picnic

Paleo crack for a rough Monday

I'm feeling a little rough today. We are in the process of buying a home and went hunting for "the one" on Saturday. We finally got another car since ole' red died on us and let me tell ya non-Arizonans: House hunting and car shopping in the middle of the AZ summer should be down right illegal. Trying to make big grown-up decisions with sweat dripping in your eyes and down your back is NOT what I had in mind for a Saturday. It is what it is though. We're grateful we're in a position to be buying but our 650 sq foot apartment seemed more appealing afterwards. 

 Plus, today was my first official day back in the operating room. Last week I was doing classroom work so you can imagine the stellar sleep I got last night. The OR nightmares are back. I go to work all day,so having to dream about work the night before should be double over-time right?? Hence, why I'm feeling a little rough on a Monday. Anyhoo, I wanna talk about food now.

I made these forever ago and am finally sharing them. And I had to share because this was a first-timer for me. First time making my very own crackers!!!!

I'm kindof a wheat-thin and triscuit finatic. Especially with some cottage cheese. I can clean out a box for a snack easy-peasy. So on my paleo 30day challenge, I made myself some of my own wheat-thins but paleofied and they are definitely better than that wheat-thin business. Just sayin.

recipe via Primal Palate

2 cups almond flour

1 cup flax seed meal

2 eggs

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp cumin (didn't use)

2 tsp garlic powder (didn't use)

2 tsp onion powder (didn't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine flour, flax and spices. Whisk eggs and pour over flour mixture. Add in olive oil. Sitre all ingredients to form dough.

Roll dough into a large ball and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Cover dough with separate sheet of parchment and roll out in 1/4 inch-thick-layer.

Score dough with knife to desired cracker size.

Bake crackers 15 minutes. let cool, beak crackers into squares, and serve!

SIP'n

Acronyms. It's a Shideler thing.

They have acronyms for everything. And this may sound ridiculous but maybe acronyms will be a tradition in our Shideler family as well. Two new acronyms I learned on our weekend trip to Ryan's ranch, S.I.P'n & R.B.F.B's. Technically it's SIP'n with RBFB's, meaning swimming in pond with root beer float bars. Sadly, there were no RBFB's to be eaten, but there was some major S.I.P'n on a b-e-a-utiful summer day. I had my lounge chair, the sun on my skin, breath-taking views...all I needed was an umbrella drink to put in my cup holder. :)

And, probably the sweetest "awwww"- inducing photo of a father & son.

 My brother-in-law Michael and his little boy Roman.

Awwwww.

a great burger, without the cow

When it came time to decide where to go for Ryan's birthday, I thought I would give him two options. His options were Ruth's Chris Steak House or Zinburger. Ruth's Chris is not quite in our budget, but it was a special occassion and I thought if we were ever to splurge, this was the night. Could my husband be anymore of a burger lover though? He stayed true to his 2nd love (me being his 1st) and chose Zinburger-- a burger lover's paradise. They have burgers dressed up in so many different ways, you'll have to go back more than once to try them all.

Zinburger is less than 1/2 mile from our place so in effort of not being completely lazy, we walked in the warm Arizona evening heat to Zinburger. We got there, sat down, ready for our ice waters to be brought to us to moisten our parched mouths and realized we both forgot our wallets. Not the best way to start a birthday dinner. We walked back to our place, drove back to the restaurant, were seated, and finally got our waters! The hiccup was definitely worth it though. We both loved our burgers; I went for the veggie because I felt guilty having the cow on the wall stare right at me...... literally right at me.  

Ryan walked over and asked why I wasn't posting a picture of him on his birthday dinner night and just posting my burger and picture of the cow. So here it is. The Birthday Boy on the night of his birthday dinner. Ain't he precious?

a dream backyard

This past weekend we went to Ryan's home in Silt, Colorado. I wish I had an amazing camera and I also wish I had some mad skills with photography but unfortunately I lack both. This was a moment when I really would have liked to capture the beauty of his family's ranch. Ryan grew up on a cattle ranch and has shared so many cool stories about his childhood.

One night, we got some blankets, jumped on a 4-wheeler and drove out in the middle of field and star gazed, which is something we used to do in Idaho when we dated. And yes, whenever someone says they went star gazing, there is some making out going on. But why wouldn't there be?? Especially in Silt where you can see every single star. It's super duper romantic. :)

Anyway, I have so many pictures from the trip and can't wait to load them and share the paradise of the Shideler Ranch. This is my attempt of giving you the panoramic view of his backyard. And because the quality is crappy, use your imagination and turn those brownish black dots in the field into horses...because that's what they really are.

airport boredom

Airport boredom alright. This is what we did to entertain a 3 hour layover on our weekend trip to Rifle to see Ryan's fam damily. They are all so awesome and we had a stellar time there.... and even at the airport. See??? I'm pretty sure everyone sitting around us was staring. Oh well. Hopefully we provided some entertainment, even if it was unwanted.

cinnamon rolls for the birthday boy

Well, yesterday was the ole' husband's birthday.

The big kahuna, the big 2-8.

I wanted to make him a special treat. I remember one year for his birthday, the first time I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone, I baked him a blueberry pie. Store bought crust and canned blueberry filling. Man I thought I was so awesome.

I found these precious babies from The Urban Poser and had to HAD TO make them. I've been off of Paleo for only 3 days and every day I've felt disgustingly piggish. Yes, that's exactly how I've felt.

And there was some hesitation making Ryan's birthday treat Paleo style but they were made with love and that makes up for it right? Actually, he liked them. And it wasn't like, "Yah they're good, thanks". This is what he said, and I memorized it word for word because this time I really did feel awesome. "Wow! These taste really good! You should be so proud of yourself! You have become such a good cook. I bet they're really healthy and have zucchini or something in them, and they still taste really good!"

Oh Ryan. Stop it....Ok go on and tell me again. :)

And F.Y.I there is no zucchini in them. Here's the recipe to see for yourself. :) I dare you to make them. First time making cinnamon rolls and they were STELLAR! The directions may seem tedious but it's worth it. And if you just so happen to have a fort set up in your living room, eat them inside your fort like us. They taste better that way. ENJOY!

For the biscuit rolls

3 cups plus 2 Tbls super fine almond flour

1/2 tsp salt (or just slightly under that amount)

1/4 tsp baking soda

*2 tbs cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut oil (or oil of choice)

2 Tbls honey

2 large room temp eggs

For the filling

1/4-1/2 cup honey (depending on how much sweetness you like)

1- 2 Tbls ground cinnamon

1/2 cup ground pecans/walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

*I sprinkled some shredded coconut in filling as well

 

 

For the icing

1/4 cup coconut butter at room temp

optional honey for drizzling

(keep both separate for drizzling or you will get thick paste)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda * I added 2 tbs of cinnamon to give cinnamon flavor in actual dough. In a seperate bowl, gently beat together the coconut oil, honey, and eggs. If the eggs are too cold, they might cause the coconut oil to harden. Add the egg mixture to the almond flour mixture. Mix (knead) until a decently smooth dough is formed.

 

 

On a large piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into about a 9x13 rectangle. Use a little almond flour, if needed, to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Drizzle the 1/4-1/2 cup of honey evenly over the dough, then carefully spread it around to cover the whole surface. Honestly, I use my fingers to do this. I find that I am less likely to tear the dough this way. Sprinkle the raisins, grounds pecans, cinnamon and *shredded coconut over the surface of the honeyed dough.

 

 

Now your ready to roll it up! Starting at the end closest to you, begin to roll the edge of the dough away from you. Try to start a tight roll from the beginning. Continue rolling until you have a nice uniform log. Use the parchment paper to help you roll if needed. Be gentle and careful when rolling up the dough. It is not as workable as a gluten based flour would be. Now roll the whole log of dough gently, lengthening it out just a bit (like making a snake out of play-dough). It is a good size when it is about a 4 in ch round log.

 

 

With a good bread knife, cut the roll into about 2 inch thick slices. I use the width of two fingers as my guide. Then lay them cut side down on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. They do best spaced a few inches apart, but not connected.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 min. I suggest staying close to the stove and checking a few times while they are baking, as everyone's oven cooks a bit differently. The rolls should be golden with a little browning at the top and the dough toward the center of the roll should be soft but not to doughy. If they bake too long they WILL become like hockey pucks! If cooked just right though, they will be heavenly.

When ready, remove from oven and let cool for 10 min. If you try to move them before then, they might break up. But if you wait for them to cool they will hold together beautifully.Drizzle with coconut butter and/or honey just before serving.Makes about 9-10 cinnamon rolls. *Note, these are gluten free so they are more like biscuits.

Why I got a job

There are many reasons why I needed to get a job. I've been spending too much money, watching too much tv, and baking too much food. It's also an uncomfortable subject when people ask me what I do and I say in all seriousness, "I'm a stay-at-home wife." And of course the spouts of complete boredom where I sit on the couch and stare at the wall. I start next Monday working as a surgical nurse again so this is my last week of freedom and doing whatever the heck I want!

Today though, i reconfirmed to myself that i really do need to start working. When Ryan comes home today and asks what I did I can say with a BIG SMILE on my face, "honey, while you were working all day, I built us a fort."

I love forts. Ryan and I used to make and watch movies in them while we were dating and newlyweds. I'm bringing them back and making our fort so much classier and mature. I even strung some lights and garland. I know this will be a nice surprise when Ryan gets home from a long day at the office. What grown man wouldn't love crawling into a pimped out fort after being stuck at a cubicle all day? My point precisely. Oh, and today he turns 28 so this is also a birthday gift! Ha :)

No moh mondays

Is anyone else feeling this way today besides me? We had a busy weekend with a friend who came in town. Friday night we had a game night with friends, Saturday was gym time then bought a car for me yay :) then went to downtown Phoenix for dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, church on Sunday, couple dozen episodes of Lost, then over to a friends for a dinner party. This morning I was planning on getting up at 6. A few hours later i finally did rise from the bed in a zombie-like state only to pour some cereal and flop myself down on the chair to watch the morning news with my eyes half shut. This is my last Monday before I start my new job next week and thus far it hasnt been the most productive.

fathers

ok this is being posted way late. and unfortunately my dad is in Brazil right now. He did call me for a few minutes, 2 minutes to be exact, so being able to express to him my love and appreciation over the phone was suppressed into a short few sentences. He's away on business and won't be coming back to Arizona until next week. He reads my blog and hopefully within the next few days he will see this.

Everyone claims they have the best dad in the world. I'm one of those people. And even though I think my dad is way cooler than your dad, I won't go much into bragging. Ha. BUT, i do have to brag a little because it is father's day.

My dad is a dad who gives everything for his kids. I have so many fond memories of my dad. Growing up, before school, I would go in to his bedroom in the morning to wake up him, and we would go downstairs and have a bowl of cereal together before leaving for work and school. Every single morning. I also remember when I was in 7th grade and i was wanting to buy a certain pair of jeans. He took me shopping to help me find a pair that I liked. We probably went to every single store in Phoenix trying to find me a stupid pair of jeans. At the time though, finding the "right" jeans was so important and if it was important to me, it was important to him and he was going to help me find them. :)

I don't love my dad because of all the breakfasts we ate together or because he drove me all over town to help me find those jeans. I love him because he's shown me and provided the perfect example of what parent I want to be. I love him because he has given me unconditional love and invested all he has to me and my brothers.

A little confession: Ryan and I, even though we aren't parents ourselves, have celebrated Mother's and Father's day every year we've been married. Is that weird? We give each other cards saying, "to the future father/mother of my child" and share our feelings on how  we're going to be AWESOME parents someday.

Today at church there was a little girl sitting on her dad's lap, her arms were wrapped around him and she rested her head on his shoulder. It was so sweet to see her squeezing her dad so tight. I was a daddy's girl and I remember I was the same way with my own dad. Never wanting to leave his lap. And then I thought about when we have a little girl sitting on Ryan's lap. There's that sweet pure love between a parent and child and I'm grateful that I've been able to have that with my own dad and look forward to our children having a close relationship with Ryan some day.

I want to say on this special day, Happy Father's Day to my dad, father-in-law, and of course my husband/future father of our children. I'm grateful for the courage, support, protection, and pure love they have all provided in my life. :)