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Review: Meals Made Simple {Plus a giveaway!}

I rarely Paleo-bake. Actually, the first few times I tried to make Paleo pancakes or Paleo muffins, it wasn’t edible. Thank goodness I work for two food bloggers, or I would never get my sweet fix on. 

But when I was flipping through Danielle Walker’s second book, Meals Made Simple, I could not stop staring at her desserts. Go figure, right? While I don’t trust my own baking skills, I have heard many compliments on Danielle’s ability to work with alternative flours. Her first book, Against All Grain, had a beautiful selection of Paleo baked treats, and the reviews all stated they tasted just like the “real” thing. Actually, I can remember the day we [Primal Palate] reviewed her first book! Hayley baked up a loaf of Danielle’s famous bread, and it was amazing. We all enjoyed Paleo toast piled high with butter. [I swear, sometimes I wish I still ate bread just so I had an excuse to eat more butter.]

Danielle Walker's Against all Grain

So I figured if I was going to try my hand at Paleo baking again, Danielle’s recipes were definitely a trusted source. I love carrot cake, but rarely have an excuse to enjoy it. I decided to give her carrot cake cupcakes a shot.

One thing is for certain: this recipe was so easy! I honestly could not believe how easily this recipe came together. There are only five steps in total, and that includes making the frosting and the whole toothpick routine. There was no way even I, a baking atrocity, could screw this up. Plus, there was only one ingredient I didn’t have on hand (coconut butter), which I always appreciate. I added raisins, which were listed as an optional ingredient, and really liked the extra texture/flavor they added. 

Against all grain carrot cake cupcakes

Besides offering simple, delicious recipes (she has a recipe for breakfast burritos, everyone. I can’t even remember the last time I had a breakfast burrito), Danielle has included helpful advice throughout the book. You will find her “Tidbits” of information listed with each recipe, including potential substitutions, where to find specialty ingredients, and make-ahead tips. You will also find her list of preferred brands, budget tips, yes/no food lists, and even a 101 on the “Dirty Dozen” rule listed at the beginning of the book. Finally, she offers you eight-week meal plans and shopping lists to help you get started. 

Against all grain carrot cake cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my running group to enjoy after a race (hey, we need to refuel, right?), and everyone absolutely LOVED them. My teammates were pretty skeptical when I said they were Paleo cupcakes, but later everyone told me they never would have known the difference. I did make a cream cheese frosting to add to half the cupcakes, because that’s my favorite part of carrot cake. However, if you do not eat dairy, Danielle provides a dairy-free frosting recipe made from coconut. Either way, I’m sure you’ll love them! 

Against all grain carrot cake cupcakes

>>Order Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple from Amazon!<<

Entering the Giveaway

To enter the giveaway, simply comment below with your favorite recipe you’ve tried on our site. It can be a Primal Palate recipe, or one from our amazing contributors! 

The prize up for grabs is a copy of Meals Made Simple! We’ll run this giveaway until Thursday, September 11 at 9pm EST. Winning entry will be chosen at random. Good luck!

 

Still Hungry?

You might also like:

Paleo Carrot cake  Marshmallow Cupcakes-2  Reeses Cupcakes  Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes  nut free, dairy free, egg free cupcakes  Paleo Burnt Almond Cupcakes


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    COMMENTS

    1. fallenromances
      September 9, 2014

      Love your meatloaf recipe! 🙂

    2. clarayori
      September 9, 2014

      Pineapple chicken skewers!

    3. nancycampbell
      September 10, 2014

      I love the granola, have to double the recipe though!

    4. duckeeduck
      September 10, 2014

      I rarely Paleo bake too – love the simplicity and consistent, hearty, familiar results of the banana bread. I even wrote a blog post about the first time I made it! 🙂 http://iveneverdonethat.com/2012/wordpress/baked-paleo-banana-bread-236366/

    5. September 10, 2014

      The Almond Fudge Brownies are amazing. I don’t know how well they save to the next day, because they never last that long in our house!

      1. Kara McCartney
        Kara McCartney
        October 20, 2014

        Our first winner did not respond to our e-mail, so we are picking a new one. You are the second randomly chosen winner – please check your e-mail! Kara

    6. drbrooke325
      September 10, 2014

      Thanks for the review of meals made simple! I have and love Danielle’s first book 🙂 I have made the Buffalo chicken egg muffins from Diane…they were great!

    7. cezovski
      September 10, 2014

      Yum! I’ll say Hawaiian Stuffed Sweet Potato from one of the contributors.

    8. September 11, 2014

      I don’t get a chance to try out many others, but my favorite, if you can count me making my own recipe is my Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry!

    9. September 11, 2014

      Okay, Entries are officially closed! We’ll pick and winner and notify them via email. Thanks to everyone that entered!

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