Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

I have gotten into the great habit of meal planning and cooking/prepping for the week on Sundays. Meal planning has helped me save money at the grocery store and time in the evenings after coming home exhausted from CrossFit.

I love looking for new healthy and yummy recipes when I am planning my meals for the week. I found this little gem last week on Pinterest and luckily I had a pork roast on hand so boom, I made it and it was tasty good!

If you ever are looking for something healthy go to www.skinnytaste.com and you will find a slew of healthy recipes. I have made so many delicious meals on there and have yet to find something I didn’t like. This recipe comes from Skinny Taste as I follow her on Pinterest.

Ingredients:

·         2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast (sirloin roast)

·         Kosher salt, to taste

·         ½ tsp garlic powder

·         ½ tsp red pepper flakes

·         1/3 cup chicken broth

·         1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Season the pork with salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and place it in the slow cooker. Mix together broth, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar and pour it over the pork, then pour the honey over and set the timer for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Once the pork is cooked and tender (it should shred easily with a fork), remove from slow cooker and place on serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and put back into the slow cooker and ladle ½ cup of sauce over the pork and keep warm until ready to eat.

My pork roast wasn’t exactly 2 pounds and it wasn’t a sirloin roast so I only cooked mine on high for two hours which was perfect timing. No one likes an over cooked tough pork roast! I was worried the balsamic vinegar would be overwhelming but it wasn’t. It was the perfect amount and gave it a great flavor.

I added some fresh green beans and some sliced pineapple as my sides, yummy to my tummy!

Enjoy!  

Hypnotic Donut Dash

Donuts, donuts and more donuts!!! I have participated in many unique races but running in a 5k that hands out donut holes at water stations was the first for me. I just can’t imagine eating sugary donuts while running….puke! I did promise my friend Mike that I would eat a donut for him so Mike, here ya go! 

It was a tasty donut but luckily I am not a donut fan so one donut was more than plenty for me plus there were tacos to be eaten!  

This was such a great race for two reasons, my friends Lindsey and Naomi ran with me and I had a new PR.  Woot woot!  

We met up at my house around 7 and rode out to Fair Park together. Once we arrived we did what any group of friends would do before embarking on a donut run, we took selfies!  

The course took us through Fair Park and around the Cotton Bowl. It was a fairly flat course which was nice because I am not sure if I have mentioned this, I loathe hills ;-) Moving on… as we ended we were greeted with water and donuts….more donuts! I took my donut and water and waited for my friends to cross the finish line. They both beat their race goals, way to go ladies!

Afterwards we made our way to the beer line and waited for about 5 minutes before deciding the line was way too long and bailed. We headed to the Taco Joint for tacos and a beer.

We enjoyed some tacos, beers and laughter. It was a great Saturday with friends!

My official time was 32:51, new PR!  I was so super jazzed. I may or may not have done a happy dance.

Onto race 5 and 6 this weekend. I am running in the DRC Best of Times 5M on Saturday and the Too Cold to Hold 5M on Sunday, whew!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Kristin

Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes

Mmmm, blueberry pancakes!!! I don’t normally cook breakfast on the weekends because I’m usually out running or running late for church so it’s rare for me to stay in and cook something fancy. My breakfast usually consists of oatmeal and fruit or an egg with mushrooms. Today was the exception. Today I made fancy pancakes.

I love me some buttermilk pancakes but in my quest to eat clean I opted for a healthier version.  





Ingredients:

• I cup almond meal/flour
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 large eggs
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup blueberries

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except for blueberries, in a large bowl and mix well. Once batter is smooth, stir in blueberries.
2. On a prepared griddle on medium/high heat, use a ¼ cup to portion batter and pour onto griddle. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Top with maple syrup and fresh blueberries

I wish you all could have seen me trying to flip these pancakes; it was humorous to say the least. They just don’t set up like regular pancakes so flipping them is a challenge. They did not turn out pretty at all!

  

While these were not the classic buttermilk pancakes that we all know and love, I will say that they turned out pretty tasty and a great alternative. I topped my cakes off with a little bit of light syrup. Get in my belly!! 

  

This recipe serves 2-3. If you’re making them for just one person then I would cut the recipe in half. These cakes will fill you up so you really only need 2 but I am thankful to have left over batter cause I will be eating some tomorrow for breakfast.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Carrots n’ Cake.

Happy Sunday! 

Book Worm

It’s that time of the year where we find ourselves making new goals for the new year, well I finally finished my 2014 goals list and it only took me 15 days into the month to do it! Meh! So one of my goals this year is to read 24 books, that’s 2 books a month for you fancy math scholars!

My crazy reader friend Kristen read 100 books in 2013, yes 100 books!!! She inspired me to read more so I added it to my goal list. I also made the commitment with Half Price Books. If you make a reading commitment online at www.halfpricebooks.com by January 31, you will enter into a drawing for a chance to win a $100 gift card at HPB. If friends are excluded from the drawing, I never met Kristen!! ;-)

My first book of the year was Divergent and OMG, it’s SO good!!  I am not a speed reader so it took me a week to read it. I could not put it down! I had to know what was going to happen next.

Divergent is the first book of a three book series. It is similar to the Hunger Games as it is set in a Utopian Society with a strong female lead who has to make a difficult choice regarding her future. I actually like this book more than the Hunger Games.

I finished the book on Monday and I felt like this……

I went to Half Price Books on Tuesday only to find out they were sold out……I may or may not have shed a tear. Seriously though, I asked the staff if they were sold out and they said, “Yes” and in my most pathetic sad voice I responded with a “but whhhhyyy?” I just couldn’t wait for the next shipment so I broke my rule and went to the big overpriced store and paid full price and let me tell you, so far it’s worth the $17.99!

The second book is called, Insurgent and I am already staying up late reading my little heart out....yawwwwwnn!

I have a growing list of recommend books and there are several that really look good. I don’t know about you, but I love reading a good book pool side…come on Summer time!

A well-read woman is a dangerous creature!

What are you reading?

Hotcake Hustle 10k

Everyday I’m hustling, hustlin’… I am sure Rick Ross was not talking about the Hotcake Hustle 10k!

Who wants to run a 10k, eat some hotcakes and then wash it all down with a cold beer?  This girl! Tacos would be better but when the beer and hotcakes are FREE, I am not going to complain!

The race was up in Addison which is about a 26 minute trip up north for me. I got to the race site about 7:45 and immediately found a banana and some water. I needed some fuel…… filler up! Oh, get this, they had indoor bathrooms…. YES!! You never find indoor bathrooms at races; they are all port-o-potties, no thanks! 

After my delightful bathroom experience (I just said that), I ran into my new friend Jon from CrossFit. I hardly see friends at my races so it was a nice surprise to see someone I knew. He graciously let me tag along with him and his friends. Tag-a-long!

The one thing I didn’t like about the race was the course. It was boring. We started out in Addison Circle then headed out to run up and over a bridge then you turn around and run back. If you chose to run the 5k, you’re done. If you chose the 10k, then you repeat the course…..boring! Again, I was getting free beer afterwards so I won’t complain.

The weather was perfect! It was a little chilly but as soon as you started running, it felt GRRRREAT!

I wasn’t thrilled with my time. Note to self, work on hills! I’m not going to lie, hill can wear a girl out and really slow me down but with training I know I will conquer those pesky hills! One of my goals this year is to run a 10k under an hour.

After crossing the finish line I saw Jon and his friends. They already had their mug (did I mention you got a free coffee mug) and beer so I headed straight to the beer tent to get my well-deserved treat! Ahh, it was tasty good and refreshing! You must hydrate! We eventually made our way over to the hotcake line and scored us a plate courtesy of the Pancake House. So good! After we ate, I had the opportunity to get to know Jon and share a few laughs with him over our frosty beverage, he is a super nice guy. We are like BFFs now! This is a great example as to why I love East Dallas CrossFit; the people there are so welcoming and encouraging.  

My official time, 1:15:43. I shaved a minute off from last week’s 10k….now that is progress my friends!  

Race details from my GPS

Up next is the Hypnotic Donut 5k on January 25, and guess what….free beer and donuts!! Heyyyy, I don’t hate it!!!

Kristin

Meet Shannon

Have you ever had one of those ‘light bulb’ moments where you just come up with a great idea and then you think you are like the smartest person in the world? Well I had one of those moments recently!

When I started my blog, ‘Laugh.Run.Tacos’ I wanted it to be my way of documenting my crazy race challenge, my life and my undying love of tacos with my family and friends but in reality I want to grow this blog into something really amazing and inspiring.

Here is where my idea comes in. I am really blessed to know some truly amazing people who have accomplished so many remarkable goals over the years. My idea is to have them be a part of the 'Laugh.Run.Tacos' family and to share their exciting journey with everyone. Sharing is caring folks! With that said welcome to the family Shannon (insert Al Pacino's voice from the Godfather) 

I have known Shannon since we were in elementary, Cimarron Superstars! We went on to finish High School together and thanks to social media we have been able to reconnect, yay! Here is a class picture of us from the second grade. Oh, how cute are we?!? Sadly, I still have that same hairstyle!  



Second grade Superstars!

I have seen Shannon transform herself and achieve so many goals that I am in complete awe of her. I love her dedication and the commitment she has made to better her life. I asked Shannon to be a part of the blog so that we can follow her journey plus she is hilarious and probably way more interesting than me……here is her story

I was tired.  Like, all the time, I was tired.  I looked forward to weekends because I knew I could squeeze in a nap on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  A two hour nap.  But hey, that was to be expected, right?  I'm a mom.  I work full-time.  I have a house to run.  Groceries to buy.  Meals to prepare.  Bills to pay. Responsibilities.   So weekends were meant to be "break time" and to recharge my batteries.  But my battery never felt fully charged.

The reality?  I was 36 years old and I weighed nearly 300 pounds. 

So for the New Year, right before I turned 37, I decided that perhaps napping was NOT the answer to feeling recharged.  I started counting points (sort of following Weight Watchers).  This helped me identify that I was eating way too much food (portions).  I started going to the gym...where I was only able, initially, to do 20 to 30 minutes on the elliptical.

And I kept going.  And going.  And going.  Hmm...sounds like some battery brand, doesn't it?

Along the way, the points system went out the window.  I was able to decide what "healthy portions" looked like.  And I never, ever deprived myself.  If I wanted something (wine, chocolate, etc.), by God, I ate or drank those things.  I just figured out how to make room elsewhere in my diet and exercise to accommodate for them.  I was NOT going to be one of those people who said "I can't eat that".  Life's too short.

And exercise?  Well, I kept at that, too.  30 minutes on the elliptical turned into 45 and then into an hour.  And when I felt like I wasn't being challenged there, I turned to the scary stairmill machine.  I said, "If I can do 10 minutes on that thing and not die, then I'm good".  I did 10, then 30, then 45, and then an hour.  And when that got old (and it did), I decided to try running.

Running?  I probably had you up until that point.  Trust me, I was one of those people who HATED running in school.  Track and field day?  Despise.  Running the track to meet the required time for a mile?  Pain and agony.  I was a dancer.  A gymnast.  NOT a runner.  But hear me out.

All my life I felt like running was punishment.  But I decided, much the same way I had done all of these other things...to challenge myself.  Could I run a mile?  And I did.  Was it a fluke?  So I did it again - not a fluke.  Was I fast?  Oh heck no.  But I kept at it.  And one mile became 3 miles, and 3 miles became 4 miles, and 4 miles became 6 miles...and two weeks ago I did 7 miles.  Without stopping.  And I felt like I'd just climbed Everest!  Go me!  It was and IS one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done for myself.

I'm a runner.

And through all of this, I managed to go from 298 pounds down to 161 pounds.  I'm 39.  It's taken me two years.  I was a size 24.  Today I'm a size 8.  And this is my life.  This is my lifestyle.  All of what I've told you is everything I practice today.

No pills.  No surgery.  No magic bullet.  I worked - hard - and I continue to work hard every day.  But I've done it in a safe and sane way and it's worked for me.

And the best part is...I don't nap anymore!  And I don't even miss it!

I exercise for my mental health as much as my physical health.  It's become part of my routine.  I have developed a MUCH healthier relationship with food.  And I feel better. 



That Energizer bunny ain't got nothin' on me!

Oh, and my goal for this year (or at least for the month of January) is to run 100 miles.  So far so good!  Stay tuned!

Shannon

DRC Frigid 10k

Brr!!! This race was appropriately named as it was pretty frigid this morning! When I arrived at the race site everyone was huddled inside the clubhouse to stay warm, smart idea! I found a nice little spot under a vent and let the heat warm me up, ahhh! I am not a fan of cold weather. 

The race started at 8:00 a.m. and took us straight down the hill from the clubhouse, on the lake side. I really enjoy running around the lake. I love seeing all of God’s beauty surrounding me as I sweat off all of my cuteness! ;-)

White Rock Lake

You had the choice between running a 5k or a 10k, I chose the 10k. This was a challenging race for me.  One, it was freeze your butt off cold. Two, my diet this week was not as clean as it should have been. I am a firm believer that eating properly will fuel your body for successful runs or other workouts.  

I started off slow and continued the 6.2 miles slow, whomp whomp! As I was approaching mile one, the 5k leaders were making their way back to the finish line. Seriously? There was an older gentleman behind me at the starting line telling his friend that he had been sick all week with the flu and wasn’t expecting to have a good race. Well that guy was one of the 5k leaders that blew past me after I passed the first mile maker. Guess he had a special type of flu. If I get the flu, I hope I get that strand! I’m really just jealous. I think running a 20 minute 5k is awesome!

Mile three was definitely my slowest mile. Once I turned to make my way back I started to pick up my pace a little. Mile five was quicker but then I slowed down again at mile six. I really had to dig deep to finish this race. My unofficial time according to my app was 1:16:38. Although this was not my best 10k, I am proud that I ran the whole thing and never gave up. Speed will come with time and training. I won’t always be that turtle running in peanut butter.

Race details

What do you do after you complete a race? You get tacos of course! I met my friend Lindsey at Taco Joint for a bacon, egg and cheese taco and a Coke Zero. YUMMY!  Runners and cyclists fill up the Taco Joint on Saturday. It is one of the go to places after you put in a hard workout plus they serve cold beer and the tacos are pretty cheap.

Yumminess (its a word)

My official time for the Commitment Day 5k was 34:14.

Happy Saturday,

Kristin

Commitment Day 5k

First race of 2014 is complete! The Commitment Day 5k was a great way to start of the New Year and to kick off my race challenge. The course started inside Reverchon Park off Maple Ave winding through the Turtle Creek area. It was fairly flat with only two inclines one of which was a steady incline (boo) and finished back at Reverchon Park. The best part of this race was the weather. It was pretty cold waiting for the race to start but once we got going, it quickly warmed up. I love running when the sun is out shining in all its glory!

Starting line

Typically when I cross the finish line I usually b-line it to the water and fruit station and then head out for the usual celebratory tacos. Yesterday was different, after the race I grabbed my water and a banana and went to the finish line to watch the runners come in. I never do this and I should. It’s a great feeling coming towards the finish line seeing strangers clapping and cheering you on. It gives you a boost of energy to speed up and to make it through that finish line like a rock star! As I sat on the curb eating my banana I was reminded of the times I was at the end of the pack if not the last person crossing the finish line. I got up and started clapping for those coming in hoping it would give them that encouragement to keep going and to finish strong. It was so neat to see the many different people at all stages in their lives running and walking, making that commitment to improve their life. That’s what this whole race was all about!  It fueled that fire inside of me to continue on my journey and to stay committed to my race challenge.

The typical bib and shoe pic

My unofficial time was 34:31 according to my app, MapMyRun. I am still waiting for the official time to be posted but I would guess it would be a few seconds less than my recorded time.

Race summary

Up next is the DRC Frigid 10k this Saturday. I love running with the DRC (Dallas Running Club) community. If you are in the Dallas area, think about joining. It’s a great community with some really awesome perks!

38 more racesto go!! 

Kristin