Hi everyone!  It feels great to be writing again after being out of commission for nearly a month with a vicious cold.  I’m feeling much better now and fingers crossed, but I think I’ve finally turned the corner and I’m looking forward to getting active with the blog again.

In addition to being sick, I was also busy with finishing my remaining tasks for my cooking school.   I’m happy to announce that I have completed the program and now have a professional cook certificate!

Last month, the Paleo Parents sent me a copy of their new cook book Real Life Paleo and I’ve finally had the chance to try out a few of the recipes and get some thoughts on the book written down.

Real Life Paleo is the real deal! With 175 gluten free recipes, meal ideas, and an easy to follow 3-phased approach to lose weight & gain health this book is a wealth of information.

The book is beautifully designed and I love the photography.  I literally wanted to jump into the pages and start devouring some of the meals. Choosing what recipes to make first was tough but I finally decided on a few and boy I made some good choices!  More on that later.

I’ve read quite a few cookbooks and one of the highlights of this book for me is the organization.  The book is divided into three sections: Swap, Remove, Heal each with their own primer.

If you are new to paleo or a whole foods diet you will find the Swap section incredibly helpful.  The Remove section details which foods to eliminate from your diet and what constitutes healthier options.  The last section, Heal, focuses on nutrient dense healing foods and how to incorporate them into your diet.

The book opens to a beautiful picture recipe index which is organized by food type.  This serves as an awesome quick reference guide.  If you are a visual person you will appreciate it.

Each recipe page contains a legend in the top left corner, specific to that recipe. The recipes are broken down into types:

• Under 30 minutes
• Under 5 ingredients
• One Pot
• Holiday Meal
• On the Go

Each recipe also indicates if the item is Egg Free, Nut-Free and Nightshade free which shouldn’t be overlooked.

Now lets talk about the food!  I have to say I went a little crazy because I wanted breakfast for dinner and I couldn’t stop.  I decided on making the following:

Easy Peasy Pancakes

These pancakes were true to the write up.  The batter turned out light and fluffy and they were easy to flip. They had the perfect crispy outer texture without burning and the insides were soft.  They were the ideal partner for the drizzled maple syrup.

My pancakes weren’t quite as fluffy as the pancakes pictured in the book but the yummy taste made up for that.  I would also say this recipe is simple which is a good thing.  With the help of a food processor it will take very little time to get your pancakes to the table.

I also used this method to make my own almond flour for these pancakes.

Sweet Potato Apple Hash

The Paleo Parents comment that this dish remains a go-to-dish in their repertoire to this day.  After tasting the finished hash, I totally understand why.

The legend indicates this item is: under 30 minutes, under 5 ingredients and one pot.

I love when you get a filling meal that’s made in one dish.  This could even be served as a main with some greens tossed in.  I cooked my sweet potatoes a bit longer than the 30 minutes suggested because I like my sweets nice and soft!I

The combination of sweet potatoes, honey garlic sausage, tart apple and onions combined to make for one tasty and filling hash. Yum!

Blueberry Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties

This recipe was my favourite.  It’s one of 3 breakfast sausage variations of the recipe found on page 164.  I could tell by the heavenly scent of sage,  maple and vibrant blueberries that this recipe would be a hit with my family.  The combination of blueberries, maple and pork just works. Trust me.

I found these breakfast sausages easy to make.  Especially if you’ve made pan-fried burgers or patties in the past.  For an even simpler version, the Paleo Parents suggest making a loose crumbled sausage which would take about 8-10 minutes to cook.

Traditional Beef Sausage Patties

Because the Blueberry Sage Sausage Patties were so good, I decided to also make the Traditional Beef variation.  This variant combines flavours of fennel, paprika and oregano and makes another tasty sausage patty. I liked having a more sweet option with the blueberry sage and a more robust savoury option with the Traditional Beef Sausage.   I put some away to freeze for busy week day mornings when time is tight.

One thing to note is that we found the traditional sausage to be a bit salty.  Next time I would cut the salt by a quarter or half to suit our preference.

In summary…

All three recipes were delicious.  I can also say they re-heat fantastically.  My dinner leftovers became breakfast the next morning.  An awesome weekend breakfast with almost no effort.  I cooked up some eggs and bacon and cut up some fresh fruit and everyone made a plate to their taste.  We sat around the table, eating, sipping on fresh brewed coffee (the adults of course) and enjoying the morning with family, food and smiles.

Should you buy the book?

Yes! Real Life Paleo is  a book you’re going to want to pick up to include in your whole food diet library.  The pages are filled with valuable information, beautiful photography and the recipes are easy to follow.  I really appreciated and enjoyed the 3-phased approach and feel this would make a great primer for anyone new to a whole foods diet.   Stacy and Matt of Paleo Parents have put in such wonderful touches and their hard work comes through in the pages.  It’s no wonder Real Life Paleo is rated 5 stars on Amazon.com

Do you own Real Life Paleo? What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my review?  Love to hear in the comments below!