August & Sweet Caramelized Sticky Pork with Rice

August is a funny month for me. It’s almost like 2 different months, in fact I think the ancient stargazers got it wrong and August should be Gemini 😆. The first 2 weeks of August are filled with family and Peachfest, the hot weather is here and the summer party just keeps rolling on.

Then the last 2 weeks of August seem to sneak up out of nowhere! You look at your summer bucket list and realize that you checked off 3 items that first week of summer when you were super gung ho but then fell into a slower summer routine and now here you are… With 2 weeks left of summer! Not only do you have to fill a whole summer of fun into 2 weeks but you also have to back to school shop, go through fall clothes, do the big dance shoes/bodysuit shop, and full out prepare for the next 10 gruelling months of work, school, PAC, band, and dance 🤪.

On Sunday we took a rest day. HBear requested a pyjama day, she has been dancing her heart out all summer and needed a day to just relax and unwind. SBean had 2 sleepovers in the past week and also asked for a PJ day so I was able to prep!

Next I picked an August challenge theme for my fitness group and after the last 31 days of learning yoga poses, this month I chose, productivity! You see, by menu planning for what I know is going to be a problematic month, increases my productivity. Planning ahead reduces problems that might arise and you don’t have to spend the time thinking about your actions because the plan is already set. You’ve already made the decisions! Your day will be lighter and you’ll be happier and being happy is the absolute best way to increase… Productivity! If anybody would like to follow along with our monthly fitness challenge and by fitness I mean physically AND mentally, exercise in the form of self-care. Taking the time out of each day to do something small for yourself 😁. You can join us on Facebook, we have a private group called no shame exercise group 🤣. We would love to have you!

 

 

I am constantly trying to find recipes that are as good as Chinese take out. It is practically impossible. Until NOW! This recipe is sweet, sticky and the pork is SO tender! All the things that make me happy! A few tips, I bought a flat of fresh sliced pork from the grocery store, I believe it was labelled pork stirfry. You could use pork butt too and slice it into strips. My friend tried tenderloin but it came out super dry. Please let me know what cuts you try and how it turns out!! I cooked the pork for 1 hour and the meat was SUPER tender. It is kind of like risotto, as the liquid evaporates, add a bit of water (up to 1 and 1/2 cups) until the meat is tender and the sauce is a deep caramel colour. This dish was amazingly delicious and super easy! Enjoy!

 

Sweet Caramelized Sticky Pork with Rice
Adapted from Berry & Maple

1 package pork (stirfry)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
cooked rice
green onions

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook onions and pork for about 5 minutes until the meat is well browned.

 

Add 1 cup of water, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, bring to a light boil and then turn down to medium-high for the next 30 minutes – 1 hour. Add more water throughout the hour as liquid evaporates, until the sauce is a dark brown caramel colour.

 

Stir it and serve your caramel pork with rice with some green onions for garnish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a new family member! Well, at least for the next week anyways 😆 this week SBean is Petsitting for her DBesty! She is looking after Mocha the hamster and she is adorable. SBean has been such a good petsitter, feeding her, giving her water and letting her exercise for at least an hour a day. This is the pet test and so far she is passing! Ninja, my SIL and I went to The Nest for dinner and cocktails this week while SBean and JQ had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s!

 

HBear had a wonderful week at Ballet Kelowna! She is learning so much and her skills are improving with all her work and dedication. SBean spent the day with J having a BLAST and then she spent the day with me in Kelowna too! We had a great day, we had breakfast at Bread Co., went for a walk downtown, took a dip in the lake, bought 2 pairs of runners for school, and picked up the Girls from the ballet studio. When we got back into town we went to the library and took out new books AND Grease 2!!!! I was so excited to watch my favourite movie with the Girls! They loved it! I was surprised to realize that I still knew every word including pauses and inflections 😂.

 

On Saturday, HBear found out that she passed her Royal Academy of Dance Intermediate Foundation Exam with Merit!!!! We are so proud of her! We celebrated with dinner, a swim and homemade cherry pie at Grandma and Grandpa’s! Half way through the week I had a HOTTIE offer to clean my windows (get your mind out of the gutter 😜). The smoke is still awful so we stayed in and did our nails while watching Making the Cut one day & Ninja and his Sis took the kids to see Space Jam 2 while I was at work another day. They did manage to get in a trip to The Peach for an ice cream despite the horrendous air quality we are experiencing. Hopefully this upcoming week the winds will shift and we will see blue skies again 😊.