http://www.cookmybooks.net

My rating: 4 stars

An accessible food and body workout ‘Paleo-Style’
Luke and Scott were the Bondi loving personal trainers from 2013’s series of My Kitchen Rules.

Much like the authors, this is a slim, beautiful book about paleolithic eating and functional training.  As a cronut fan I was naturally very suspicious.  Fortunately, the recipe section of the book is exciting, fresh and uses superfoods in a very appealing way.  50% of the book is about exercise and has lots of detailed instructions and pictures on how to work out right.  I wish though, that the boys had put up some you tube videos on how these exercises are done.  I enjoyed looking at the pictures of people exercising while I sat on my couch.

More after the Jump!

The other 50% of the book is a collection of healthy recipes with a big emphasis on quinoa.

I really loved this section of the book.  It’s the first book I’ve seen that has an Australian approach to using superfood ingredients (quinoa, coconut oil, activated almonds) in ways that represent excellent junk food substitutes and other such yumminess.

For example, sweet potato gnocchi! (a revelation), sweet potato fries, pancakes, sweet corn fritters, and coconut roughs.

I found the section on snacks and sides especially helpful with recipes on how to make your own activated almonds, how to cook quinoa, walnut sauce and chimichurri.

The back has a three week plan on how to put it all together and change your life (if you want to).

But how does this book cook?

Banana and Quinoa Porridge (serves 4, gluten free)

• 500 ml almond milk
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 tbl chia seeds
• pinch cinnamon
• toasted activated almonds, crushed, to garnish
• 1 tbl rice malt syrup)

1. Combine the almond milk and 500 ml water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat
2. Add the quinoa flakes, banana and vanilla.  Cook until thickened, stirring often
3. Add the chia seeds and stir through
4. Sprinkle with some cinnamon and crushed almonds, and drizzle with the rice malt syrup.

   

   

   

This is the first time I’ve eaten quinoa porridge. The recipe is quite loose which I like. Quinoa makes it slightly grainy and it lacks the gluey yumminess of oat porridge.  Its fairly neutral in flavour but the banana, vanilla, syrup and almonds all come to the fore.  I’m not sure if I would rush to make it again but it was easy and I did get that wholegrain smugness of knowing I had a healthy breakfast.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to improve their overall health or to those wanting to explore new superfood ingredients in familiar family type meals. Its more of a total lifestyle book so if you aren’t interested in exercise then this may not be the book for you.

It’s a really good book for fans of MKR and as a gift for the man in your life that may have lost some motivation.

To buy from Fishpond click here

Clean Living: A 3-week Healthy Lifestyle Plan to Help You Change Your Life