Pump That Iron!

I'm going to start off with a little bragging today :)  My wonderful and amazing friend Lauren weighed in last night...she lost 5.6 pounds this week!  FIVE POINT SIX POUNDS!  Congratulations, Lauren!  Keep up the good work - you are motivation for sure!

Every Thursday night I have Body Tone - it's a weight lifting class similar to Body Pump, and I love it!  It's been a couple weeks since I've been, so I'm sure I'll be sore as hell by Saturday, but whatevs.  Martin (the instructor) worked our chest pretty hard last night.  I don't think I've ever done so many push ups!  I love that I can feel myself getting stronger each week, though.  Every time I go to class, I can do more of everything!  More squats, more abs, more lunges, more triceps...MORE MORE MORE!
Anyway, my (fantastic) boyfriend Brian was at my apartment waiting for me when I got home :)  He had done my dishes and thrown my sheets in the wash and everything!  I had a new crock pot recipe cooking away, and then I threw together Jamaican Carrots, which were super tasty!  I've recently discovered a new love of carrots, and I'm so happy that I tried this recipe.

As a side note:  The Jamaican Carrots recipe link shows 2 Points per serving.  When I plugged the recipe into WW online, it came out to 1 Point per serving!  So...count it as 1 Point, rather than 2.

The crock pot recipe was from Weight Watchers...a totally new set of flavors for me, and pretty friggin tasty!  I couldn't even finish my entire serving...and I'm totally pumped to eat my leftovers for lunch today :)

Cuban-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew
Points = 6 per serving
Yield = 4 servings; 1.5 cups per serving (including some cooking liquid)
Prep Time = 15 min; Cook Time = 7 hours

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 medium scallions, chopped (green parts only)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Place potatoes, pork,  tomatoes, garlic, orange juice, scallions, salt, cumin, and pepper in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 hours.
2.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro; cover slow cooker and cook for 5 minutes more.

Happy cooking and enjoy!