Miles and Shenanigans

{No, that's not the Michelin Man. It's a giant marshmallow friend.}

{If I had bothered to check the elevation beforehand, this is what I would have seen.}

{Post-race with our finishers mugs.}

{Cheesing it up in front of Turner Field.}

One of the interesting tidbits about my transition to a paleo-based diet it that I've been a vegetarian for about the last year. That ended after I finished my marathon and said, "I want a freaking steak."

What it means for me though, is that I have to relearn how to cook meat and reincorporate it into my diet. My philosophy as a vegetarian-- and with any way of eating-- is that I listen to my body. If I was intensely craving something, (within reason-- come on now, I'm always craving chocolate) I would eat it. In running and eating, I've learned to understand what my body is telling me. I never felt deprived or craved meat while I was a vegetarian. When I did, I had a freaking steak. 

So why give paleo the ol' try, you ask? It started with a challenge from a friend to try grain-free for a week.

 I failed. Twice. 

Then, with all the junk I ate during the holidays my body basically started screaming at me to clean up my eating. After a few rough days with digestion issues clearly attributed to certain foods, I told him the next day, "I'm in. All in." Since then, my only big cheat has been the Hot Chocolate 15k which was followed by the requisite pizza and beer.

I've eliminated grains, legumes, and milk. I still eat some other forms of dairy. I'm aiming to eliminate refined sugars-- but I'll be honest, this one is the hardest for me. I have the sweet tooth from hell. All in all, I've been happy with how I've been doing so far. I allow myself some dark chocolate and sweeten other things with honey. (I've heard varying viewpoints on honey and paleo. I am still doing my research. If you have any knowledge or resources on that front, please share!)

_________

 My second re-adventure into the world of cooking meat: 

 Crock-Pot Honey Apple Pork Loin

 I went off of this recipe over at Crossfit+Paleo = A Winning Combination.

1 pork loin
3 apples
Honey
Cinnamon
(I used my 5 quart CrockPot)

How's that for a simple ingredient list?

{The honey I bought had no seal when I opened it. Of course I used it anyway. So if I die of a dramatic poisoning-- here's your culprit.}

Chop up the apples into slices. I decided to peel mine for a  lighter texture.

Spread a layer of apple slices in the bottom of your CrockPot and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.



Cut vertical slits halfway through the ol' pork loin, about half an inch apart.

Drizzle a bit of honey in each slit and stuff an apple slice in there.


Lay your stuffed pork loin in the CrockPot, drizzle a bit more honey on the whole shebang, and cover with the remaining apple slices. Top it off with some more cinnamon. And a lid.

Cook on low for 7 hours. And voila!


Notes on the finished product: 
Mine turned out a little dry. Tasty, but dry. If I did this recipe again I might cook it a little less. The original recipe poster also noted that her Crock seals off all escaping moisture, so it could also be due to my Black Friday special CrockPot. But I tend towards loyalty. And thrift. So I'll stick with this one for now.

{Color Me Rad! I'm on the left and Cags is on the right.}

{If I had been at the Hot Chocolate 15k, this is what KB and I would look like after the finish.}

{Me (left) and Hales at the Savannah Rock N' Roll Marathon expo!}

Please stay tuned as I get my blog up and running!