Welcome to the Good and Good for You™ newsletter, a quick 5-minute read with ideas and info on ways to help improve your life – including a tasty and healthful recipe like this one for Rainy Day Ribs. I’ve been on hiatus for a bit with a lot of travel, but I am revitalized and ready to go!

This issue shares:

• Best Life Living Tip: Giving Yourself Grace 🙏🏻
• Self-Care Strategy: How to Get Back on Track 🚂
• Ideas and Inspiration: The Most Southern of Spreads🧀
• Good and Good for You™ Recipe: Rainy Day Ribs ☔️

Thanks for reading! It’s awesome to see that this newsletter is making life better in some way for so many folks.

Since much of the country has grey skies. I thought I’d share my Rainy Day Rib recipe.

You can make decent barbecue in the oven. Is it the same as ribs slow-cooked over a smoky fire? No, it is not, but it’s still pretty darn good. And, a heck of a lot better than standing in a thunderstorm with an umbrella.

Read on for a super easy recipe for low and slow oven-roasted barbecue baby back ribs.

Best Life Living Tip

This spring I led a Good and Good for You Tour to France. (Subscribe to learn about future trips.)

We exercised every day, hiked, and rode bikes — and ate and drank a lot more indulgently than normal. (Of course we did! It was FRANCE!)

Upon return I had more travel and back to back photo shoots. Before I knew it, I’d gotten off track with my health and wellness goals. Yikes. Instead of beating ourselves up when we stray from doing what’s good for our mind, body, and spirit, it’s important to give yourself grace.

Giving yourself grace means treating yourself with compassion, patience, and understanding – especially when things don’t go perfectly. It’s about recognizing that being human includes making mistakes and learning as you go.

• Talk to yourself kindly. Replace harsh self-criticism with the same kind words you’d offer a friend.
• Let go of perfection. Focus on progress, not flawless outcomes. Done is often better than perfect.
• Pause and reset. Take a breath and remember that one tough moment doesn’t define your whole day, your life, or your self worth.

Self-Care Strategy

When you are meeting your health and wellness goals it feels incredible. But it’s amazing how easy it is to get off track!

A glass or two of wine a week scoots up to a few nights a week, skipping the gym one day can easily spiral into a week or more, and indulgent food creeps onto the meal plan. Before you know it, you are off track.

How to get back on track with health and wellness goals

• Start with one small step. A short walk, a glass of water, or a healthful meal can help rebuild momentum without feeling overwhelming.
• Return to your routines. Self-care isn’t all-or-nothing. Get back on it. Pick back up where you are, without guilt or punishment.
• Focus on how you want to feel, not where you are now. Let wellness be guided by who you want to be, your future you.

Ideas and Inspiration

Rebecca Lang is a longtime dear friend and fellow protege or “chicken” of our beloved mentor, Nathalie Dupree. She is a ninth-generation Southerner and has a new book out that’s about as Southern as it comes: Pimento Cheese: The Southern Spread.

Pimento Cheese: The Southern Spread

Packed with great recipes and photographs, it’s super fun and perfect for summer.  There are more than sixty-five recipes — thirty-five for making pimento cheese and thirty recipes that include pimento cheese to make creamy and comforting favorites like Cornbread Omelets with Pimento Cheese and Bacon, Macaroni and Pimento Cheese, and even Pimento Cheese Biscuits!

Rebecca is also a great storyteller and shares the origin story of pimento cheese as a textile workers’ staple and how Georgia became the largest grower of pimentos in 1929 after the boll weevil ravaged the state’s cotton economy! Who knew?!

Make sure to check out her website RebeccaLangCooks.com and give her a follow on instagram at @rebeccalangcook

Rainy Day Ribs: What’s the Difference in Baby Back and Spareribs?

When it comes to deciding what type of ribs to cook, you have basically two choices:  baby back ribs and spare ribs. 

Baby back ribs are cut from where the rib meets the spine.

• They’re only called “baby” because they are shorter and thinner than spareribs; they don’t refer to the age of the pig.
• Each baby back rib rack averages ten or so curved ribs that are 4 to 6 inches long and weighs about 11/2 pounds, which easily feeds two people as a main course.
• Baby back ribs also usually have a slightly higher price tag, but I think they are well worth the cost, as they are generally leaner, more tender, and quicker cooking.  

Spareribs are the meaty ribs cut from the belly of the pig and are typically larger and heavier than baby back ribs.

• Rib-Tips are the bottom portion of the spare rib.
• St. Louis Style ribs are spareribs with the sternum bone and rib tips removed to create a rectangular-shaped rack. These take longer to cook, but the meat is highly rich and flavorful.
• If you have spareribs, simply cook them for an additional hour or so. They are thick and meaty and need longer cooking.

Make it Count

I hope you love these Rainy Day Ribs as much as I do! Discovering low-temperature oven roasting is a serious revelation. Lifting the meat above the baking sheet on a rack lets the heat circulate on all sides. After a few hours, the meat is tender, nearly falling off the bone, and you’ll have finger-licking-good ribs.  

For more tips, inspiration, and healthy recipes, follow@virginiawillis on Instagram. I’ve currently got a free biscuit E-book available for new subscribers (and if you already follow you an have one, too!)

Remember, if you choose what’s Good and Good for You™ most of the time, you’re headed in the right direction. You’ve got this! Thanks for reading.

Bon Appétit, Y’all!

Virginia Willis

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Rainy-Day Baby Back Ribs

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Course: barbecue, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southern

Keyword: baby back ribs, barbecue, oven ribs, ribs

Servings: 4

Calories: 617kcal

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 racks baby back ribs about 31/2 pounds total
• 1 cup Tangy Barbecue Sauce recipe follows, for serving
• Sweet Heat Rub recipe follows

For the BBQ Sauce

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 sweet onion very finely chopped
• 1 24-ounce bottle ketchup (2½ cups)
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Hot sauce
• 2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper or to taste
• Coarse kosher salt

For the Rub

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup paprika
• 2 tbsp. coarse kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. piment d'Espelette Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes, or to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on the sheet. Spray the rack with non- stick spray.

For the Rub

• Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and piment d’Espelette in a small bowl.
• Rub each set of baby back ribs with 1/2 cup of the sweet heat rub. Set aside to come to room temperature, 30 minutes.(This step can be done a day ahead for deeper flavor: Rub the ribs with the rub and place in a resealable plastic container, or wrap in plastic wrap. If you use plastic wrap, make sure to place the wrapped ribs on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any seeping liquid due to the salt in the rub. Refrigerate to marinate overnight.)

For the Tangy BBQ Sauce

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and simmer until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ketchup. Pour the vinegar into the ketchup bottle and shake to loosen all the ketchup from the sides. Pour the vinegar from the bottle into the saucepan and add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, lemon juice, hot sauce, and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer until the flavors have smoothed and mellowed, at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The sauce will last for months.

To Cook the Ribs

• Place the rubbed ribs side by side on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the ribs are done and a knife slides easily into the thickest part of the rib meat, 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest, covered loosely in aluminum foil, for about 10 minutes, and then cut between the bones to separate the individual ribs.
• Serve immediately with the barbecue sauce for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 617kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 3694mg | Potassium: 1280mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 4551IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 7mg

Let’s cook something up! If you are interested in hosting me for a speaking engagement, event, cooking class, or a book signing, let me know! Send an email to assistant@virginiawillis.com and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.

I am not a doctor, RD, health professional, or WW representative. I am simply sharing what works for me. My blog is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

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