Country Ribs

This was always one of my favorite dinners growing up.  It wasn't until I was older that I asked my mom for her recipe and found out how simple it was to make.  These boneless ribs are so tender and delicious and you won't need to babysit them at all.  Just throw them in the oven and let them do their thing.  To make this as clean and processed free as possible, make your own BBQ sauce or buy one that does not have added sugar.  

boneless country ribs
salt and pepper
BBQ sauce

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a roasting pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper.  Pour a small amount of BBQ sauce in the pan and spread it around.  Lay the ribs side by side - you can pack them in, seeing as they will shrink as they cook.  Liberally pour BBQ sauce over the top, trying to cover every bit of the ribs.  Cover with foil and bake for 3 hours.  

 

Sloppy Joes

 

I think Sloppy Joes are delicious!  But, what I like even more than the taste, is that this version is super fast and easy.  This is the kind of recipe that has few ingredients and comes together quickly on a busy weeknight.  Perfect for a family with little time.  

2 lbs. lean ground beef 
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar free ketchup
1/4 - 1/2 cup mustard
1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar substitute)

*optional: garlic and onion powder

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Add garlic and onion powder if you want to as well.  Once browned, add in the ketchup, mustard and coconut sugar.  Put in as much as you want in equal parts.  The more you put in, the more saucy it will be.  Serve on whole grain buns or a bread substitute.  

By the way, this is my favorite ketchup.  I buy it at Sprouts and it has only clean ingredients and tastes great!  It also has some added veggies which makes this a winner!

Million Dollar Bars

We have a family night every week that includes a treat.  This is my kids favorite part, but my dad can have little to no sugar, so he usually doesn't eat the dessert.  I wanted to make him something that he could enjoy with everyone, so million dollar bars, done the processed free way, seemed the perfect answer.  I think he was near tears that he could actually have dessert with us.  Everyone loved these and they have been a regular request by all ever since!

Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg

Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup pyure sweetener
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. caramel extract (optional)

Filling:
1-2 cups Lily's chocolate chips
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Make the crust by combining the almond flour, salt, baking powder, melted butter and egg.  Stir until combined.  Grease an 8X8 inch baking pan with coconut oil and press the crust into the bottom and edges with your fingers.  Try and make it even, but it doesn't have to be perfect.  Bake for 20 minutes.

While the crust is in the oven, make the caramel sauce by melting the butter, pyure sweetener, and salt in a small sauce pan.  Bring this to a boil, stirring continuously.  When it changes color from a yellow to brown, turn off the heat. This will take a few minutes.  Add the cream, vanilla, and if you have it, the caramel extract.  (These are perfectly good without the caramel extract.) This will bubble, then settle back down.  

Mix the chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans in a bowl until they are well combined.  Next, pour a small amount of the caramel onto the crust and then add all of the filling, spreading to make it even.  Top with the remaining sauce and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. 

I prefer to let these cool before cutting and serving them.  In fact, I even make them ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator.  I think this makes for cleaner, more solid cuts, but if you prefer them warm and gooey, go for it!  I typically cut these into 16 pieces (4X4), but you can cut them into whatever size you want. 

Gyro Lettuce Wraps

I love gyros!  I first had one when I was young and we lived in Europe.  Everyone pronounced the sandwich differently, but I quickly decided that it was delicious - no matter how you said it's name. My husband and I have been cutting out some carbs, but I really wanted a gyro.  So instead of saying, we can't eat that, I decided we could still enjoy all those fantastic flavors without the bread.  And these did not disappoint!  In fact, I didn't miss the bread - and I love bread. These were also ridiculously fast to make.  I think I had dinner on the table in less than 10 minutes!

gyro meat
butter, Boston or bib lettuce
chopped tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
sliced cucumber
thinly slice red onions
Tzatziki sauce (homemade or a clean store bought option)

Warm the gyro meat and assemble the lettuce wraps by layering the meat, tomatoes, cucumber and onions into a lettuce cup.  Drizzle the sauce over top and enjoy!

(The picture doesn't show it with onions because my husband doesn't like them, but they are a good addition.)

BBQ Chicken Salad

When I first got married, a good friend of mine gave me a recipe box with a few of her favorite recipes.  This chicken salad was one of them.  It is easy to make and everyone I have made it for always loves it.  Depending on each ingredient you use, this can be personalized to make it processed free, paleo, keto, low carb, etc.  Even vegetarian if you omit the chicken!  That also makes this a good option if you need something for guests and you don't know what kind of diet they are on.

shredded chicken
lettuce/salad greens
tomatoes
bell peppers
avocados
black beans
corn
cheese
tortilla chips

Dressing is equal parts:
BBQ sauce (homemade or low/no sugar)
Ranch dressing (homemade or as clean as possible)

This can be assembled and tossed together in one big bowl or it can be individually put together by each person.  Then they can add as much or as little of each item that they want, kind of like a buffet-style salad.

Citrus Coleslaw

Have you ever wanted fresh fruits and vegetables in a non-heavy kind of slaw?  One that isn't mayonnaise based with lots of other chemicals lurking behind the scene?  Want it to be refreshing too?  Well, this is the recipe for you - it was for me!  I had this slaw at a dinner party and fell in love with it.  The host was clear on the ingredients list, but vague as to actual amounts because she felt you could add however much you wanted of any one ingredient to suit your own tastes.  Normally, I like a straight forward recipe, but this one is particularly forgiving and really great to make how you like it.  It is totally fresh and completely processed free.  I'll give some rough estimates for the ingredient list, but personalize this to your own tastes. 

1/4 to 1/2 head of shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 zucchini, shredded
6 to 7 radishes, shredded
1/2 to whole apple, shredded (I like pink lady)
1/2 to 1 cup pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
zest of 1-2 limes and their juice
(optional: add a bit of freshly grated ginger)

Combine all in a bowl and stir - it's that simple!  I really have made this with lots of varying amounts and it has always tasted great.  I take a bite and see what else it needs and call it good. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes

My kids spent the night at their grandparent's house and when I picked them up in the morning, my mom had made them pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes.  They were delicious, but certainly not processed free since they came from a box mix.  I'm trying to add more protein to my diet that doesn't always involve eating meat, so I've been playing around with some recipes that can incorporate a high quality protein powder.  I knew I could incorporate that into a pancake recipe, but the thought of combining it with pumpkin and chocolate chips was too tempting.  Here is my version of an individual serving of pumpkin chocolate chip protein pancakes.

1/3 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Truvia (or sweetener of your choice)
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt
chocolate chips (I like Lily's brand)

Put all the ingredients into a small blender, except the chocolate chips, and blend until smooth.  This will create your pancake batter.  Pour a small amount into a greased pan and sprinkle on some chocolate chips.  Flip and repeat the process until the batter is gone.   

This makes anywhere from 4-6 pancakes depending on the amount of batter you use. This is an individual serving, but this recipe is easily doubled or tripled to serve more.  I also like to use the Lily brand chocolate chips because they are sweetened with stevia and erythritol, but you can use whatever you like.