I feel bloated. What the fudge. I haven’t even had any fudge as of late. Maybe it’s because I had a smoothie yesterday. Why does fruit make me bloat. Damn you fruit, damn you to hell.
All I want is the sweet potato tots from Sonic. Damn commercial, damn you to hell.
Speaking of tots, I need to back off some of those. I have multiple vacations planned for this summer, almost all include swimsuits. New swimsuits. So I’d appreciate it if they fit. So I’ve made a plan. Ever since I stopped competing and became more social, my life has included more delicious food and alcoholic beverages, aka fun times. Which I’m totally cool with. BUT, before I try to pull plastic wrap like bottoms over my tush, I need to tighten it up a bit. Raise and poke. Who doesn’t want a bum that pokes out. That sounds weird.
Anywho, my plan includes more GHD sit ups, more running, less sugar in the form of naughty treats AND fruit, and only drinking once a week and eating one cheat meal a week. I feel like those two things will go hand-in-hand. But being antisocial just ain’t gonna work for me, so hopefully the plan works. Since I started this plan on Monday, I’ve already had fruit. In smoothie form. Damnit. But the man in my life makes really good ones. AND I’ve had some sugar in honey form. Damnit. But I gotta taste my 2nd cookbook meals that I’m creating. Stupid blog, you make me bloat. Wow, look at me making excuses for myself. Get your sh*t together JB, you disappoint me.
I can say one thing, I am super excited for my cheat day on Saturday. I don’t really consider the things I eat cheats, but since starting this plan, they feel more naughty. Like this Saturday. It’s my friend Kam’s birthday, so we are starting off with a CrossFit workout, then we are going to go run Red Rocks, then have bloody mary’s to celebrate our health. Makes so much sense. Either way, we are doing everything we love in one day: working out, playing outside, drinking fun drinks, eating delicious food, and hanging out with cool people. AND THEN, it’s my friend Beth’s birthday that night. Oh hells yeah. Looks like I’m going to have lots to talk about next week in my blog.
What’s your plan to fit into your ittybittyteenyweenyyellowpolkadotbikini?
Cherry and Apple Giant Stuffed Pork Chops
- Yield: 3 1x
Ingredients
- 3 bone-in, thick cut pork chops
- 1 sweet potato or yam, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup red cherries, seeded and cut in half (I used frozen sine they are not in season)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons bacon fat
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 405 degrees.
- Cut sweet potato in half lengthwise, and place cut side down onto a baking sheet.
- Bake sweet potato for 20-25 minutes until completely soft. Once you pull the sweet potatoes out, turn oven down to 375 degrees. Let sweet potatoes cool, then remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash with a fork in the a bowl.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, then toss 2 garlic cloves. Once garlic becomes fragrant, add in the apple and onion.
- When onion becomes translucent, add in halved cherries, apples, along with the mashed sweet potato, cinnamon, garlic powder, ground cloves, and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well until you have a big mess of goodness. Place goodness in a separate bowl and keep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops, then take a knife to cut the meat side of the pork chop, trying to create a pocket. Imagine you are cutting a pita pocket to stuff it with goodness, same thing with the pork chop. Use your knife to dig as deep as you can in the middle of the pork chop, making sure not to cut fully through it.
- Stuff each pork chop with the sweet potato mash.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of bacon fat to the pan, then add the pork chops (making sure not to crowd the pan).
- Sear pork chops on both sides for 4-5 minutes, turning them carefully so all the goodness doesn’t fall out.
- After the pork chops are seared on both sides, place directly in the oven and baking for 6-8 minutes, until completely cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Eat up buttercup.
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You May Also Like:
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Blackberry Glazed Grilled Pork Chops
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Just made these for dinner tonight…Super Amazing…had lots of goody extra on the side 🙂
Add sriracha to your bloody mary’s. It deals.
I’m starting Whole30 tomorrow.
I’m thinking this might be more of a second-half-of-the-program-once-the-sugar-DTs-stop kind of meal, for me, but your blog in general has given me hope that maybe this next month won’t be the dietary death march I’ve been envisioning. That maybe there is life after evicting 4 boxes of Thin Mints from your freezer.
So thanks for that.
Juli, you crack me up. You make me want to jump on a plane to CO to hang out and stuff our faces with PaleOMG goodness.
And I just picked up fresh pork from my meat dealer! Its like you read my mind! Dinner tomorrow!!!
This sounds delightful! Would make a nice dish for company or special occasions. Thanks so much!
while i’ve never had a bloody mary, i have a feeling you’d love this 🙂
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Sugar is the devil, but I have a hell of a time removing it from my diet! I mean, I don’t eat processed sugars, but fruits are tough. Dates and bananas are my one true love…I’ve started working on eating low sugar fruits (grapefruit, melon) and eating the high sugar fruits eaaaarly in the day. Like right when I wake up, so the sugars are able to be processed during my workout or throughout the day. But, I do need to watch those buggers…head straight to your saddle bags and pooch.
I am such a sucker for smoothies but I’m also watching my sugar intake of late. But I did create a delicious smoothie that is SO SMOOTH and has no fruit, save for a squeeze of lemon. I’ll share it with you: 1 stalk celery, 1 stalk fennel, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cucumber (peeled), coconut water, tons of baby spinach, ice, juice of 1/2 a lemon, all whizzed together in the Blendtec. It’s delish.
O M G these are awesome! I had fun making them too!