The Primal Blueprint Cookbook: Primal, Low Carb, Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free (Primal Blueprint Series) [Hardcover]

Mark Sisson (Author), Jennifer Meier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2010 | Series: Primal Blueprint Series

The popularity of the low carb/paleo/Primal way of eating has exploded, as people discover an appealing and sustainable alternative to the restrictive diets and flawed conventional wisdom that lead to burnout and failed weight loss efforts.

The dream of eating satisfying meals-even on a budget-controlling weight and feeling great has now become a reality. As you build momentum for Primal eating, you'll find that you won't even miss the bland, boring, low-fat foods that previously were the central focus of your diet. How can you argue with a menu that includes Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic, Salmon Chowder with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Bison and Eggs, and Baked Chocolate Custard?

This isn't a crash course diet. These and the other Primal recipes provide the foundation for a lifetime of delicious, healthy eating, high energy and protection from common health problems that arise from eating the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Health and fitness expert Mark Sisson is the bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and one of the leading voices of the burgeoning Evolutionary Health Movement. His blog, MarksDailyApple.com, has paved the way for Primal enthusiasts to challenge conventional wisdom's diet and exercise principles and take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. From its humble--and controversial--beginnings in 2006, Marks Daily Apple has grown into one of the highest-ranked health information resources on the Internet, with 1.6 million unique visitors each month. Mark, 59, has a BA in biology from Williams College and is a former world-class endurance athlete, with a 2:18 marathon and a fourth-place finish in the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships. Today, Mark directs his competitive energies into high-stakes Ultimate Frisbee tournaments against competitors decades younger! Besides blogging daily, Mark conducts seminars on the Primal Blueprint way of life across North America and hosts weekend "PrimalCon" retreats in California. He operates Primal Blueprint Publishing in Malibu, CA, publishing his own titles as well as work from other authors promoting ancestral health principles. Mark is married to Carrie and they have two children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Primal Nutrition, Inc.; 1 edition (July 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982207727
• ISBN-13: 978-0982207727
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (235 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diets & Weight Loss > Low Carb
  • #28 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Allergies
  • #29 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Carbohydrate

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

377 of 378 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tasting recipes...obviously tested July 8, 2010

By prairiedogdan

Format:Hardcover

All my readings and life experience (previously working for five years in a natural foods co-op) have now finally converged on the Primal diet lifestyle as the common sense approach to nutrition (and, for me, backed up by the well-researched book, Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes).

I've bought a lot of cookbooks on my journey to a more healthy diet. And some of those cookbooks seem to be comprised of recipes that were conceived purely on theory and not at all on taste (cough..Atkins..cough).

I knocked out 5 of the recipes in the Primal Blueprint cookbook in a week and a half, and every single one of them tasted FANTASTIC. Even my wife and two children, whom I'm slowly trying to wean from their highly-refined carbo-centric tendencies, raved about the recipes I cooked (e.g. Moroccan chicken, Transylvanian stockpot, Coconut ice cream, zucchini frittata...) These are not people who like the taste of real vegetables. My wife said, and I quote, "That cookbook is best money we've ever spent. I can't believe how good this tastes."

Clearly, the recipes were tested and refined by an actual person who knows the taste of good food. Thank you, Jennifer Meier.

Also, I have a son who is Type 1 diabetic. We noticed that the meals I cooked from this book had a very low effect on his post-meal blood sugar. No huge post-meal spike and less insulin required at mealtime. That in itself was worth the price of admission. Cookbooks like this show him that he can eat delicious meals that do not adversely affect his blood glucose. He will need this knowledge to cope with his diabetes when he ventures out on his own (he's 10 right now).

To me, a five-star rating indicates a perfect book (or movie, or whatever), so I'm giving it 4 stars, a very high rating to me, for the following reasons:
- It does not have an index referencing the ingredients. I often cook by the "what-have-I-got-in-the-refridgerator" method; designing a week's worth of meals (and our food shopping) around that. With this book, I can't look up all the recipes that have zucchini in them. So put an index in it already.
- I do have the Primal Blueprint book also, but what if I'm someone who doesn't have that and just wants the cookbook? This cookbook doesn't contain a brief overview of the theory behind the recipes it contains; it just jumps right in to the recipes. A Primal Blueprint primer at the beginning of the cookbook would round it out nicely.
- Final (unfair) criticism: not enough recipes! You do get your money's worth, but I want Volume II already! (I'm not one to browse the internet or blogs for recipes; I like cookBOOKs.

Highly recommended cookbook as it contains excellent tasting, easy, nutritious recipes!

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great basic intro to Primal/Paleo variety! July 3, 2010

By mickie gross

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Been a fan of Mark's Daily Apple website for a couple of months; I like the reader-shared recipes there, so hoped this cookbook would be more of the same.
Came away with mixed feelings....while there ARE some new things I had never thought to try (new spice uses, flavor combos, etc.), a lot of it echoes common sense for anyone who is familiar with basic cooking techniques and has been eating this way for any amount of time. This is a great intro for anyone afraid to make the leap, for whatever reason, into the Primal world in terms of diet (and I hesitate to use that term, because it's more of a lifestyle than a "diet") and fears that it would consist of bland meat & raw veggies. There are some pretty sophisticated (but not complicated to duplicate) flavor combos here, and you'll do better if you live in a area with at least access to a
metropolitan grocery choice (wheat-free tamari, unsweetened coconut milk, dried seaweed) but much of the ingredients ARE readily available.
I've lost over 70#s by limiting my diet to the choices advocated in this book (didn't realize it was a "diet" at the time), have tons of energy and advocate the primal
lifestyle (mainly diet, but I like the walk a lot, lift heavy objects-low aerobic/interval training- physical mission aspects as well).
Vast improvement over the other "low-carb" cookbook choices out there ( I would rather NOT fill my diet with unpronouncible ingredients, thank you!) but not "OMG-I can't WAIT to try this recipe!" excitement.

178 of 197 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good recipes, but too many pictures August 28, 2010

By SeaCityGirl

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been following a Primal Diet since 2/2010 and was very excited to get this cookbook. For once, here's a cookbook that fulfills all of my diet choices without me having to adjust the recipes to fit what I eat. What I've tried from this book has been good-I'm a huge fan of the pumpkin nut muffins and LOVE the Enchiladas recipe (FYI-steep learning curve to making the egg-white tortillas, but great once you do!)
Here are my issues:
1. Mark Sisson has been working on this cookbook for a long time and asked people on his blog to contribute recipes. A lot of those recipes that ended up on the blog (and are AMAZING) didn't make it into the cookbook. While this means that there are different recipes in the book, I really wanted to have some of those other recipes more easily on hand.
2. There are a TON of color pictures in this cookbook. While I find pictures of how something should look helpful, giving me a picture of all the ingredients grouped together on a plate is just a waste of space! I didn't pay for pictures, I paid to get great recipes.
3. They need a better editor! The Enchilada recipe that I love so much doesn't give a temp for the oven--they only tell you to cover the dish with foil and bake it for 20 min. I've had to play around to figure out what works to get the dish done in 20min (it isn't 350). You might think I'm being nit-picky, but this isn't the only recipe that's missing information.
The gist of this is, the recipes that I've made are good, I just wish there were more of them and that they had complete cooking information. It's a great place to start if you're new to this diet. Also go to Mark's website: [...] for recipes as well.