Nobody wants to get to Thanksgiving Day and be running around without the proper tools or food. Use the Thanksgiving Checklist below to help make sure you have everything ready to go when the big day comes!

Since it is the number one questions I get asked about these days, I thought I would write an article about how to create your own Paleo Diet Meal Plan and how I make it work for me. As many of you know, I work a full time job, run this blog on the side, and have two kids. Yes my days (and nights) are pretty busy, but I do have one secret weapon that helps me stay organized when it comes to paleo meal planning. And that, my friends, is that I use Pinterest!

For some of you who are Pinterest addicts like me, this may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how many people I have talked to about this strategy and it never occurred to them to use Pinterest. So for those of you who are thinking "why use Pinterest to create a paleo diet meal plan?", here is why:

Do you want a sneak peek into one of the most anticipated paleo cookbooks of the year? Do you want a glimpse into what the dynamic duo of paleo have been up to these last few months? Of course you do!

George Bryant and Juli Bauer have been kind enough to let me share a recipe from their upcoming cookbook, The Paleo Kitchen. And it's no surprise that this recipe for Ginger Snap Pumpkin Butter Cookie Sandwiches is fantastic, since we all have come to expect nothing less from these two paleo masterminds.

This is just one of over 100 brand new recipes you will find in The Paleo Kitchen. Some of the other tantalizing recipes you will love are:

• Citrus Mint Sugar Salad
  
• Blackberry Lavender Muffins
  
• Banana Chip French Toast
  
• Creamy Seafood Risotto
  
• Pepper Crusted Prime Rib
  
• Blueberry Cheesecake
  

Everyone I know has already pre-ordered The Paleo Kitchen, so wipe the drool off of your chin and make sure to reserve your copy now before they sell out. And while you wait patiently for your book to arrive, you can enjoy some of these fantastic cookies (and feel free to make some for me if you like, I wont mind at all). 

Now that I live a paleo lifestyle, one of the first questions While everyone thinks dairy is the main source of calcium, it can also be found in a wide variety of other foods (probably in more than you think). 

The FDA recommends a daily calcium intake of 1,000 mg - 1,200 mg depending on your age and physical status. Below are some paleo friendly examples of foods that are good sources of calcium. 
Check out how easy it is to get your calcium by incorporating these foods into your daily diet.

Oh the controversial Paleo Dessert category....

The question that I see come up time and time again is "Is a Dessert REALLY Paleo"? By desserts most people are referring to baked goods and treats such as cookies, cakes, muffins, pies, etc. 

It's a good question and one that has some strong opinions on both sides of the matter. So strong that some folks get quite furious about the subject. People take dessert very seriously, whether they actually eat it or not, and that is especially the case in the paleo community. 

So let's take a look at both sides of the argument, shall we?

Halloween is coming up fast, and for those of us that live a paleo lifestyle, that means we have to decide what to hand out to all of those cute little ghouls and goblins that show up on our doorstep. As adorable as they are, the last thing they need is more sugar and junk food, so below is a list of candy-free ideas to keep your Halloween paleo friendly and fun!

If you have kids that want to trick-or-treat, consider setting  up a "trade" system when they get back with their bag full of candy. For example, for every 5 pieces of candy they hand over, you can trade them for a certain "prize", or something from the list below. For older kids you can set a certain price per piece of candy they trade in (5-10 cents per piece for example), and allow them to use the money to buy something else they are interested in. This is a great way to teach them good eating habits as well as a few negotiation skills ;-)

And you don't have to break the bank to hand out paleo friendly items this Halloween! Many of these can be found in bulk online or at party supply stores. Please leave any other ideas you have in the comments section below!!!

Easter is fast approaching, which usually means tons of candy shoved into baskets and plastic eggs. I have found a lot of other items besides sugary sweets to fill baskets and eggs with. Chances are your kids will actually enjoy these items even more than chocolate and jelly beans!

Below are a bunch of items that are paleo friendly Easter ideas. Hopefully you find this list helpful, and please leave any other ideas you have in the comments section below!

So you're wandering through the natural foods store, pushing your paleo-food-filled cart around, and you think to yourself "you know what would be really great? some dried fruit!" So you wander on over to the nuts and berries section and grab yourself a nice helping of  dried cranberries. Cranberries are paleo right? Not when they are pumped full of sugar and sunflower oil! That's right my friends, most of those dried fruits have a bunch of additives that make them off-limits to us paleo folks. Even at the natural foods stores, those fruits are co-mingling with some unwelcome guests. And don't even get me started on roasted nuts. Regular "roasted" means fried in oil. Dry roasted is better (like being baked in an oven), but that is sometimes harder to find.

This brings us to the importance of reading labels. The good news is that because you are not eating processed foods anymore, you wont have to worry about ingredients as much, but it is still important that you know what you are eating. It is actually pretty gross when you start to read ingredients and realize what sort of stuf you were putting in your body before. There are hidden sugars, soy, chemicals and oils in so many things, even those things that are labeled as "healthy" or "natural". I have seen even seen things labeled as "paleo" that have milk and whey in them!  If you are buying something that is in a package, even if it is produce, take a second to flip it over and check out the ingredients list. A good rule of thumb is, if you can't pronounce the ingredient, it's probably best you don't ingest it.