If there's one thing that I've come to love doing in recent years, it's cooking. I love that I can combine ingredients, add some heat (usually), and then end up with something new (and tasty!). My mom isn't a huge fan of cooking and I didn't grow up living near my grandparents, so the skills and techniques of cooking and baking were not instilled in me at a young age. Actually, my dad loves to tell the story of how I almost killed them all with undercooked chicken. It was ONE TIME! Haha. But sadly, it did happen. I had the temperature up too high, and so the outside was definitely done, but it never reached that internal temp. of 165. Yikes! Luckily, everyone survived and they live on to tell the tale...again...and again...and again! In truth, I bet they're just jealous of how far I've come and are now sad they don't get to experience the magical creations that come out of my kitchen. Ha! Well, I say all of that to say this, sometimes I just don't have the energy to cook. Especially Fridays. By the end of the week, I'm pooped. Fridays are usually crockpot days! Crockpots are pretty magical in their own right. Take it out, combine the ingredients, turn it on low, and voila 6-8 hours later you have a beautifully prepared entree, side dish, one pot wonder, dessert, etc. One of my favorite things to make in the crockpot is pork tenderloin. With the right ingredients you can turn this nice piece of meat into something really spectacular. I'm a fan of combining balsamic vinegar and maple syrup together, because it gives the meat a lovely sweet and savory flavor. This would also be a great with a beef roast. I actually use beef and pork interchangeably when making this entree.
Balsamic-Maple Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Serves: 5-7
Special Tools:
Crockpot
Ingredients:
2 pounds of pork tenderloin
3 tbsp of maple syrup, grade b
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of coconut aminos
1/2 cup of low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
1 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
Instructions:
1. Put the pork into the crock pot and give it several stabs (but not all the way through). Stuff the minced garlic into the pork where you stabbed it.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients over the top of the pork
3. Turn the crockpot on LOW.
4. At 6 hours, take two forks and shred the pork. It should absorb most of the liquid left in the crockpot. Add a bit of water (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a cup) to prevent it from drying out.
5. Cook for one more hour until it is super tender. I like to serve mine along side some garlic cauliflower mash and brussels sprout slaw. The leftovers also make a great accompaniment to some fried eggs in the morning!
If there is one thing that has remained true for as long as I have been able to cook for myself, it would be that waking up extra early to make sure I have time to cook my own breakfast in the morning is something I loathe! I'm sure I'm not alone in this, because there are big food companies making tons of money off people who buy easy "on the go" food items: eggo waffles, pop-tarts, cereal bars, etc. What do they all have in common? They are all loaded with sugar and processed carbohydrates that will help you feel full for a short time before you have that morning crash after your insulin spikes, because your body is trying to process the garbage you just gave it. Sugar man, it's a monster of an addiction! I know. I lived that life, day in and day out for a good majority of my life. Cereal was usually my go-to breakfast item. I could crush a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, or Reece's Peanut Butter Puffs in just a few days. As I got older, I knew those things weren't exactly good for me, so I switched to try and include more "healthy" cereals, Multi-grain Cherrios, Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Honey Bunches of Oats. Haha! What a joke.
When I finally started to realize a high carb breakfast was doing more harm than good, finding ways to get a healthy breakfast became a struggle. Whenever I participated in nutritional challenges with our gym, I made it a point to wake up and make eggs for breakfast (my competitive nature wouldn't allow me to lose points for my team by skipping breakfast), but as soon as the challenge was over, extra sleep in the morning always won out. It wasn't until this past year that I started cooking breakfast casseroles for my husband and I on Sunday nights so we could just pop them in the microwave in the morning before work.
This particular breakfast casserole I dub as "Danny's" because it's got most of his favorite ingredients. He's a fan of cheese in his casserole, so I add shredded sharp cheddar and mozzarella, but for anyone with an issue processing dairy, you could definitely leave it out.
Danny's Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves: 8
Special Tools:
Food processor w/ shredder attachment
Medium saute pan
9x13 glass baking dish
1 large bowl
Whisk
Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 medium sweet potato, washed, peeled, and shredded
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
3 strips of nitrate free bacon, chopped (I like Trader Joe's Uncured Applewood Smoked)
1 cup of diced ham or pancetta
12 eggs
1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1.Prep your veggies and meats by washings, chopping, dicing, and/or shredding.
2. Preheat your oven to 375.
3. Place the saute pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the onion, pepper, and ham or pancetta. Saute for about 7 minutes to allow the savory flavors to meld.
5. While that's cooking, crack you eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Place the melted coconut oil in the baking dish and spread it over the bottom and up the sides. *This will be the difference of the egg sticking to the dish or not!
7. Put the shredded sweet potato down first. Pour half the eggs overtop and make sure it gets down into the bottom of the dish.
8. Spread the meat and veggies on top. Add the remaining eggs.
9. Sprinkle on the top with cheese (if you can have dairy) and the parsley.
10. Put in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes. The center should be set before removing it from the oven.
