Lunch Boxes and Water Bottles

They look almost like purses, but they're lunch boxes!

I love, love, love, love, love my lunch boxes.  Never thought I'd say that before, but I really do think I have the best lunch boxes in the world.  Purchased from Thirty-One Gifts, they're cute to carry, they hold exactly what I need them to, and they keep food cool during long days at work or on long drives.  Definitely one of the best purchases I have made in my efforts to eat healthier, as I have found that not only packing a lunch for the sake of being healthy, but being willing to pack a lunch because of what I'm carrying it in has been extremely helpful.

Probably sounds a little crazy to think that it matters what I carry it in, but it does.  While the cute factor of the lunch boxes was something that drew me to them, it was not the only factor that made a big difference for me.  The biggest thing was having something that could easily hold everything I needed it to and keep everything cool.  When selecting a lunch box, I realized that most days I would be carrying bowls of salad as well as items like yogurt, pretzels, almonds, and string cheese, which can take up a lot of room, so I wanted to make sure I picked a bag that would give me that space.  These bags do just that.  I have a larger one that's perfect for longer days, when I know I'll be needing more, and a smaller one that's perfect for days when I may just want to bring something to snack on between meals.  When Sean and I road trip to Illinois (or further), we often put food in the larger, blue bag, and drinks in the smaller brown bag, and they work perfect so we don't have to stop at a fast food place for dinner on the way.

The other important change I've been making is to always have a water bottle.  I have four, three of which I purchased, one was a gift for Bellarmine Alumni at a basketball game this last season (Woo Hoo BU!).

Two plain bottles and two bottles from my alma maters!

These water bottles are a great investment for me so I make sure I get plenty of water each day.  I have found that ever day I make sure I drink lots of water, I feel less hungry, and more apt to make wiser choices in food, such as snacking on fruit for something sweet, instead of a piece of chocolate.  Maybe it's just the mindset that it puts me in, but overall, I feel healthier, and I try to choose healthier.  The three bottles I have purchased I know hold up to 32 oz of water, so I make sure to fill and drink from those bottles at least twice when using them.  The Bellarmine bottle I'm not exactly sure on, and having been to lazy to just measure cups of water into it, I typically try to fill and drink from that bottle at least three times.

Drinking more water has also helped me to cut a lot of sugary drinks from my diet.  I love Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Cherry Pepsi, but I realized when I was having a couple of them a day, it wasn't a good choice.  I reduce what I was drinking, so I chose to drink more water.  However, this wasn't easy, as I was getting headache from the withdrawals, so I enlisted the help of caffeinated items like green tea in the morning, and used packets of Crystal Light in my water throughout the day.  Slowly and surely, I began to use less Crystal Light packets, and drank straight water.  It amazed me how addicted I was to the sugary drinks, but after a few weeks, I went from having a couple a day to maybe one or two a week.

So it may seem silly to be excited about lunch boxes and water bottles, but I am.  I am excited for the healthy choices they are helping me to make - choosing water over soda, choosing a healthy snack option I brought, like yogurt, instead of getting a bag of chips from a vending machine, and packing altogether better meals for me, instead of choosing a nearby fast food option.

Spicy Shredded Pork

A lot of weeks, I feel like I don't have much time to come home and make anything after work.  Many nights, I find myself exhausted, and not wanting to spend a lot of time cooking, so I prefer to make things on Sundays that are easy to prepare, and work well throughout the week. One of Sean's absolute favorite things I make for week-long meals is spicy shredded pork.  Slow roasted in the crock pot all day, it can be a delicious and versatile entree for any meal.

Typically, I wait until boneless pork loins are on sale for less than $2 per pound.  Then I buy about a 10 pound pork loin, cut it into five roughly even sections, and freeze each section until ready to thaw and use.

When I make spicy pulled pork, my favorite seasonings to use are ground paprika, ground cayenne, ground white pepper, McCormick Grill Mates Fiery 5 Pepper and Devil Dust.  I love using paprika, cayenne, and white pepper in my dishes because of the flavors of these three spices.  The Fiery 5 Pepper and Devil Dust seasonings add an extra hot kick, though I would caution others who prefer milder tastes to limit their use of these seasonings.

So much yum!

I rub these seasonings over the pork loin, along with a little bit of season salt (probably about half a tablespoon) over the entire loin.  I cook the loin in my 4 quart crock pot on low for about 8 to 10 hours, until tender and easy to shred.  I have cooked it on high before, for about 4 to 6 hours, but I prefer to cook it on the low setting, as it's more tender and easier to shred.

Looks a little gross in the crock pot before cooking....

 

After it has cooked, I promptly remove from the crock pot, and place in a container to cool for a few minutes before shredding.  Before shredding, I try to remove as much fat as possible.

All finished!  I let it cool a little before I remove any fatty pieces and shred.

All shredded and ready to enjoy!

Once cooked, and shredded it works great for many meals.  Sean and I use the pork for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, salads, and more.  It's great with barbecue sauce or by itself, and makes it easy to switch up meals during the week.

Sean could not wait to eat some!  His favorite way to eat the spicy shredded pork, on homemade bread with barbecue sauce!

Trying Again

I have failed at this blogging thing and my attempt to get healthier.  Time has gotten away from me.  I have been finding myself with early mornings and late nights at work (a job that's more or less supposed to be 8:30am-5pm Monday through Friday), coming home to eat, trying to walk or or do a small workout, and then off to bed.  There has also been some job searching, Ph.D. considering, and wedding planning in there, usually on the weekends.  My goals have not been met.

As I sit here, thinking of all the calories I consumed today, and being 481 days from the wedding, I'm finding myself far short from my goals.  Endless attempts, and a true desire to change my lifestyle for the better have failed, but I refuse to give up hope.  More than six months ago, I felt I had plenty of time to reach my goals, now I look at the lack of time as a challenge, and pressure to merely encourage me to work harder.  Though I try not to procrastinate, I always did my best work in college while under pressure.  While eating healthier and exercising more is very different from writing a paper, it's still a project, and one I want to be a success.