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This review is A LONG time coming! There has been a lot going on in the lives of our family  and the blog took a back seat. And in the late fall I was given this book to review. I’ve actually used it A LOT, but never had the presence of mind or the ability to write up a review. I really feel bad it took this long, but it’s getting done now! I reviewed one of Paleo Parent’s previous cookbooks called Beyond Bacon and this one is just as good… in my opinion is better! I LOVED [amazon_link id=”1936608235″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Beyond Bacon[/amazon_link] because it used only pork recipes and it used all of the pig which is the way our family likes to eat. This cookbook however, has much more traditional and daily (as the title implies!) recipes for everyday meals!

I try not to live in the kitchen, although it often feels like it. These recipes are quick and simple and easy to prepare for a realistic dinner! The cookbook has meal plans in the front with beautiful photography and design through out. It’s a book I actually enjoyed sitting down and browsing through the pages and just looking at all the photos. I also try most recipes based on how it looks and then by the ingredient list. This book didn’t disappoint!

Here are some of the recipes I tried and that were family approved in no particular order:

Easy Peasy Pancakes: These pancakes had the usual pancake consistency and is now my go to recipe! It ALWAYS turns out and the kids inhale them, although they will inhale most pancakes, these have definite taken the favored position! The recipe recommends cooking over a hot skillet and I will add to that, the cast iron skillet definitely works best and added lard or butter after every other batch. I don’t have an electric skillet though, so I’m not sure how that would work. Med/low for temperature worked well for cooking and not burning. This recipe calls for bananas, but I didn’t feel like it has an overwhelming banana flavor, just the sweetness came through! And as a side note, we figured out that a double batch makes about 40, 5 inch pancakes!

CC’s Perfect Hash Browns: I was hesitant about this recipe because I was sure it wasn’t going to work… but I was mistaken. The main ingredient is potatoe, obviously, but there isn’t any flour or eggs to hold it together. The other ingredients are only spices! But it worked gloriously and they were delicious! We couldn’t eat enough of these. I will say they took quite a lot of time to cook, but it was WELL worth the time and effort! A new fave in our house!

Honey Nut Cereal: Here is another simple recipe (the theme of this post) that was delicious! It is labeled as cereal, but we used it over ice cream, and on baked pears or other baked fruit desserts. I definitely wouldn’t serve this as a breakfast cereal, but I’m sure others would! It is sweet, but probably pretty average for the general population.

Gummy Snacks: I purchased some Great Lakes Gelatin a while ago and have had it on my to do list to figure out how to make jello and gummy snacks… and here it is! These turned out great! I really liked the flavor and consistency and so did the kids. They devour them and beg for them to be made again. I would say that is success and the mark of a good recipe! Kid approved!

Fried Sweet Plantains: This is another recipe that I’ve wanted to make for years, but just haven’t purchased the plantains, waited for them to ripen and then looked up a recipe. I know.. .kinda dumb. It is such a simple thing to do and a delicious dessert, but it just hasn’t been that big of a priority! But! Since this recipe dropped in my lap I decided we had to give it a try! And I’m glad I did! It was really simple and certainly be a repeat!

Mongolian Beef: This recipe was AMAZING! We all couldn’t eat enough of it! However… we joked that it was dessert for dinner. It was really good, but very sweet, and used a lot of sweeteners! We will save this recipe for special occasions! However, I can see how this recipe in particular would be great for people just starting into the paleo life and wanting some healthy options that taste a lot like the traditional foods they are used too. This is a great transitional option!

Samoa Brownies: WOW! Talk about sweet! And DELICIOUS! I could only eat a small piece, but that’s great! It made the dessert last even longer! It was a huge hit with our family and the other families I served it to at our bible study! The only thing I didn’t like about this recipe is that there is a double amount of the caramel sauce than what was needed. I then ended up with a lot of sauce that we don’t typically use very often. I think I still have some sitting around! However, that is my opinion, but I’m sure others would love to have that on hand for adding to their coffee or topping on ice cream!

Those are our favorites! But I have a LONG list of foods I’m still planning on trying. Some of them include, Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake, Energy Bars, Zucchini Cauliflower Tots, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms, Creamed Kale, Yuka Fries, Rocky Road Blondies, Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies, and the list could go on… but I just suggest that you get a copy and try them on your own. I REALLY don’t think you will be disappointed!