Crock Pot Balsamic Pork

This is a family favorite in my house! 

Serve it with your favorite steamed veggies and rice or quinoa OR serve it taco style with corn tortillas! YUM!

Ingredients: 

- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast (sirloin roast)*

- Sea salt & black pepper to taste

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/3 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water

- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1 tablespoon honey

- 2-3 garlic cloves

- Optional - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Season pork with salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes (if desired) and place into the slow cooker.
2.  Cut small slices into roast and push garlic cloves into the meat.
3. Mix together the broth (or water) and vinegar and pour over the pork.
4.  Drizzle honey over the top of the pork.
5. Cook 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low
6. Once the pork is cooked and tender, remove from the slow cooker with tongs and into a serving dish. It should shred easily. Pour juice over top for delicious flavor.

*Same dish can be made with chicken. 

Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Beans

Ingredients: 

§  2 medium onions, chopped

§  2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

§  2 tsp olive oil

§  1 bay leaf, crushed

§  ½ tsp oregano

§  1 lb ground turkey

§  2 T chili powder

§  1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, do not drain

§  1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans 

§  1 tsp sea salt

§  1 ½ T apple cider vinegar

§  1 tsp chipotle powder (more or less depending on how spicy you want it!)

§  Toppings:

o    Parsley (garnish; as desired)

o    Plain Greek yogurt (garnish; as desired) 

Directions:

1. Brown ground turkey in a skillet over med-high heat until no longer pink, drain and put into crock pot
2. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat and cook onion and garlic until tender and translucent (about 10 min). Add to crock pot
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to crock pot; stir to combine
4. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high
5. Serve hot and garnish with parsley and plain Greek yogurt as desired

Crock Pot Chicken Shwarma

Ingredients: 

§  1½ cups whole milk plain yogurt

§  ½ cup chicken broth

§  ¼ cup All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend**

§  ½ teaspoon Simple Truth cayenne - optional

§  juice of one lemon (about ¼ cup)

§  4 six-ounce Simple Truth boneless, skinless chicken breasts

§  whole wheat pita pockets

§  Cucumber Laban (Lebanese Yogurt Sauce), sliced tomatoes and sliced red onion - to serve

Directions:

1. Place the yogurt, chicken broth, spices and lemon juice in the slow cooker insert and whisk well.
2. Add chicken to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the spiced yogurt mixture.
3. Heat on low for four hours or high for two hours. Shred chicken and and stuff inside pita pockets. Serve with Cucumber Laban, tomato and onion slices.

*Original recipe from The Lemon Bowl.

** All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend: Mix and store in an airtight container

§  1 tablespoon McCormick® Ground Cinnamon

§  1½ teaspoons salt

§  1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Nutmeg

§  ½ teaspoon McCormick® Pure Ground Black Pepper

§  ¼ teaspoon McCormick® Ground Allspice

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

§  1 ½ lbs chicken breasts

§  16 ounce jar of salsa (mild, medium or hot…you choose)

§  Juice from 1 lime

§  2 tsp cumin

§  Corn tortillas

§  Toppings:

o    Cilantro, chopped

o    Greek yogurt

o    lettuce

o    tomatoes

o    green onions, sliced

o    avocado  

Directions:

1.       Place chicken breasts into the crockpot with one jar of salsa, juice from one lime and 2 tsp cumin slightly stir. Set the crockpot for 4-10 hours (depending on the length of time you will be gone).
2.       Shred the chicken mixture with a fork
3.       Place chicken taco meat onto corn tortillas (2 tortillas = 1 serving)
4.       Top with cilantro, Greek yogurt, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and avocado (all are optional, but make the tacos extra yummy)

Greek Yogurt Apple Dip

§ 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt (1 red container)

§  2 tsp PB (2 tsp)

§  1 tsp pure vanilla extract

§  cinnamon (to taste)

Directions: Mix and enjoy with sliced apples!

Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

Ingredients: 

-  1 + 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

-  1 cucumber

-  1 or 2 ripe avocado

-  1 TBSP red wine vinegar

-  1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil

-  juice of 1 lemon

-  salt and pepper, to taste

-  2 TBSP fresh cilantro or parsley (pick your favorite!)

Directions:

1.       Clean and chop tomatoes, cucumber and avocado.

2.       Mix vinegar, oil, and lemon in a bowl.

3.       Mix in tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado.

4.       Salt and pepper to taste, garnish with herbs.

Seven foods sabotaging you with sugar!

Foods to beware of:

1.       Energy Bars - Many of these are high in sugar or sugar alternatives. Watch out for sucralose. It can derail you not because it affects your blood sugar, but because it can increase your hunger.

Healthy Alternative:

-look for something with less than 15g of sugar and 2g of sat fat. And at LEAST 3g of fiber and 5g of protein.  

-or make your own with Shakeology!

2.       Low-fat/Flavored Yogurt

These kinds of yogurt are usually packed with sugar to make them taste good, especially after fat is removed.

Healthy Alternative:

-get your probiotics and prebiotics from Shakeology

-but plain yogurt and add fruit or PB and cinnamon to flavor it.

3.       Fruit Smoothies

When you buy a premade fruit smoothie they are usually laden with sugar. They also lack the fiber necessary to help you stay full longer.

Healthy Alternative:

-make your own! ½ cup plain yogurt, ½ cup milk or water, 1 cup berries or ½ banana, 1 TBS ground flaxseed and ice

-Drink Shakeology with some fruit and ice blended in

4.       Flavored Milks

We all know that chocolate milk is full of sugar, but we sometimes forget to check our vanilla almond milk (or whatever other milk alternative you use) for added sugar.

Healthy Alternative:

-UNSWEETENED plain or vanilla version

-make your own nut milk

5.       Sports Drinks

Most sports drinks are, again, loaded with sugar. You need the right kinds of sugars to reach optimal performance and recovery.

Healthy Alternatives:

-Beachbody Performance Hydrate has less sugar, no artificial yuck and the right combination of ingredients to keep you hydrated. It is also cheaper per serving when compared to other name brand sports drinks.

-Beachbody Performance Recover – tastes like chocolate milk, minus the unnecessary sugar and perfectly developed to relieve those sore muscles, help them recover faster and rebuild stronger.

6.       Prepared Salads

We think that by choosing a salad it has to be healthier, but restaurants are pros at loading up salads to make them appealing, but wreck all of the progress you were making.

Healthier alternatives:

-Ask for dressings on the side and put a little on your fork for each bite instead of pouring it all over.

-Sub regular dressings with salsa

-Skip the croutons or bread

-Pick a salad with a lean, grilled protein (no chicken finger salads, lol!)

7.       Reduced-fat Peanut Butter and/or PB2

Reduced-fat Peanut Butter and products like some versions of powdered peanut butter packed with sugar.

Healthy Alternatives:

-Buy natural peanut butters with “peanuts” as the only ingredient (Trader Joe’s and Meijer both have store brand versions like this.)

-Make your own peanut butter with raw peanuts