Healthy Slow Cooker Carnitas and Spanish Rice

Every year, the warmer weather inspires me to lighten up our menu selections!  Slow cooker carnitas made with lean pork, can quickly be thrown together and left to cook all day.  A quick, HEALTHY, prep ahead dinner!  Serve alongside homemade spanish rice made with white or brown rice.

Prep Ahead Plan:  Combine ingredients in the slow cooker the night before and turn it on before you head out the door the following morning!  Making your own Spanish rice is much healthier than buying the pre-made rice mixes in the store!  This allows you to omit any kind of partially hydrogenated blegh and keep the sodium milligrams WAY down!

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt

4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon coriander

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken broth 

3 pound lean center cut pork roast

For Serving:

whole wheat tortillas

cilantro

avocado

black beans

salsa 

reduced fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Season the pork roast with spices and place in the slow cooker.

2.  Add broth and bay leaves.  Cook on high 8-10 hours.  Shred with 2 forks before serving on tortillas with toppings.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white or brown rice

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

10 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)

2 teaspoons chili powder

(Salt*  and pepper to taste)

*Many brands of chili powder have salt in them so you might not need to add any

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan.  Add rice, onion and green pepper.  Cook until the rice browns a bit and the veggies are tender.

2.  Stir in broth, tomatoes with green chiles, pepper and chili powder.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until rice is tender.