Oven Baked Spiced Ribs

I know I said I was only gonna post on Tues & Thurs for awhile, but this is an off week. I'm currently sitting here trying to kill time and not think about food (as I post a recipe on my food blog...I know. Shut up) waiting for my 1:15 colonoscopy appointment. Good times today people...good times. This will be #5 for me...I've become quite the pro!

It's good though. I need to find out what's up so we can readjust my medicine and get things working again without pain. I'm just S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G. I haven't eaten anything in 40 hours, and I won't be able to eat again until around 3:30-ish...the no food (and nasty drink the night before) are by FAR the worst part of this. The procedure itself is easy as pie. Mmmmmmm.....pie. With a side of cheeseburger.

Moving on.

Then, later in the week, Jesse and I are off to go visit Daddy-O at a port call! We're very excited about this. He's been gone a month, so spending 4-5 days with him will be a nice break before we have to say goodbye again for another month.

Anyway, these ribs? Awesome.

I was a little apprehensive about trying ribs without drenching them in BBQ sauce (I have since come to learn that there ARE Paleo friendly BBQ sauces out there, or I can just make my own...good to know), but the spice rub that goes with this is really  good. It makes a lot, and since I absolutely did not make 4 lbs of ribs for just myself and Jesse, I had a lot of leftover. I've kept it and rubbed it on chicken breasts as well as pork that I've thrown in the slow cooker. It's a great spice combination to have handy!

Ok guys, I'm off to....well, you know.

Hope you have a better afternoon than I'm about to have :)

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'Oven Baked Spiced Ribs'

Source: Adapted from Paleo Cupboard

Ingredients

4 pounds pork ribs

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 250 and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

2. Combine all spice ingredients together in a small bowl and stir to combine.

3. Rub both sides of the ribs with the spice rub and place the ribs in large baking dish, rib side down.

4. Add a small amount of water to the dish (about 3-4 tablespoons) and bake the for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

5. Broil the ribs for about 5-10 minutes to brown the meat side. Cut the ribs and serve with extra napkins.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

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Avocado Mango Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Omg, it is sooooooo beautiful outside!!! I wish the grass needed cut so I could just be doing something out out there. I already laid out for awhile (not too long...I leaned my lesson the last time).

Anyway, this recipe was the first 'Paleo' recipe I ever tried. Looks pretty normal, eh? Yeeeahh, that's cause it is. This was so, so good, and it's something that I would have passed right over a month ago.

When I decided to start eating this way I did a board search of Paleo Recipes on Pinterest...got a MILLION ideas. This was one of the first I noticed. I was never worried about dinner recipes. All Paleo is is eating super healthy, which is simple to do with meats fruits and veggies. Breakfast and lunch though? That was a concern of mine.

I wanted recipes that were easy and weren't gonna keep me in the kitchen all day. I cook dinner every night, which I like doing, but I'm not making some elaborate breakfast and lunch as well.

This was simple. You can even buy already cooked and peeled shrimp if you want! (That's what I did. I just stuck them on a skewer and set them in the panini press for about 45 seconds to get that 'grilled' look for the pictures).

If you want to use the actual grill, go for it. Or you CAN cook raw shrimp on a panini maker. Takes about  2 minutes. I do this when Heath is gone since there's no way in hell I'm firing up a charcoal grill. Oh, and the leftovers of this are just as good. I heated them in the microwave for a bit just to take the refrigerator 'chill' off, but I loved it.

Ok guys, enjoy the rest of your week and have a great weekend! See ya Tuesday!

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'Avocado Mango Salad with Grilled Shrimp'

Source: Adapted from What 2 Cook

Ingredients

Salad:

2 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 avocados, pitted, peeled & cubed

1 mango, peeled and diced

Lime wedges, for serving

Dressing:

1 mango, peeled and finely diced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 jalapeno, seeded & diced (optional)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat gas grill to high. (Or you can grill shrimp indoors on a panini maker...takes about 90 seconds).

2. Prepare the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients (except oil) in a blender and blend until smooth. While blender is running, remove lid and pour in oil in a steady stream. Continue blending for several seconds, then remove and set aside.

3. Prepare the shrimp: Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Add about 1/3 cup of dressing and toss to coat. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. String shrimp onto wooden or metal skewers for grilling. Grill over high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, let cool, them remove from skewers  (Or place shrimp skewers on a heated panini. Close the lid and grill for 90 seconds. Remove from panini maker).

5. In a large bowl, combine the salad mango, avocado and grilled shrimp. Add dressing to taste; toss lightly and serve.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Strawberry Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

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Oven Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

Well guys, just wanted to give you a heads up that you're going to be seeing a lot less from me for a while. Possibly a few months. I'm going to post on Tuesday's and Thursday's for the next few weeks (well, except next Thurs since Jesse and I are leaving to meet Heath at a port call for 6 days), then I'll probably switch over to Mon, Wed and Fri for awhile.

My Crohn's has taken a turn for the worse, and my Humira injections are no longer working. At all. Since this was the last stop on the medicine train for me, I've decided to look into other alternatives.

For years different doctors have been telling me food has no affect on Crohn's Disease patients. I've always been absolutely dumbfounded by this considering Crohn's in an intestinal  disease. How can food, which passes through your intestines, have nothing  to do with the pain and inflammation???

So, after much research and reading, I've decided to adopt the Paleo Diet. Crohn's patents have found immense success with it, and I figure...why not? Sure it's a pain-in-the-ass diet...no wheat, dairy, carbs or packaged snacks, but ya know what? If I can get through the day without pain, I'm  in.

I've been doing this hardcore for about 4 days now and I can already feel a difference. Mainly, I'm not crying every time I use the bathroom. Seriously.

I'll post the Paleo recipes as I make them, but I'm not going to broadcast them as Paleo (that scares some people). While Paleo is a strict diet, it's an incredibly healthy one. Meats, fruits, veggies, nuts. Don't get much healthier than that!

You will see a significant increase in healthy meals, though I do still have a bunch of pre-paleo meals in my drafts folder waiting to be shared, so you'll still see some oldies. As the weeks go on though, there will be no more cream cheese sauces, no butter creams or breads. No mac & cheese (yes, my heart has broken a little at the loss of my beloved mac and cheese) or crescent rolls.

It's cool though. I need this. My body needs this. It was one thing when I had the medicine holding everything at bay, but since that's no longer an option, it's time for change.

I'm sure gonna miss you Paula Deen. We had a good run you and I...but I've just gotta move on.

Have a great day guys. See ya Thursday :)

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'Oven Roasted Chicken & Potatoes'

Source: Adapted from eMeals

Ingredients

3/4 lb diced chicken

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3/4 lb red potatoes, cubed

1 medium onion, quartered

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Combine all ingredients in a greased baking dish. Cover

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Strawberry Kiwi Parfait

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Honey Chicken Bites

It. Is. STUNNING outside!!

I'm gonna post this real quick then head out to get some more grass seed before the rains come back tomorrow. My grass seed out back is coming in beautifully, so I figure I'll throw some around out front.

This was an easy and tasty little recipe that cooks up really fast. My little bites never came to a 'golden brown', they were more of a white-ish/tan-ish color. I don't know if that's from the cornstartch or what, but it didn't affect the taste. I know I had my oil hot enough, so who knows.

Ok guys, hope you have a great weekend. We've got an FRG Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, but other than that it'll be pretty quiet around here. See ya next week!

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'Honey Chicken Bites'

Source: Adapted from Salu-Salo

Ingredients

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 egg whites, beaten

1/2 plus 1/8 cup cold water

3/4 cup honey

3 teaspoons sweet chili sauce

Oil for frying

Cornstarch/flour mixture:

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Heat a good amount of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat (enough to submerge each chicken piece about half-way).

2. In a medium bowl combine ingredients for cornstarch/flour mixture. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, beaten eggs and cold water to form a creamy batter.

4. Dip the chicken pieces into the batter and then roll in cornstarch/flour mixture. Drop each piece in the skillet and fry until cooked through, turning once...(about 2-3 minutes per side). Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

5. In a small dish mix together the honey and the sweet chili sauce. Pour over the chicken bites and serve.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Mexican Style Red Beans & Rice

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Sausage and Black-Eyed Pea Hash

This recipe was quite the surprise. I decided to make it because, regardless of the long-ish list of ingredients, it's really a super simple recipe. Just do a little prep-work earlier in the day, or even the night before, by chopping up the sausage and veggies and storing them in the fridge until you need them. That way when it comes time to cook this, just toss it all  together!

Plus it had an egg on top...I love eggs.

This was so, so  good. Seriously. Really good. Even Jesse liked it! I did have to pick the yellow squash out of his, but other than that, he loved it. I cant wait to make it for Heath when he gets back. I think this is something he'll really like it.

Plus it's very good for you. Turkey sausage...all those veggies...an egg. Sounds healthy to me!

Have a great day guys!

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'Sausage and Black-Eyed Pea Hash'

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

8 oz diced turkey sausage

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow squash, cubed

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

2. Add celery, tomato, red pepper and squash; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add water, thyme, vinegar, Worcestershire, dijon mustard and peas. Simmer for 2 minutes or until peas are thoroughly heated. Remove pea mixture from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan with a paper towel.

4. Return pan to medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Crack eggs into pan; cook 4 minutes or until whites are set. Remove from heat.

5. Place about 1 cup pea mixture onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with one egg. Sprinkle eggs evenly with pepper.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Mini Crescent Apple Pies

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