Author Interview Julie & Charles Mayfield-Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Food

I'm so pleased to welcome Julie & Charles Mayfield who are talking today about their new cookbook promoting the Paleo method of cooking. Sometimes all we have to do is look to our roots and we'll find our dietary answers. Read the interview and learn a bit about Paleo cooking. It makes a great gift for that special someone on any holiday list.

• ISBN-13: 9780373892808
• Publisher: Harlequin
• Publication date: 9/24/2013
• Edition description: Original
• Pages: 272

Overview:

 The Fast, Fun, Delicious Way to Fight Aging
A radiant appearance. Boundless energy. Effortless weight management. Supercharged health and well-being. Forget facelifts and fancy wrinkle creams—the fountain of youth is in the foods you eat and simple exercises and behaviors that will turn back the clock. Acclaimed nutritionist and wellness expert Elisa Zied shows you how to jump-start weight loss, reduce stress, improve sleep, banish mood swings ...

Welcome Julie and Charles to The Reading Frenzy

First as simple as you can explain for those of us who don’t know.
What is Paleo?
 Essentially, Paleo—as it relates to diet--is about eating real, nutrient dense foods. Specifically, we’re talking about eating meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and other good fats. Foods that, for the most part, don’t need or have an ingredient list.

Why did you decide to write a cookbook?

 We had seen tremendous results for us and for the clients at our gym when we adopted this Paleo lifestyle. A cookbook focused on “comfort foods” that applied Paleo principles seemed like a great way to use our kitchen knowledge to help people make the transition to Paleo and help others stave off kitchen boredom.

Porchetta

On your Website you describe yourselves as “simply two home cooks”
When did your love of cooking start?
 Charles – At a very young age through Scouting (Eagle Scouts) and my mother. Tying cooking, health, nutrition and fitness together came well after college.

Julie – Does my exploits with my Easy-Bake Oven count? Honestly, growing up I had a single working mom, and I was always super active in sports. If I wanted to eat something that was not a TV dinner in between practices (I’d have after school sports and my swim team practiced in the evening), it meant doing some cooking on my own for me, my brother and sister. I’m not sure if that’s when a true “love” of cooking started. My cooking was born out of necessity. I think I really started to love and appreciate the art of cooking in my college years.  

Roasted Squash

How long have you been following the Paleo path in cooking/eating and why did you start?
 We’ve been following a Paleo path for about the last 5 years. We started because we were both very keen on improved health and wellness, and a Paleo lifestyle made a lot of sense. So we decided to try it, and immediately we noticed results (increased energy, better insulin sensitivity) and were amazed at how practical and simple it was to live this way.

Biscuits
Click this LINK for recipe 

What’s the biggest misconception you hear about Paleo?

Just one? Well, there’s the whole caveman thing. Though yes, the notion of Paleo harkens to our Paleolithic ancestors, we are not in fact trying to live like cavemen. Rather, we are trying to take out a lot of the processed foods that cavemen did not eat (while of course still using our computers, cars, food processors, etc.). The other big misconception is that Paleo is all about meat and no carbohydrates. People seem to forget that vegetables and fruits are great carbohydrate sources – some being carb-heavier than others. Depending upon what fruits and vegetables and how much of those are in your diet would determine whether you are in fact eating low carb or not. By eliminating grains and processed carb foods, typically a Paleo diet is lower in carbohydrates than the standard American diet, but that does not necessarily mean it’s low carb.

Root Veggie Cakes

Broccoli Sala

What’s your favorite comfort food recipe in this latest cookbook?
Charles – Fried Chicken Tenders!

Julie – Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie is a recurring favorite at the moment!

Chicken Tenders

                               

Thanks for answering these few questions.
Will there be a book tour event for this cookbook?
We just finished a 10 city tour (from Charleston to Seattle) for this new cookbook. There may be other cities added in 2014, but during the holidays we’ll be focused on events in and around Atlanta.

                        

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