Growing up, pork tenderloin was also the meal my mom made for special occasions. It's my dad's favorite meal, the one we always make for birthdays, fathers day, any holiday. It was the first "real" meal I learned how to make and it was one of the first meals I made for Adam.

It's no secret that I love spicy food. Spicy buffalo chicken wraps. Spicy chicken tortilla soup. Spicy coconut chicken. Horseradish Salmon. Carne Asada Tacos. Spicy kale chips.

I also really love easy recipes. It was one of those nights and I had gotten home from Pure Barre late and had no idea what to make. I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and all the other ingredients are ones most people have in their pantry.

I had made chicken the last 4 days in a row and I knew Adam would not want chicken, so pork it was. My other favorite pork tenderloin recipe is this honey glazed one, but I wanted a change/needed one. Luckily, after a few modifications, I had crafted the best spicy pork tenderloin.


Ingredients:

1½-2 pounds pork tenderloin (two small or one medium-large tenderloin)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Rub

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon pepper

Glaze

¾ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon sriracha sauce 

How to Make: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle an oven-safe pan or skillet (such as a cast-iron skillet) with the olive oil and preheat on the stove over medium-high heat til the oil is hot. 
2. Whisk together all rub ingredients. Sprinkle the rub mixture all over the tenderloin and use your fingers to massage into the meat.
3. Place tenderloin in skillet and allow to brown for 3-4 minutes, turning the meat throughout to sear on all sides.
4. Mix the glaze ingredients together and spread mixture over the tenderloin. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes until cooked through.
5. Cut tenderloin into 1-inch thick slices. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze from the pan all over the tenderloin just before serving.

Happy Memorial day everyone. Let's not forget that today is not just about BBQ's and sunshine. But instead its about all those who fought for us. All those who died for us. Thank you for you. Thank you for fighting. Thank you.


Recently, I've been on a huge cilantro kick. I love it on my chicken, in my enchiladas, in my soup, pork -- you name it, I probably put it on it. Besides smoothies, that's just crazy talk. Remember how I told you it's genetic if you don't like it. So, if you're one of those, I'm sorry. Anyways.

Eating paleo is a tricky thing sometimes. It's super easy to eat grilled chicken everyday or if we're playing by my rules, pizza. I try to make it a point to meal plan on Sundays to avoid the boring meals. Adam and I always do a tally at the end of the week, good meals 4, bad meals 1. As long as I'm over 2, I consider it a win.

This last week, I had 5/5. That is huge and never happens.

Let's talk about pork. Sometimes I think people are afraid of pork. A lot of people think it's easy to just make beef or chicken. Let's get a little adventurous people.

Ingredients: 

• 1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch slices
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the rub:

• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chipotle chili pepper spice
• ½ tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 cloves garlic, minced

For the sauce:

• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pork people, It's what's for dinner.

It's no surprise I love sandwiches and it's no surprise I love the crockpot. Combining the two? Jackpot! This past Sunday was one full of errands, nail appointments, Pure Barre and grocery shopping. The crockpot was my solution to this super busy day and pulled pork sandwiches were on the menu!

I love this meal, but to prepare the way I love it, I made my own BBQ sauce, found here and my own bread rolls, here. It seems like a lot of work, especially making it easy with the crockpot, but I promise homemade is the way to go!

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds pork shoulder
• 3 tablespoons smoke paprika
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (reduce for less spice)
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 4 pieces of bacon (secret ingredient) 

How to Make:

1. Lay pieces of bacon on the bottom of the crockpot. Pour in the broth.
2. Mix all the spices together. Rub the rub into the meat and into all the crevices. 
3. Place the meat into the crockpot.
4. Cooking options can vary. Either 4 hours on high. 8 hours on low. We did two hours on low, 3 and 1/2 on high. 
5. When done, shred the pork. Put back in the crockpot, mix with the juices. 
6. Prepare your sandwich! 
7. Enjoy!

If you're like me, you cook Pork Tenderloin the same way, every time. Well, I wanted to try something different this time, and thought what better than a honey glaze! And boy, oh boy, it was great!

Ingredients: 

• 1 pork tenderloin (again, I got mine at Costco) 
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

How to make: 

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees 
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil
3. Baste the tenderloin with honey. 
4. Sprinkle the garlic powder and salt over the tenderloin. 
5. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until a thermometer says 160 degrees. 
6. Broil the tenderloin for about 10 minutes to crisp up the glaze. 
7. Enjoy!