Crockpot Pork Roast

Hi everyone!  I hope all of my mommy friends had a great Mother's Day weekend!  I got to spend the entire day Saturday with my husband, so that was awesome! Sundays are always my prep/cook days and yesterday was no different.  I had a 2.25lb pork shoulder roast in the freezer that I wanted to use.  I googled "crockpot pork recipes" to get some inspiration.  This recipe from Cooks.com was my main inspiration.  Obviously, I wasn't going to use onion soup mix and I had already decided that I wanted to put onions & carrots in with it, so here's my version:

Ingredients

2-3lb Pork Shoulder Roast (grass-fed, organic, free-range is best)

10-15 Carrots (I used fresh ones from the farmers market that were a little small, so I used 15)

1 Onion, quartered

3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled

Salt & Pepper

1 tsp Caraway Seeds

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 cup Broth (any broth will work.  I used homemade bone broth)

Directions

Peel and cut carrots.  I left them pretty much whole so that they wouldn't get too mushy.  Peel and quarter your onion and peel your garlic cloves.  Throw all this in the bottom of your crockpot.  Salt & pepper your roast on all sides and then place on top of veggies.  Next sprinkle on the caraway seed, garlic powder and onion powder.  Last, pour a cup of broth (or water) in the bottom of the crockpot.  Turn that sucker on low for about 2 hours and then crank it up to high for about 6 more.  Or, if you won't be home, high for 6-8 hours should be fine too.  I like my meat to fall apart.  

This roast turned out well.  It had plenty of flavor and the caraway wasn't too overwhelming.  My carrots weren't mushy and the onions were a nice addition.  

...so this is ketosis?

Image courtesy of tumbler
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/jungle%20cat?before=23

Hi everyone!  I'm wrapping up my fourth week of my fourth whole30!!!  Holy cow! As I mentioned previously, I changed this one up to limit carbs (very little fruit and no sweet taters).  I've been trying to stay under 50g of carbs most days.  I've had about 5 days that were over 50g.  In the first weeks I was pretty sure this wasn't working for me and that I would do better with some sweet potatoes in my life, but I am committed to at least the 30 days.  This week, I feel like a freaking animal!  I normally go to bed around 9pm and sleep until 5:30.  All week, I've been up late (11:00-11:30) and most days I've gotten up early.  Today I got up at 5:00 and went to CrossFit.  Then proceeded to go to my "other gym" and run sprints on the treadmill!  And I'm still feeling like I could do more, more, more!!!!  (Hating that I have a desk job at the moment!).

RAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I've been tracking my intake on My Fitness Pal, if you'd like to check it out, my user name is SnicciFit.  I will publish my data here after this week is over.  I'm thinking I may keep up the very low carb stuff with one "carb load" day per week.  Also, Hubs and I have decided to keep this whole30 going until we leave for our vacation.  That will make it a Whole39.  

Ranch Buffalo Chicken Spinach Salad

I had a sudden burst of creativity last night and created a new dish.  It's really a combination of parts some of my other favorite dishes that I put together.  It turned out really well.  I call it Ranch Buffalo Chicken Spinach Salad.

Ingredients

3-4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (I had about half a bag left which is apprx. 24oz)

Ranch Seasoning (I didn't measure, but I'm guessing I used about 2 TBSP)

3 TBSP of Butter (or ghee)

1/2 Cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce

Directions

If you don't already have a jar of this amazing homemade ranch seasoning by Living Low Carb One Day at a Time, you should totally make a big batch of it first!  I use it quite often.  It's delicious.  My favorite recipe is these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.

Next, you need to cut your chicken up into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle that ranch seasoning all over it.  Put about 3T of butter (or ghee) in a large skillet and heat on medium heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and toss to coat in the butter.  Cook until the chicken is just cooked through.  There will be a lot of buttery liquid in the pan, like this: 

Now turn the heat down a little (med-low) and add a 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot** to the pan.  Let it come to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.  The chicken will become more tender and the flavors will blend well.  I then took some fresh raw spinach and filled a plate up with it.  I topped it with about half of the chicken mixture (being sure to include some of that juice) and a few dollops of my homemade paleo ranch dressing.

**Note: be sure to check the labels on whatever hot sauce you decide to use.  The Franks Red Hot Original is Whole30 compliant, but the Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce is not :(

Sardines - Still Trying New Things!

Howdy!  I'm still over here trying new foods like a boss.  In fact, this week I tried sardines for the first time in my life!  Why, did I do that?!  Because sardines have many health benefits including being rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.

I chose this brand...

  

...because:

1. It's BPA free 
2. They are wild caught
3. It's available at my local Kroger store (in the organic section)
4. The ingredient list looks clean: Sardines, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Water, Sea Salt, Aqueous Natural Smoke (I'm not sure what "natural smoke" is, but I'm hoping it's nothing scary)

These were actually quite good!  I'll even eat them again.  I would rather eat a can of these (or split it with my husband) a few days a week than take fish oil supplements.  I'm not sure how many sardines I need to eat in a week to equal the benefits of supplements, but I'm willing to bet the nutrients in the sardines themselves are more bioavailable than in the supplements.

According to this chart, one can of these per week would give me enough Omega 3s. 

Chart found here: http://cessh.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/how_much_omega_3_web.pdf

Progress & Whole30 V4.0

Hey y'all!  Guess what?!  I'm doing another Whole30!  This is my fourth one.  After reading Primal Body-Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas, I've decided the Hubs and I should approach this Whole30 with her suggestions in mind.  That means that we are skipping the sweet potatoes and fruit this time around in an attempt to really find the elusive ketosis.  I am a little nervous about being so low carb and doing CrossFit, but I won't know how it works until I try it.  The key here is to eat PLENTY OF FAT (for fuel) and a moderate amount of protein.  

Here I've been pushing myself lately to eat a lot of protein...  

I think with my activity level (CF 3-4 times per week plus other things like running, rock wall climbing...etc) I am safe to still eat around 100g of protein a day.  As long as I am eating a TON of fat too.

My goal is to see my abs when this over.  I've gotten stronger and leaner, but just need to remove that little layer of fat.  It's ON!  

I thought this would be a good time to take progress pictures too.  I had taken some when I first started CrossFit in November 2012 and hadn't taken any since.  My husband took them for me and I looked at them immediately said "I look the same!  Nothing has changed!"  Later I used my PicStitch app to put the old pictures next to the new ones and I could really see a difference then!  The biggest differences I noticed were in my posture and my thighs!  I'm really sorry, as much as I want to show them off, I'm too nervous to post pictures of myself in tiny shorts and and a sports bra all over the interwebs... Y'all will have to trust me that my progress has been good.  I plan to take the same pictures again in 30 days.  I can't wait!  

Oh yeah, I'm also tracking my food on My Fitness Pal.  I know that tracking during a Whole30 is a no-no, but I've done 3 of them without tracking and feel pretty confident that it won't effect how I eat.  Also, I want to be sure to keep my carbs are low enough and that I am eating enough fat.  And I'm a curious person, so I want DATA.

So, here's my menu for week 1:

1) Cabbage Goulash

2) Waldorf Tuna Salad *obviously there's a litte fruit in here, but it's less than half an apple/svg.

3) Skillet Taco Pie w/homemade guacamole

4) Whole Roasted Chicken 

5) Hard Boiled Eggs/Egg Salad

6) Smoked Sausage w/Kraut (I just fry up a little uncured smoked pork sausage from the farm with some Bubbie's Kraut) 

7) Stir-fry/fajitas 

Duck Fat Carrots

Remember when I went to Whole Foods and on impulse bought some Rendered Duck Fat that I had no idea what to do with? Well, I had purchased a bunch of carrots this week and had my prep cook (read: husband) cut half up into sticks for dipping in my homemade ranch and the other half into medallions for cooking.  I got to thinking (while in the waiting room at the dentist office) that I had carrots at home and duck fat and that there just had to be something I could do with that combination.  So of course, I googled "duck fat carrots" and found this great recipe for roasting carrots in duck fat from A Time-Honored Table.

Let me start by telling you that I have only very recently tried roasting vegetables.  I've roasted broccoli only twice and I really enjoyed it, but Husband wasn't overly impressed. I used olive oil (and garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes) for these broccoli expeditions, but I really want to get away from heating olive oil at all and I'm looking to get a variety of fats in my diet.  The carrots were good, but I'm not convinced they wouldn't have been just as good with butter as the fat?  I won't know until I try it...  I look forward to roasting a variety of veggies in both butter and duck fat.  I'll let you all know how it goes.  

ONE YEAR!

I started this blog one year ago today!  A lot has changed in the last year.  I don't even know where to start!  So... let's look at some of my early goals:

• Eat 125-150g of protein/day - I've actually come back to and am still working on this one.  I started tracking my intake again about 6-7 weeks ago and found that I was getting around 70g of protein a day.  I have since upped my protein to at least 100g/day and increased my calories as well.
• Eat 20-25g fiber/day - I don't find this one to be as important anymore, but I've been getting anywhere from 15 to 20g/day
• get most (if not all) of my carbs from fruits & veggies -I've done spectacular on this (especially since doing Whole30s)!  I do go through stages where I eat some candy or honey, but most days my only carb sources are fruits & veggies (including starches like sweet potatoes!).  I have allowed for rice ocassionally when dining out.
• continue to avoid artificial sweeteners -This is a no-brainer.  I don't use any artificial sweeteners or drink or eat anything with them in it.  I'd rather have refined sugar than artificial, but I mostly opt for fruit or honey for sweetening.
• continue trying new foods -Yep!  Still trying new things all the time :)
• feel good about the changes I am making :) -Totally!
• read new material about paleo every day (this should be an easy one!) -Everyday I read material about nutrition and health both on the internet and in books.  I'm currently reading The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, MD as well as Primal Body - Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas.  Both are great reads!!!!  

October 2011               August 2012                 February 2013

So, here are some new goals:

• Continue to PR at CrossFit and my 5ks
• Keep trying new food
• Keep educating myself and keeping an open mind about nutrition and health
• Keep inspiring others to take control of their own health through nutrition & fitness

So... that's it folks!  It's been a great year and I look forward to many many more!  Thanks for hanging out with me this year!