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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Apple French Onion Soup

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, 'Soup? Really? It's MAY!'. Well, I love French Onion Soup, and my taste-buds couldn't care less what month it is. Besides, I made this about a month ago, and if you spent this past April in New England, then you know April was friggin freezing.

When I saw this, I just couldn't see how adding apple to French Onion Soup could be bad. It sounded like it belonged, like it's always supposed to have been included. I had to try it.

This is a really easy recipe, but it does require some time. The onions need to simmer and carmalize on the stove-top for about 2 hours, so you'll want to start this early. After that you're just throwing in the rest of the ingredients, letting the whole thing simmer for another 30 minutes, broil with the bread, and then you're good to go!

Well, it's raining today, so this is the perfect day to catch up on laundry and cleaning. The past few days have been beautiful and I've occupied myself by doing yard work and tanning. The house is starting to feel a little neglected, so I should probably give it some attention.

Have a great rest of your day!

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'Apple French Onion Soup'

Source: Adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

3 pounds onions, sliced (about 12-15 onions)

1/2 cup water

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup white wine

2 cups beef or vegetable broth

1 cup apple cider (or apple juice)

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper to taste

French bread, sliced

1 1/2 cup gruyere or fontina, shredded

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and water and cook, covered, until completely tender and caramelized and golden, about 2 HOURS, adding more water if needed.

2. Add the chopped apple and thyme and cook for 1 minute.

3. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.

4. Add the broth, cider (or apple juice) and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Season the soup with salt and pepper and divide the between 4 oven safe bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of French bread, followed by the cheese, and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown, (about 2-3 minutes).

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Rosemary Fried Chicken

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