{Scroll down to enter to win Well Fed Weeknights.}
There is no one-size-fits-all in nutrition. It isn’t a popular thing to say because we all prefer quick fixes and overnight transformations. But the truth is, health is highly individual, and self-experimentation and self-discovery are the only pursuits that will get you anywhere.
I myself have an inclination toward vegetarianism; I turn to plant-based foods by default. However, when I have leaned too far in that direction, I have noticed I don’t do well relying so heavily on grains and legumes. And when I dabbled at a paleo style of eating* I realized that it may, in fact, be closer to what my system needs to thrive. (This explains all the paleo-friendly recipes in my archives.)
I am, however, an omnivore by taste and by trade, and I strive to find a happy middle ground between what my brain tells me I want to eat, what my body tells me I need to eat, and what the world tells me is available to eat. Day by day, meal by meal, I follow my appetite and try to stay in tune with how I feel.
But the common theme woven throughout is my insistence on real food, and no one is more on board with that than Melissa Joulwan, whose paleo blog is based on that very premise.
Melissa writes about life, exercise, and food, and she has just published a truly inspiring cookbook, Well Fed Weeknights, that highlights healthy, paleo meals designed for weeknight cooking.
Melissa’s voice is fun and approachable, and she does a great job of de-mystifying the paleo lifestyle, showcasing the wonderful foods that do remain when you forgo grains, dairy, legumes, soy, sugar, and processed ingredients.
Best of all, the recipes can be made in less than 45 minutes. 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.
Beyond the recipes, she shares tips on eating paleo in the outside world without stress (removing some of the pressure by declaring, “You’re not aiming for perfection”), suggestions of 50 comforting things (running the spectrum between the cool side of the pillow to someone scratching the itch you can’t reach), and downloadable grocery lists.
For a quick taste of what’s inside Well Fed Weeknights, Melissa has made available a free sampler that you can download to get access to recipes from the book: just click through to her store and the download link is at the top. And if you want a further peek inside, you can watch Melissa flip through the book. (Strangely hypnotic.)
Giveaway Details
And Melissa is offering to send five copies of Well Fed Weeknights to C&Z readers! She has generously offered to open this to international addresses as well, so you can participate wherever you are in the world.
To enter, please fill out this form before Thursday, October 20, midnight Paris time.
I will then draw 5 names randomly (if you’re curious this is the service I use), and announce the winners here the next day. Good luck to you!
Winners announced! Our five lucky winners are Shari (s****b*****1@gmail.com), Tiffany (p*****b****@gmail.com), Joan (j*****0@sio.midco.net), Ellen (e**a*****@gmail.com), and Paul (p******g*@gmail.com). Congratulations! You should have received an email with instructions. If you haven’t, check your spam folder, and if it’s not in there, please get in touch.
* Um, what does the paleo diet consists of again? Here’s Melissa Joulwan’s primer.
