started life as a stray cat who wandered into our neighbor Stefanie’s pottery studio and refused to leave. Stef asked us to “babysit” her for one afternoon, and that was pretty much it. That little cat totally tricked us into loving her, and now, she’s the boss of the household. We named her Smudge because she has a black patch on her nose. She reminds me every day to be glad to be alive and to make time to have fun. She likes to hide around corners to play hide-and-seek with us. It’s the most delightful thing ever. I have destroyed whatever meager punk rock cred I might have had by posting Smupdates (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/tag/smupdate/) to my blog; Smudge has made me the crazy cat lady.

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Links:

My Blog – http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Clothes-Make-The-Girl/200689133301047

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/melicious11

Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/melissajoulwan/

Interview Series: Paleo Parents

There are so many bloggers, writers, and smart “paleo-people” out there!  I thought it might be fun to ask some of them a few questions to see what is going on in their “neck of the woods.”   I am hoping to make this a weekly element on my website…  If you are a blogger, and would like to be featured on EasyPaleo.com, be sure to comment on this post so I can contact you.

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This week we’re talking with

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Paleo Parents

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I found these guys as I was browsing for Paleo Pages on Facebook.  I was immediately impressed by how consistent they are with their Paleo life, even with three busy boys.  The biggest excuse I hear from people who are on the fence about going 100% Paleo is “but I have kids!”  Well, that excuse is no longer valid.  Check out this interview with Paleo Parents, Matt and Stacy, and be sure to check out their website and Facebook page too!

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Easy Paleo: Tell us a little about yourselves…

We are Stacy and Matt, the Paleo Parents, and we chronicle our experiences with paleo and with our 3 young children (all active boys!) on our blog at PaleoParents.com. In many ways, we’re fairly typical suburban parents with a few twists. First off, we managed to switch our entire family away from a typical American diet and to a grain-free, legume-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar-free diet. The result of that has been increased health and well being. Our kids no longer have many healthy ailments, and we have lost 200lbs with solving life-long chronic health issues. The second thing that makes us a little different is that Matt is the one who stays home and Stacy is the one who brings home the bacon, so to speak. 
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Easy Paleo: Tell us your Paleo story/stories…

After every pregnancy, Stacy has had to give up dairy or else our babies have had serious gas issues for the first 6 months of their lives. Just before our third son was born, while looking up dairy-free recipes, Stacy stumbled on the term “paleo diet.” Curious, she did some research. Within a few days, she had tossed out most of the food in the pantry and had committed to changing her health. Before the first month was up, Matt saw how much success she was having and jumped on board as well. That was 21 months ago. Since then, we’ve lost 200 pounds, cleared up depression, allergies, symptoms of ADD, and much more. Our kids, too, have benefited, resolving excema, asthma, ADD, and behavioral issues.

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Easy Paleo: Tell us about your book!

After all the changes that happened in our family, we really wanted to share it with the world. We thought that children, in particular, could benefit the most, but would also be the hardest to convince. Cole, our oldest, was a big inspiration to us. He really embraced healthy eating once we were able to explain it to him. We thought, why not write a book for him?

That’s where the idea of eating like a dinosaur came in. It’s simple to explain to a child that “We will only be eating things a dinosaur could eat.” So we set about to write a book for kids on eating the paleo way. There’s an illustrated story in there, plus a lot of kid-friendly recipes and projects and, best of all, we wrote it for kids, not parents. 

Click Here to watch the preview!

Easy Paleo: What is your favorite Paleo recipe/menu item?