fall means roast in the crock pot to me…you?

It’s rare I go to the grocery store and purchase a several pound piece of meat (i.e. beef, pork, whole chicken, etc.) — it intimidates me. And call me crazy, but I’ve never been a huge fan of touching raw meat…it kinda takes away from my enjoying the final product. But, I like meat and sometimes that means buying and handling large hunks of meat. And I don’t know about you, but something about fall makes me want a roast in the crock pot all day long getting nice and tender. Which lead me to this recipe, and it did not disappoint!

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast from Cooking Light

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp honey
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
2  pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours.

Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.

Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 1/4 cup sauce).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 227 calories; 73 mg. cholesterol; 561 mg. sodium; 9.5 g. fat; 12.7 g. carbohydrate; 0.4 g. fiber; 21.6 g. protein

Result: This recipe was easy and delicious! The recipe called for 8 hours of  cooking on low, but I was gone at least 12 hours today and the roast was just fine. It literally FELL apart, no shredding required. I struggled with what to serve with the pork and I landed on fresh bread and an arugula salad…a very simple, flavorful, and easy fall meal. 😀 Mr. P really liked this recipe, too. He compared it to BBQ pulled pork (silly man…) and proceeded to slather about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce on his meat, but whatever. I found it to be juicy and PLENTY moist and flavorful. Mr. P tends to ruin any flavor with condiments, but I try to refrain from stopping him! I am just glad it wasn’t buffalo wing sauce *eye roll*

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Thank you for all of your kind words about my migraine. I forgot to mention how I called the Walgreens pharmacist MY HERO as he handed over my migraine medicine. Ends up, I didn’t have a script to refill and he found an “emergency dose script” in an old order (???). I’ve never heard of this before, but I wasn’t going to questing anything with that debilitating migraine…it was everything in me not to beg, plead, and cry for the meds. And if I’m being truthful, there were tears…it was THAT bad. BUT, alas, I was a new woman yesterday morning…and I feel great! For anyone who suffers from migraines, you all the empathy in the world coming from me!

My first upper body strength workout went well…but slightly torturous, not going to lie. It was tough, but in a good way. I hope I can keep it up! And in response to a few emails, I am still candy-free!  Thanks for keeping me motivated, folks! 😀

Question: What was your best ever Halloween costume?

I think mine was as a bee in college. I remember “stinging” quite a few young men and having a lot of fun!

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for some information on my private practice nutrition company! We got some exciting news today and I’m anxious to share…just waiting for our website to launch and then I’ll spill all!! 😀

Have a spoooky day,