Chipotle-Style Pulled Pork

I've had a request for the Chipotle style pulled pork that we are having this week and I cannot find the recipe (and I had made some changes) so here's what I used:

3 lb Pork tenderloin (pork roast or shoulder would work as well)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 T tomato paste (we didn't have any tomatoes)
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sliced and sauce added (this gives a nice heat to the pork, less if you are sensitive to spice)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.  Spread onions in a layer over the bottom of the crock pot.

Liberally salt and pepper all sides of tenderloin.  Mix remaining herbs together and coat tenderloin.  Place tenderloin on top of onions.

Add peppers with adobo sauce and tomato paste to water and stir until paste dissolves.  Carefully pour mixture around (not on top of) the tenderloin.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until done.  Remove meat from crock pot.  Remove bay leaves and cloves and discard.  Shred meat and place back in crock pot on warm for to absorb sauces or until ready to serve.

We will be serving with corn tortillas, homemade queso sauce (left over from last week's dinner), blackbeans and lots of veggies.  Enjoy!

Meal planning

We've got a few things going on this week (ahem, graduation) and plenty of left overs from last week so we are light on meal planning:

Sunday-meal in the go! We're in Cinci to visit friends so we'll be eating out or in the car.
Monday- MBA grad reception
Tuesday-Zuppa Toscano soup (we just receive our years supply of sausage and bacon)
Wednesday- left overs
Thursday-pulled pork tacos (copycat Chipotle recipe)
Friday-homemade pizza
Saturday-grad celebration!

Sonya's List of Must-Have Gear for Running

As promised, here's my must-have gear for running a race!

1. Good sports bra.  I'm not brand specific but I do like mine to be made of moisture (aka sweat) wicking fabric.  
2. Running socks-yes, running socks make a difference!  Once you try them you will never go back, I promise.  I have mix of Thorlo, Wigwam and Balga.  They have extra cushioning in the toes/heels and compression around the mid-foot.  Good stuff!
3. Running shoes.  I highly, highly, highly recommend getting fitted for running shoes at a reputable store.  They will watch the way you walk/run and recommend shoes for you.  Are you an over or under pronator?  They will be able to tell you!  Then you try a few pairs on and go for a quick test run (inside or out, depending on the store) to make sure they will work.
4. Running capris.  No shorts here, I like a little more coverage when I run.  I do like compression capris which fit snugly and give support to my legs/knees.  And pockets are nice for keys, energy, etc.
5. Cliff Blocks.  I'm not a huge fan of running goo but these I love.  Most races give goo so I carry my own blocks (hence the pockets in the capris)
6. iPod.  Music is a great motivator.  I use the Nike + system to track my distance and pacing through the iPod.  I like the iPod nano because it's small and light.  C runs with his iPhone but I feel unbalanced and weighed down with it.
7. Watch/Heart Rate Monitor.  Know your zone and where you need to be.  Tracking heart rate is a great way to listen to your body.
6. Sunglasses.  I borrowed C's Oakley's for race day.
9. Layers.  I wasn't sure what race day would bring so I picked out a few layers ahead of time.  I ended up wearing the black Dry-Fit tshirt (10) and a zip up long sleeved jacket before the race and handed my jacket to C right before the start so I didn't have to tie it around my waist once I was warmed up.

Quick note about race day clothes:  NEVER wear anything new!  Always take your gear out for a few test runs to make sure that there aren't any performance or comfort issues.  I have a friend who wore new shorts for a marathon and now has a permanent scar from the tag rubbing her back.

And of course, not numbered, but my race bib ready to be pinned to my shirt.

What are some of your must-haves?
 

Cleveland's Top Restaurants

One of my Facebook friends posted this link to a list of Cleveland's Top Restaurants from The Plain Dealer.  I thought it would be fun to post it here and check them off as we try them once we move in June:

Clearly, we have A LOT of work ahead of us.  So let us know, have you tried any of these?  Any recommendations on which ones rock and which ones we should skip?  Anyone want to help??

CLEVELAND'S A-LIST RESTAURANTS FOR 2012

• Aldo
• AMP 150 
• Anatolia Cafe
• Bac Asian American Bistro and Bar
• Balaton
• Bar Cento 
• Bistro 185 
• Bistro on Lincoln Park
• Blue Point Grille 
• Bruno's Ristorante
• Bubba's-Q
• Cafe Toscano
• Charm Thai 
• Chez Francois 
• Chinato 
• Chowder House Cafe
• Cowell & Hubbard 
• Crave 
• Crop Bistro & Bar 
• Cuisine of India 
• D'Agneses 
• Dante
• Deagan's Kitchen & Bar
• Delmonico's Steakhouse
• Diamond Grille
• Don's Pomeroy House 
• Don's Lighthouse 
• Downtown 140
• Eddie's Pizzeria Cerino 
• Etna 
• Fahrenheit 
• Fat Cats 
• Felice Urban Cafe
• Fire
• Flour 
• Flying Fig 
• Fountain
• Georgetown
• Ginko 
• Giovanni's
• Greenhouse Tavern 
• Grotto Wine Bar
• Grovewood Tavern
• Hunan by the Falls 
• House of Hunan Medina
• Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse 
• Indian Delight 
• Istanbul Grill
• Johnny's Bar 
• Johnny's Downtown
• John Q's 
• Ken Stewart Lodge 
• Lago Restaurant & Wine Bar
• L'Albatros 
• Le Bistro du Beaujolais 
• Le Petit Triangle 
• Light Bistro 
• Lockkeepers 
• Lola Bistro 
• Lolita 
• Lopez 
• Luxe 
• Market 
• Melt 
• Michelangelo's 
• Minh Anh 
• Molinari's 
• Momocho
• Morton's
• Moxie
• Muse
• Noodlecat 
• One Red Door
• Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar
• Parallax 
• Pearl of the Orient West
• Piatto Novo
• Pier W 
• Players on Madison
• Pura Vida 
• Red the Steakhouse 
• Restaurant Europa
• Rockefeller's 
• Russo's Kitchen 
• Sergio's Sarava
• SB Eighty One 
• Shuhei Restaurant
• Stino da Napoli
• Strip Steakhouse
• Superior Pho
• Sweet Melissa's 
• Table 45 
• Tartine Bistro 
• Ty Fun
• Viaduct Lounge 
• Washington Place Bistro and Inn
• Wild Mango 
• Wonton Gourmet
• XO Prime Steaks 
• Zanzibar

Meal Planning-The Pioneer Woman Cookbook takes over

So I was the lucky recipient of two cook books in April (one for Easter and one for my b-day).  Now that my schedule has lightened, I've been able to break them out.  I handed Chris the new cook book from The Pioneer Woman: "Food from my frontier" and he had no issues picking out a few dishes (so many delicious looking ones to choose from!).

Sunday-White Chicken Enchiladas
Monday-Spicy Orzo with Broccoli (I added a can of white beans for protein...still wasn't a winner)
Tuesday-Left overs (I had a salad with left over crock pot rotisserie chicken)
Wednesday-Apricot Shrimp Skewers (note to self, do NOT rub eyes after cutting up jalapenos!)
Thursday-Chris has class and is watching the draft so I'll be eating popcorn and BP with apples or sweet potato chips
Friday-Pork Tenderloin with root vegetables (this was amazing...so much work but it was soo good)

Have you tried any new recipes lately?  My mom and I had a conversation this week about how variety in meal planning is key.  Keeps things interesting!

Love ya, mean it

Over the past week, I've been in Louisville training for my job. I have the best work family, and I do mean the best. We care about each other, look out for each other and help each other. This team had been so supportive of me as I've gotten started in my job and when Chris was deployed. We've got a couple of team members retiring this year and one of them is know for saying "love ya, mean it". Not just to his family but to all of us. We believe in saying "I love you". C and I say it all the time, it comes from spending months apart when he was in the Army and was our only way to express our feelings thousands of miles apart. Sometimes it's said out of habit but we still mean it so i think "love ya, mean it" sums it up pretty well. How do you express your feelings to loved ones?

Cbus 10 Miler

On Sunday, I completed the Cbus 10miler for the second year.  Chris, Brittany and I ran this race last year and it was tough!  The race course was flip-flopped this year so there wasn't a two mile incline at the finish but there still was a mile incline that I hated :)  It's a hilly course that is meant to be a training run for the upcoming Capital City Half Marathon.  My goal this year was to beat last year's time (1:38:40 or 9:50 per mile) which wasn't much of a challenge since I had a cold last year, and I'm happy to say I did!  My time this year was 1:27:35 (8:46 per mile) which is a PR (personal record)!

  Over all, it's a nice, small race with both street and (paved) trail running.  I wouldn't call it easy because there are several inclines, some steep and some long and slow, but the people are friendly and the race well organized.  I think strength training (yoga and BodyPump) helped me improve and the guy that paced me for the last three miles :)  I don't know who he was but he would not let be get below a 9 minute mile :)  Wish I could say thank you to whoever he is!  Here's a few photos of the day: 

All my gear, ready to go (and my bags packed for a work trip later that day).  Gear post here!

Almost to the finish!

After the race

My race supporter and sometimes running partner

My race reward (not really, I just needed new shoes and they were on sale after the race)

Now that I'm a few days past the race, I'm wondering what's next?????  Maybe another sprint triathlon?