So yesterday was pretty exciting. I opened the front door to find two cardboard boxes the size of old-school TVs on the front porch. And inside? In...
Read MoreIt’s Me… Over There
Today is the official release day for Well Fed Weeknights!
The response to our new book has fired us up, and I so appreciate your fun emails, tweets, Instagram posts, and Facebook messages. It can be pretty tough working alone on a project like this, and it means the world to me that you’re enjoying the recipes. Thank you for your generous support and enthusiasm.
I wish I could say I’ve been going to long hikes, spending hours on my yoga mat, and/or lounging on the couch eating 85% organic dark chocolate truffles.
Instead, I’ve been typing and talking a lot about Well Fed Weeknights. Here’s a compilation of the latest reviews, podcast interviews, and guest posts I’ve written for other blogs. And at the bottom of this post, there’s a big list of the Well Fed Weeknights recipes that can be found in various places online, in case you want to give them a test-run before you buy the book. Enjoy!
Reviews
A bunch of reviews have surfaced lately, and spoiler: People seem to really like the new recipes and the design of the book. YAY!
Ecosalon
“I particularly loved the recipes that stepped out of the ordinary, with lots of flavor thanks to spices and aromatics – not fat. The Moroccan steak salad with fig and pistachio dressing is definitely a new favorite; I ended up licking the pot for the hot dressing clean, with its fresh, slightly sweet-sour flavors. The chicken shawarma bowl – one of the “meat and potato” variants – combines a spiced chicken breast with a crisp, refreshing cabbage slaw and perfectly cooked potatoes, for an easy dish… that adds color even to winter plates.”
Chocolate & Zucchini
“Melissa celebrates the bold flavors of real ingredients with inventiveness and style, making sure that no meal is ever boring, from date-nut kale salad to pizza noodles to Yucatan sauté with cumin-lime sauce.”
An Edible Mosaic
“I never would have thought that I could make a stir-fry that was even remotely as delicious as takeout from my favorite Chinese restaurant. (I’m sure their secret ingredient list includes things like excess salt, sugar, and/or MSG, so it’s no surprise that their food tastes so dang good.) Leave it to the creative genius of Melissa to fix that though, and come up with something that’s not only healthy but will knock your socks off when it comes to flavor.”
The Daily Burn
“…the author of the bestselling Well Fed Cookbook series is back with more than 125 Paleo-friendly dishes. Inspired by your go-to takeout meals and food truck favorites…”
Healthy, Happy, and Hot
If you are primal or paleo, following a Whole30, gluten free and/or dairy free, these recipes are compliant… But you don’t need to have any dietary restrictions to use this book. You just have to like good food! Like Chinese BBQ Pork Meatballs with Snap Peas. Or Tex-Mex Skillet. Or Green Goddess Salad. I could go on and on.”
The Paleo Mom
“Mel is one of my favorite cooking inspirations thanks to her awesome and innovative flavor creations. She’s an expert at taking flavors from around the world and incorporating them into completely grain, gluten, dairy and soy-free recipes that are an absolute breeze to put together!”
Paleo Parents
“Somehow, Melissa managed every single recipe to be both simple, yet creative and flavorful- plus all of the recipes can be made in 45 minutes or less! This is the food you want to eat. It’s lots of vegetables and clean proteins that don’t feel like your just eating… well, vegetables and proteins. This book makes healthy eating exciting.”
Podcasts
I love to talk, and I’ve had the great good fortune lately to talk with some very insightful, motivated, damn good people.
Better Everyday with Sarah Fragoso & Dr. Brook
Lots of good girl talk about how to take care of ourselves and be the best us we can, plus bonus ranting about fresh herbs.
Vibrant, Happy Women with Jen Riday
We took it deep with a conversation about the worst news I ever got, and how we can pick ourselves up when life knocks us down.
Primal Balance with Kendall Kendrick
This was an awesome conversation about being kind to ourselves and how it’s really the best way to get sh*t done.
The Paleo View with Sarah Ballantyne & Stacy Toth
So much practical advice in this one! We talked in detail about the science and art of the Weekly Cookup.
Sustainable Dish with Diana Rodgers
Diana and I tackled meal planning 101 and there are a ton of helpful tips in this conversation athat you can start using right now.
Low Carb Conversations with Jimmy Moore & Jenna the Paleo PA
This show is always a hoot! We weighed in on the latest nutrition headlines in the news, talked about Well Fed Weeknights, and heard from Elle Russ about her super-helpful new book The Paleo Thyroid Solution.
Healthy You Radio Show with Dr. Keesha Ewers
We had the luxury of an hour (!) to discuss all aspects of health and healthy eating.
Guest Posts
I wrote a few blog posts for other sites lately on topics like mindful eating, meal planning, fast cooking tips, and my favorite things.
Popular Paleo: The Best Thing I Ever Ate
Ciarra asked me about my favorite things, including specific recipes, cookbooks, and more. Spoiler: I mentioned a recipe called PMS Brownies.
Whole30: Cook Quickly, Eat Slowly
I shared my new kitchen mantra “Cook quickly, eat slowly” and handy tips for eating more mindfully.
Sustainable Dish: Whole30 & Paleo Meal Planning 101
I outlined five approached to meal planning, including their pros, cons, and tips for putting them into action.
Nom Nom Paleo: Tips for Fast Cooking
I explained five easy tricks for making your kitchen time go a little bit faster, including specific recipes and tools I use all the time—and I shared the recipe for Dan Dan Noodles from Well Fed Weeknights.
Well Fed Weeknights Recipes
Awesome bloggers have been sharing Well Fed Weeknights recipes all over the place. I’ve compiled them here so you can (a) visit the bloggers that have been so supportive of Well Fed Weeknights to check out their own awesome work; and (b) get your hands on new recipes before the book is out on November 1. Happy cooking!
My site: Yucatan Green Chile Sauté | Fried Chicken Meatballs with Collard Greens | Deconstructed Sushi Bowl
The Daily Meal: Chicken Shawarma | Italian Hoagie Salad | Weeknight Rogan Josh with Sweet Potato Home Fries
A Calculated Whisk: Picadillo with Plantains
Edible Mosaic: Beef and Snap Pea Stir-Fry
Mark’s Daily Apple: Beef Milanesa with Peach Salsa & Spinach
Nom Nom Paleo: Dan Dan Noodles
Popular Paleo: Sticky Sunflower Chicken with Sesame Broccoli
Sophisticated Caveman: Chinese BBQ Meatballs with Snap Peas
Stupid Easy Paleo: Greens with Potatoes & Sausage
ZenBelly: Moo Shu Pork Stir-Fry
MyRecipes.com
I was invited to take over the Facebook page for MyRecipes to do three cooking demos:
Chicken Satay Burgers with Cauliflower Rice: Recipe | Cooking Video
Fretta: Recipe | Cooking Video
Curry Chicken-Salad Salad: Recipe | Cooking Video
Well Fed Weeknights Mini Tour
I’m going on a mini book tour. I would love to see you in person!
November 5 | Facebook Live with Nom Nom Paleo | 3:00 pm
We’re doing a live cooking demo of Chicken Paillard with Onion-Pepita Relish from Well Fed Weeknights. I can only assume some kind of hijinks will also be on the schedule.
November 7 | Omnivore Books | San Francisco, CA | 6:30 pm
Omnivore is a fantastic culinary bookstore, and I’m delighted to be doing a signing there. It’s literally a dream come true. I’ll be going to Omnivore on Sunday, too, when Diane Sanfilippo and Simone Miller are signing their books. Rumor has it they’re crashing my signing, too.
November 9 | BookPeople | Austin, TX | 7:00 pm
We’re returning to our old Austin stomping grounds! And I’m thrilled that Common Threads—the charity we chose to receive some of the proceeds from Well Fed Weeknights—will be joining us at BookPeople.
Signed Copies of Well Fed Weeknights
BookPeople is a truly awesome independent bookstore with a beautifully curated collection of fiction, nonfiction, magazines, and unique gifts. They supported the original Well Fed when it was first release, and I was new to self publishing (a.k.a., learning as I went along a sometimes rocky path). I’ve always really appreciated how they embraced Well Fed and Well Fed 2. Now they’re making signed copies of Well Fed Weeknights available with worldwide shipping, ’cause they’re just really cool like that. You can order a signed copy here—just add it to your cart and specify SIGNED COPY in the comments field when you check out.
You can buy Well Fed Weeknights so many awesome places, including my online store. I encourage you to support your favorite local bookstore by shopping there—or use the links below to order online.
Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | BAM! Books-a-Million | Barnes & Noble | BookPeople
Hudson Booksellers | Indie Bound | Indigo | Powell’s | Target | Walmart
If you need more convincing, you can download a free 70-page sampler that features 18 recipes, including Fried Chicken Meatballs. Get the Well Fed Weeknights sampler now!
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October
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Behind-the-Scenes of Well Fed Weeknights
Here's something you might not know about my husband Dave and I: We're indie publishers! We decided in 2011 before our first cookbook Well Fed...
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So bummed…loving your blogs, but I purchased a bundle of the 3 books back in the first k of Oct only to receive 2 today (no well fed week nights). Had hoped to give the collection as a birthday present to bf who is also a fan. Fingers crossed, it will magically appear soon.
Well Fed Weeknights is in the shipping pipeline and you should have it soon! The first two books shipped from a different warehouse which is why you got those already.
Thanks, Melissa! Enjoy your time away (wait, where’s Smudge?)
Hi Mel,
Do you know who your Canadian publisher is? I ordered from Amazon.ca months ago but they are still saying the book is not released yet. 🙁
The books for Amazon.ca have been shipped to them… but Amazon really does its own thing, so we don’t have any control over when they ship to customers. I expect you’ll see your copy soon!
Hi Mel!
This Canadian just received her copy from amazon.ca!!! I am beyond impressed with Well Fed Weeknights! You are like a Recipe Ninja! I am in awe of your many original dishes in this one! I love your variations on salads, burgers, stir-frys, meat & potatoes, and hotdogs?!!!! (Here’s hoping I can track down some compliant wieners up here!) I don’t even know where to start! I know I will enjoy this third Well Fed instalment at least as much as the first two! Congrats and many thanks on this outstanding treasure!
Hooray! I’m happy it arrived! And I’m very glad you’re excited about the recipes. Have fun choosing and playing around in the kitchen. Thank you so much for buying our new book!
I own all three of your books and have been pleased with the recipes I have tried. Today was a cold day here and my plans for a Chicken Shwarma salad were just not appealing. I was hungry & cold and out of ingredients to quickly turn that yummy recipe into a hot dish. So I pulled out Well Fed Weeknights and flipping through it I came across the recipe for Fretta. It was quick, I had most of the ingredients on hand and so ta-da Saturday morning brunch! Wow! I have never put pepperoni & salami in eggs before but that was a fabulous dish! I really appreciate that your recipes include options & idea for doing them differently. That is the way I approach most cooking, I like to tailor to my own tastes and needs. While I didn’t have ham, for the Fretta, I didn’t let that stop me and I added in spinach and some mozzarella cheese. It was wonderful! So good, in fact, that I felt the need to let you know via your blog. Thank you for putting together delicious recipes and flavors for us to enjoy!
Ah, the fretta! When I was in college, it saved me many times. And yes, it’s super flexible. Pepperoni and salami make eggs taste like magic, right?! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. And thank you VERY MUCH for buying all of our cookbooks!