Pork Carnitas

Oh.My.Gosh. Yum!!

I have been so busy lately, and so for my meal plan this week, I wanted to find healthy, 21 Day Fix approved, slow-cooker meals!! A lot of nights, I just don't feel like putting the effort into making dinner! I wait until the last minute, start dinner late, or just don't even have a dinner plan until late! So I was so excited to just pick mostly slow-cooker meals for this week, and take the stress out of meal prep, planning, etc.

I was searching through Pinterest for 21 Day Fix approved dinners and slow-cooker dinners, and I found this amazing recipe for Pork Carnitas from a fellow Beachbody Coach!! It is the simplest to put together, and it was AMAZING!! One of my favorite things I have made...ever!! I just love meals that have something cooked, but then you add fresh ingredients to it...really makes the flavor pop and the flavor in these Pork Carnitas was out of this world!!

So, here's the recipe!! My family loved it, so it was a winner in my book!

Pork Carnitas
From Melanie Mitro's Blog

Ingredients:
3 lbs. Pork Loin
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups of water

For the Spice Rub:
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp. Cloves
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tsp. Oregano

Directions:

1. Mix all the spices together, except the bay leaf.
2. Rub down the entire pork loin with the spices and place in the slow cooker.
3. Add in the bay leaf and water and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Watch the pork to make sure the water doesn't absorb, or else it will dry out. If you have to add more water, then please do so!
4. Pull the pork apart with 2 forks; it should pull apart easily!
5. Put the shredded meat back in the slow cooker, so it can mix in with the juices!

You can use any toppings that you like for the Carnitas!! If you are eating clean, or doing the 21 Day Fix (which is clean eating!), then you will want to adjust your toppings accordingly!! Here's what we had on our table for the whole family!

-Corn Tortillas - browned
-Flour Tortillas
-Romaine lettuce, chopped
-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
-Fresh Avocado
-Fresh Cilantro
-Guacamole
-Sour Cream (Or you could have plain Greek Yogurt, if you are eating clean)
-Salsa of your choice

Cilantro-Lime Dressing (LOL, I just realized that I left this part out!! I'm so bummed, but they were still AMAZING!!)

Greek Yogurt (she doesn't say how much to add, so just add 1/2 cup at a time, until it looks right! One reader said she used 1 1/2 cups!)
1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, cut into wedges, for garnish


You could also add black beans, refried beans, diced tomatoes....really the possibilities are endless! And that's what makes this so family-friendly as well... people can fix them to their liking! You could even serve this over rice!! And it makes for great leftovers...I can't wait to have this for lunch!

Enjoy!