150 Days Paleo + Football carnitas

Today is my 150th days since I committed to a new way of eating.  I did it to combat a slowly increasing weight gain despite training for and running 5 half marathons in a year.  I did it to be a better runner.  I wanted to be stronger, faster and experience more rapid recovery.  Amazingly, Paleo has done all those incredible things.  150 days ago I held SUCH doubt that cutting out whole food groups was even good for you.  I was willing to join a friend on a journey, test it for 30 days and then make a decision.  I'm glad I did.   Those days where I just want pizza, or a cinnamon roll or fruit snacks . . . . I think about if I want to go back.  Back to bloated, frustrated and not satisfied with my results.  Nope, 150 days later and I still believe in Paleo.  I fall off the wagon and succumb to temptation but Paleo is forgiving and totally helps me drop those insta-pounds that come with eating forbidden foods.

To celebrate my 150 days, I've got a recipe for you!!!  This one comes from Momgonepaleo.com and its the BEST CARNITAS recipe I've ever tried.  Great for football games and I recommend topping it with a bit of mashed avocado mixed with Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  (Frank's Red Hot Sauce is my current obsession).  I did make a few changes to the original recipe, so if you'd like to see how it was originally suggested that you do check out the link.

CROCK POT PALEO CARNITAS from momgonepaleo.com

Ingredients

For the rub:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Crock Pot:

• 3lb pork shoulder
• 1 sweet onion sliced in thin strips
• 1 small can of mild green chiles
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• A few shakes of sea salt and ground pepper

Instructions

1. Mix your rub together and rub onto all sides of the pork shoulder. 
2. Place the sliced onion, and bay leaf on the bottom of your crock pot.  Place the spiced up pork shoulder on top. Add the green chiles and the chicken stock along the sides of the meat. Avoid rinsing the spice off the meat. Sprinkle a bit more sea salt and pepper on top. 
3. Cover and let cook on Low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
4. Once done, remove pork from crockpot and shred with forks. Place in bowl of holding dish
5. Strain remaining crockpot contents, SAVING BOTH THE LIQUID AND THE SOLIDS. 
6.  Return the solids (consisting of bits of pork, and the cooked down onions and chiles) to the crock pot. 
7.  If you have a gravy separator, use it to separate the fat out of the liquid.  If you don't have one, allow the liquid to sit a bit and it'll separate.  Carefully skim off as much fat as you can.  
8. Put the PORK back in the crockpot and use the remaining liquid to add some flavor back into the carnitas.  I used just about a cup of liquid, you should use all of it.  
9. Serve on a bed of lettuce or however you wish to enjoy your carnitas!  

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Pork Chops with Leeks and Mustard Sauce with Sage and Butternut Squash Soup

I'm still in the middle of race weekend, traveling to San Jose to run the San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  My family is home in San Diego, eating all sorts of non-paleo goodies that I have been avoiding for the last 58 days.  They're eating pizza and frozen dinners and tacos and french fries.  I hope they're enjoying it!  Just like I hope you enjoy getting TWO of my favorite recipes in ONE post!

Pork Chops with Leeks and Mustard Sauce Found at The Bitten Word

4 servings

Ingredients

    * 4 1 1/2- to 2-inch-thick bone-in heritage pork rib chops
    * 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
    * 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
    * 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
    * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
    * Olive oil (optional)
    * 4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 large)
    * 3 garlic cloves, minced
    * 1/4 cup red wine
    * 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
    * 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
    * 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    

Preparation

Pat chops dry with paper towels. Mix 2 teaspoons coarse salt, thyme, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on both sides of chops. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours or wrap and chill up to 1 day.

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp and lightly browned. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chops to skillet. Sear until brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to small baking sheet.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from skillet (or add olive oil to make 3 tablespoons). Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add wine, then broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return bacon to skillet; add sage and stir to blend.

Nestle chops in leeks in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 3 minutes. Turn chops over. Cover; simmer until thermometer inserted into thickest part of chops registers 140°F to 145°F, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chops to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

Spoon off any fat from cooking liquid in skillet. Boil until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chops.

Nutritional info*: Calories 304  Fat 13.8g  Sat Fat 5.2g  Chol 75.3g  Sod 1701.5g  Carb 14.5g  Fiber 2g  Pro 26g

*All nutritional info was not provided in the original recipe.  I use the Recipe Calculator at Sparkpeople.com to calculate nutritional value.

Sage and Butternut Squash Soup Found at Mastering the Art of Paleo

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 Butternut squash (~6 pounds total)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 12 Sage leaves
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• Chicken broth
• Pepper to taste

Preparation

Prick squash several times with fork. Roast on a baking sheet for an hour at 400.
Cut squash in half and let cool.
Remove the seeds from the squash, then peel off the skin and discard.
Chop the squash into 2″ chunks.

In a large stockpot, combine olive oil and onion. Cook until onion is translucent, then add honey and garlic. Cook until honey bubbles and onion begins to brown.

Add sage leaves, squash pieces, and enough broth to cover squash by about 1 inch. Let simmer for about an hour, until squash is very soft.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add pepper to taste, and more broth for desired consistency.

Nutritional info*: Calories 155  Fat 4.1g  Sat Fat 1g  Chol 2.5g  Sod 490.8g  Carb 31.2g  Fiber  7.4g  

Pro 3g

*All nutritional info was not provided in the original recipe.  I use the Recipe Calculator at Sparkpeople.com to calculate nutritional value.

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Lemon Garlic Herb Pork Chops

Strictly Paleo....ish! is a lacto-paleo blog.  Lacto-Paleos can and DO eat dairy products.  For those of us who are strictly paleo for reasons of lactose sensitivity or because we feel we aren't meant to ingest animal milk, we don't eat dairy.  (As a personal admission, it gives me terrible GI side effects.  Not the best thing for a runner, you know?)  Lucky for us, the blogger at Strictly Paleo....ish! does include the occasional dairy-free recipe offering since his flavor combos are excellent.  Another interesting side note about this blogger: He lives in Sweden.  There seems to be quite a growing community of Groks living in that part of the world.  

I originally found this recipe on Fast Paleo, one of my favorite Paleo recipe sources.  And in case you wondered, I served it with riced cauliflower on the side.  

Lemon Garlic Herb Pork Chops

Prep time: 2 hours  Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients 

• 4 Pork Chops, boneless (about 1-inch thick)
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil.
• Zest from one Lemon.
• Juice from one Lemon.
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced.
• 1 tbsp dried Thyme.
• 1 tbsp dried Basil.
• 1/2 tbsp crushed Black Pepper.
• 1 tsp Sea Salt, flakes.

Cooking Steps

Make 3-4 cuts through the fat cap of each pork chop, and put them in a large plastic bag.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, and then pour it in the bag with the pork chops.

Try to get the air out of the bag and seal it close to the opening, leaving it with as little air as possible but still space for the pork chops to move around a bit.

Start “massaging” the bag, until the pork chops are evenly rubbed and covered with the marinade.

Place in the fridge for at least a few hours before grilling them over direct heat.

(Take them out of the fridge when you light the grill, so they are room temperatured when you start to grill them.)

Preheat grill to Medium and grill pork chops for 10 minutes on each side.

Nutritional info*: Calories 256.5  Fat 17.6g  Sat Fat 4.3g  Chol 51.1g  Sod 613.2g  Carb 5.1g  Fiber 2.0g  Pro 20.8g

*All nutritional info was not provided in the original recipe.  I use the Recipe Calculator at Sparkpeople.com to calculate nutritional value.