Sometimes I felt like this day would never arrive. After a few years of collecting recipe ideas, the summer of 2015 spent recipe testing, months of writing,...
Read MoreCookbook Update
Bora Bora Fireballs
We’re thisclose to having a design for the cover of the cookbook, and I can’t wait to show that to you! Since we’re not quite ready for the big reveal, now seems like a fine time to share the cookbook title and a few sample photos to whet your appetite.
The Title
We held a title brainstorm with some of our smarty-pants friends last month. Fueled by sample recipes from the cookbook and maybe a little red wine, we covered giant post-its with ideas that ranged from silly to serious. As the night wore on, we culled down the possibilities. Then we chewed on them for a few days. And then we decided.
Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat
I’m very fortunate to have so many talented people working with me on this project! The foreward is being written by the always fabulous Melissa & Dallas Hartwig of Whole9Life. As I mentioned earlier this summer, the ridiculously-talented Kathleen Shannon is doing our design, and my husband Dave is the master behind the camera. Smudge is my writing assistant and often, despite my objections, helps with the food styling.
So what’s inside?
Well Fed is packed with recipes for food you can eat every day, along with easy tips to make sure it takes as little time as possible to get you from “What the *$&^@ am I going to eat?” to stuffing paleo food into your well-deserving mouth.
If you count meals and snacks, we feed ourselves about 28 times each week. All of the recipes – made with no grains, legumes, soy, sugar, dairy, or alcohol – were created so you can enjoy your food every time. Calorie-dense ingredients like dried fruit and nuts show up as flavoring, instead of primary ingredients, and there’s a balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats, so you don’t have to worry about that stuff – you can just eat.
The Photos
I know the true way to your stomach is by tempting your eyes, so here are a few sample photos; every recipe will accompanied by a full-page pic. Click the images if you’re hungry for the expanded view.
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We’re pushing hard to hit our October 1 deadline for writing and photography – thanks in advance for your patience if I don’t update my blog as frequently as usual. To make it up to you, there will be all kinds of fun give-aways and sneak peeks this fall. And Well Fed will be released – as a printed book and an ebook (PDF) – the first week of December. Thanks for your supportive comments and enthusiasm throughout this process – you’re helping me more than you know.
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My Czech Interview
Remember when Dave and I went to Prague in November for the release of the Czech version of Well Fed — a.k.a., Dobře živeni? The book has...
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Looks fabulous Melissa! So bleeping excited for you! Yay cookbooks!
YAY, cookbooks, indeed! Not too long ’til we get our hands on yours. WOOT!
Mel,
Congrats on the book! I can’t wait to get it. I’m thinking Christmas gifts! You are so right about the pictures. I truly believe you should never have a cookbook without picture in it. Good luck!
HOLY CRAP! I’m so excited for you! I can’t wait to get my hungry little hands on that book. Will your book be available for pre-order on Amazon?
It will definitely be available for sale on Amazon. Not sure about pre-orders yet. We’re using createspace to self-publish, and we’re trying to work out the details of pre-ordering. Will keep you posted on how that works out!
It’s going to be gorgeous! I think those Bora Bora balls are what I’m going to make first. Can’t wait!
YAY! The Bora Bora Fireballs came to me in a dream — true story! And I’m really happy with how they turned out. I think you’re going to like them!
I can’t wait, Mel!!!!
Thank you! Me, either!
Wow. Can I pre-order it yet?
-Okra Guy
OKRA GUY!
We’re not sure yet if we’ll be able to do pre-orders, but we’re trying to work out the details to make it happen. Will keep you posted on how that works out!
OMG! Can’t waitttt! 🙂 Pictures are awesome and the title is great……. gonna be a fun winter of cooking with your book on our shelf <3 ~*~*~*~
I love the idea of everyone holed in during the cold weather, making comforting food from my cookbook. FUN!
DAY-umm! December can’t come soon enough! (And the photos are crazy-great. Please tell Dave I need some photography lessons from him as soon as the book goes to print…)
You are so sweet! Dave told me to tell you that he took lessons from your photos 😉
I am SO excited about this. Once it hits preorder on Amazon I am putting that bad boy on my Pinterest list of paleo/primal/Crossfitter gift ideas…not to mention my own wish list. 😀
CAN’T WAIT!
YAY! Thanks for your enthusiasm!
I am so IMPRESSED. It looks deliciously awesome. Way to go! I’ve loved all your recipes through this blog and can’t wait to see the book. Such a terrific accomplishment. I’m inspired!
Thanks, Lady A! The new recipes — and the old favorites that I updated — are tasting SO good. Can’t wait for everyone to try them.
What a tease! I can’t believe you’re making me wait until DECEMBER.
I know! I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to lead you on…
Beautiful!!! I don’t own any Paleo cookbooks but I’m certain this will be my first!
Hooray! I’d love to be the first in your collection.
Wow Mel…what everyone else already said! GREAT PHOTOS!! And even though we just finished dinner, you have my mouth watering. I think everyone will be patient with less blog updates while you wrap up this awesome project. (My way of saying don’t over do it and end up spontaneously combusting or something!)
Thank you, Patty! Dave will be tickled that you like the photos. Thanks, too, for your kind words about my workload… I’m trying not to combust right now 😉
Perfect title, amazing pics…I couldn’t be more excited. I’m thinking this will make a great Christmas gift for family members who always ask about our Paleo lifestyle! Yay!
I’m really hoping people will give it as a gift so their friends and family can see that paleo isn’t weird. It’s just good food!
I’m excited, along with everyone else apparently. Yay! This is officially on my Christmas list and I will win everyone over with your awesome recipes.
YAY! Thanks for being excited. It helps when I’m facing down a stack of 4 recipes that need to be tested 🙂
Zowie! Can’t wait, of course, but I gotta tell you that I can wait for a cookbook with such a snappy title … Well Fed, indeed! You do have smarty pants friends! I promise I will not mutter and grumble if I have to get thru a few days without a blog post … focus on your cookbook! Knowing that Smudge is on the production staff helps a lot! (Sorry about all the exclamation points, but this whole project is just so exciting, practically every sentence calls for at least one! Or possibly more !!!!!)
Ehsa! Your comments are always such a joy. I love the exclamation points!!!!
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! I simply can’t wait to get your cookbook! Love the photos and I know the recipes will be AWESOME!
You’re the sweetest. You need to do a Nom Nom cookbook: awesome paleo food, minimum kitchen time.
SO exciting! The pictures look great and I’m excited about adding more of your recipes to my arsenal.
Thank you! Dave is a photography wizard.
This is on the wish list for the holidays … wow am I looking forward to this.
Thanks, Svend! I love the idea of everyone being armed with great recipes to start the new year off right!
Melissa,
I look forward to having your cookbook in my hands like a kid waits for Christmas! Your food is delicious, your writing is thoughtful, your pictures are drool worthy and your wit is perfection. I have quietly followed your blog for quite a while now. I can’t wait! Thank You!
Thank you so much for commenting, Tonya! And with such lovely words, too. I really appreciate the support.
MELISSA!!!!! OMG! I am so excited! Well Fed sounds DELISH!! I am counting down the days til December!!! YUMMMMMYYY!!
I’ll be sharing some new sample recipes in November, so you don’t have to wait too much longer.
I have been stalking your blog for a couple of months now, since completing the Whole 30 Challenge during the month of July (yes, we were on the Whole 30 on July 4th, and it was a major bummer!)
I’m really excited you’re publishing a cookbook because you make Dino Chow and Whole 30 eating AMAZING!
Thanks for your hard work and sense of humor!
Hey, Amanda! Congrats on doing your Whole30. Fourth of July with no beer and buns on the hot dogs is a bummer — but honestly, with all the holidays and foods I love, I could come up with something every month that I missed 😉
Thank you for your kind words!
Even though I love to cook, I don’t think I’ve bought a cookbook(for myself at least) in forever. I’m so excited to break that trend in December! At this point, I have far too many of your recipes scrawled on scraps of paper and taped to my fridge. Very very excited!
…i’m typing this after finishing my sb&j leftovers for lunch at work and refraining from inappropriately licking the last of your delish mayo from the tupperware. if only i had another carrot stick!
I have those same scraps of paper and get really sick of walking back and forth between my cutting board and my laptop to get the recipes off my blog. I’m really looking forward to having a hard copy, too!
Um. I use my finger to get the last of the mayo from the container. For real. #nomanners
Hooray, can’t wait! Your recipes (and overall enthusiasm) have been absolutely crucial to me getting my husband to come along on my new Whole30! A die-hard cheese devotee, I have hushed his “But what can I eat? I’m so hungry!” panics by shoving one of your recipes in his mouth (Czech Meatballs have been especially helpful).
He glanced over my shoulder when I was looking at your sample cookbook page and said “Whoa, can we have THAT for dinner?!” (I think it was a sausage strata)… I’ll tell him that he just has to wait until December and we’ll have it 🙂
It’s nice that Czech Meatballs are just the right size to plug a mouth that’s saying things we don’t want to hear 😉
The Sausage Strata is definitely a keeper. I made it for Christmas Eve last year as my contribution to our annual lasagna festival. Love that you guys might be eating it around the holidays, too!
Adding my “hoorays!” too. I can’t wait!
HOORAY! YAY!
WOW. I am so excited for this!! The pictures look AMAZING! I really can’t wait!
Thanks, Frisky! I want you to review a copy on your blog… what d’ya say?
I can not WAIT for this. Sorry, my excitement sometimes gets the better of me, and those pictures stimulated the portions of my brain that inspire me to make mountains of food for a 6 person dinner party.
Thanks, Carrey! I love the idea of a dinner party of recipes from our cookbook. SO FUN!
I CAN’T WAIT!!!! I don’t know what that picture is that looks like sweet potato or pumpkin in the casserole dish with the pecans on top but I want to eat it….NOW 🙂 Seriously I second what everyone said, you’re fabulous, witty, and you care about what you write and who reads it 🙂 you’re a rock star!!!!
Judi, thank you so much! That photo is Velvety Butternut Squash, and it’s SO good. Can’t wait to share that recipe!
Your kind words about my writing mean so much to me. Your comment will carry me through my writing this weekend!
I. CANNOT. WAIT. !!! I love the title ! When I saw Well Fed, I immediately thought ‘Nuff Said! The thing I love about your recipes is they are all about taste. You’ve done all the hard work for us in transforming eating paleo from being challenging and sometimes limiting to a tasty adventure. All of the recipes I’ve tried from your blog have been fantastic, so I simply can’t wait for your cookbook! 🙂
Thank you for the enthusiasm and endorsement, Chia! Really — so cool.
FANTASTIC. EXCITING for sure
Yay! December is my birthday month! It’s a good month! Can’t wait!
can’t wait for it!!
I’m looking forward to this! I love every single recipe of yours that I have tried, and I definitely plan on purchasing your cookbook!!
Thanks, friends, for your cookbook enthusiasm! We’re wrapping up content production this week, so we’re super excited.
Hey Melissa!
Do you guys have an update for preordering yet? I’d love to be able to order your book – and I hear Prague is so pretty, my brother lives there!
We should have info on pre-ordering in the next few weeks. We’re still sorting it all out.
Prague is FANTASTIC! Visit your brother as soon as possible.