Paleo Kitchen, kind of

Often, recipes labeled "easy" or "simple" are so without fanfare or a lack of ingredients that they taste just blah.  I have found a recipe book that seems to blend both easy/simple, fewer steps/ingredients and the results are delicious, not kidding.

Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso really is good, fast, easy to acquire the ingredients and wholesome.  I will have to give the highlights as I progress through the recipes to see if it has enough to make it a "great" cookbook or not for my family.  For now, I am stoked about it.  It is geared towards families with the young with adults taste buds thoughtfully considered too.  The recipes are classic Paleo, no grains, little or zero dairy, no legumes and, no sugar and, so far, it is giving me some ideas.  Some yummy ideas.  Here are a few on the menu right now:

Red Curry Beef Stew with sweet potatoes and purple cabbage (winner!)
Salmon Rolls with mandolin cut zucchini squash (Mama likes, need to slice zucchini very thin to keep the roll in place.  Win asked if I needed "food tape".)
Walnut Red Pepper dip (for lunch with meat and fruit salad and veggies to dip) Have not tried yet.
Spice Rubbed Chicken ( for tonight! with sauteed cabbage from The Art of Simple Food )
Pollo Con Salsa Roja (put in crock to eat upon return from swimming pool when we were good and hungry, winner! )
Everyday Meatloaf (Have not prepared yet.)
Egg Houses with hollowed out tomatoes as the "house" for breakfast (great, but don't overcook the eggs, watch closely)
Huevos Rancheros (winner!!!! Love this one with skillet roasted tomatillo salsa made fresh and fresh dices avocados...to. die. for.)
Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies with coconut milk as the base

Chocolate & Zucchini Cake:recipe here (see, I digress with dessert, gotta have a cake now and then!  Mine is gluten free)

And that is just for what is on the plan for the week or rest of the week or the coming days, depending on how leftovers fair.  I am wanting to get more veggies into all of us and less grains.  Grains raise our insulin response and can increase chances for diabetes so I want to avoid that when I can.  By far, I will not go totally Paleo or grain free but, it is so easy to eat plenty of grain and dairy and much more difficult to get the little ones to eat more veggies (and grownups too really).  (are you thinking "duh!")  I also am not wanting to hide the veggies.   I want the kids to know they are eating cabbage or Brussels sprouts or pesto and what is in it but, alas, it must taste good and that is my standard too.  They will not touch it ever again if I don't get it right the first time.  I have seen this happen.  I have loathed how that happens.  Anyway, I have been down the road, when we were minus two children, where I did bland vegan (maybe I used the wrong recipes I admit because I don't think it is all bland, how would a vegan survive?!) and plain, nonsustaining vegetarian meals often and have learned, we need meat.  We need energy and higher protein seems to hit it for all of us.  I still use those books too for sides or sidetracks or company meals but find that focusing on pushing up the veggies is always a challenge, hence Paleo style.

Italian Fried Steak with Roasted Red Pepper pesto , roasted carrots, sauteed cauliflower and a green salad (not from Everyday Paleo but Paleo inspired for sure)

There are lots of good crock pot recipes in here too.  Also, I must say, you must purchase a mandolin.  I bought one at HEB for 15$ and it is a huge boon to my kitchen prep time for veggies.  I always thought they were at least hundred dollars (I guess I thought only Williams Sonoma sold them!) for a decent one but this one is great..get one!

Happy Paleo kitchen!