Years ago there were a handful of paleo books on bookstore shelves, Paleo Magazine had just launched, and no one was talking about paleo kids and the unique process of transitioning a child into a paleo lifestyle.
At that point years ago we were two years into our 3 phased approach, seeing and feeling tremendous improvements in our health (every member of the family!!), and we were shouting the praises of paleo to anyone and everyone who would listen.
While I jumped into paleo with the 30 day elimination approach, and Matt joined me soon after, we slowly eased the boys into a paleo lifestyle. We learned so much through our personal experience on how to teach kids about the ‘why’ of removing gluten and dairy from their meals, recipes that kids could help with in the kitchen, and how to replace old favorites with new and healthy alternatives. Feeling beyond appreciative about the place we had reached in our health journey, we wanted to share our findings with others, and to specifically write a book that spoke to kids. We missed being able to pull “regular” cookbooks off the shelf and cook, creating loving memories, with our children. We set out to write a book our children – and all children with food sensitivities – could enjoy.
While we knew that we didn’t want to write or market a “Paleo diet” book for children, we knew we wanted to reach the audience of people who’d so many times told us of their childrens’ many allergies. So we made a paleo-friendly book that’s specifically allergen-friendly. It was the first Paleo book on the market to ever note “nut-free”, “egg-free”, etc. on recipes and we did it with easy graphic icons children could self identify. We also wrote a story about our family that we hoped would help children feel less alone or confused. But, ultimately it came down to easy, simple, recipes (which, by the way is a huge draw for a lot of people who don’t even have kids that love this book!) that reminded our boys both of the foods they missed eating as well as the new, nutrient-dense foods that make their bodies healthy and strong.
And so we did, and three years ago (yesterday), we released it to the masses and were overwhelmed with the feedback we received – and continue to receive to this day! Our first cookbook, Eat Like a Dinosaur, is on it’s third printing (the first printing sold out before it released!) and continues to reach a wide audience. With over 400 reviews averaging 5 stars on Amazon, we THANK YOU for sharing your love of this book with people you know!
Pumpkin Pucks from Eat Like a Dinosaur
To read the full story on how this book evolved from a ‘can we really publish a book?’ dream, to a full on reality, filled with introductions to our publisher, recipe development and photoshoots (yes, we actually photographed this one ourselves), to book signings and more – read this page. And to see the preview pages and a video featuring a peanut-sized Wesley, visit here. And to find the recipes from the book that are also available on our site, click here (psst, many of our fan favorites are featured in this book, like Frozen Waffles, Fools Gold Chicken Nuggets, Grain-Free Granola, Mini Egg Pizzas, 50/50 Bacon Burgers, Pumpkin Pucks, and Anytime Cookies – it’s a gold mine of easy, flavorful recipes!).
Mini Egg Pizzas from Eat Like a Dinosaur
The three year anniversary of the release of Eat Like a Dinosaur feels like such a big milestone in our health journey for so many reasons. Looking back at those initial book release announcements, seeing pictures from those signing events, and reading those first few reviews still floods me with all sorts of emotions.
I am proud of all of our books, but this one feels like an extension of our boys – where they were and how far they have come. They taught us so much about how to help kids, families really, to adopt a healthy lifestyle in a way that felt sustainable, comfortable and attainable; and it is because of them that we were able to take our findings and share them with other families who walked in our same shoes. Now that is a wonderful milestone, and one that I hope our boys grow to recognize and appreciate as they age.
Here are some of the reviews that specifically tug at my heart:
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Thank to all who have purchased a copy of this book over the last three years, who have left reviews, and who have shared copies with others! We throw all the high-fives to the families who have decided to create a different future for their children, one with health at the forefront of their goals!
If you haven’t yet picked up a copy, you can snag one off Amazon here (or head to BOTH Facebook and Instagram today for a chance to WIN A COPY!!!). And if you have a copy, but haven’t yet left a review, we would be oh so appreciate if you did here.
Happy Birthday Eat Like a Dinosaur! May you give many more children all that you gave ours!
