You guys, I’ve been sitting on a piece of information for a few months, and I’m bursting-at-the-seams excited to finally let you in on it!
UPDATE: Paleo Power Bowls is now available for Pre-Order and will be published Jan 21, 2019! You can order now through Amazon!
I’m writing a cookbook!
^Can you tell beating around the bush to incite mystery isn’t on my list of talents? Captain Candid over here 😉
I’ve known for a few months now that this book was in the works, but I wanted to be sure I nestled into the concept on my own before shouting it from the mountaintops. So as you can see, I’ve nestled! I’ve marinated, I’ve meditated, and my golly, I’m so ready to upchuck all the details so that we can move forward on this epic adventure togezzah! Plus, I have included a few spoiler photos to whet your whistle.
Ready for all the deets? Here we go!
Cookbook Details:
What’s the topic? I’m writing the book on Paleo bowl food – we’re talking paleo meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert) that include seasonal produce, yummy mouth-watering sauces, all swaddled in a big nourishing bowl of bliss. All recipes will be whole food based using unprocessed ingredients, and contain zero grains (with the exception of a little rice), dairy, alcohol, beans, legumes, or refined sugar.
WORKING TITLE: Power Bowls: 100 Quick and Easy Paleo Meals in Bowls… Any suggestions on title? I’m not married to this one, though I do like it.
MATERIALS DUE DATE: May 1, 2018
TENTATIVE PUBLICATION: November, 2018
MY WEEKLY GOAL: Develop 3 recipes for the book per week (in addition to my freelance work and blog recipes) <- so far, this has been pretty doable!
Who is this book for?
Who is this book geared for? I’m tempted to toss my hands in the air like the salsa dancer emoji and just say, “Everyone!” As you can tell, I’m wildly passionate about living an unprocessed, au natural, granola munching, hippy McHipsalot life, so in my heavily biased mind, most individuals can benefit from a cookbook centered around whole foods. But if I were to elevator pitch this out, I would say it’s designed for:
- Carnivores who crave wholesome, fresh meals that take very little time or effort to prepare.
- Individuals who are looking to make changes to their diet.
- People who are looking for unique yet approachable recipes to help fuel their lifestyle or a temporary elimination diet.
- Those with autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, IBS, candida, leaky gut, and/or other illnesses that necessitate a very low-inflammatory diet.
- The crossfit enthusiast or gym rat jonesing to jettison him or herself into ketosis.
- Folks looking to maintain or lose weight, and/or individuals wanting to re-set their metabolism.
Features:
- Each recipe will be accompanied by a photograph (snapped by yours truly).
- There will be vegetarian, vegan, low-FODMAP, and AIP options in addition to animal protein-infused bowls. Recipes will be marked as such
- One-pot and 30-minute meals will be abundant and called out with symbols.
- Suggestions for additions, substitutions, omissions, etc to tailor each recipe to your personal preference and/or dietary needs.
- In addition to the 100 meal recipes, I’m including a section on condiments, sauces, and dressings which can be utilized in all sorts of ways, as well as meal essentials such as cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, how to make perfect quinoa or crispy sweet potatoes, etc, etc.. I’m not counting these recipes as part of the 100, because I wholeheartedly believe they are bonus essentials to enjoying your whole food based life. What that effectively means is there will be closer to 150 recipes in the book.
- A section on how to stock your pantry for easy paleo living, as well as an extensive introduction on who paleo is right for, digestive health, paleo for athletes, ketosis, and more.
Okay, so those are the main bullet points, but I wanted to take a second to tell you why I chose the topic. (<- YES, I actually got to choose this topic – a rarity in publishing, indeed!). First and foremost, I primarily eat Paleo in order to maintain digestive health. If you haven’t read My Journey with Gut Health, feel free to give it a gander so you can deepen your understanding of why I develop the recipes I do. I’m fortunate in the fact that I wholeheartedly LOVE the way I eat. It’s not a chore or a bore, and the process of learning how my body interacts with various foods has been a fascinating experience.
A low-inflammatory, nutrient rich diet like Paleo can be extremely beneficial to individuals with medical conditions, ranging from Celiac and Crohn’s, to diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease, as well as manageable yet still aggravating conditions such as IBS, acne, eczema and other skin conditions, hormonal imbalance, etc. It can also be an extremely powerful tool for athletes to increase athletic performance, and/or those looking to maintain or lose weight. In essence, I want to help feed the population of individuals who have either the need or the want to eat this way.
Lastly, I legit eat all of my food out of bowls. I’ve told you this before in past blog posts, but there are few things I find more comforting than a bunch of fresh, vibrant, nutritious ingredients nestled together with a tasty homemade sauce. Even holding a big steamy bowl is therapeutic! I love that I can mix around the individual parts to create a cohesive (and super tasty) meal. I also find the visual beauty of bowl food to be stunning..it’s always nice to experience the artistic side of food prep in addition to the overall nourishment. Can you tell I’m excited to be on this journey? It’s pretty epic!
I completely get that some folks don’t love the concept of a fad diet…I don’t either. The term, “Paleo,” just happens to be the easiest way of describing the food I make. I’m not cultish about it, overly opinionated, and nor do I consider Paleo to be something everyone on this planet should do. It just so happens it’s the the way I eat in order to feel my best. For me, the process of discovering the foods your body naturally loves is an incredible, positive experience. After all, a happy digestive system equates to a happy mind, which in turn equates to a happy life.
SO! This isn’t my first go with cookbooking…this will actually be book three for me! For those of you who have been around a while, you know my first two cookbooks, Delicious Probiotic Drinks, and Let Them Eat Kale! were published back in 2014. After the first two, I took a break from writing cookbooks to focus on growing my blog and also to regroup and re-energize. Real talk: at the time, I was working too much (by choice), and that little voice in my heart was telling me to slow down. I needed a hiatus to get my bearings, gain some clarity, and balance out my work/life ratio. By George, I’m re-charged and ready to develop the crap out of some Paleo bowl food recipes!
I always knew I would re-visit print, and right now feels like the right time!
All this to say, I’m out-of-bounds excited for this book! I have already started developing recipes, and so far, the process has been very enjoyable! I want to make the process as stress-free for both you and me as I can, because let’s face it: cooking is supposed to be fun, and I want that passion to shine through in my book.
So because I’m still in the development phase of my book, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email with recipe requests that you’d love to see in print. Or, if you have other suggestions such as certain information you’d like me to include in the introductory part of the book, or even suggestions on aesthetic, I’m all ears (and eyes)!
My goal is to keep you updated on my progress in my blog posts and in my Instagram stories. I’ll try not to give you too many spoilers, but I want you to be included in the process along the way..let’s have fun with this!
What I’d love to know from you:
If you’re interested in providing feedback, I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Some of the things I’m most curious about are:
- What are your favorite animal proteins and how do you like them prepared (roasted, slow cooked and shredded, grilled, sauteed, poached, etc.) And/or what are your favorite flavors and ingredients?
- Is there a type of dish you’ve been itching to reverse engineer and/or healthify, and haven’t gotten around to it or perfected it (for instance, tikka masala, cashew chicken, broccoli beef, that sort of thing)? Lemme know, cause I’m up to the task.
- What do you look for in a recipe – a short list of ingredients, a short prep and cook time, nutritiously well-balanced? Lay it on me.
ALSO! I’m in the market for ceramic bowls, so if you throw, know someone who throws, or have recommendations for stores I can purchase bowls from, holler at your girl! Send me an email at Julia (at) TheRoastedRoot (dot) net.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Lay em on me! As always, thank you so much for your continued support. I’m so happy we’re on this journey together!
xo
P.S. If you can’t wait to bathe in the glory of some paleo recipes, simply check out the Paleo section of my site!
Congratulations – that’s so exciting!!
Thank you, Kelsey!! I’m pretty ecstatic about it!! Insert cartwheel emoji here! 😉
Congratulations! Sounds like a cookbook I’d definitely use a lot.
Yaaaaas! I’m so happy to hear it, Kelli! Thanks so much for the support! 😀
AHH!! This is so exciting! I can’t think of a more perfect topic for you to write about than Paleo bowls…I mean, you’re the queen of bodacious bowls and I’ve always thought the Paleo vibe suits you.
I still don’t know how you manage to balance it all but I know you will do it style and grace. I can’t wait to see that beyootiful book! Congrats, lady!
Weeeeell, I’ve kinda resolved that my life is going to be primarily work for the next 7 months…with little weekend adventures. It’s actually been really fun making it so far, so the fact that it’s been an enjoyable process makes the whole thing not feel like work. Thanks so much for all your love, m’dear!! xoxo
Exciting post, Julia! What a way to introduce your new project. It will be fun watching your progress!
Thank you so much! I’m excited to be able to share the process, too! 😀
congratulations on your 2nd book! i truly enjoyed the first one and looking forward to another one 🙂 love how it is geared towards everyone!
Thanks so much, Dixya! I’m so excited about the topic! It’s been a pleasure making the recipes so far! 😀
Woohoo! So excited and I seriously can’t wait! Congratulations!!!!
Thanks so much, Cassidy! Your support all these years has meant so much to me! I’ll send you a copy as soon as it’s out!! xoxoxo 😀
Love the idea. I only eat from a plate when I absolutely have to – like at other people’s houses. At home almost all lmeals are in a large flat at the bottom bowl I got at Ikea. As for ideas – in addition to being AIP Paleo I also eat low carb to support my diabetes. So if you can include variations of meals that aren’t low carb – like substitution suggetions that would be great.
also, if you are looking for recipe testers further down the line, just ask me.
LOL, I’m in the same boat as you, Miriam! Bowl lover for life! I’m thinking the majority of the recipes will be low-carb, and I’d be more than happy to include options/adaptations for the ones that aren’t! I know there are a lot of folks out there looking to keep their diet low-carb for medical reasons, so I think this is a super important point! Thanks so much for the feedback! xoxo 😀
Congratulation????
You have great recipes and I love the one bowl/one pot ideas!
Here is why I might not choose a recipe.
Too many ingredients
Ingredients that are expensive
Ingredients that I might not use again
Ingredients that are not easily available to me
Karen, this is so helpful! Thank you! One of the challenges we face as recipe developers is creating recipes that are mouth-watering but also practical. My goal has always been to make recipes people will actually make, so knowing what people won’t make is very good to know! Thanks so much for the kind note and the words of wisdom!! xo
Very exciting! I will add your cookbook to my kitchen. I have tried and love many of your bowl recipes! Congratulations!
Thanks so much, Tonya! It’s been a dream! I’m so thrilled to be able to share recipes I’m truly passionate about creating! I appreciate the sweet note! 😀
Congrats on beginning your next cook book. Animal proteins most used around here are ground turkey (patties), chicken breasts, and fish fillets, grilled or broiled. My wife and I make many middle eastern and Indian meals, some northern African-styled stuff, often a hodge-podge of different things per meal for varieties-sake. A pseudo-fusion kind a thing. SO, anything like that revamped and created healthier would be welcome indeed. Basically with the recipes that we use/dishes we make we are striving for a nice balance between not too difficult & time consuming, healthy, relatively inexpensive, unique/interesting and flavorful, not too much clean up with pots and pans; yes I know, virtually impossible to incorporate all of those at once, however we look for as many as possible at once….
Ahhh it sounds like we have the same taste!! Turkey, chicken, and fish/seafood are my top three as well, so this is great to hear! I’m a big fan of big bold flavors as well and love the idea of incorporating Indian and African-inspired recipes into the mix. Quick, healthy, affordable, and low-fuss is my jam, so I’ll make it my mission to hit all the bases (most of the time 😉 Thanks so much for all the feedback – this is very helpful! xoxo
I love bowls of delicious food too and have made many of yours. I look forward to your cookbook and plan to add it to my collection.
Thank you so much, Gail! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying my recipes! I appreciate the sweet comment!! 😀
so excited for you and us! I have made many of the recipes on your site and love them all.
Mostly, I look for interesting, simple, relatively quick to put together (45 mins or less), and easy to find ingredients.
I like flavor, but not a lot of spice as peppers mess me up
I am a carnivore and will eat beef, turkey, chicken, pork, fish…
Can’t wait to watch some of it here and see the finished product!
Yaaaaas this is great information! Thanks so much for sharing, Jennifer! I’ll be sure to use my spices wisely, and rest assured there will be lots and lots of animal protein! Thanks a million for your feedback! xo
Congratulations! I look forward to viewing the process and as well as the finished project.
Thanks so much, Jeff! I’m thrilled to be able to share the process! It’s gonna be a long 8 months, but we’re all in this together, right? 😉 xoxo
OMG that’s awesome!! Hoorayyy! Congratulations!! It’s always been a dream of mine to produce a cookbook – so much to see as you’re here putting it together! Squeeee – seeing from start to finish! Can’t wait to hear more as it’s coming together 🙂
I am excited for your new cookbook. I have 3 boys, well 4 if you include my husband. I like recipes that are quick to pull together; but I do want flavor. When I see a recipe with 3 or 4 ingredients I tend to skip those.
HUGE Congratulations to you Julia! I love eating out of bowls and I always love your gorgeous bowls full of goodness! Can’t wait to see it!
Congratulations! This is absolutely one of my favorite blogs to read with the combination of real ingredients, simple recipes, delicious flavor combos, and such a fun writing style – I can’t wait for the book! I’m living the low FODMAP life and I really appreciate your sensitivity for bowel-sensitive folks. Keep up the great work!
I would love some good Paleo turkey recipes! And also, any Indian food recipes would be amazing!!! I’m so excited for this!
Congrats! So excited for this book, especially the topic! I would love to learn new ways to cook proteins that aren’t complicated, I usually roast and Instant Pot a lot of things. Are you going to have IP options for some of the proteins in your book?
I like healthy ingredients and a reasonable prep time. If you balance the book out with some that are slightly more involved with more straightforward ones to prep I’m cool with that. I also like when the ingredients across books aren’t super all over the place, as much as I love trying new ingredients I also don’t want to have to buy a bunch and then have a challenge of figuring out what to do with them or finding out they’re pricey.
I really like bowls at World Market, they have some fun ones and they’re wide, which would be great for photographing. Also Heath Ceramics makes beautiful bowls, the kind you’ll have forever. A little pricey but so nice.
I’m really so happy for you and cannot wait for this book!
I’m a new subscriber and just want to jump in to say that we eat with our eyes first and you have hit a home run with your photography, young lady! Hopefully your illustrations will mirror your creativity and eye for the “yummy color”! I can hardly wait to get your bowl–themed cookbook. I have found lovely low rise bowls that allow me to see all the glorious mouth-watering bounty from mother earth before digging in.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Dee!! I appreciate the compliment! I hope you enjoy the recipes you find here, and feel free to reach out any time with questions! xo
This is so great! I am WFPBNO, who lives with a Paleo, sounds like this cookbook would work great for us.
Woot woot!!! Such exciting news Julia!!! And I can’t think of a more perfect topic for your book – I love all your bowl recipes!! I actually just put your forbidden rice bowls on my menu for next week – so colorful!!