Aloha Sliders

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe.  I copied it verbatim from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook.  If you have not purchased this cookbook, well...you are crazy and you should go to Amazon and do so right now.  That is all.

I am trying really hard to continue my good eating habits I (re)established during my last Whole 30.  Meal planning is key for this, because if I don't have a plan I just grab something and it is usually not good for me.  I did not plan as well as I normally do this weekend because it's been full of birthday craziness, so I'll try and scrounge up the energy hopefully tomorrow.  If not...it will be a lot of eggs.  And chicken.  Because, #chickeniseasy.

I made these sliders tonight for us (not the kids - they wanted pizza and I'm here to please), and I'm glad I ate mine first because Sean ate the rest at an alarming rate.  The prep time was totally doable during the week, and cooking was even easier since Sean fired up the grill for me.  Fact about me - I don't grill.  I'm afraid of it, it's not a controllable thing, it's not gonna happen probably in this lifetime.  Another thing to note about this recipe - if you want leftovers, go ahead and double this recipe.  I'm already pissed that Sean ate my lunch for tomorrow.

Aloha Sliders with Pineapple Relish

For the relish:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 small red onion finely diced (or, buy the already diced onion if you hate prepping)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (wear gloves and don't touch your face.  I may know this by experience)

zest from a lime (I just used lime juice.  I don't get the zesting..seemed hard)

1/4 tsp sea salt (or salt.  I mean...whatever)

1 1/2 cups of pineapple (so I used a can of chunks.  I refuse to cut up a pineapple.  Ain't nobody got time fo' that.)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I just ripped it up.  Sean didn't complain)

Grab your large pan, turn your stove top to medium heat and melt the coconut oil.  Then add the diced onion, jalapeno, lime zest and salt.  Sautee until the onions are almost translucent.  Next, add the diced pineapple (if you are awesome like me and use a can, make sure to drain the juice first).  Take your time, and keep the temp around medium, or you will burn it.  It takes about 30 mins, so make sure you check frequently and stir often.  When it's nice and saucy, remove from heat, add cilantro, cover and wait for the sliders to be ready.

For the sliders:

Ground Pork - 1lb

1 garlic clove - minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp kosher salt 

While the sauce is cooking, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mush together.  Form your slider patties, beg your husband to make sure the grill is ready and hand him the plate and tell him it's his turn.  Oh wait...that was me.  I mean, if you can handle this part just take them to the grill, cook on one side for 5-6 mins, and flip.  Cook that other side for 4-6 minutes and they should be perfect.  Bring them inside, top with the amazing relish and start eating.  I would go ahead and make your leftover lunch tupperware first so your husband doesn't know there is extra available.   We didn't have a side with this, and didn't really need it.  The flavors were super fresh and the relish had just a hint of spice, but nothing this spice hating girl couldn't handle.  

I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I did this evening!  

M'best friend

I've known my best friend for 20 years or so...so long, we really have lost count.  

Years ago, she and her two towheaded little brothers showed up on my front porch and introduced themselves as our new neighbors.  New kids on Evie Court - what?!?  None of us were really sure what to do with these newcomers.  We may have been a little mean and tormented them for a few weeks until we realized they actually weren't awful AND they had another pool for us to swim in.  Amanda was a year and one half younger than me, but two grades below, and this was a major deal.  Being the mother hen that I tend to be, I took her under my wing as my little sister (that my parents never gave me no matter how much I tried to trade my brother in).  Now, we are so different I can't even begin to tell you about it.  The girl loves glitter...I love sweatpants.  I'm pretty sure she took the movie "Clueless" to heart and did everything in her power to channel Cher Horowitz every morning when she got ready for school.  I was very cool with rolling out of bed and showing up to school two minutes before the bell rang.  This drove her crazy since I was her ride to school.  What can I say?  Polar opposites.

With that said, there aren't many people who know me better.  She gets my weird sense of humor, that I hate asking for help (even when I need it) and that I love nothing more than girls night out with fancy drinks.  We have been through so much.  Our adventures together are, at times, legendary.  She can finish stories for me, make me laugh more than anyone and keep me entertained for hours.  She also knows how to trick me.

A year ago or so, I get a call from Mandy telling me about Shakeology and their three day challenge.  She was buying a kit, and wanted me to do it with her.  She gave me the shakes, portioned out for three days and we decided upon a start date for this little experiment.  Now, I'm going to reiterate my distain for shakes.  I really, really, REALLY don't like most shakes.  Texture is a huge issue, and Shakeology is way flakey.  (sorry Shakeology lovers.  Not a fan)  I barely made it through the three days.  It was not without major bitching, complaining and major sighing on my end.  But you know what?  It worked...I ended up losing seven pounds and more importantly, I was finally inspired to start losing weight.  All part of Mandy's master plan, that tricky lady.  She told me months later how worried she was about me, but didn't know how to tell me I was beyond chubby.  That isn't a fun conversation to have with anyone.  I'm just lucky I have a best friend that loves me enough to find a way to trick me into thinking it was my own idea!  She's the best. 

I bring this all up because I'm at a plateau and I'm going to do a shake challenge again!  This time I'm using the Body by Vi shake, because my friend has had some amazing results!  The big thing for me is that this shake is gluten free, and didn't upset my stomach when I tried a sample.  It also is really smooth and blends well with coconut milk and fruit, so I'm not dreading the texture issue.  You can check out my webpage http://jennhutcherson.myvi.net/challenge to learn a little more.  I'm going to take some before pictures (sigh.  I hate these pictures) so we can see if any change actually happens.  Right now they are promoting a 90 challenge, but I will be out of town at the end of of next month so I think doing it from the time I get my shake in until April 23 will be a good enough test.  

Have a great week, y'all!  I've hovered over the Heels and Hills website trying to decide if I should sign up for the 5k...anyone else wanna do it with me?