Friday, May 17, 2013

TWO, That's Right, TWO Ingredient Crock Pot Pulled Pork!

Busy days coming up.... dress rehersals, ballet recitals, teaching VBS. And you know what busy times call for......the crockpot!! Us mommies have to put dinner on the table even when our schedule is full and there seems to be no time for cooking.

Well I bought a pork shoulder last week thinking I would make my friend George's crock pot pulled pork for my dad because I LOVE it. Well we ended up taking my dad out to eat most of the time so I still had this beautiful pork shoulder in the fridge. Even though George's recipe is super simple, It was late and I needed to get that thing cooking. So instead of going and gathering all the spices to rub on the pork, I literally just threw the 2 and a half pound shoulder in the crock pot. It has enough fat that no water or anything else is needed. That cooked for 10 hours on low while I was snoozing. This morning the house smelled great!!! The shoulder was falling apart.

I pulled the shoulder out of the crock pot, poured off the fat and returned the roast to the pot. I shredded it with 2 forks and added 1 cup of magic!

Those of you with Whole Food stores around you need to go ahead and make a trip if only for one thing. This one thing will make our busy paleo lives that much simpler. It is Tessemae's dressings!! There are a few that contain soy so make sure you read your labels, but most are 100% paleo... and DELICIOUS! I mentioned the southwest ranch flavor that I had with breakfast yesterday morning on FB. I also take that with me when I go out to eat to avoid the funky oils served in restaurants. Well, they also have a bbq sauce called Matty's BBQ. It is phenomenal! I'm from NC and it totally made my pork remind me of the vinegar-y tasting pulled pig from my home state. It was juicy, vinegar-y and sweet tasting. I also got a thumbs up and "delicious" from my non-paleo hubs and both the kids!! SCORE one for mom!!

So to recap...
throw a pork shoulder in a crock pot and cook on low for 10 hours
pull out pork, pour off fat and return roast to pot
shred with fork
add tessemae's matty's bbq sauce and cook for another hour on high
devour

If you don't have a whole food or a place that carries tessamae's you can order here online. You can also find locations close to you that sell it on their website also.

P.S. I get NOTHING for recommending this product, I just love it and it makes life a little bit simpler! :) And who doesn't need that!?!

Now check out these wonderful ingredients....



And now....check out that gorgeous, tasty pulled pork!!!!! 



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

What A Weekend!

Wow! It has been a while! I was under the weather there for a few days, which kept me from posting. Stupid allergies! It was miserable there for a day or so then it was bearable. But I got well just in time for my BIRTHDAY!! And while it is usually just another day, this year it was UBER special! My husband elaborately planned out 3 months in advance a surprise party for me and a very special surprise guest. He flew my dad in who I usually only get to see once a year! AND my dad and I share birthdays so that made it much more special! We went early morning fishing with my 5 year old, went to a baseball game and visited the zoo! It was so much fun spending time with my daddy and him getting to spend time with his grand-daughters!! My dad just left to go back home today, so needless to say all my attention was on him and not so much blogging. But now things are getting back to normal and I will be getting back in the kitchen. Today I made some chocolate dipped macaroons for the kids as a treat. I thought I would share them with you guys. Hope you like them! Recipe below.

Now for a question for you!! I'm thinking of selling these t-shirts and was wondering if any of you would be interested. All proceeds would go toward recipe development for the cookbook! If we ever reach 1000 fans on FB I will more than likely give a couple away as a giveaway as well!! They would cost approximately $17 bucks plus shipping. Yay or nay?!? Interested?? Anyone!?!  Feel free to suggest different colors!! :)



Chocolate dipped macaroons

4 egg whites
2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 Tablespoons of coconut flour
1 teaspoon of almond extract
pinch of salt
6-8 ounces of melted enjoy life chocolate chips



- in a large mixing bowl wisk for egg whites, syrup, extract and salt
- add in coconut and flour and mix till well incorporated
- set in fridge to harden a bit for about an hour
- scoop out with a 1 inch scoop or use two spoons and place on a parchment lined baking sheet
- bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. they will start to brown around bottom edges and will be firm to touch.
- let completely cool
- melt chocolate in the microwave or double boiler
- dip each macaroon in chocolate and place on parchment or wax paper
- let the chocolate harden or you can place in fridge to speed up the process. By this time my kids were tired of waiting and just ate them! haha!