The Mob Town Cuban Sandwich

This weekend my dear friend Kyle and I set out to create the Cuban sandwich authentic. In order to do this we needed to bake the bread. Cuban bread isn't readily available in local stores. So, Friday night with the aid of some fantastic Pam's Peachy Vodka drinks we began the project. We found a bread recipe at icuban.com that passed the authenticity test.

We baked the bread Friday night and Kyle concocted a fantastic marinade for the pork loin which we marinated for about 12 hours and cooked on Saturday. 

The marinade consisted of:

• garlic powder
• minced onion
• thyme
• slap ya mamma
• cayenne pepper
• mustard powder
• salt & pepper
• ground cloves
• lime pepper
• paprika
• cumin
• lots-a-lemon juice
• olive oil
• dales marinade
• white wine
• balsamic vinegar
• red wine vinegar

All of these ingredients were mixed without measuring but to taste, as the best home cooking usually is! 

Kyle says most heavily he used olive oil and lemon juice, and carefully added the slap-ya-mamma & cayenne to spice just right! 

The ham was roasted Sunday. 

Other ingredients for the sandwiches consisted of:

• mustard & mayo
• sliced tomato
• lettuce
• sliced dill pickle
• swiss cheese

Kyle carved the meats thin and composed the sandwiches with the care of a maestro.  

The result? Delicious Cuban sandwiches for Sunday football! 

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This was an awesome fun project! Much thanks to Kyle for the authenticity, inspiration and the great company!!! 

A Note on Eating to Lose/Maintain weight

Okidoki kiddo. The key is to eat often. Start out with protiens: grilled chicken, beef jerky, beef, eggs etc. Avoid extremely fatty meats like bacon though. Season with garlics, spices and cook in olive oil. I'll do pork chops in a skillet with spices and garlic in olive oil sometimes - it's quick and easy and kids like it too! 

Veggies: Green beans, brocoli, bell peppers, cauliflower etc. Apples are a great snack too (with a tablespoon of peanubutter even better!). I keep - always - an atkins bar and/or a beef jerky in my purse! Only drink water, diet soda, or a calorie free drink like powerade zero. Pickles are awesome too. I eat them every evening when I get the munchies! To jump start do low low carb for a week, meats/veggies. There's shakes in the pharmacy section at walmart called EAS Carb Control. They have 100 calories and 2-3 carbs - these save my life! Atkins makes a variety of sweet snacks available in the same section.

Cheese sticks & Greek yogurt are great to add to your daily mix too. Dannon makes 100 calorie greeks that are super and it's more filling than regular yogurt. Try to get 30 grams of protein before noon every day.

Drink!!! Even if you have to 'go' alot. lol. Drink at the very minimum 8 glasses of fluids like water or powerade.

Take a multivitamin.

Oh! And salsa-if you like it- is great on eggs!

Just no no foods:
pasta, bread, chips, fries, potatoes, melons, sweets, granola bars (these are fools gold of diets) Beware of 100 calorie packs - it's more important to count carbs than calories!

I can make you a copy of out to eat selections from a list at home. It's hard to change at first, but once you get used to it it's cool. I enjoy the flavor of foods more since I stopped eating so much sugar.

Low Carb Linda is a great recipe site!

To start keep a food diary, sugar free gum, and set your cell phone timer for every two hours to remind yourself to have a snack. If you constantly feed your body smaller portions it will begin to burn what you eat up instead of storing it. The downside, being hungry often! But, the timer will remind your tummy how long it has to wait 

 I run and do weights, but I only have 45 min or so! But I'd start out walking. Set a distance - not a time frame - you can work on your time as your stamina builds, but if you go a specific distance you'll improve naturally. 

The concept is to eat less sugars/carbs. If you do your body won't store as much fat. If you go extremely low carb for 3-7 days (I mean like, meat? sure, pickle? okay, eas shake? okay, eggs? okay. Yup it's hard) Your body will switch into what's called ketosis and burn stored energy - aka FAT! It's a great way to jump start a weight loss campaign and then follow up with regular healthy eating as described above :)

Mood & energy levels will fluctuate at the start of a diet change. Be patient, you'll regulate! Good luck, you got this. 

Wordie Nerdie Fresh and Flirty!

A great site to discover the origin of words!!! Cool find. :)  word origins

Low Carb Smoothie!

Low Carb Smoothie!

Okay, I know when you are doing low carb it gets monotonous. So, I mix it up with some yummy "milkshakes" to keep from losing it.

Try this:

1/2 pkg vanilla or chocolate sugar free instant pudding (70 cal/16 carb)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1 c ice
blend!

Filling, good protein, and satisfies the sweet craving!!

Writing in Nature

The Naturalist. A page I intend to follow! Read and report my friends.

E.R. Quotes.

Great page to share from!

Elizabeth Roosevelt Quotes

Kirinyaga

This is a short science fiction story I read for my Rhetorical Criticism class which I really enjoyed. Mostly because it turned my thinking on its side a little. I like to find things that get my thinking out of its groove.

Kirinyaga

"The Brown Wasp" is the other reading for this particular section. I am so fortunate to have brilliant professors who filter through the world of literature and find gems like these. The Rhetorical concepts of home and place are the discussion topics this week and also the topic for our first paper. I am so into this section. Spectacular!

Personal Training

I aspire to get my PT certification before Summer. I hope to use it to help get by while student teaching! I am posting the link to my lessons here for myself so if anyone comes across it, trust me, it's boring.

PT Manual

Learning Guitar :)

I am going to post the vids and diagrams I am using to learn guitar on this blog! It is so fun. I kinda love it. But I want to check out lots of resources. I am going to save the best ones I find here. When I get going good I'll share it. Booyah!

 

This guy is pretty direct. I am going to go through his lessons and then a couple others. We'll see if he makes the final cut for this favorite!

All Natural Moisturizer DIY

I find that labels which contain ingredients that look like stuff you'd make a bomb with make me a little edgy! And I also have sensitive skin and try to avoid things that might irritate it. I have discovered that in the case of moisturizing the skin less is really more. Bells and whistles are fine for bicycles but when it comes to the skin mother nature knows a thing or two.
Try this simple combination of ingredients:

• Jojoba or Sweet Almond oil as a base combined with any of the essential oils you choose based on your needs. Add the following sparingly:

• Relaxation:

• lavender oil
• chamomile oil
•  sandalwood oil
• juniper 

• Invigoration:
• orange or lemon oil
• cinnamon bark oil - sparingly!
• peppermint oil - sparingly!
• eucalyptus and thyme

 Just combine about 4 oz of base with a couple of drops of the essential oils. Use in the bath or apply directly to your skin after the bath. I like to put the lavender and jojoba in a small dish and use it as a lip moisturizer on a daily basis. Lavender is my favorite for sure. But I like to mix it up! Peppermint can be a real treat when you are feeling tired and need to go a few miles before you get to go to bed! It's fun trying these out and deciding which you like best. I recommend shopping on amazon for the oils. The stores range widely in price and so do different essential oils. A small bottle can last a really long time! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie (aka Mr. Delicious)

Okay. This one is good for you too! It is also addictively delicious which is why I call it Mr. Delicious.

In your blender combine:

• 2 scoops EAS lean 15 chocolate protein powder (100 cal - a miracle)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (210 cal - worth it)
• 3/4 c ice (uhm ... still 0 cal!)
• 1 c unsweetened almond milk (30 cal)

Blend the above on your smoothie setting and discover Mr. Delicious. Yummers!

PB & Banana Protein Smoothie

This is a great meal replacement or bedtime snack. It is great before heading to the gym or on an outdoor adventure too!

In a blender combing:

• Two scoops EAS lean 15 low carb protein shake powder (100 cal)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (105 cal)
• 1 banana (75-90 cal)
• 3/4 c ice (uhm .... 0 cal)
• 8 oz unsweetened almond milk (30 cal)

Blend the above on smoothie setting and enjoy. It's super good and provides plenty of useful nutrition. Not a wasted calorie in it!