BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Summer has been a whirlwind so far! My two real days off have felt hectic and rushed, but I hope a few days like this will lead to a more restful July and August.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Last night, we enjoyed the last leftovers of Thursday night's dinner, a recipe I promised to share--and I try to make good on my promises!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches - in the slow cooker
Serves 12

For the pork:

• 2 2-lb. boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 8 pieces
• 1 cup prepared BBQ sauce (I like Trader Joe's All-Natural)
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place the pork pieces in your slow cooker and cover with the BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, then "stir" to make sure all the pork is coated evenly. Cover and turn on low for 6-8 hours, until pork is cooked through. Shred with two forks.

For the sandwiches:

• Whole wheat hamburger buns 
• Sliced red onion
• Pepperjack cheese, sliced
• Sour cream, for topping
• Extra BBQ sauce, for topping

Toast the buns (bonus: brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder before toasting). Spoon shredded pork onto buns and place sliced cheese on top. Top with sour cream, BBQ sauce, and red onion. Enjoy!

After that delicious meal, Terry and I caught up on our respective weekends and got to bed. Today I tried to sleep in, but construction work in our apartment complex and a certain noisy cat made for a restless last hour. Couple that with the fact that I struggled to fall asleep last night, and I was exhausted this morning. Still, I woke up to a fun surprise: Our neighbor asked us to help walk her adorable dog in the evening! After I grabbed their keys, I came back to make breakfast, but my stomach felt horrible. It happens when I get stressed or anxious, but today was particularly rough. So I made a smoothie, but I couldn't stomach it; instead I popped it in the freezer for later. 

I had a huge to-do list to tackle, and I attacked it right away. I'm not the type to get a massage or pedicure to ease my stress; if I'm anxious about something, I need to get things done. This morning I was motivated and jazzed by my anxiety, so I crossed off about ten items by the time my phone signaled that I should head to my much-needed haircut. Productive mornings really do lower my stress, because I feel that I haven't wasted time and that I've gotten a lot done.

My stomach started to feel better by lunch, so I scarfed down my first real meal of the day: an egg sandwich on a whole-wheat English muffin with Havarti cheese and jelly.

A few more hours of crossing items off my to-do list, a trip to Trader Joe's, and a little nap later, I woke up to take Bree (our neighbor's dog) on her walk. She was just a bundle of energy! Terry met up with us after he got home, and she leapt--all four paws at least a foot off the ground--when she saw him. Adorable. We can't wait to get a puppy.

Wait

What did you say?

A puppy?

Is that what you said?

Well hell.

Yep, we have plans for a puppy as soon as we have a backyard, but it'll be another year at least. We are hoping to find a rescue who needs a good home and have gotten several recommendations for Petfinder.com. We're excited about it, but we also LOVE our little cat. I expected that Scout would be sort of a placeholder until we could get a dog, but now I can't imagine life without that little guy. He's featured on just about every other blog post, so I'm sure you get the idea, but we love him!

After our walk with Bree, we set out on a run. I was feeling much better, but I also hadn't eaten enough for the day, which killed me on the run. We were supposed to do four miles, and Terry had no problem, but I had to walk about a mile or so. I just didn't have enough calories in me. I came home and gulped down a glass of milk and a spoon of peanut butter to hold me over while I cooked dinner.

Tonight's dinner: a repeat recipe of Greek chicken pitas. Seriously delicious and refreshingly healthy after my weekend in Vegas. 

Tomorrow is another busy day in preparation for my new job (obviously it doesn't start until the new school year in August, but I have lots of paperwork and HR stuff to take care of) and my very last day of cheer practice with "my" girls before I hand them off to the new coach. Then on Thursday I leave for my second blogging conference: the Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference in Denver. I'm sad to leave Terry again so soon, but we have a whole week in Cabo next week to enjoy each other's company! More on that later. For now, I hope you had a great night, and I hope your day is fantastic tomorrow!

Do you have a pet? Link up to a photo so I can gush over their cuteness!!!

:-)