Crockpot Shredded Pork with Black Beans

Step 1

2 lb pork tenderloin

MDP's seasoning or other all purpose meat seasoning

1 can black beans

1 cup diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken, pork, or vegetable stock

1 cup chopped onion

1 jalapeno (seeded or unseeded to taste)

2 cloves garlic, chopped or smashed

1 handful chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 TBSP Cilantro Pesto (if you don't want to make a batch, throw inanother handful of cilantro, another garlic clove, 1/4 cup chopped scallions, and a squeeze of lime)

Rinse pork and pat dry. Sprinkle with MDP seasoning and set aside overnight if possible, if not no problem.

Step 2

Mix everything but the meat in the crockpot base, adding water if there is not enough liquid to cover up over the beans, tomatoes and onions.  Add tenderloin and pust it down so that its covered by the liquids. Cook on low for about 10 hours until meat falls apart with a fork and shred as you would pulled pork.

Step 3

Serve over steamed brown rice, in wheat tortillas, or on top of salad. I like an extra shot of siracha and some sour cream.

Low-Carb Flax and Soy Pancakes

I love pancakes, but with choosing to cut out most of the carbs in my diet I haven't had any in weeks. I picked up some soy flour and combined a few recipes to come up with something so I could enjoy pancake birthday breakfast with my son and family, but not stray from my new way of eating. I felt totally satisfied and will be making more of these to freeze in single servings for quick breakfasts.

2 eggs
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup milled flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP sour cream
2 TBSP heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 packet sweetener or 1/2 tsp granulated sugar substitute

Spray a hot griddle or frying pan over medium heat with cooking spray. Pour out 1/4 cup of batter at a time and cook until bubbles form and edges become solid. Carefully flip- these are a lot more sensitive than traditional cakes.

Serve with butter, sugar-free syrup, sugar-free jam, or other toppings of choice.

This are higher in fat than I would normally like, but I am avoiding milk. You could also use low-fat buttermilk for the heavy cream and sour cream and it would drop the fat tremendously.

Rough stats for 1/2 batch- 3-3" cakes:
316 calories
23g fat
13g carbs
8g fiber
5g net carbs
16g protein
352 mg sodium

Cilantro Scallion Pesto

1 bunch green onions, whites and greens
1 bunch cilantro, leaves pulled from stems
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
optional: 1 TBSP sunflower kernals

Rough chop onions, cilantro, and smash garlic. Combine in food processor with kernals (if using) lime juice and 1/8 cup oil to start and pulse until it forms a paste. If it is too thick, slowly stream up to another 1/8 cup of oil.

This is delicious over grilled fish or chicken, and mixed into sour cream  for a quick condiment or mixed with a little mayo for a sandwich spread.

Store in a container in the fridge for a week or two, or freeze small portions (like ice cubes) in the freezer.

My Pumpkin Spice Muffin in a Minute

So I was recently exposed to this whole "Muffin in a Minute" thing... and I am blown away. I have been on a much lower carb diet these days, and found this as part of a recipe for an alternate grilled cheese. With the basic foundation of micro-baking flax based bread, the possibilities are endless. Not to mention I have always been a flax-fan.

Just a disclaimer, this idea is not mine at all and while I did tons of googling, I'm still not sure where the original credit belongs. I made one of the basic recipes exactly as stated, and then experimented with my own creation this morning. Still smiling!

Basic Muffin in a Minute (per each)

1/4 cup flax seed meal (milled flax)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 packet sweetener (or 1/4 tsp granulated)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg, 2 whites, 1/4 cup egg substitute

1 tsp oil or melted butter

Mix all in a mug, microwave 1 minute, and BAM! Delicious muffin that you can butter, jam, cream cheese as you like.

Having some leftover pumpkin in my fridge, I decided to add that in and make it my own.

Mom's Pumpkin Spice MIM (per each)

1/4 cup flax seed meal (milled flax)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 packet sweetener

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 tsp melted butter

1 generous tsp pumpkin puree

1 TBSP cream cheese

Mix cream cheese and HALF sweetener packet and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a custard dish or mug and microwave for 1 1/2- 2 minutes (depending on how hot your microwave runs).

Remove muffin from dish and cut in the center, smear cream cheese "frosting" on each half.

I don't do stats a lot because they vary so much... but the stats for my generous size muffin made exactly are:

293 calories
19 g fat
450 mg sodium
13g total carbs
10g fiber
3 g net carbs
.6g sugar
13 g protein

Chinese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

1 TBSP oil

2 cups celery, sliced thin

2 cups cabbage, shredded

2 cups bean sprouts

2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 bunch green onions:

           whites thinly sliced

           greens cut into 1"pieces

1 tsp grated ginger

1 pinch Chinese Five Spice powder

salt and pepper

In a stockpot or dutch oven, heat oil over high heat. Add celery and cabbage and cook until softened. Add bean sprouts, chicken breast, stock, and enough water to come 1"over the vegetables. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Add the white part of the green onions, 5 spice and salt and pepper and cook about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the green part of the green onions.

This makes 8 servings, each with 119 calories, 2 grams of fat, 10 grams carbs, 4 grams fiber, 14 grams protein.