Pulled Pork Carnitas

One of the things that I love to be challenged with when following a Nutrition Plan is finding new recipes ... I am always looking for quick and simple.. the misconception that so many people has is that eating a Healthy Lifestyle is all about bland tasteless food... I will be honest and tell you that I have experienced with MORE spices while changing my eating habits than I ever did before.. and Healthy Food tastes amazing !! 

These were part of the WHOLE 30 plan that I followed and let me tell you... They were a Family Favorite !! Leftovers were even eaten !! 




Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt (I use Pink Himalayan) 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds pork butt, cut into 4 inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons cooking fat (I use GHEE)
• 1/2 Medium Onion roughly chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 cup of water 
• Juice of 1/2 lime 

I did this in a crock pot and it was super easy ! 

Directions:
1. Mix 1 Tablespoon of the sat and and pepper in a bowl. Use to season the pork butt evenly.

2. In a pot melt the cooking fat, add the onion and cook until translucent 4- 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring vigorously to prevent burning, until aromatic about 1 minute. 

3. Add the cinnamon and chili powder to the water.

4. Add the onion mixture to the bottom of the crockpot. 

5. Add the pork butt to the crock pot

6. Cover the pork with the water mixture. 

7. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours

Add the Green Onion and Lime Juice before serving

Note: Pork Butt is the most common cut used for pulled pork because it is marbled with flavor- enhancing fat. It is also known as Boston Butt, Boston Shoulder, and Pork Shoulder Roast. If you get a cut with the bone, throw it in the pot with the meat and let the nutrients and fat from the bone infuse your carnitas. 

Turn your Pork Carnitas into a taco salad by serving over crisp green along with Salsa and Guacamole.. 

My kids added some BBQ sauce and put them on buns as sliders.

Recipe Source:Whole30

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Turkey & Sweet Potato Hash

You want simple easy and tasty ?? This is it ! 
I love one skillet meals ! This was one of the recipes that came with the Country Heat workout. 

Its all about balance.. You have Protein, Veggies and Carbs all in one dish !!

Serves 4 
3/4 Cup Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1 lb. raw ground 93% lean turkey breast
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme (or ½ tsp. dried thyme)
• Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add onion, bell pepper, and sweet potatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and sweet potato is tender-crisp.

3. Add turkey; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until turkey is cooked through and sweet potato is soft.

4. Add garlic and thyme. Season with salt (if desired) and pepper (if desired); cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

Container Equivalents (per serving, per Country Heat nutrition guide): 

½ GREEN, 1 YELLOW , 1  RED , ½ teaspoon

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Butternut Squash Soup : Whole30

In the Fall and Winter we CRAVE COMFORT FOOD ! While I am not big on soups, I will be honest - this one was getting some pretty amazing reviews by some of my health and fitness friends and I had to give it a try -- Really WHY not !! You never know what AMAZING Foods you could be missing if you don't open up to try new things! 

CREDIT for this recipe goes to WHOLE30! 

Ingredients 

3 tablespoons coconut oil or Ghee
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cups of diced, seeded, peeled, butternut squash **
2  cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger *optional
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
**TIP:  You can purchase diced squash at most grocery stores. I find this saves a lot of time! 

Directions:

In a large pot melt the coconut oil, add onion until golden brown. Then add squash, garlic and ginger* until the garlic becomes aromatic.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.

Boil until butternut is soft (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.

In one or two batches transfer soup to food processor until smooth.

Return to pot and heat over medium-high heat until it thickens.

Season with salt and pepper.


NOTE: To make this a complete meal you can add some cooked chicken scallops.  You can also add spinach for additional greens.  I prefer to process the spinach but you can also add it the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Chocolate Chia Pudding with Fruit

These little Chia Seeds that pack a big punch nutritionally remind me of Chocolate Tapioca pudding that my grandma used to make !! She would make this big huge pot and we would all stand in the kitchen with our bowls waiting for her to let us know when it was done.. See in our house it was best HOT right off the stove!!

 

It seemed so rare as most people knew Tapioca as white -- Not sure if my grandma invented her own recipe or not but all I do know is that my entire family loved it !!

 

Over the years I have tried to reproduce it -- Many batches tossed in the garbage !!

 

So here we are today and these little Chia seeds are being talked about... Hmmmm I think that its time to give it a try again and so I did !! It was really good!!

 

Serves 6 (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cups  Unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 Cup Chia Seeds
• 6  Tbsp. Organic Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup
• 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan Salt
• 3 cups chopped fruit (I used blueberries)

It can be topped with Chopped Banana, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries, chopped kiwi fruit or chopped pear.

 

NOTE: It was a little bit bitter to me -- So you could add additional maple syrup to sweeten. Since mine was already made -- I added a tsp of Almond Butter to it and it did the trick !!


Directions:
1. Combine the almond milk, chia seeds, cocoa powder, maple syrup, extract and salt in a large bowl; whisk vigorously for 2 minutes, or until cocoa powder is incorporated and pudding is well blended.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; mix well.
3. Divide evenly into 6 small bowls ( I used little mason jars) and top each serving with 1/2 cup of fruit.


Another Note: I wanted mine to taste like my grandmas so I warm mine up before eating - then I top with fruit...

21 day Fix  - 1 Yellow, 1 Purple, 1/2 Orange, 1 Spoon (if you add the extra Almond Butter)

Source: Fixate Cookbook

Beans - Did you know they can lower your Cholestrol?

My journey truly started once I was told that my Cholesterol was high and I needed to be put on medication. I was not ready for that - heart disease runs in my family. I lost my dad way to young to heart disease and I knew where this could be headed.

 

I started on a mission to find alternative and preventative  ways to better my health and lower my cholesterol NATURALLY without the use of medications.


One of the ways to lower your cholesterol is thru changes to your Nutrition.

 

Beans are one of the best foods that you can eat to do that.

 So I started to eat more BEANS!!

Actually I was not a fan.. I  shyed away from chili for years because most had beans. I thought that they were dry and tasteless... I guess for me as I got older I started to try new things, different recipes and I came to the realization that WOW - these really are pretty good!! They come in all different shapes and sizes, colors etc.. and the best part is that they are good for you !!

  

Here are 6 ways beans help lower your cholesterol:

1. They’re rich in fiber, including soluble fiber, which helps lower total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels in your blood
2. They’re a good source of resistant starch, which helps lower your cholesterol
3. They contain phytosterols, the plant form of cholesterol, which help lower your cholesterol levels
4. They’re cholesterol free
5. They’re trans fat free. Trans fat raises your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
6. They’re low in fat, especially saturated fat, which increases your cholesterol levels

So what kind of Beans can you eat?

• Pintos, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, navy beans, great northern, peas, etc.
• Start with 1/2 cup a day and work your way up to  1- 2 cups a day

There are a variety of ways to get in those servings:

• Salads
• Chili's (Buffalo Chicken Chili)
• Soups
• Burritos
• Fajitas
• Tacos
• Enchiladas - (Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas)
• Dips
• Spreads
• Desserts (Black Bean Brownies)
• Crock Pot Recipes - (Salsa Chicken)

Another way is to replace your Meat with beans ! They are packed with protein, minus the saturated fat - the bad stuff that can put you at risk of raising your cholesterol levels and heart disease.

 

 

Fruity Egg Muffins - Only 3 Ingredients!

I saw a video on these and it sparked my interest.... So yes I had to give them a try!!
I love that they are gluten free and they are a little kick if protein and fruit !! These are perfect little bite sized bundles of goodness. Great to make in advance and have to take on the go!

I made the initial batch with the raspberries and liked them so much that I whipped up some more with blueberries and strawberries!

Makes 12 Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 Bananas (ripe)
• 4 Eggs 
• Fruit (Raspberries, Blueberries or Strawberries) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray
3. Place some fruit on the bottom of the muffin pan
4. In a food processor add 4 eggs and 2 bananas - BLEND
5. Add the egg mixture to cover the fruit
6. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes

Watch the video to see how quick and easy these are to make!! 

Source: Mind Over Munch

Pumpkin Soup

Tis the Season -- The Season of pumpkin that is !! I could eat pumpkin everything  !! I really do love it that much ! Ever since I found out that my cholesterol was high, I have changed my way of looking at food and have become more conscious of the ingredients. You can still cook delicious and tasty meals that fill your belly with goodness and our healthy for your heart ! 

Serves 4 (approx 1 cup)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup water, divided
• 1 small onion - chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) canned or fresh cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups unsalted vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk Or 1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk makes it a little sweeter
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)
• 1 green onion chopped (optional)

Directions: 

In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Don't let onion dry out.

Add remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Sir in the milk and cook until hot. DO NOT BOIL. 

Serve it up - approx 1 cup and garnish with parsley or green onion

Nutritional Analysis : 

Calories: 73, Total Fat: 1g, Saturated fat: trace, Trans Fat: 0 g, Monosaturated fat: trace, Cholesterol: trace, Sodium: 51 mg, Total Carbohydrates 13 g, Dietary fiber: 3g, Sugar: 0, Protein: 3 g