Pork Carnitas, the simple way

Yes, there are different steps for actually authentic pork carnitas, but five months pregnant with kiddo 5? I’m going to find ways around it, while still attempting the correct texture and char. 

As always, adjust to your suiting, and realize I’m not a profession by any means. 

Pork Carnitas ( Instant Pot and Slow Cooker)

4 lbs pork shoulder, fat trimmed 

2 oranges

1 lime 

1 cup water 

>seasonings<

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp cumin 

2 tsp epazote (I sift mine)

1 tsp each, basil, coriander, chili powder, paprika 

2 tsp honey/sugar/brown sugar, your choice, really 

Typically you braised pork shoulder before cooking, but I chose to broil with a finishing salt at the end instead. 

Fairly basic, if you’re slow cooking, cube the meat, toss with seasonings, add water/ juiced oranges and lime w/ rinds, and meat into the crock pot. Slow cook 12+ hours. Remove rinds. Shred onto a cookie sheet, finish with kosher citrus salt (recipe below), and broil until slightly charred tips. 

Alternatively, and my personal fav way, leave pork shoulder whole (bone in preferably), put in Instant Pot, add seasonings, water, juice of oranges and lime, but only put one whole orange rind in the pot versus two. 

Pressure on high for 75 minutes if thawed, and longer if frozen. Allow pressure to naturally release, and shred into its own juices after removing rinds. Let it slow cook for a bit. I leave mine usually an hour or so. 

Strain from juices and spread onto a cookie sheet. 

Also finish with broiling w/ citrus salt. 

^ this is the general char stage that we liked. 

>Citrus Salt<

Basic. Zest a scrubbed-clean orange into a bowl of thick kosher salt. Mix with a fork and let infuse overnight.

 Super refreshing, and adds such a nice finishing touch to pork. 

You can also add finely minced fresh tarragon to this mix but #yayquarantine, that’s one fresh herb I can’t find as of late. It’s all good. It isn’t needed, just an option. 

Well Fried Beans

I can’t ever claim true authenticity being a Finn with zero Mexican training, but based off conversations I’ve had throughout the years with those who know, this recipe is pretty spot on. 

Pinto beans (left in photo) can be used, but the smaller, more purple beans at Hispanic stores (labeled frijoles as far as I’ve seen), are the best. They’re creamier, and have a smoother taste than a pinto. Cheaper, too. 

Ps: I recommend you get all your ingredients at a Hispanic store. It’s worth it, in price and taste. 

As with every recipe I make, it’s always up for modifications, and use quotients you think would work for you. 

Beans: Phase One

Soak 2lbs beans overnight, drain in the morning
(Pinto pictured) 

Add soaked/drained beans to a crock pot along with:

2 guajillo chili peppers

2 Tbsp dried epazote (I sift mine) 

1/2 red onion, cut into rings 1 or 2 bay leaves 

A few garlic cloves, minced 
Cover beans with 1.5-2” water, and cook on low until soft. I usually set this going in the morning for done around supper, or after supper for an overnight cooking and lunch the next day. 


Remove peppers/onions, drain beans, reserving bean water, and place beans in a shallow pan, set to medium. 
I like to fry in a small bit of bacon fat, but any oil can be used. Our bacon fat is “homegrown”, so that added flavor is perfect. 
Mash beans in fat source and fry until warmed through, adding bean water to desired consistency. Aim for smooth, not thick and paste-like. Beans are thirsty, so if they sit on the stove awhile, just add more bean water and stir. 
I extremely lightly kosher salt my beans because we use cotija cheese as a topping, and it takes care of the salt need. If you’re not using cotija, definitely salt to taste. 
We top ours with cotija and cilantro. 



Voila. Well Fried Beans. These freeze super well. 

Cocoa Pumpkin Pancakes (THM E)

When I know it's a crazy busy week coming up, I like to use whatever free day I have to double or triple my recipes. 

Now, I'm set with E pancakes for the week!

Since our kids eat the same we do, and my kiddos for sure need crossovers, I fry my pancakes on a non-oiled pan, and then make theirs smaller and fry them in some good butter. I do the kiddo ones smaller to make it easy to distinguish between mine and theirs. Just add some peanut butter and they're eating a healthy crossover. 

My current favorite E pancake recipe is pumpkin pancakes, doubled, and add 1/4 c cocoa powder.

The base E pancakes recipe in the THM book is so good, and adding pumpkin and cocoa to the mix, its amazing! 

Whole Food Mom on a Budget is where I snagged the pumpkin pancake recipe, and adding cocoa to it upped the yum a notch! 

I eat these with home mixed vanilla greek yogurt on the top and am full for hours! 

The original recipe is HERE, and my tweaked version is below. 

Cocoa Pumpkin Pancakes (THM E)

3/4 cup oats

1/4 c oat fiber

1 cup egg whites

1 cup cottage cheese (1-2%)

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/4 c cocoa

1 tsp  cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

dash nutmeg/cloves/salt

2-3 doonks, stevia 

Almond milk to thin 

Blend all ingredients save for almond milk in a blender. Use almond milk to thin batter to desired consistency. Fry on a VERY lightly greased pan. This is an E, so the focus is on healthy carbs vs fats.

  

Sausage Gravy, Cauliflower Style (THM S)

Cauliflower is a little wonder vegetable. We've all seen (and maybe tried, too!) the amazing recipes! 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust, Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce, Cauliflower as potatoes in recipes. 

It really is THE coolest vegetable in my books. 

So, when Aerro began begging me to make sausage gravy, I wanted to find a way to make it a little "lighter". 

I'm not afraid of fats; as a matter of fact, Trim Healthy Mama talks frequently about the importance of healthy fats! (Just don't pair them with carbs!)

So, after thinking for awhile, it came to me! If you can make alfredo out of cauliflower, why not sausage gravy?! 

Behold. A new family favorite. Plus? More veggies into the kiddos. Win/win!

Cauliflower Sausage Gravy

2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets

enough chicken stock to cover cauliflower

1.5 lb sausage,  (we do turkey) 

1 tsp EACH,  garlic powder, onion powder, salt

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp sage

dash of pepper (we like cayenne)

4 oz cream cheese

Combine florets and stock in a pot and simmer until cauliflower is fork-tender. 

With a slotted spoon, transfer florets and 1 cup of stock into a food processor or blender. Pour leftover extra broth into a container for thinning gravy if necessary. Pour cauliflower puree back into the pot.

Brown sausage into crumbles. Transfer it to gravy pot and stir in all the spices. Adjust seasoning as necessary, and whisk in more broth if necessary. 

Pour over Savory Cheesy Biscuits.

This made me not even miss "regular" sausage and gravy! Creamy, spiced, delicious. This also reheats very well! 

Sweet Biscuits (THM S)

 

As previously stated, we need to kinds of biscuits in this house. Sweet and savory!! 

(Link to favorite savory biscuits)

This....is our take on sweet biscuits to be slathered in Cottage Berry Whip or Berry Sauce! 

Sweet Biscuits 
(Original recipe HERE)

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar (BUT WAIT! If sugar isn't your body's friend, check out this amazing THM chart!)
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 sticks butter, cold
6 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla (or even better, 1 vanilla bean pod, beans scraped out)

Place all dry ingredients in food processor. Combine. Cut in butter until pea sized lumps form. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Drop spoonfuls on parchment lined sheet and bake for 15 minutes or so on 400 degrees.


Now, you can lower the sweetener to a couple shakes and omit the vanilla and have a basic biscuit, too! Mix it up! Add sweetener and cocoa for chocolate biscuits. Or what about almond extract instead of the vanilla? Really, the options are kind of endless!

Savory Cheesy Biscuits (THM S)

There are two types of biscuit needs in this house. 

Sweet. Savory. 

Totally different purposes. Sweet ones are topped with Berry Sauce or Berry Whip.

Savory? With my all new fav, Cauliflower Sausage Gravy.

First up, is our favorite Savory.

I took a cue from this awesome recipe, and then added my own twist! 

Savory Cheesy Biscuits

1.5 cups egg whites

1.5 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cold butter

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2-3/4 c shredded cheese (I've done sharp, white, cheddar, and sharp white cheddar ;-) )

Combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Or, you could go oldschool and just mix them in a bowl. cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Chill for ten minutes. While this chills, mix egg whites until frothy. Fold into chilled mixture. Drop spoonfuls on a parchment lined pan. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes.  

My Medium Cookie Scoop from The Pampered Chef worked perfectly for these biscuits! 

Easy Peasy Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash (with parmesan roasted green beans)

Easy Peasy Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash 

 (with parmesan roasted green beans)

1 cooked spaghetti squash (clicking will lead to a great cooking link)

1/3 cup fat of your choice (I did half olive oil and half butter)

3 minced (or 1 TBSP) garlic (use fresh!!)

1 Tbsp dried basil (or fresh!)

salt, pepper to taste

1-2 lemons

Shred spaghetti squash. simmer garlic and basil in fat of choice until tender (about 5 mins).

Pour over squash. 

Stir to coat.

Before serving, squeeze lemon on top of the mixture to taste.

(Not pictured but a perfect protein addition was roasted and shredded chicken)

Roasted Green Beans (From Primavera Kitchen)

(My only addition to this recipe was a bit of parmesan on top)

• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place a jellyroll pan in oven for 10 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, place green beans and all the ingredients.
4. Mix well everything together.
5. Arrange green bean mixture in a single layer on preheated baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.

This recipe got all stars from ALL the kids! Vienna (4) was a little hard to convince, but after she actually tried it she loved it. It wouldn't have been the same without the lemon, though! 

THM Peanut Butter Bars

Mock Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Bars

1 cup fresh ground peanut butter
sweetener to taste
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla
pink sea salt

Mix all together, spread in a pan, top with melted on plan :85% chocolate, skinny chocolate...) chocolate, sprinkle with course ground sea salt

These are somewhat soft set, so fridge or freezer is the best place to store them! This is an S snack!

Taco Bake

Some days, I make something, and even though I'm plenty full, the flavor is SO amazing I want seconds..and thirds...and then maybe lick the spoon while cleaning it all up. I know I'm not the only one ;-) 

This...is one of those meals...for me, anyway! 

My cravings are psycho from one day to the next, and today it was taco casserole. Problem? I'm not gonna do my usual packages crescent roll recipe.

Off to cyber land to find a perf recipe!

(How DID people live before online recipe search anyway?)

And, because things are super easy to find online, this was in the oven (recipe below with all my modifications) within a half hour of initial craving onset. Dinner at 4? Sure, why not! 

Taco Casserole 

Crust:

4oz cream cheese

3 eggs

1/3 cup cream

1 tsp taco seasoning

Butter

Shredded cheese

Blend cream cheese and eggs together well. Add cream and taco seasoning and mix again. Grease a 9x13 with butter and sprinkle an even layer of shredded cheese on bottom of pan. Top with cream cheese mixture. Bake on 350 for a half hr. 

Meanwhile:

Brown 1lb ground beef with 1 chopped onion

Stir in:

1 cup pizza sauce

4tsp taco seasoning

Drizzle of milk or cream

Evenly spread on baked crust mixture. Top with some shredded cheese and return to oven for 15/20 min or until bubbly.

Serve with: 

Green onion

Tomato

Sour cream

Avocado

Shredded lettuce

Etc

Lunch tomorrow? I think yes! :-) 

My fav between meals shake

Seems like many days I'm hungry before its even time to eat. Pregnancy thing maybe? But I don't want food, not really! I want something quick to hold me off until lunch because usually I have something yummy in mind that I actually want to EAT. But, what to do about that hunger while I'm vacuuming, or swapping laundry? Enter: this quick shake.

It's pretty basic, nothing fancy or amazingly to die for creamy, but its good, filling, and tides me over perfectly :-) 

My Fav Quick Shake

1/2 cup rice milk

1 cup water

1/3 cup blueberries

2 scoops protein powder

Dash of almond and vanilla extract

1/2 juiced lemon

1/4tsp glucomannan (thickens shake and gives you a good, solid full feeling) 

Sweetener of choice

Ice cubes

Blend and enjoy! 

Coconut Crepes w/ cottage berry whip and berry sauce

This morning was a crepe morning. 

My kids have never had them, I was craving them, and Craig loves them.

Yep, it was a crepe morning. 

The slight tang of lemon, with the tart of berries and the creaminess of cottage whip was unbeatable! 

I claim zero credit for the berry syrup and the cottage whip. I found them on other blogs and will link their original recipe with my own tweaks.

Something so satisfying about a good, wholesome breakfast...knowing my kids ate well and will be full for hours? Makes

my heart smile :-) 

Of course, crepes are a time consuming breakfast to make unless you're amazingly fab and have tons of pans, but I don't :-) 

Pancakes for regular life, crepes on special occasions..like when we all sleep until 8 or something. Cause for celebration indeed!! 

Coconut Lemon Crepes (makes 8 small, double for bigger servings)

6 eggs

1 1/2 tsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp cream

4 Tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp truvia or desired sweetener

4 drops lemon essence oil

Two pinches lemon zest 

1-2 Tbsp almond, rice, or dairy milk for thinning 

Blend all ingredients until frothy on top. 

Preheat nonstick pan on medium heat and lightly spritz with oil. Drop 3 or so Tbsp on pan and swirl to fill. Cook about one minute and gently flip. Cook other side 30 seconds-1min until done. Fill with whip, roll, and top with berry syrup. ( links below) 

These aren't all that fabulous cold, but sure are amazing warm!! 

Berry Syrup http://www.gwens-nest.com/family-favorite-recipes/sugar-free-berry-syrup-recipe/

My addition was 1 cup of cranberries, a few pinches of lemon zest, and half a lemon juiced instead of the oil.

Berry whip

http://www.growinghomeblog.com/2013/05/cottage-berry-whip.html?m=1

My addition was once again, half a lemon juiced and a few pinches of zest. What can I say, I'm on a mass lemon kick. Blame it on baby Ian! He makes me crave things ;-) 

Child approved, even on pancakes!!!!

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

I was super excited to see a friend share a dish the other day that she just came up with on the fly. 

I absolutely had to make and share it, with a few of my own tweaks added.

Seriously, family approved goodness right here folks! 

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts, cubed small

Broth

Two heads broccoli chopped up

6-7 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges (I had lite)

Tbsp minced garlic (or less if you're not a big garlic fan)

1 tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa prepared in broth 

In a large pan simmer cubed chicken in a bit of broth. Drain. Roast chopped broccoli in an oven preheated to 425 until toasty golden tipped. Add to chicken with cheese, garlic, and onion powder. Stir well and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over quinoa. This made enough to feed my li'l family of five with leftovers...amazing! 

Pan Fried Quinoa

I've been pinteresting it up like crazy lately finding quick and easy meals.

Tonight's was totally awesome.

We loved it! Of course, I never seem to be able to follow a recipe exactly, so I will link where the inspiration came from, and post my own version :-)

Such a great way to get a complete protein and veg without it being a super heavy meal!

Pan Fried Quinoa

4 cups already cooked quinoa (always better to use day old..)
1 sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 cup frozen peas
4 stems green onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup chicken stock
2-3 Tbsp rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy sauce or liquid amino to taste

In large saucepan, combine chicken stock, rice vinegar, onion, and carrot. Sauté uncovered until tender. Add peas, garlic, and green onion. Sauté a minute longer. Add quinoa and heat thru. Push quinoa mix off to the side of the pan and break in eggs. Scramble and incorporate into quinoa mix.
Salt, pepper, and soy sauce or amino to taste.
That's it! This made quite a big portion which is fabulous, because tomorrow I'm eating leftovers cold in lettuce wraps :-)

Inspiration 

Chia Jam

I don't think I've ever been happier about a recipe in my life.

 Jam making for me usually consist of washing and topping berries, pureeing them, measuring them out, adding sugar, boiling pectin, stirring until arm falls off, ladling into containers, and freezing. All in all, a lengthy process, done batch by batch.

This recipe? Pretty much couldn't be easier! Of course I was skeptical at first that the jam wouldn't set but it DID! Perfectly! I could tip the container upside down and the jam didn't budge. That, my friend, spells success in my books! 

The only downside, of course, is seedy jam. Not a downside for US, but I know some people don't like their jam that way. This recipe isn't for those people. Me? I couldn't care less. I have a freezer filled with awesome jam and my family loves it! 

Chia Jam, base recipe

1 cup pureed berries

1 Tbsp chia seeds

sweetener to taste

I washed and capped the berries, put them in my blender with some honey, dumped the pureed berries into a large container, kept this up until I had three containers filled with 10 cups pureed berries, each, added 10 Tbsp chia per container, stirred well, stored in fridge overnight for it to gel, and that's it. In the morning, I portioned it out into containers and put 'em all in the freezer. I just took my second container out of the freezer the other day and it thawed beautifully. Perfect jam! 

Chia Pudding

I'm probably the last person alive to buy chia seeds and use them, so I'm a little late to the "chia" movement...but not anymore! I'm in love! It's by FAR one of the weirdest things I've made..really hard to describe the texture, but also the easiest and it completely agrees with my picky, pregnant palate! 

It's a cross between tapioca and rice pudding. SO strange, but we loved it. 

When I dumped it together last night, you couldn't even see the chia seeds, so to imagine that it would gel up into pudding overnight was a little hard to believe...but with a base sweetener of honey and vanilla, the combinations for breakfast seem endless!! I did only strawberries this morning, but tomorrow I'm going to try peanut butter and cocoa. If you aren't afraid of strange textures and trying something new, make this. It couldn't be easier! 

Chia Pudding

1 cup preferred milk choice (almond over here..)

3 Tbsp chia seeds

1-2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Stir very well the next morning and add anything you can imagine!