Getting Creative With Leftovers

One of the meals I made while I had family in town for Christmas (which I forgot to photograph originally) was slow cooker pulled pork. My grandmother gave me a copy of this recipe a few years ago, and it has become a regular in our house. It's easy and great for anytime we are entertaining and want something easy. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner and we served it on hamburger buns with different flavored Kettle Brand potato chips. Nothing fancy, but so simple, and it cooked on it's own all day while I was able to enjoy time with my family!

The day after Christmas my family all went home, and although the house was suddenly empty, my refrigerator was not. We had so many leftovers! One of which was the barbecue pulled pork. We were out of buns and I kind of felt like something different anyway. So I used the meat to make barbecue grilled tacos on my new panini press my grandmother gave me (thank you, Nana!). 

I began by heating up the leftover meat on the panini press.

Next I laid two flour tortillas on the panini press, sprinkled shredded cheese on them, a little meat, a little more cheese, and some barbecue sauce (Stubbs BBQ sauce to be exact, which is my favorite).

 

Then I folded the tortillas in half, shut the panini press for a few minutes until the cheese was all melted, and enjoyed them with some of my leftover chips. This was an easy way to make leftovers a little more interesting.

Supper Time!

Tonight for dinner I made pork chops, peas, and homemade macaroni and cheese. The peas were frozen peas heated in the microwave (very simple). To make the pork chops, I seasoned both sides with salt, pepper, garlic pepper, and herbs de provence. I melted a tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat in a pan, then added the pork chops to it. I cooked them for about 2-3 minutes per side, then let them sit on the plates tented with foil for a few minutes. I also poured the remaining butter and bits from the pan on the pork. It was very flavorful. Josh loved them. For the mac and cheese I used a recipe I found in Southern Living a few years back, but I couldn't find it online to share with you. It was good, but I think I want to try some new mac and cheese recipes next time.


Today I went to the Tech Rec Center and worked out on the eliptical machine for 30 minutes, which was good. Then, at home I did some weight and ab workouts. I haven't been doing much running/cardio workouts, but I feel like I have been able to do strength and core exercises since they are easy to do at home.

I have 2 big motivators to help me get in better shape (which is very helpful). First, for Spring Break (which is less than a month away), I am going to Florida with my brother and his family, so swimsuit season will be coming sooner than expected. I just ordered a new swimsuit from JCrew today, and I am hoping it fits well! Also, my sister is getting married in May, and I would like to look good in those pictures (and my bridesmaids' dress)! So, I will keep trying to be healthy and exercising to get ready for both of those events!