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Eat Like a Dinosaur: Recipe and Guidebook for Gluten-Free Kids
Don't be fooled by the ever-increasing volume of processed gluten-free goodies on your grocery store shelf! In a world of mass manufactured food products, getting back to basics and cooking real food with and for your children is the most important thing you can do for your family's health and well-being. It can be overwhelming when thinking about where to begin, but with tasty kid-approved recipes, lunch boxes and projects that will steer your child toward meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and healthy fats, Eat Like a Dinosaur will help you make this positive shift.With an illustrated children's story describing the paleo diet, and colorful, mouthwatering photographs of recipes without grains, dairy, soy and refined sugar, this book is written for children. For those with food allergies, the top 8 allergens have been visually marked on each recipe for children to self-identify recipes that may contain eggs, nuts, fish, or shellfish.
Parents needn't panic! Details on the tools and products your family needs to get started have been provided, as well as an assortment of tips to help you along the way. Eat Like a Dinosaur will inspire your entire family to shop for new ingredients and get into the kitchen together. Let Matt and Stacy, the Paleo Parents, show you how to make the transformation in your family's life. With positivity, practicality and an appreciation for the fact that even the healthiest children sometimes want cupcakes and chicken nuggets—this book simply provides healthier ways to give kids the foods they love.
Parents needn't panic! Details on the tools and products your family needs to get started have been provided, as well as an assortment of tips to help you along the way. Eat Like a Dinosaur will inspire your entire family to shop for new ingredients and get into the kitchen together. Let Matt and Stacy, the Paleo Parents, show you how to make the transformation in your family's life. With positivity, practicality and an appreciation for the fact that even the healthiest children sometimes want cupcakes and chicken nuggets—this book simply provides healthier ways to give kids the foods they love.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2012
32 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 14, 2012
We have been cooking various recipes from Eat Like a Dinosaur all week long, and have absolutely loved every single thing we've made. Usually I have someone complaining about what I make for dinner, but the kids are not only loving everything I cook, but helping me in the kitchen. My 5 year old, who wants to be a chef when he grows up, is so happy to be helping me cook dinner, and we love that there are kid friendly directions in every recipe.
I love that these recipes are healthy, and that there is a variety of different kinds of foods for us to try. The recipes are easy to follow, although there are some ingredients that will be a little harder to find, especially if you don't have a Whole Foods (or similar) near you, but you can always find the ingredients online. I would definitely recommend this cookbook, especially if you have kids, but even if you don't, the food you make is delicious for kids and grown-ups alike.
I love that these recipes are healthy, and that there is a variety of different kinds of foods for us to try. The recipes are easy to follow, although there are some ingredients that will be a little harder to find, especially if you don't have a Whole Foods (or similar) near you, but you can always find the ingredients online. I would definitely recommend this cookbook, especially if you have kids, but even if you don't, the food you make is delicious for kids and grown-ups alike.
December 30, 2018
This is a great book if you need help or inspiration starting out. Having quite a collection of Paleo cookbooks and being able to create creative meals on my own, I found this book a bit to simple for me. However, if it had been one of the first books I had purchased I'm sure I would have liked it more
November 16, 2018
Great book
March 13, 2019
My kids loved the short story in the book and have enjoyed all the recipes we have tried.
October 22, 2012
This is a gluten-free, grain-free cookbook that's geared toward families. 3 stars overall, but 4 stars for the recipe section specifically.
I skipped most of the first section where they tell their story. I honestly didn't care that much, though I'm happy they found health. ;) (Also, it didn't completely resonate with me. "Little did we realize how quickly a chunky baby could turn into an overweight preschooler." Then, they later talked about how their youngest, a grain/dairy-free baby, was in the perceived-healthier 25%. My own babies were at the top of the chart while breastfeeding (& exceedingly healthy with no illnesses during), but went down to a very lean weight once eating solids only, even without paleo. - shrug)
The second section is a picture book about a child switching to a gluten-free, grain-free diet. I love beautifully written, creative kids' books. This was not one of those. It was pretty boring.
THEN came the recipes. Okay, this section = much better. Most recipes had a low or reasonable number of ingredients (instead of, you know, over a dozen) with tips on how kids can help out and color photos. Some that interest me: Mini Egg Pizzas, Maple Chicken Salad, Fool's Gold (Chicken Nuggets), Zucchini Latkes, Sweet Potato Fries, Bone Stock, Anytime Cookies, Graham Cookies, Mini Nut Butter Cups, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Whipped Coconut Cream, Pie Crust, Pumpkin Pucks.
The one draw back (but this is often for paleo cookbooks in general too) is the use of macadamia nuts. We love them! But, using 3 cups for a frosting? Around here, a small container of them costs more than $10. Cupcake frosting that's around $20 wouldn't be the most reasonable thing in the world. So, I didn't include any of the macadamia recipes in my to-try list. :D
I skipped most of the first section where they tell their story. I honestly didn't care that much, though I'm happy they found health. ;) (Also, it didn't completely resonate with me. "Little did we realize how quickly a chunky baby could turn into an overweight preschooler." Then, they later talked about how their youngest, a grain/dairy-free baby, was in the perceived-healthier 25%. My own babies were at the top of the chart while breastfeeding (& exceedingly healthy with no illnesses during), but went down to a very lean weight once eating solids only, even without paleo. - shrug)
The second section is a picture book about a child switching to a gluten-free, grain-free diet. I love beautifully written, creative kids' books. This was not one of those. It was pretty boring.
THEN came the recipes. Okay, this section = much better. Most recipes had a low or reasonable number of ingredients (instead of, you know, over a dozen) with tips on how kids can help out and color photos. Some that interest me: Mini Egg Pizzas, Maple Chicken Salad, Fool's Gold (Chicken Nuggets), Zucchini Latkes, Sweet Potato Fries, Bone Stock, Anytime Cookies, Graham Cookies, Mini Nut Butter Cups, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Whipped Coconut Cream, Pie Crust, Pumpkin Pucks.
The one draw back (but this is often for paleo cookbooks in general too) is the use of macadamia nuts. We love them! But, using 3 cups for a frosting? Around here, a small container of them costs more than $10. Cupcake frosting that's around $20 wouldn't be the most reasonable thing in the world. So, I didn't include any of the macadamia recipes in my to-try list. :D
February 1, 2013
I LOVE this book. 1st... I waffled for a long time about whether it was worth purchasing thinking it was just a cute picture book with a couple of recipes in the back. WRONG-O!! This book is awesome. The first section "boring parent stuff" is dedicated not to science-schmience about why paleo makes you feel better. It's the story of how these parents and most importantly - kids - felt better and experienced improved overall health from a real food diet. Their stories are inspiring and filled with all of the things we want for our own children: self control, improved attentiveness, and general health irritants like excema and digestion problems.
I also have to admit that the section I balked at the most was the picture book portion.. and it's one of the parts that I love the most now. We talk openly with our kids about nutrition and how food choices effect our bodies. But sometimes they feel like we're the 'weird' family. Why don't we send hostess treats in their lunch? Why can't they have chocolate chip pancakes & syrup for breakfast before school? This picture gave me the opportunity to share that even though we might not eat like the kid sitting next to us at lunch, we aren't isolated in our concerns.
Finally, what more can I say then - great food recipes? Just try and say no to a bacon burger. I dare ya!
I also have to admit that the section I balked at the most was the picture book portion.. and it's one of the parts that I love the most now. We talk openly with our kids about nutrition and how food choices effect our bodies. But sometimes they feel like we're the 'weird' family. Why don't we send hostess treats in their lunch? Why can't they have chocolate chip pancakes & syrup for breakfast before school? This picture gave me the opportunity to share that even though we might not eat like the kid sitting next to us at lunch, we aren't isolated in our concerns.
Finally, what more can I say then - great food recipes? Just try and say no to a bacon burger. I dare ya!
April 25, 2012
We are slowly eating our way through this book. The beginning contains an overview of the Paleo Parents and how they started in Paleo eating. Then there is a cute story for kids about eating paleo. My carb-aholic and picky 6 yr old dd is now more conscious about what she is eating, doesn't put up as much a fight about eating her veggies and meat, and she has liked everything that I have made. The chapters are well organized and there is a picture of the meal on the right side and the recipe on the left. That is important for me because I choose what to cook based on the picture. The recipes are simple and pretty quick to make and do turn out exactly as in the picture. Substitutions are easy if your family doesn't like a certain type of meat. Our favourites so far are the 50/50 burgers and the coconut chocolate treats.
February 24, 2015
I love this book! It was well written, and my son loves the children's features of the book. I wasn't a huge fan of all the recipes however. The Green Frittata is really tasty! I would add mushrooms and/or meat and some spices. The mini egg pizzas were a huge hit with the kids, though it was annoying to peel the paper cups off of them. Maybe use silicone muffin pans with that recipe. The Lemon Dill Salmon recipe was a huge hit with my husband and I (and I don't usually care for salmon!), but the kids weren't much for it. I have more to try, but some of the organ recipes I can't wrap my head around. Eek!
June 23, 2012
This is a terrific book, packed with creative ways to change your eating habits. It's directed towards those with children, but Paleo eaters of all ages will enjoy the recipes. There are a lot of great ways to incorporate more vegetables into the diet, as well as some some transition recipes for treats like cookies and cupcakes for those who miss the grains. If you'd like to try giving up grains and processed sugar, I'd recommend this book.
March 16, 2015
I really liked this. It is a good intro to the basics of paleo eating, and a lot of the recipes appealed to me since I don't have a very grown-up palette. :) There are a lot of treat recipes, but they are meant as replacements for non-paleo treats for kids, so I appreciate the need for them, especially if your kids can't have gluten. I probably won't be using them since treats are not an every day thing for my kids anyway, but I think many of the other recipes will appeal to my whole family.
June 22, 2012
Part children's book part grown up recipe book! I love this book--it has realistic recipes, a story that makes kids feel better about their diet and lifestyle and a great success story of one family.
May 25, 2013
Borrowed this through the Inter-library loan system. Lots of great recipes. I'm debating about whether to purchase this one. I have other paleo cookbooks requested from the library - perhaps I'll wait to compare them before deciding...
June 30, 2013
This is a great book for converting kids to a paleo lifestyle. If your trying to lose weight, this is not the recipe book you want. There are a ton of options for treats for the kids and the dinosaur story is great!
October 25, 2013
I think this is a great option for kids and their parents. The quality of the publishing job is has more weak points than strong (font is generic and weak, the picture book portion leaves a lot to be desired), but the writing of the parents portion and the actual recipes are good.
August 2, 2016
I gave this book to my brother as his youngest loves to cook. They found this book easy to follow with great new recipes to try. Can't wait to visit this month and have a meal prepared from this book (I've been promised).
November 13, 2012
Fun, informative & a great way to get the kids involved in choosing to eat healthier!
July 7, 2012
Some definite things we loved in here.
January 18, 2013
I really liked this book! Great recipes, I don't have any kids, but I love easy to make food.
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March 12, 2013Ok, but really the recipes not that kid-friendly
March 13, 2013
This book has really helped us weed out the processed foods and allergens from our kids diet.
March 14, 2013
My boys LOVE picking out these recipes and helping make them. They are so proud when they get to help pick (and create) the menu.
June 9, 2013
Super cute cookbook! If I had kids and were trying to keep the family paleo, I'd definitely recommend this book.
September 6, 2013
This book had some good recipes and good suggestions on how to encourage children to eat Paleo
October 26, 2013
Good intro to Paleo cooking. Beautiful pictures and nice assortment of recipes. Recipes not that kid friendly.
March 30, 2014
eh...I found 3 recipes in the book that look awesome. I tried the frozen waffles, and that was a hit! Most everything else looked lackluster, and did little to spark my interest.
August 12, 2016
Good cookbook - paleo style food for kids. Didn't make any of the recipes.
May 6, 2015
It is nice to find Paleo recipe book geared towards kids. I liked all the signs and symbols attached to the recipes as well as the kids helping tips.
January 21, 2017
Nothing really looked all that appetizing
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews