The Food Lovers Make it Paleo Cookbook

You see? I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Is there any word in the English language more frightening than "Diet?" Especially at this time of the year, when one of our greatest pleasures as Americans is to dress up in costumes all month long and stuff our faces full of delicious sugar? Perhaps. But "diet" remains one of my least favorite words, capable of causing haunting nightmares.

Privileged much?
Yes, but that's not what this post is about. It's about a cookbook that doesn't even make mention of the word "diet," which is one of the reasons I like it so much.

That was an unexpected turnaround!
Yes, thank you. Before we move on to the actual book review, you should know something about me: I don't really cook. I know a few recipes by heart— they're simple, straightforward, and will feed me for the better part of a week with only thirty to forty minutes of effort on my part. I like these recipes because I am a lazy cook. I've also already practiced eating Paleo(ish) before. It is also fairly straightforward, but even a lazy cook gets tired of eating the exact same thing on a daily basis.

The Food Lovers Make it Paleo cookbook contains "over 200 grain-free recipes for any occasion." Not all of them are made with the lazy cook in mind, but I'm happy to report that not one of the recipes made me think I needed to be an accomplished chef to make them. The recipes are formatted so that— at a glance— you can see: the ingredients you need, the process to make them, difficulty, estimated prep and cook time, and how many people it serves.

As with many cookbooks, the recipes are separated into different meals (breakfasts, appetizers, entrées), as well as side dishes, sauces, and treats. This makes figuring out what you want to eat the following day especially simple. Feel like changing up your breakfast routine? Go to the breakfast section! Is your favorite thing in the world chicken but you want to change up the side dishes for dinner? Go to the side dishes section! What if you tried one of the recipes, and maybe you weren't a fan of most of it, but hot DAMN! That sauce that you had on it was the best thing ever and you could drink it by the gallon? The sauces are in a separate section. You can find most things quickly in this book.

What if nothing in my kitchen is set up for eating like a caveman?
That's okay! If you think you'll be making many of these recipes, it may be a good idea to rethink what you stock in your cabinets. None of the ingredients needed are necessarily difficult to find, and there is a chapter devoted to "the Paleo Kitchen." Therein you will find what authors Staley and Mason recommend as key ingredients to keep handy in your kitchen, tools to make your life easier, and "basic cooking tips" (for people like me who know only the most basic anatomy of the stove).

But how will I know what's good to eat? Isn't that what REALLY matters?!
Generally we're not supposed to eat with our eyes, but since I cannot know what a recipe tastes like until I make it, I go by the pictures. Make it Paleo is beautifully illustrated, and everything looks delicious. And if you're not sure what to pair together for an amazing meal, well they've got you covered there also with some suggested menus for special occasions!

You might like this book if:

1. You're already a fan of the paleo lifestyle and you want additional recipes
2. You're looking to improve your health by cutting out some common processed ingredients.
3. You like food.

Sorry guys, I really can't think of a reason you might not like this book. Unless you're completely vegetarian or vegan, in which case half of it might not apply to you.

Halloween Freebies!

I'm currently working at a Halloween City. I could've started blogging about Halloween in August.

Hey guys! I just wanted to point you towards some books I found free on Amazon. No particular reason other than "people like free stuff, right?" Some of these books I have read before, and others I'm going to try out this month. Care to read with me?

I mentioned How to be Dead to you last year on Halloween, then I went on to read it. You know what? It was hilarious, and I loved it. The first book is still free on Amazon, and the second book— Paper Cuts— is well worth the $2.99. They're short, horror comedies and you really can't go wrong with them. I'll probably review these two sooner rather than later. The only thing that bugs me is that there is a third book in the works, and it isn't finished yet. So I'm bummed about that, but these two are still so worth your time.

Did you know that a metric butt-ton of classics are available for free on Amazon, if you're getting them on Kindle? I mention it because I forget all the time. Since Kindle is my digital platform of choice, I started loading it up with all kinds of stuff for the season, including: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and War of the Worlds. If you've read them before: good for you! I read Frankenstein in high school, and Dracula during college. Though they both started slow, they got much better. I was even able to get over having to read in the dreaded first person perspective during Dracula. Before the month is done, I hope to get around to The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I'm one of those people that likes getting around to the classics. It gives me more meme material.

I hope this will keep you all satisfied for a couple of days at least. Enjoy! And if you have a minute, leave me a comment with what your reading list looks like for this month. I like getting recommendations too, you know!

Art of Coloring Disney Villains

How do you like your Disney villains? Do you like them devious? Cunning? How about hipster-y, self-centered, and covered in patterns? Then have I got a treat for you!

I see you found a Disney coloring book more suited to your tastes.
Yes, though I only had a chance to flip through it. Art of Coloring Disney Villains is a little thank-you gift I bought for one of my friends. It's weird at times, but thankfully still entertaining. Unlike in the Disney Princess coloring book, the characters in Disney Villains are allowed to express a wide range of emotions while reenacting scenes from their movies or otherwise posing with new, "updated" material. Probably one of the funniest examples of this are the several images of Gaston from Beauty & the Beast as he takes an endless stream of selfies on a smart phone. Yeah. Wrap your head around that one. You'll see it makes complete sense— if he had a smart phone. One of the repeating "wallpaper" images is multiple villain faces wearing hipster glasses. Weird? Yes. Entertaining? YES.

The book is split into several different sections: animal kingdom, strictly human, and witches/creatures. As an unexpected bonus, most of the villains in the book also have a small, card-size portrait with information regarding: their movie, when it was released, and who voiced them. As with Art of Coloring Disney Princesses, this book is also that strange kind of hard cover (where it's a soft cover book with cardboard on the front and back). I still don't get it, but since the images were so much more fun for the villains, I really didn't mind so much. My favorite thing about this book, though, is that each of the villains has at least one image that include the movie's heroes as well. In each of these, the villain looks (appropriately) menacing— or looms over— the heroes/heroines; especially Izma from Emperor's New Groove. So what if they drew her with a piece of spinach stuck in her teeth? She's still a badass!

If you're interested in purely classic villains doing only what they do in their movies, I recommend you move along now. As previously mentioned, they took some liberties with these characters. However, since they are still "in character" for the most part, I forgave the artists and would be happy to have this book for my very own. I recommend you get one for yourself as well!