Respectful Pork

Ron and I as you guys know have been doing the South Beach diet and it has been very successful. We still have a long way to go but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made. We started a workout regime to help tone up muscle as well as lose weight so that our skin isn’t so loose once we lose all the weight. We actually just started the next level yesterday. I use free weights as part of my workout because I feel like I get a better workout using them instead of the machine on certain exercises. I have one problem though, I don’t appreciate the looks I get from the bigger dudes while I’m over there and I certainly don’t appreciate when people stand right in front of me in the mirror and block it so I can’t tell how my form is. Let’s be respectful to everyone in the gym guys because we all start somewhere and to treat others like this just shows that your muscles are going to your head. I’ve been doing it long enough I know my form is good but it was just frustrating, again respect is a big issue here.

I’ve noticed lately that there is a huge issue in that area not just at the gym but in life in general. What happened to respecting each other? We’re so wrapped up in our own selfish desires and agendas that we don’t stop and look at the world around us. Whether it’s a racial issue, a gender issue, or a sexual orientation issue we need to respect each other and have compassion for our fellow human being because we’re all human. No one person is perfect so lets just take a collective step back and breathe for a moment guys and chill out. I’m not going to give my full opinion about recent events because I don’t want this to be that kind of post but I do want my readers to take a moment and look around. If you’re struggling to lose weight its because you’re stressed. Why are you stressed? It could be because of many things but the issues I mentioned earlier are a huge stress factor in a lot of people so please don’t let it take over your every being. Just remember if you give respect it will be returned, sometimes not immediately. If someone is still rude to you move on it’s not worth stressing over because it will kill your health and that’s what it’s all about; being healthy. Kindness, compassion, and respect are such important factors in life we don’t need to make time for hate, rudeness, and general all around dickishness. When the Pharisees asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment Jesus replied with, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” This is from Matthew 22:37-40. To me this means that no matter what happens in this world we need to remember to love as Jesus loves, unconditionally. I live my life this way as a Christian and it honestly reduces a lot of stress in my life and I’m a lot healthier because of it.

Now onto more lighthearted stuff, I found a recipe on Pinterest for brussel sprouts. Yes, those little cabbage like vegetable that you hate as a kid. Its absolutely delicious and flavorful but I know that brussel sprouts are an acquired taste so I understand if you don’t want to try this so I have another extremely simple recipe for skillet fried pork I made and it is of my own design and when I say simple I mean it.

     First up is the brussel sprout recipe. First of all I have to credit the blog Cooking Classy. You can check them out at cookingclassy.com they have a lot of really great recipes and this one is not of my own doing so I have to give credit where credit is due.

Ingredients for the brussel sprouts

Garlic lemon and Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed and dried, ends trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise

2 -­ 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving

1/2 tsp (scant) fine sea salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add brussels sprouts and garlic to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Spread onto a cookie sheet in an even layer. Bake in preheated oven, tossing once halfway through baking, until golden brown on edges, about 25  ­- 30 minutes. Serve warm spritzed with more lemon juice to taste and topped with parmesan cheese.

I do have to preface this next recipe, I know that frying sounds bad but that’s if it is deep fried. When you skillet fry something if you don’t use too much oil and make sure the oil is heated up before putting in the meat you’re fine. You don’t want to let the meat sit and soak up the oil while it is heating up. Very little oil is used for this recipe, you basically need it to keep the food from sticking because you never use the Pam spray on a cast iron skillet. You also need a cooking oil that will cook in high temperatures and there are articles out there that claim olive oil is not good for higher temperatures like pan frying so I don’t use olive oil but I don’t know how true that is so I just use a little vegetable oil when I’m pan frying like this.

Ingredients for the pork

Skillet Fried Pork:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Pork Loin Chops

1 Tbsp Cooking oil (Canola, Vegetable, etc.)

Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic seasoning blend

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Turn stove top to medium heat and add oil to skillet.While the oil is heating add salt, pepper, and seasoning blend to both sides of the pork and rub in. I added quite a bit of the seasoning because I like my food well seasoned but it is truly to your own taste.

Once oil is heated add pork into the skillet and cook each side 4-5 minutes. Make sure it is cooked thoroughly. Cooking time varies depending on how thick the cut of the chop is but don’t go over 6 minutes per side.

Mmm mmm delicious

Hope you guys enjoy this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below. If you have any good recipes for me to test out send them over!