Crockpot Pulled Pork & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I already make a crazy good pulled pork. Cooked on low for 12 hours and doused in homemade BBQ sauce - to die for... BUT, like a lot of recipes out there - loaded with sugar.

So, I tried this recipe from Everyday Paleo last night and took it to work today for lunch. Super yummy! It would be GREAT for the grill, but the crock worked just fine. Since I am a fan of BBQ and was too tired to get inventive last night, I did take time to read labels at the store. Whole Foods is too far away for a quick run, but I did find Stubb's BBQ Sauce at Publix. It's pretty tangy (which I like), gluten free and only 4 grams of sugar for 2 tablespoons. While not perfect, it's delicious and a fair trade off when in a pinch.

At lunch I just did raw food (grapefruit and some cucumber slices) on the side. We splurged a little and had sweet potato fries with it for dinner. Then, of course, I splurged a little more and had a Patron on the rocks for dessert. :) I'd say it was pretty much the perfect dinner. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Chili - PaleOMG

Dear God Baby Jesus (DGBJ for short)! This was fast, easy and SOOOOO flavorful. It's mild enough for the kids, so if you like spicy - I suggest upping the jalepeno or adding more chilies.

I'm usually pretty pouty about not adding some kind of noodle, rice or barley to my soups (old habits die hard). Not a problem with this one... there's plenty of veggies and the coconut milk makes it very filling and gives it a creamy texture. I did see a couple of comments on PaleOMG that there were folks who are planning to add broccoli -- I think that's a good idea as well.

So my two recipes for the week really worked out. I think what I'll do is make a 'website of the week' and try two recipes from a new site. This week was definitely a success, so it's going to be hard not to come back for more, but I'm going to force myself to look around... MMMMMM.

Citrus Carrot Cocktail

From the Vitamix website...

1 cup (77 g) pineapple chunks
1/2 cup (65 g) chopped carrots
1/8-inch-thick (3 mm) slice lemon, with peel, seeded
1 cup (240 ml) ice cubes
1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.

Super fresh, summery and delicious. If you're raw/vegan this is perfect. For Paleo folks, grab a couple hard boiled eggs or rolled up lunch meat and some nuts. Zoners... great machine to throw all those veggies into when you just don't feel like chewing a head of lettuce for lunch. :)

Unlike other smoothie machines and juicers, the Vitamix crushes the whole food - so you get the benefit of all of the fiber/skin/nutrients of whatever you make in it.

Sweet & Savory Meatloaf

Life is returning to normal - we're getting into a routine and I am back at the gym. So now, I've decided I have to start taking accountability for what I stuff into my face. Being in FL is like being on vacation every weekend, so between work and exploring... it's been hard to buckle down and spend time in the kitchen like I did before. I'm tackling it a little differently this time - one crockpot quickie and one new recipe a week. Double up and throw the rest in the freezer.
Of course, these days finding a recipe to try is so much easier with so many free resources online. I just heard about PaleOMG today where I found the lovely gem pictured to the left.
It took me and Syd about 20 minutes to throw together and then it baked for 50 minutes. I separated the loaf into 2 pans, so one is going right into the freezer for another time.
I was very skeptical of the spices and raisins at first, but am so glad I followed the recipe as written. It was SO tasty and perfectly done. I drizzled some Sriracha on it and it was the perfect "sauce" to go with. Enjoy!

PSA: The Week is Almost Over!!

Perhaps you're not panicky b/c you've actively participated in the week so far. Today started my week really. I went back to work after having unexpected (but normal, I'm told) side-effects from the Thyrogen Injections.

I was so excited to get back to work and take my mind off of everything, but am still having pain in my joints. Needless to say, I was ready to leave at the end of the day.

My normal-but-unexpected side-effects: blurry vision, sick stomach, MAJOR SLEEPINESS, joint pain, muscle aches. So, the best part is joint pain. When you TALK non-stop for 8 hours a day, having a sore jaw is not cool. Other than that, today was much much better than Monday & Tuesday. I mostly slept when I stayed home. I really barely moved b/c I felt so dizzy and discusting. That kind of drives me insane. I hate missing work.

Even though I was sidelined for a minute, I am grateful that I was able to opt for Thyrogen. The alternative is coming off of my meds for two weeks (full withdrawl) and that would be horrifying. Me after missing my medicine for 1 day = possible cameo on the 6 o'clock news. Choose your own adventure depending on the hormone mix: total chaos and hurt feelings for everyone crossing my path or menopausal meltdown before noon. :)

Next step is labs on Friday and waiting to hear back. As soon as this week is behind me, it's all downhill from here!!! I hope to try to workout late this week or early next week and get back on a normal schedule. I have lots of fun training coming up before I get ready to head to FL and don't want to miss a thing at work or at home. Yay!