Jan 07

Tangy Maple Apple Pork (low calorie, low carb, high protein, gluten free, & versaitaille)

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This is a great fix it and forget it slow cooker recipe.  So easy-just pour everything in except a tiny bit of chopping (but you can buy things pre-chopped if you really want to be speedy).  My mom and dad gave me some maple cream as a gift so that is where my inspiration for this dish came from 😉  This recipe is super flavor packed and also adaptable to many different meals.  Maple syrup or maple cream is a great lower glycemic sweetener.  It won’t spike your blood sugar as much as white sugar so it is a good alternative but you can use sugar free syrup as a substitute if you need to adapt this due to medical reasons.  Apple cider vinegar has been touted for its fat burning properties so I used it to balance the sweetness a little in this recipe and add some delicious zip!! 😉

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Ingredients: (Sorry my avocados wanted to get in on the picture too but they are NOT in this recipe lol!!)

*2 pounds (or so) boneless, pork loin (you can easily sub in chicken here if you want to btw but pork loin is a great lean meat)

*1 medium yellow onion

*2 tablespoons maple cream or syrup (can substitute in sugar free maple syrup if needed for medical reasons but real maple is preferred!)

*4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

*1/2 cup vegetable, chicken, or beef stock (you can use 1/4 cup if you want it less saucy than mine)

*2 teaspoons minced garlic

*generous sprinkling salt & pepper (I used 16 grinds from my sea salt & pepper mill)

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Chop onion into rings or whatever size you prefer 🙂

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Add everything into slow cooker and cook for 7-9 hours on low.

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About an hour before it is done use two forks to shred all the pork into small pieces and mix everything really well together.  This will allow the inside of the pork to get nice and moist and flavorful too.  Make sure you do this so the pork has time to soak up some of the liquid!!

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This pork is so good and nice and saucy (almost like a sloppy joe messiness).

Once it is cooked you can do what I did and serve it with some sliced apples inside a low carb wrap which is amazing!  You will probably need a knife and fork to eat though because it is a little messy lol!

Another awesome way to serve is to add it to a salad greens with chopped apples, a sprinkle of walnuts or pecans, and a little cheddar cheese.  The sauciness of this pork makes a delicious “dressing” so no need to add any extra (yumm!!).

This freezes and reheats perfectly too for quick eats at a later time.

Check out these great nutritional stats too!!

Makes 6 servings:

Per serving:

229 calories

4.7 grams fat

7.2 grams carbs

.5 grams fiber

37.5 grams protein

 

Jan 06

My Diet: Getting back on track after the holidays.

I like to indulge a little on all the special treats during the holidays but to be honest after a week or two of eating a lot more sugar, alcohol, fat, and processed foods than I normally do my body craves the usual healthy and wholesome foods 😉  So here is a look at what I am eating as just a general slim down/detox.  You will notice that I am not doing anything drastic or cutting things out like crazy.  I am just eating a good variety and healthy portions of delicious, good for you foods.  This cleaned up, lower sugar, higher protein diet is what has worked personally for me for years to snap back after the holidays.  It always helps me lose the few pounds I gained eating holiday goodies and also helps me de-bloat & tighten my tummy back up quickly too!  This may work for you too!!  I am eating roughly 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30%.  This is just a snapshot of a day as I swap similar foods in and out each day to reduce boredom.  Read on if you want to see what I am chowing down on 🙂

Meal One: Egg whites scrambled in nonstick spray with peppers & onions plus a side of avocado

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Meal Two: A bag of BBQ Quest protein chips and an apple

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Meal Three: Low carb chia wrap stuffed with a ton of spinach plus lean turkey, lean ham, and spicy mustard

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Meal Four: 1 scoop protein powder mixed with water and 1/2 baked sweet potato topped with 1/2 tablespoon organic unrefined coconut oil & cinnamon (tastes amazing!!!)

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Meal Five: Tangy Maple Apple Pork.  I know it isn’t a pretty picture but it’s delicious!! You can find the recipe here:

http://www.sarahbrockner.com/blog/2015/01/07/tangy-maple-apple-pork-low-calorie-low-carb-high-protein-gluten-free-versaitaille/

I stuffed it into a low carb chia wrap with a sliced apple and served it alongside a salad.

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Meal Six: Plain nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with 1/3 scoop casein protein powder & 1 packet stevia then topped with sliced almonds-Sorry flash was off for this pic :/

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And since I was still a little hungry I also ate 3 packs of roasted seasoned seaweed (so good and packed with vitamins & minerals too!) plus a mini pack of frozen soybeans (thawed about 40 seconds in microwave).

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I also drink a few cups of black, flavored coffee, some green tea, and a ton of plain water throughout day 🙂

Seriosuly you don’t need to starve yourselves to get good results.  Yes you will be a little hungry most likely when you start cutting back from eating a lot of food (or just from eating a lot of junk).  That is why things like the roasted seaweed & edamame are so good because they are really low calorie but help get over that little hunger edge.  Pickles are another great low cal option or almost any veggie will do as a low calorie/low carb extra little snack (cucumbers, green beans (raw are extra awesome bc they are crunchy!!), broccoli, celery, & carrots would be my top picks!)

 

Jan 02

A really fun, adaptable, and affordable home cardio option!!

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I got this really fun new gadget for Christmas.  I was super excited to use it because like you all I sometimes do not have a ton of time so working out at home is a much quicker on certain days.  I think some of my stay at home mommy friends are going to really like this as an option to get in their cardio.  This adjustable box from Gold’s Gym is super versatile.  It has 3 height options and the highest height is perfect for super tall women or most men.  The step is designed to allow you to both jump onto it or step so it is very sturdy.  If you need a low impact or more beginner type workout you can simply step up down on the step or step side to side.  I like to catch up on my favorite television show. watch a movie, or blare some music while using this.  If you do the basic stepping for 30-60 minutes you will get a great low impact cardio workout all in the convenience of your own home 😉

If you want a more intense workout I have an awesome (& exhausting) workout I did on this which my hubby also did and agreed it was a great cardio blast.  I did a combination of stepping, hopping, jumping, and strength training.  I’ll share this workout next week so keep an eye out for it.  You can easily purchase this step here at a steal for less than $50 dollars!!  Both myself and my hubby who is about 65 pounds heavier than me found it to be sturdy and durable.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-Adjustable-Plyometric-Jump-Box/21811895

Dec 29

Attitude is key!!

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Dec 17

Follow My Fitness: A fABtastic workout ;)

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This is a great ab workout that you can do anywhere.  The picture above is a very sweaty and raw image I took because I did this workout at home.  Sometimes my abs are a little tighter and sometimes they are a little fluffier but I am happy either way because I work hard and perfection is not my mission-being healthy and happy in a balanced way is what I am after 😉

I used my bike as my cardio source & the weights I own for this workout.  You could jump rope or even just jog in place instead if you are at home without any exercise equipment & all the ab exercises can be done without weight too.  Have fun doing this weird mix of killer core moves.  I know my abs were sore!!  Enjoy 😉

 

10 minutes cardio (I used the highest resistance on my bike and stood up to pedal, squeezing my glutes every time I pushed the pedal)

***I did these all these ab exercises listed next to each other back to back until all sets were completed.

*4 sets of 60 second side planks/side using an 8lb weight (do it unweighted or for longer if you need to modify)

*4 sets of 15 tuck under side planks/side with an 8lb weight (same position as high side plank (on hand not forearm), reach top arm with weight under your body, keep core super tight entire time, return to start, each reach under is 1 rep-try unweighted as this can be hard to master initially)

*4 sets of 50 heel touch crunches (lay on floor on back with bent knees, try to touch your heel with your fingertips on the same side by crunching up and to the side while reachg towards your heel, you should feel these in your obliques, each touch is 1, just go back and forth between sides until you complete 50 touches)

10 minutes moderate resistance bike while sitting (I pedaled as fast as possible)

*4 sets of 50 rope climb abs (lay on back with knees bent, crunch up and move your arms one at a time over each other while staying in crunch position with abs engaged the whole time-imagine you are trying to climb a rope that is right above your belly with your arms-that’s the motion you want-it’s a little kooky lol but it burns so good 😉

*4 sets of 15 up/down planks (get in low plank (on forearms) position then press up to a high plank positio one arm at a time, core super tight entire time, each time your come completely up then back down to forearms is 1 rep)

10 minutes moderate resistance on bike (once again I pedaled as fast as I could)

*4 sets of 50 flutter kicks (lay on back with legs outstretched and palms under low back/booty area, crunch up your torso then kick your feet up and down as fast as you can, each kick is one rep)

*4 sets of 50 flutter cross kicks (same as above except cross legs under each other from side to side switching which leg is on top each time, each cross over is 1 rep)

*4 sets of 15 reverse crunches with knee drops (lay on back with knees bent and arms at side in a T position, to perform crunch legs up and off floor so knees come in towards chest, lower butt back down then immediately drop both your bent knees to the left until almost touching the floor then to the right until almost touching the floor-that is 1 rep, this really works low abs and obliques all in one killer move)

Stretch your abs & everything else well after this workout and don’t forget to never perform anything that really hurts you especially your low back.  Sore is good but real pain is not 🙂

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