Hubby's Favorite Pork Carnitas

There are very few things that make my hubby happier

than coming home to find pork carnitas

simmering in the slow cooker.

I mean he would happiliy eat this every single night.

and maybe even throw in a few lunches too!

I'm not kidding...

The boy loves him some yummy pork :)

Pork Carnitas

2 - 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tblsp olive oil

1 yellow onion quartered

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or shallots)

1 orange, halved

1/4 cup Coconut oil

Mix salt, oregano and cumin with olive oil and rub all over the pork. Place 1/2 onions and garlic in the bottom of slow cooker and place pork on top. Add remaining onions and garlic. Squeeze the juice of the orange over the pork and add the 2 halves of the orange to the slow cooker. Cover and cook 8 - 10 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Remove pork from slow cooker and cool slightly. Pull apart with a fork and in a large frying pan melt the coconut oil over high heat. Press the shredded pork with a spatula and fry until crispy. Flip over and repeat on both sides. Serve over rice. I add black beans and quacamole....YUM!

Is it possible to be addicted to Green Smoothies?

When my daughter told me last week that she was making

and drinking green smoothies,

I'll admit that I thought she was crazy.

I mean the thought of drinking

green leafy vegetables and fruit

was the last thing on my list of yummy treats.

But after hearing about how she had tons of energy

after drinking green smoothies

I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Guess what?

I'm addicted!!!

Here's my recipe,

hope you like it!

Green Smoothie

1 cup So Delicious Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk beverage

1 cup organic baby spinach

1 cup organic frozen peaches

1/2 small organic banana (cut into chunks)

1/2 dropper Vanilla Cream Stevia liguid

Place spinach leaves in your blender first and then add remaining ingredients. Blend on high speed until thick and creamy and spinach is pretty much pulverized. In my Ninja this only takes a minute or so. Pour into a glass and enjoy! The cool part, for me anyways, is that this mixture stays creamy and doesn't seperate so I don't feel like I have to race to finish it. It tastes like a yummy peach and banana smoothie. You don't really taste the spinach at all. There's just a bright freshness to it. I'm totally addicted. You could switch out the fruits and or try kale instead of spinach to suit your taste.





Yummy Creamy Avocado Dressing

It's hard to believe,

but yesterday it was 94 degrees outside

and it's only the first week of March.

This kind of weather makes me want to eat

cool fresh salads.

Unfortunately for me, I have so many food

sensitivities that I can't just buy

salad dressing at the store...

 I have to make it.

So here is one of my new favs!

I can just imagine this poured over

a crisp wedge of iceberg

or even as a dip for fresh veggies!

Yummy Creamy Avocado Dressing

(the coconut milk does not add coconut flavor)

1 - 13.66 oz can Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk

1 - large ripe avocado - peeled and cut into chunks

2 to 3 green onions - chopped

1/4 cup minced parsley

1 clove garlic minced or minced shallots

1/4 tsp dried dill weed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Add all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups.



Seasoned Salt

I had originally planned on sharing my fantastic new recipe

for Roasted Carrot Chips with Seasoned Salt with you today.

But sadly, the carrot chips did not work out

quite as fantastic as I had hoped.

It's back to the test kitchen on those guys.

I did eat each and every one of them

and they were delicious

but they were more like flat little roasted carrots

and not so much like "chips".

Really tasty, but not what I had planned.

So today you can have my recipe for Seasoned Salt.

This is fantastic on fries or steaks

or just about anything in my opinion :)

I hope you enjoy it!

Seasoned Salt

2 tblsp coarse sea salt

2 tsp coconut crystals or 2 packets of Sweet Leaf Stevia

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp arrowroot starch

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Pour into a clean empty spice jar

Crustless Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I have a hard time making food just for myself.

I know I need to do it.

And if I make something like this quiche,

I'll have breakfast for the entire week

or maybe lunches instead.

So this is a win win for me.

The coconut milk gives this quiche

such a wonderful creamy texture.

Let me first say that I am NOT a fan of turkey bacon.

I call it "fake-un".

I have never found it to be even remotely as wonderful

in texture or flavor as real bacon.

But real bacon is extremely inflammatory

so that is no longer an option for me.

I now buy Applegate Organic Turkey Bacon.

I've found that if I cut the turkey bacon into tiny pieces

and fry it with some olive oil until it's crispy

it comes a lot closer to the real thing.

Crustless Spinach and Bacon Quiche

6 - large free range eggs

1 - 13.66 oz can Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk

(does not add the flavor of coconut to the quiche)

1 tsp sea salt

1 - 5 oz bag fresh Organic Baby Spinach

1 pkg Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Bacon - cut into small pieces and fried

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a pie pan with olive oil. Combine eggs, coconut milk, and salt. (you can use a food processor or blender if you like). Layer the spinach and bacon in the bottom of the pie pan. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set.

Super fast, super easy, SUPER tasty!!!



Cinnamon Muffins

I can't tell you how grateful I am that there are so many wonderful

bloggers who  are so willing to share their tremendous skill

and knowledge and the recipes they have created

with the rest of us!

I came across this fantasic recipe for Cinnamon Bun Muffins

over on ComfyBelly.com.

You can find her fantasitc original recipe HERE.

Her blog is amazing!

There are a few ingredients I can't have

because of my own food sensitivities

so I subbed out what works for me.

Muffins -

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

4 free range eggs

1/3 cup of the "cream" from a can of organic coconut milk *(please see my note)

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup

Note: When you open a can of organic Coconut Milk, it has usually seperated. The "cream" is at the top of the can, and the water has settled to the bottom. I use the thick "cream" as a replacement for the yogurt in the recipe because I can't have dairy. If you open a can and it has recently been shaken, you can always pour it into another container and place it in the refrigerator for a while until it seperates again.

Topping -

2 Tblsp ground cinnamon

4 Tblsp coconut crystals

2 Tblsp Earth's Balance Coconut Spread

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all wet ingredients until smooth and then add coconut flour, salt and baking soda. I use a mesh sieve to sift the coconut flour into the bowl to break up any clumps. Mix until smooth. Fill 8 muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.

Mix cinnamon, coconut crystals and coconut spread with a pastry blender or a fork until combined. Divide the streusel among the top of the 8 muffins. Bake for 20 minutes.

Celery Root Hashbrowns.....the key to happiness?

Who knew that this funny looking root

could be the key to my happiness?

When my Cyrex test results came back from the Nutritionist

saying that I could eat rice and potatoes,

I was overjoyed!

I love me some potatoes!

But since adding those foods back into my diet

I haven't felt the same clarity as before.

It's hard to explain.

I'm still pain free,

but the weight loss has stopped

and it feels like I'm working with a dimmer switch,

if that makes any sense.

So I've decided to take rice and potatoes out

and see how I feel.

When my daughter told me that she made hashbrowns

from celery root,

I said "what does that even look like?"

I had to google it before I headed out to Sprouts

so I didn't wander aimlessly through the produce department.

So this morning I peeled it and shredded it

and fried it up with some olive oil

and can I just say that this is a life changer for me.

Celery root doesn't taste even remotely like celery!

So delicious and I'm so not missing my potatoes anymore :)