Review | theclothesmakethegirl

May 19, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review: Rich Food Poor Food

When Dave and I made the commitment to eating high-quality, real food — dino-chow, paleo, whatever you want to call it — we spent a memorable few hours in the grocery store, reading labels and yelling things like, “WHY DOES THIS SALSA HAVE WHEAT IN IT?!” while angrily slamming jars back onto shelves. It’s a sad truth of making the switch to paleo that the grocery store can become a... read more

May 4, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review: The Paleo Slow Cooker

I have a very narrow relationship with my slow cooker. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m generally not a fan of stews and soups made in the slow cooker, but as a counter-top oven, I think it’s awesome (see: Italian Pork Roast) — especially in Austin where using my oven also means turning on the air conditioner to balance the blast of cooking heat. The recipes in The Paleo Slow Cooker:... read more

Apr 28, 2013 Posted by Mel

Gather: The Art of Paleo Entertaining

I don’t know about you guys, but until recently, it felt like “healthy” cookbooks were the embarrassing second cousins of “real” cookbooks. That’s why when we designed Well Fed, we included full-page photos and a funky design that are as much fun as the recipes. With their new cookbook Gather: The Art of Paleo Entertaining, Hayley Mason and Bill Staley have upped... read more

Apr 22, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review & Giveaway: OMG. That’s Paleo?

Paleo food blogger (and CrossFit diva) Juli Bauer is the cat’s meow. She’s like Sunbutter on a piece of celery. Homemade mayo in your tuna salad. Toasted coconut on top of a spicy curry. She’s sweet and sassy and smart and funny and fit. If you’re not familiar with her blog PaleOMG, you need to get on that! Or you can help yourself to her new cookbook OMG. That’s Paleo?... read more

Apr 16, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review & Giveaway: Goodbody Baked Goods

I’m a salty snacks kind of person. Back in the day, I could eat Doritos until I was sick — then keep eating them anyway. It was impossible for me to keep an open bag of Baked Lays potato chips in the house because it was either full (i.e., closed) or emptied into my belly — with my salty fingers and a distended tummy as evidence of my debauchery. These days, a pile of french fries or a bowl of... read more

Jan 8, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review: The Primal Connection

I made the switch to Paleo back in the summer of 2009, based on the recommendation of Melissa Hartwig of Whole9, and my reasons were pure vanity: I’d lost a bunch of weight with the Weight Watchers program, and I wanted to get leaner (and stronger, but if I’m being honest, mostly leaner). In those days, all I cared about was learning what I should eat to lose weight. But as I continued to work... read more

Dec 5, 2012 Posted by Mel

Lunchbots: Review & Giveaway

Remember when this happened a few weeks ago? Yeah, me, too. My beautiful Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup, not only on the floor but splashed under the laces of my sneakers. It was a container catastrophe. But that doesn’t happen anymore because now I have these totally badass Lunchbots — and if you’re lucky (or smart… or both), so can you! Why I’m Dumb & Lunchbots Are Smart Until... read more

Oct 25, 2012 Posted by Mel

Review & Giveaway: Weeknight Paleo

I’ve been sitting here, staring at the screen and out my window, typing and deleting words for about 20 minutes now, trying to figure out a way to introduce you to my pal Amber of the blog Paleo Savvy and her swell new cookbook Weeknight Paleo. Amber is one of those people that bubbles with enthusiasm and has great taste in food, so I’ve been stumbling over how to adequately capture her sweet... read more

Aug 1, 2012 Posted by Mel

Review: The Thyroid Diet Revolution

Thanks to lots of helpful readers, I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the site Stop The Thyroid Madness. It’s a helpful site, but the tone — a little ranty and frustrated to my eyes — always wears me out a little bit. My thyroid situation makes me angry sometimes, too, but when I’m looking for advice, I’m also looking for a balanced point of view that comes from a place of... read more

Jul 9, 2012 Posted by Mel

Review & Giveaway: Nom Nom Paleo App

As you can probably imagine, I’m super picky when it comes to food blogs and recipe sites. I have high standards for myself and when it comes to stuff I really care about — like food, recipes, and writing — I tend to expect high quality from others, too. My list of go-to blogs for recipes and snappy writing is pretty short, and Nom Nom Paleo has a prominent place on that list. I’m not sure... read more

Jun 15, 2012 Posted by Mel

Review & Giveaway: It Starts With Food

A few weeks ago, I shared all the personal reasons I thought you should pre-order It Starts With Food, the must-have new book from Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, founders of the Whole30. Today, I want to tell you the concrete, have-nothing-to-do-with-the-fact-that-I-adore-them reasons you should absolutely, 100% read this book if you’re interested in having your best life possible. I know! That’s... read more

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The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Novel
I'm about two-thirds of the way through this detective thriller, and I'm hooked. It's set in modern Norway with flashbacks to WWII (catnip for me!) and features a somewhat grim hero that engenders empathy. I can't help pulling for the guy as I watch him struggle with his case and his life. The cast of characters is a realistic but motley crew, and it reminds me of other favorites set in cold, snowy climes: the Millenium Trilogy and Smila's Sense of Snow.
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The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
I picked up this book after reading an interview with Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher thrillers). He referred to The Lost as "the book of the century" and since I devour as much as I can about the Holocaust to try to make sense of it all, I decided I needed to read it immediately. Part memoir, part detective tale, this book was thoroughly engrossing. It's intelligent, annoying, moving, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding and beautifully written. It challenged me in ways I didn't expect, and I was sad when it was finished.