Makin' Bacon

Tomorrow will be my last day at work so I will no longer be bringing home the bacon.  However, I can make some at home instead :)  I found some pork belly in the grocery store, but it was already cut into strips.  They are crazy thick, but still not the whole slab of belly the recipes use.  I am thinking that this will cut down on my cure time in the fridge since I seasoned both sides of each strip and they have less meat to cure compared to working with a whole slab.  I am guessing I will cut the cure time down by a few days.  This could mean I will have bacon even sooner, which is alright by me!

I decided to go with the seasoning recipe here:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Home-Cured-Bacon

I left out the sugar though.  I am just know realizing that I forgot to pat the pork belly dry so I hope that doesn't ruin anything.  Oh well.

I also busted out my camera for this momentous occasion.

 The pre-bacon goodness :)

 Isn't it just beautiful

 The garlic and seasoning blend.  We didn't have a spice grinder so I tried a few methods with little success.  We might need to get a spice grinder if this blend doesn't work out.

The hopefully delicious goodness before it went into the fridge.  Fingers crossed it all works out!  Now I just have to decide if I want to smoke it in the smoker or put it in the oven.

Day 11

Today is 12/12/12!!  This will be the last date like that in my lifetime...pretty crazy to think that.  I actually had a good day today so I guess it was the universe shining down some special love for 12/12/12.  I got to lounge around the house a bit before work today.  It was nice to have the late start shift so I could get stuff done around the house.  Work was good and got even better when a construction worker came in and informed us that they were shutting off the power to the building for the rest of the day.  It was an hour before my lunch break so I was excited to not have to go back and leave early.  I was able to do go grocery shopping and get some other running around done.  I was also able to spend some time with friends. 

Dave left today for a little less than a week.  I got to see him this morning before he left because he forgot stuff at home....yet another reason it was good I started work later.  It is never easy having to say goodbye for any amount of time, but this trip will be short.  It really is a different lifestyle that we live in the military and I knew that going into it, but it is nothing that someone can really prepare you for.  I enjoy all the adventures that we get to have moving all over the world, but sometimes the price doesn't feel worth it.  I am just glad that I have an amazing support system in Guam as well as friends all over the place.

For dinner I tried the bruscetta recipe we had last week, but this time I cooked it with chicken.  Now the grill and I are not best friends, but we are getting more acquainted with one another.  I am able to cook chicken without burning the crap out of it, but it is still not moist and wonderful like when Dave grills.  I guess I just need to practice more.  I did have the propane run out while I was grilling tonight so that was awesome.  Luckily, the chicken was done so I didn't have to worry about trading the tank out with the one on the smoker...yes we have two propane tanks :)

Speaking of the smoker, I got some pork belly at the store today.  I am going to season it up and start the week long fridge wait tomorrow.  I am so excited to make my own bacon.  I will be sure to let you know how it goes.  I really hope it turns out well so we can have good quality (and much cheaper) bacon in the house.  I LOVE bacon.  By starting now, we will be able to have bacon for Christmas dinner cooking.  I am so excited if you couldn't tell.

Day 10....1/3 of the way through

Today was a good day.  I didnt have to wake up to an alarm clock and neither did Dave.  We got to relax for a bit in the morning and then I went to workout with my trainer.  She kicked my ass into the ground and then stomped on me a bit to make sure I wasnt going anywhere.  When I got home, we decided to take the dogs to the dog park.  It was midday so there were no other dogs there, which is just how I like it.  Jack is still having issues with other dogs (thanks lady that let her chocolate lab attack him) so I like to keep him away from other dogs as much as possible.  He and Luna had the best time just running around and playing fetch.  It warms my heart like nothing else to just watch them run around and be truly happy.  They got sufficiently worn out and it was back home.  Dave decided to take some meds and sleep for a bit since he would be up all night at work.  They are getting ready to leave for a week so his work schedule always sucks the day before they go.  I am just glad I had the day off of work and we were able to hang out.

I had an FRG meeting tonight as well.  The FRG is the wives' club for the submarine.  We meet once a month and most of the time talk about stuff I could care less about.  Today it was deciding what baby gifts to give the babies born to the Chicago (name of my husband's submarine) family.  This conversation has been going on for MONTHS!!  I think the debate ended today.  We were also making Christmas bags for all the single guys on the boat.  All in all it was an okay meeting.  I usually go just to see everyone that I normally do not get to see.  Now that I wont be working, I will hopefully have time to hang out with people more.

Dinner was delayed because of the meeting so I made is simple.  I cooked up a Bubba burger and topped it with an over easy egg.  I do miss condiments on my burgers so the egg helped fill that void for me.  I also cut up some cucumber and tomato.  At the FRG meeting there was all kinds of goodies to eat but I only had a few tomatoes and cucumbers to hold me until I got home for dinner.  I was very proud of myself!

Day 9.....a day late and a dollar short

Somewhere in the course of the night, I forgot to post about my day.  It was a pretty eventful day too!  I dropped Linda off at the airport EARLY in the morning and then hung around the house until it was time for work.  I had a great day at work, which is ironic because I decided to quit my job that morning.  I was at the marina location for work and then drove up to the main store to put in my notice.  It was hard, but I know I made the right decision.  It was great to hear how upset they were about me leaving because they thought I was such a great worker.  It made me feel guilty for a second, but I got over that quickly.  I do love my job the majority of the time, but my manager just sucks at life and I got tired of dealing with her bullshit.  There are some possible opportunities in my field so that also helped me make this decision.  I am done in a week and am so happy.  I will be getting a lot done around the house and spending time with Dave while he is on holiday leave :)

I found a good crock pot recipe for pork chops that I tried out last night.  I have never really been a  fan of pork chops, but recently I have realized this is because my parents cooked the shit out of them.  I was also wanting to give sauerkraut a try.  I remember is always being on the table at my grandparent's house, but I would quickly pass the bowl and hold my nose.  Well I am happy to report that the dinner was successful and Dave and I like sauerkraut! 

I have decided that I cant live without bacon so we are going to make our own!  The selection of bacon on the island is limited to commercial, big name brands that I cant eat (and at this point don't really want to eat).  I found pork belly in the grocery store that is even already cut into super thick strips.  I found some good recipes for Whole30 approved and am super excited.  We are also going to get a counter clamp meat grinder so we can make our own sausages.  I have always had a hard time finding sausages that were gluten free that I could eat.  Now that I am looking even harder at the nutrition labels, none of the brands on island are okay to eat.  I am excited about making our own products.  They are going to taste better and be cheaper!!  I am sure I will bore you with all the goodness we will be making soon.  This means that I will learn how to use the smoker since Dave will be underway a lot and I don't want to depend on him.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apples
http://blog.stuffimakemyhusband.com/2012/09/slow-cooker-pork-chops-with-apples.html

Homemade Bacon
http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com/2011/11/homemade-bacon.html
I am not sure if I am going to follow all of the spices in this recipe, but I am going to follow the rest of the recipe.  There are a ton of other sites that have spice blends that sound amazing!!

Day 8 (aka Week 2 Day 1)

I am a fourth of the way through Whole30!  So far this program has not been as hard as I thought it would be.  I have not had major cravings (other than for my scale) and have enjoyed each of the meals we have made this week.  I am proud that we have tried a new meal each night since starting this program.  It is a bonus that all of them have been tasty.  I know it is early, but I am thinking this is a good sign for the days to come. 

Today, I had to work :(  I am kind of at the point where I am over this job.  I am just waiting for something better to come along, but it is Guam and I am worried that will not happen.  Part of me really just wants to quit, but the other part knows I will be bored out of my mind with nothing to do.  I am just not cut out for dealing with retail work!

Luckily, I came home to Dave and Linda.  They had a great day at the beach (while I was at work).  I fixed up some mashed cauliflower with roasted garlic and some roasted brussel sprouts while Dave grilled the chicken.  Dinner was delicious yet again!  Now we are relaxing and watching some Duck Dynasty. 

Grilled Chicken Breasts
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/08/grilled-citrus-chicken-breasts
we used boneless, skinless breasts for this recipe.  We were making the glaze, but it wasn't ready when everything else was done so we just forgot it.  We used the grilled citrus fruit instead.  In reality, the chicken was juicy enough it really didn't need anything.  This is another dish we will be adding to our dinner rotation.

Day 7

My house guest, Linda, got her this morning.  I know it sounds silly, but I was worried about her being here while I was doing Whole30.  She is an amazing chef; like famous people ask her to cook for them.  I was worried she would want to make dinner and I didn't want to have to lay out my new eating plan.  Lord knows she already knows the laundry list of things I cant eat and is still accommodating.  Luckily, she has been great and is just happy to relax.  She did want to take us out to dinner tomorrow night as a thank you, but I had already marinated chicken for dinner...thank goodness :)  Dave grilled a delicious flank steak and we roasted asparagus along with the ever popular sweet potato fries.  It was delicious and the company was great. 

Tomorrow, Linda and Dave are going to hang out at one of the beaches on base while I work.  I am bummed that they are going to get sunshine without me, but at least someone in this house will get a tan tomorrow.  I have been out of commission for awhile due to my new tattoo and my cold that wont seem to go away.  I will be making up for lost time next week though. 

I am at my 90-day point at work, which means that it is evaluation time.  I have to fill out some stupid paperwork that seems so pointless.  Of course I think I am awesome at my job so why would I say otherwise?  I am having trouble making it sound sincere without seeming cheesy.  I am also applying for other jobs that are actually in my field of study so this whole process seems stupid on a whole new level.  I love working at a dive shop most of the time, but sometimes the people I work with and for really get on my nerves.  I also have a problem dealing with stupid people and getting yelled at for things that are not my fault.  I know that comes with the territory of retail, but retail is not my chosen profession by any stretch of the imagination.  I guess this is just how life rolls for a military wife on a tiny island. 

I wanted to get on the scale again today, but the urge was much weaker than yesterday.  I am taking that as a good sign.  I did have the urge to eat some junk food (salt and pepper chips, cheese, and probably something else I cant think of) that was laying around today.  I held strong and the urge didn't last for long.  A week in and I am feeling good, but not great.  I hope with time I will start sleeping better and feeling 100% better.

Day 6

So today I finally had a rough time.  It was bound to happen sooner or later.  Now it was not with food so that is good.  I have had a rough time today with my scale.  I woke up with the urge to get on it and see what progress I had made.  I know deep down that the scale might not show anything motivating and could ruin this whole program.  I am used to getting on the scale weekly and/or daily.  This is the hardest part of the whole program so far.  I know it is necessary to break the mental issues I have with my weight and the scale, but it is harder than I anticipated.

I spent a good part of the day...well most of the day actually....cleaning up my house.  I have a friend flying to the island tomorrow morning.  She has been on this amazing SURFari around Micronesia and Bali.  Guam is conveniently located along her travel routes.  She has stayed over two times already and it has been great getting to spend time with her.  She will be here for about 48 hours and then will be heading back home to Hawaii.  I am excited to hear all her stories and see the pictures she has taken while in Bali.  I tell her all the time that I want to be her when I get older ;)  She travels all the time and just has an amazing positive attitude about life.  She really is one of those people that I think everyone would like.

For dinner, Dave and I had an amazing fish dish (link at end of blog) with roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato fries.  I really must say that I think I could eat sweet potato fries every day and not get sick of them.  Dave uses a spice blend on them that really makes them amazing.  For the fish, I had to use Italian dressing, which of course, is a major no on while on Whole30.  Not to mention, that I think Italian dressing in the bottle tastes gross.  I found an awesome recipe for homemade Italian dressing and it was great!!  It is my new go to dressing for salads.  I think it might taste great on some roasted veggies as well and plan to test it out tomorrow night.  I will be sure to let you know how that goes.

The only bad thing that I have noticed consistently since starting the Whole30 program is that I have been sleeping like shit.  I cant seem to get a good night's sleep.  I am waking up all the time during the night and I am having dreams that I can remember for hours after I wake up.  This girl needs to start getting some good sleep.  I am thinking about trying some melatonin but am hesitant to take anything for sleeping.  Int he past, I have been really sensitive to medicine that can make you drowsy and don't want to be a zombie the next day. I think that would pretty much defeat the purpose.  In It Starts With Food, they said that not sleeping might happen, but I really hoped it wouldn't happen to me.  Hopefully tonight I will get some good sleep.  Last night, we stayed up way too late to watch the newest Batman movie.  I will blame Christian Bale's horrible Batman voice on why I couldn't get to sleep last night!!

 Marinated Chicken Bruschetta
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Chicken-Bruschetta/Detail.aspx
We used fish for this recipe instead of Chicken.  We are planning on trying it with chicken next since we like it so much.  I used the homemade Italian dressing instead of the bottled kind suggested.

Homemade Italian Dressing
http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2010/07/perfect-homemade-italian-dressing.html
I left out the sugar, but kept everything else the same.  It is really good and would make a great base for most marinades too.