Pulled Pork Panini

Need I really say more than Pulled Pork Panini?  I mean really, pulled pork, sauce and cheese pressed together to make a warm melted sandwich?  A dinner does not get easier or better than that!  I had a pulled pork panini a few years back at a Rib Cook Off in Reno and I remember thinking it was one of the most wonderful things ever, clearly it does not much to make me happy 🙂  So last week when I saw I still had a frozen pound of pork roast and I would not be home from work til after 5 I thought I would put it to good use.

And believe me, this:

is good use.  Since I did not have BBQ sauce on hand I made my own of sorts, it did not taste completely BBQ sauce like but it went well with the sandwich.

Pulled Pork Panini:

For the pulled pork:

1 pound of pork roast

12-15 oz. beef broth (As much as it takes to almost cover the roast)

1/4 cup fresh brewed coffee (I promise you won’t taste coffee when it is done)

*Cook in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.  I cooked mine even longer cause I left at 7 for work and didn’t get home til about 5 and it was perfect and easy to shred

-Remove pork from crock pot, shred with a fork and put back in the crock pot to soak up juices

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider  vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

4-5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Add a little bit of s&p and garlic salt and stir

For the sandwich:

On any bread or bun of your choice spoon about 1/4-1/2 cup pork, cover with 2 tbsp sauce and some shredded cheese (I used regular cheddar but I think a white cheddar would be amazing)

If you don’t have a Panini press then grill as you would a grilled cheese, about 4-5 minutes a side.  On a Panini Press cook for about 5 minutes total until the cheese is oozing out the sides 🙂

Make Your Own

How are we already back to Monday?  I really could have used one more day this weekend.  On Saturday we were able to get stuff done and also relax.  This week the stomach bug seems to running rampant at work so I am hoping and praying it does not get into my system.

For dinner Saturday I made a chicken, turkey bacon, tomato, green onion pizza.  It was delicious and really easy.  We had some whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer so we  used that, I call this recipe our “Dating Pizza” because Aaron and I used to make it a lot together when we were dating.  I have some great memories in my little 1 bedroom apartment of us chopping tomatoes and onions and watching our favorite shows while eating this yummy pizza on my grandma’s old t.v. trays that are mine now 🙂

Dating Pizza

2 boneless & skinless chicken breasts (I cut it into bite size pieces, season with basil and garlic powder then saute it)

5 slices of turkey bacon cooked and chopped

4 green onions sliced

2 tomatoes chopped

1 cup of mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup sauce (recipe I use is fat free ranch dressing mixed with 4 pressed garlic cloves)

Combine all this on your pizza, season with Parmesan and dried basil and cook for about 20 minutes

Simple and delicious!

On Sunday we spent about 5 hours asking for donations on the street, no we are not homeless now but we helped out at the Fill the Boot Drive with the fire department.  It is such a great cause (money goes to help burn victims) and we had fun!  That night we celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday at Hula’s a Chinese restaurant in town.

Today it is work work work and chicken & avocado sandwiches for dinner in between meetings!

I worked out M-F last week so I took the weekend off, we still went for walks and standing on the street for 5.5 hours yesterday I am sure burned some calories, also dodging in and out of traffic to get donations probably burned some calories and probably would have given my mom a heart attack 🙂

Make Your Own!

I have been craving salty and sweet combos lately, and the idea of trail mix popped in my head.  However when I checked out the price at the store I was not thrilled to spend so much.  So I decided to check out the bulk prices of peanuts, cashews, raisins, and dark chocolate chips at Winco and sure enough they were very reasonable.  I bagged some up and now am enjoying a homemade trail mix snack.

I like the idea of making my own because I can change from the typical peanuts, almonds, m&m’s, and raisins that the stores sell and add in what sounds good.  I also like substituting dark chocolate chips for the m&m’s 🙂  I had no idea Winco sold them in bulk and for a much more reasonable price than the bagged.  I really browsed through the bulk section and got many more ideas for future snacks that I can create for a cheaper price!

 

Food for the weekend

I had a request for some recipes from some food a couple of weekends ago.  I am of course always happy to share recipes and help others eat some yummy food.

The post was here....

And here are the recipes:

Tortellini Bake

-This can be made a number of ways, best way is make your favorite tomato sauce, toss al dente tortellini with and parmesan or mozarella cheese.  Sprinkle with cheese on top and bake at about 375 for 20-30 minutes or hot

Caesar Salad from here

Croutons on top is simply cutting sourdough or french bread into bite sized cubes.  Heat butter and olive oil in pan (amount depends on how healthy you want to be and how much bread you are using, start small and add as needed)  toss with garlic powder and cook until golden brown.

Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola butter and caramelized onions and mushrooms, roasted carrots and turnips and twice baked potatoes.

Filets:  Season with s&p and garlic powder.  BBQ.

Gorgonzola Butter:  Roast a head of garlic (drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil, about 1 hr at 400 degrees).  Mash half a cup of room temperature cheese with about 5-6 cloves of roasted garlic, stir in pepper, salt and combine.  Spread on steaks immediately after steaks come off the grille.

Roasted vegetables:  Slice veggies and toss with olive oil, s&p, and dill weed.  Roast at about 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Onions and mushrooms:  Thinly slice one yellow onion and about 10 mushrooms.   Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in pan, add onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for 5 minutes, sprinkle with about 1/2 tbsp of sugar.  Spread them out flat in the pan and slowly cook occasionally mixing, for about 1 hour at a med-low heat.

Twice Baked Potatoes:  These were nothing too special just added sour cream, s&p, garlic powder and shredded Irish white cheddar.  Simple and delicious!

Apple Cake:  This is actually a Costco recipe and a link to the recipe is here

TGIF

What a week this was.  Lots of work but also lots of play, all in all it feels good to say it is Friday!  Even though I was tired pretty much each day this week I was able to work out all days but one 🙂  How did your week go for exercise?  Hopefully you have a beautiful weekend ahead and can make up for any exercise you missed during the week.  I am really hoping to go for a hike tomorrow, maybe you can do the same?

After 3 days of no dessert I am holding strong, I do miss ice cream though.  This Sunday we are celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday and I am in charge of the cake so we will see if I go with the “cheating on Sundays” during Lent 🙂 I will say that I feel so good not eating the unnecessary calories from dessert after dinner, I am hoping this gets my last pounds off!

I made my menu plan for the next week and I tried to keep it simple and use a lot of the stuff we have in our freezer and cupboards.  Here are a few things we will be eating this week:

Turkey bacon, tomato and mozarella pizza

Whole wheat penne with marinara and turkey sausage

sloppy joes (mine will go on a salad instead of bun)

potato pancakes

husband surprise

I hope you have a beautiful weekend and I will post some recipes and pics over the weekend!

 

 

Stretching

Giving Up

Today marks the beginning of Lent.  I have noticed that many people, religious or not tend to mark this day with the “giving up” of things they love.  So far I have seen things like Facebook, meat, and sweets given up.  Whether or not you observe the time of Lent I think this is a great time to examine your life and think about the things you could really do without.  What are your excesses?  Is it Facebook or candy or other more personal excesses?  Where could you make more sacrifices in your life or do more acts of service for others?

As for me, for the first time I am giving up dessert for Lent.  I have never really needed to give up desserts before cause I have never been a big dessert eater, but for some reason lately ice cream, cookies, etc. have been calling my name.  Of course they wouldn’t be calling my name if I didn’t keep baking them and letting them call me into the kitchen.  So for the nexxt 40 days or so no more after dinner sweets for me 😦  Now have you heard that Sundays are not technically part of Lent so you could cheat on that day???  I have not decided whether or not I will abide by that, I guess we will see how good dessert sounds come this Sunday 😉

My husband and I were also talking about acts of service during Lent (and really all throughout the year!).  When I was a college student I used to have many opportunities to be a service to my community but I find that as I get older and busier I do not seek out opportunities to serve others.  My husband and I help out at our church but I would like to get more involved in community service.  So again, whether Lent means something to your or not what areas in your life could you simplify or “give up”?

Stretching

As I sit here and regret not remembering to stretch before my run earlier I realized what an important topic stretching is for people who work out.  I think a lot of people think to stretch post-workout but not before.  I have found that if I stretch before a run or workout of any kind I have more stamina, drive and my body feels better overall.  When I do not stretch I just feel like my body is dragging.  Remembering to stretch before and after you workout is important not only cause of how good it feels but also because it prevents injuries and feeling sore for days after.

Typically I stretch for about 3-5 minutes before I run and then another 3-5 minutes after I run.

Stretches I do

I like doing this back stretch in the middle of my strength training workouts too.  It helps me to relax for a minute and really stretch out.  I spent my days hunched over, sitting on the ground interacting with little ones so my back is always worn out!

So remember, stretching is important.  Even on days you don’t workout or even if you are not one who really works out, take a few minutes to stretch each day and help your body stay healthy.

Weekend Review

Okay, so you may have determined by now I am slightly cuckoo for my family.  What can I say?  They have my heart.  We are a slightly crazy bunch but if you neeed a family come on over, we always think the more the merrier.  I will warn you we are loud, probably very politically incorrect, the kids run around and get into indoor ice fights in February,

we talk a lot, debate a lot but man oh man do we love each other a lot too!  They have been hands down the most supportive people throughout my weight loss.  I love them all with every ounce of me and could not do what I have done without them.

We had a family dinner this past weekend and the food did not disappoint.  I think I am still full from it.  So get ready for some pictures and recipes!!  The theme was Spanish focused around a main dish of Paella, my mom makes the best Paella.  Paella is a Spanish dish of rice and seafood, chicken and sausage.  My brother Matt said it was so good that if he is ever on death row and gets to chose his last meal this just may be it 🙂  That is how much my family enjoys good food, we dream about our last meal before we die.

Appetizers:

Assorted Olives from Whole Foods

Vegetables and Dip

Stuffed Peppers with a Spanish Ailoi  We could not find the peppers it called for so we just got a large bag at Costco of these beauties and stuffed them with pepper jack cheese.  They were a huge hit so I recommend trying them as I did them.  (I also added more cheese than the recipe called for of course)  The ailoi is a MUST!

Side Dishes:

Anitpasti Salad by my brother Eric & his wife Amber

Chickpea Salad by my mom. 

Recipe:

Combine 2 15 oz cans chickpeas (drained) with 1/2 cup chopped onion.

With food processor running add 2 garlic gloves and mince, add 1 – 2 oz. can anchovies (drained), 1 hard boiled egg (shelled and quartered), 1/4 cup Sherry Wine Vinegar, 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and puree.  Add 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp ground bay leaves, 1 cup minced fresh parsley and 1/3 cup olive oil and continue until combined.  Pour over chickpeas, toss and serve!

Orange Salad by mom.. Simply oranges and pink oranges with onions and a touch of olive oil drizzled on top.

Main Dish

Paella to die for by mom.  Recipe was a combination of here and here

Dessert:

White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Cream Sauce 

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie  My mom added mini chocolate chips and that was a good idea!  This pie was amazing.

And for one last picture:

I think he thought I was trying to steal his SECOND piece of dessert 🙂

Menu For the Week

Here are a few things I am cooking this week:

Taco Salad

Homemade Marina sauce with Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage Sandwiches

Marinara with tortellini

Pulled Pork Salads or Sandwiches (I have not decided which yet!)

Runner’s Shame

I am guessing that anyone who runs knows this feeling, the feeling of shame or embarrassment by your running skills versus those of the runners passing you by, or the runners you pass by, but I am gonna be honest, I don’t get the glory of passing too many people by.  Unless you count the cute soccer moms running with their strollers in the park who had to slow down down to let their child walk for awhile (then they somehow manage to pass me by like 5 minutes later and I am cursing them, their fancy joggers and their ability to fit into extra small running tights a year after having a child.

For me, getting over or at least dealing with the feeling of embarrassment by my running skills is an obstacle I may never really get over.  I remember the first early Saturday morning I ran in the park, I was worried about my form, how slow it seemed like I was going and just how good a job my sports bra was doing.  I assumed every other runner must be watching me, judging me.  Truth is, they weren’t, and if they were they were going so fast that they would only see me for a second and then they were off to ridicule the next runner so who cares?  Mostly what I have found from other runners is nothing by sheer respect and admiration for other runners.  We pass each other by and smile or nod and acknowledge that yes I too am outside on a Saturday morning when it is 32 degrees and I cannot feel my face. I feel support and love from other runners without even saying a word because we all started somewhere and even those running laps around me were once being lapped by someone else.

Don’t worry about how fast a mile you are running, nobody but you needs to know.  If you are running with a group don’t be afraid to hang back and let them get so far ahead that they are out of sight.  Find running partners that share your love of running but don’t have the skills yet to run a 8 minute mile.

One of the main reasons I still chose to run alone is because I am embarrassed that maybe I am way to slow for others, it is silly but I am pretty sure I am not alone in this.  I really hope that sometime soon I will feel comfortable enough in my runner’s skin to run with someone else and not be worried about anything.

So if you too are learning to run, don’t be embarrassed, we are all in the same boat!

My Weekend in Pictures

More words and recipes will come tomorrow but for now pictures 🙂

 

 

Get it Done

Some weeks it gets hard, work days are long and tiring and you feel like there are a million things to get done.  For example, yesterday I was tired, the kind of tired that comes the day after a day that contained a 13 hour day of one job to the next.  I was at home and needed to leave in 45 minutes to my second job.  I knew that I had enough time to get a quick run in but it is hard sometimes.  Would I feel better if I did it?  Yes.  But was it impossibly difficult to just do it?  Yes.  I just needed to suck it up and do it, so that was what I did, I sucked it up and was able to run for about 25 minutes in between jobs.

That’s the theme of my post, some days we need to stop complaining and suck it up and do it.  I am pretty  much talking to myself here, cause I am sure you all never have these problems right???  🙂  But truly, you will always be tired, there will always be mountains of laundry and cleaning to do.  That can wait, your health, it cannot.  On days like yesterday where I was so tired I needed that run more than anything, to clear my mind and feel good.

Happy Friday 🙂

 

Sweet Treats <3

Happy Valentine’s day ❤  I realize this is a completely made up and overly commercialized holiday and as my dad informed me is really about blood and death.  However, if our world can have even just one day where people are a little kinder, sweeter and more loving than I am good with that.  So that being said we kept it pretty mellow, I made us heart shaped Blueberry Pancakes and after work we went to an early movie and saw The Grey.  Definitely not a romantic film but seriously intense and we both enjoyed it!  Turns out 2pm movies aren’t crazy packed on Valentine’s Day, try at 9pm it is a different story as we learned a few years ago. We tried a newish Mexican Restaurant in town for dinner and as much as we both really wanted to love it, it really was not that great.  We made up for it by going downtown for $1 yogurt night at Top This frozen yogurt.  Nothing wrong with a little melted Nutella on top of frozen yogurt sauce to end your evening 🙂

In honor of this sweet day here are a few of my favorite sweet treats from around the web 🙂

Photo and recipe courtesy of Girl Meets Life

Recipe Courtesy of Gourmet

Recipe and Photo courtesy of Young Married Chic