When we were writing Paleo Comfort Foods, life was...shall we say...chaotic. We were both holding down full-time jobs, running and coaching at our gym morning and night, and trying to keep our house together, along with writing, editing and marketing the book. There were nights when we’d come home from work or the gym exhausted, with hours of editing left to do, and then we’d realize we needed to eat something. While yes, we’re pretty certain that much of our budget went into our friends’ pockets over at nearby restaurant Muss & Turner’s, we did everything in our power to keep our dining-out budget reasonable. So on those nights when we found ourselves hungry and tired, we weren’t about to spend two hours in the kitchen. We needed and wanted something quick, easy and delicious that still fit into our Paleo way of life.

One of the chief complaints we hear from clients at our gym and from others adopting a Paleo lifestyle is, “I don’t have time to cook.” Very often, these are the same people who post on Facebook about what happened on the latest episode of (insert name of favorite TV show here), or who can’t seem to stop posting on Facebook, period! We’re not saying that everyone has an extra ten hours a week to spend in the kitchen, as we know that in many families that is not possible or practical. However, with some shortcuts here and there, we’re firm believers that with some time devoted to the kitchen versus, say, the television or internet, good, healthy, delicious food is possible, many times in forty-five minutes or less from start to finish!

The recipes in Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods are just that: quick and easy. Ever since we welcomed our son, Scott, into the world, “quick and easy” has become an absolute necessity with regards to our meals, especially since we never know when he might cut a nap short! These recipes are tried and true and have all been made while juggling our lives and our newborn. It was our desire to share these recipes and concepts with you so that whether you’re wiped out from a long day at work and don’t want to invest a bunch of time in the kitchen or you’re needing to whip up something fast to feed yourself and your family, you’ll have lots of delicious choices at your fingertips. Our goal is to provide you with some comfort food dishes that you can cook for your family in minutes, while not sacrificing flavor for time.

We’ll provide you with ideas along the way to make things even easier and sometimes quicker, along with tips for enhancing the flavor on that rare night when you happen to have a few extra minutes on your hands. As we don’t cook every single meal every single day from scratch, we’ll also give you some ideas on saving your leftovers. And we’ll show you how to use a sauce to convert something mundane into something incredibly flavorful and delicious. For the most part, we have tried to keep things as simple as possible—minimizing the number of recipes that call for the grill, fancy cooking techniques, or long and involved steps.

While we absolutely believe in slow cookers, braising things in the oven and smoking something on the grill for hours on end when you have time, this book is all about minimizing your time cooking and planning, while maximizing your health and filling your family with great-tasting food!

Happy eating!
Julie and Charles (and baby Scott!)