Happy February 28th! Tomorrow is the beginning of meteorological Spring, but many of you are still feeling very winter-ish. Here in Chicago, we have finally experienced winter. Some of you in the Northeast have been constantly digging out from winter's mess for two months. Perhaps we should all become snow-birds and move to Florida. I hear there's plenty of cheap housing around Fort Myers (Cape Coral, anyone?).
Spring puts me in the mood to break out and try something new. And if you are familiar with my blog, you know I have recently had a revelation; many of my posts focus on this simple philosophy:
Ruts = Boredom -> FAILURE!
I often tie this to food choices or workouts. And today is no different. So how do you stay away from falling into ruts? Find something that forces you to be varied in your approach. When it comes to fitness, many of you know that CrossFit is based on variation to keep your body "guessing." And for many, it works. If you have recently completed the Whole30 program, I hope you have also discovered their semi-varied strength program, 603PTP. In fact, I'm going back to that in March to get ready for the Tough Mudder in May.
What else forces me to stay out of ruts...especially in the kitchen? Cookbooks! I love a good cookbook, and I have mentioned before that I have learned to enjoy the kitchen during the past 4 months of following a "paleo"-type lifestyle (No, I am not wearing animal skins and living in a cave; although, that sounds like an fun adventure). I have discovered some treasures: Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook, Well Fed, Practical Paleo, Eat Like a Dinosaur, & The Caveman Feast.
After buying these, my wife and I have had wonderful moments menu planning while flipping the pages (paper & virtual) to find new ways of staying out of the meal-time "ruts." One of my favorites to look at and flip through is George Bryant & Abel James' e-cookbook, The Caveman Feast. In fact, it was the first e-cookbook that I took a risk buying. I did not know if I would enjoy cooking from my iPad mini. I thought, "expensive electronics next to stove & range is not a good idea." But I am surprised by how much I like it and use it in the kitchen.
If you want to know more about George & Abel, you can find their stories, podcasts, and creations at these two websites: The Civilized Caveman and Fat Burning Man.
But The Caveman Feast is a simple compilation of all these things. Three specific things stand out that make me advocate for this cookbook & I believe every cookbook should have:
#1: Variety - The authors provide about 45 beef entrees, 10 pork entrees, 20 chicken entrees, 5 seafood entrees, and 20 breakfast ideas. And if that's not enough, they provide recipes for sides, veggies, rubs, dressings, and sauces to mix things up even more. And dare I skip the desserts? Can you say, "More than 40 grain-free desserts?" In fact, this is my go-to source for dessert ideas like Chocolate Bacon Bites. Yes, the authors are bacon-minded...a very good thing in my book.
#2: Beautiful Pictures - Every good cookbook should have pictures of their food that inspires you to make that same yummy-ness in your own kitchen. Who wouldn't want to go home and make these Blueberry Espresso Brownies tonight? Or wake up tomorrow morning and make this Simple Sweet Scramble? Needless to say, the pictures inspire me to cook.
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| *Photos courtesy of CivilizedCaveman.com |
#3: Simple Ingredients & Instructions - In order to make these foods, I need clear instructions that don't have me throwing dishes all over the kitchen (which I tend to do anyway). Each recipe is complete with straight-forward preparation & cooking instructions.
So here's my sales-pitch (something I'm not very good at). All this can be yours today for $19.95 . But before you buy it, please make sure you have something to read it on (preferably an e-reader with a color screen like an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone or Kindle Fire). A laptop or desktop computer will work also, but I doubt your desktop is on your kitchen counter. All you have to do is follow this link. (In full disclosure, yes, I do get a little kick back for referring you, and your help is greatly appreciated). Thanks!
