November 30- December 6

After Thanksgiving, I was looking to take a major break from cooking this week, hence the slow cooker recipe.  Since buying a slow cooker, I knew I had to try a pulled pork recipe, as it is one of Doug’s favorites.  Myself, I’m not the hugest pork/beef person.  Now, this isn’t for nutritional reasons, but because I simply never enjoyed the taste of either… and then… I moved to the South.  The barbeque is pretty out of this world.  I’m still picky with my meats, but have grown a liking to pulled pork (especially with some good coleslaw, beans and cornbread).  Anyways, tired of turkey, we tried our hand at a slow cooker pulled pork recipe.  Wow- was it delicious- and so easy.  I immediately shared the recipe with my Mom, who made the recipe this past week.  My family agreed- it was a winner.

Also- don’t forget to enter my giveaway that ends this Tuesday.  Check out my last post “Gift Ideas” for details.  Make sure you tag me in your post!

 

 

Sunday

Pulled Pork Sliders (Using Easy Slowcooker Pulled Pork from Chow)– You’ll see in the recipe that there are two options to either add back the juices or a BBQ sauce to the mixture at the end.  We added back about 1/3 cup of the juices and about 1/3 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet n’ Spicy barbeque sauce.  We also used a 2.8 lb pork shoulder and didn’t change the quantities of any of the other ingredients; however, we did have some of the spice rub left at the end.

Coleslaw– To make the recipe a little lighter, I made a vinegar rather than a mayonnaise-based recipe.  The acidity was  a nice balance to the deep flavors of the pork.  

We also mixed together some sambal oelek with some light mayo to add a light spread to the bun.  I actually had mine without any mayo, but added additional BBQ sauce.  It was delicious.

 

Monday

Pulled Pork Tacos– We had leftover pork and decided to switch things up by using the pork in tacos instead of sliders.  We used small corn tortillas and I mixed light sour cream with some adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers.  This time, we paired it with any easy pineapple salsa.  The pork was a hit again that night.

Pineapple Salsa (Two Peas and Their Pod)

Tuesday

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken (Skinnytaste)– This is in my top 3 for my favorite recipes I have tried from Skinnytaste.  To significantly lower the carbohydrate content of the meal, you use broccoli slaw instead of approximately half the amount of rice noodles you would typically use in the dish.  You will hardly notice a difference between the cooked rice noodles and the cooked broccoli slaw.  I used regular natural peanut butter instead of Better’n Peanut Butter.  Remember, we shouldn’t be scared of some healthy fat here and there!  

Wednesday

Repeat Asian Peanut Chicken Noodles (Skinnytaste)

Thursday

Leftover Spanakopita– Ok, so I cheated here and pulled out some leftover slices from the freezer.  After the chicken and pork, I felt like I needed a vegetarian dish to balance out the week.  Check out my recipe if you missed the earlier post.

The Grocery List for the Entire Week’s Dishes (minus the Spanakopita)

Produce

• ginger root
• garlic (you will need an entire bulb)
• limes (3)
• green onions (2 bunches)
• carrots (buy shredded if you don’t feel like julienning them yourself)
• 1 bag broccoli slaw
• bean sprouts (about 1 cup)
• cilantro
• yellow onions (2)
• red onion (1 small)
• red cabbage (1/2 small head)
• green cabbage (1/2 small head)
• 1 small pineapple (or 1 large can of whole rings)
• red bell pepper (1)
• jalepeno (1)

Non-Perishables

• chicken broth
• peanut butter
• sriracha chili sauce
• honey
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• rice noodles
• shelled peanuts
• brown sugar
• chili powder
• cumin
• cinnamon
• grainy mustard (use can substitute with dijon)
• celery seed
• apple cider vinegar
• olive oil

Dairy

Meat & Poultry

• 16 oz chicken breast
• pork shoulder (recipe calls for 4 1/2-5 lbs; we used a 3 lb roast)

Other