(The Giveaway is over now. We have a lucky winner! See below)

The recipe and guidebook for gluten-free kids called “Eat Like a Dinosaur” by Paleo Parents has been our kitchen companion for a few months now. Our family has been following a paleo way of eating for quite a while. I buy and prepare the food and pack the school lunches so Benjamin and Nathaniel have not had much choice in the matter. We work hard to make sure eating this way is fun, tasty, and not a constant battle. And while they may put up a fuss about certain dishes now and then, for the most part, the boys have been on board. But Eat Like A Dinosaur has made getting my kids to enjoy eating whole, healthful foods even easier. Reading about and seeing photos of Stacy and Matt’s kids, Cole, Finian and Wesley has helped my boys understand they are not the only kids eating a paleo diet. It has given them more confidence when talking to their friends about their food choices. Nathaniel especially liked the illustrated children’s story that makes up chapter two and has read it several times. Most of all, my boys have enjoyed the recipes in the book. They have fun going through Eat Like a Dinosaur on their own, letting me know what they want to make and then helping me make it.

I think girls as well as boys would enjoy and benefit from this book. But one reason it has gone over especially well with our family is the general love of all things dinosaur. Here are my guys at the newly opened Field Station Dinosaurs in Secaucus, New Jersey just last week. The 30 animatronic dinosaurs were super cool and, not surprisingly, the T-Rex (with the Empire State Building in the background) was the favorite. (We enjoyed ourselves there in spite of the 95 degree temperature!)T-Rex with Empire State BuildingBack to the book….

Here is a summary of the key features of “Eat Like A Dinosaur”

  • 288 pages – more than recipes, includes a “how to” chapter for parents and “projects” to get the family spending time together
  • illustrated kids story aims to get kids excited and thinking positively about embracing food changes
  • over 100 recipes and projects which are grain-, dairy-, legume- and refined sugar-free, but not lacking in flavor or fun!
  • all recipes have full color, bright, fun layout with corresponding photo – enticing to kids
  • allergy-friendly book has top 8 allergens on each page and easy index in the back
  • written & photographed by normal suburban family who turned their health around with switching to a “real foods” diet (lost over 200lbs, kids no longer have asthma, eczema, allergies, behavioral issues, etc.)
  • All recipes are Paleo, but it’s not a Paleo specific book – it’s for all kinds of families with a wide range of food habits – including those with allergies, WAPF, GFCF or simply trying to eat better.

 

 A few of our favorite recipes from Eat Like a Dinosaur:

  • 50/50 Bacon Burgers
  • Apple Bacon Slaw
  • Deviled Bacony Eggs
  • Baconnaise
  • Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

 

Notice a pattern?

Well, the Banana Bread doesn’t have bacon in it….although I’m sure we could find a way to work it in somehow…

Just yesterday we made Deviled Bacony Eggs. Here’s what they looked like.

Nathaniel eats deviled bacony eggs and contemplates the meaning of life…and bacon…and somehow, he figures, the two are very closely related.

Our take on Deviled Bacony Eggs by Paleo Parents:

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup Bacon Mayonnaise (I used this recipe but substituted bacon fat for 1/4 of the total fat.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (less than the amount shown in the book)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3 grape tomatoes quartered
  • crumbled bacon
  • tarragon

 

 Instructions

  1. Hard-boil the eggs.
  2. Slice the eggs in half and remove the yolks to a small bowl.
  3. Add the mayonnaise, salt, vinegar, paprika, mustard and pepper and mash with a fork until smooth.
  4. Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture, top with crumbled bacon, a piece of tomato and some tarragon.

 

Two of the really nice things about Eat Like A Dinosaur are the step-by-step instructions and ideas on how kids can help. Detailed instructions are given for how to hard-boil those eggs, for example. Here’s my 11-year-old, Benjamin, making the Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (Muffins). He’s very serious! Making muffinsEach recipe also has a space for writing notes. This whole “reviewing” recipes idea has been fun for my boys, especially Benjamin who is full of opinions. Here he is with his “review” of the Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (Muffins) when we made them for the first time a few months ago.

So if you are looking for a great recipe and guidebook with 100+ grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free recipes that makes it fun to involve kids, this book is for you!

Giveaway!

If you would like to win a free copy of Eat Like a Dinosaur please leave me a comment below. I also encourage you to “like” the Paleo Spirit Facebook Page and Paleo Parents Facebook Page if you have not already. The contest ends Sunday, July 15th at Midnight EST. I will announce the winner on the Paleo Spirit Facebook Page on Monday, July 16th. (U.S. residents only.)

Good luck!

THE WINNER IS…..

Lisa Dickenson

Thank you to all who entered. I wish I could send everyone a copy!

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