Crock Pot Pulled Pork Mexican Salad

Since things have been super busy around here, I haven't been able to get creative with any new recipes lately. I've had zero time for a food brainstorming session so my goals in the kitchen have been as follows:

1. Make sure there is food in the kitchen
2. Don't make anything requiring a lot of utensils, pots, pans, or dishes
3. Don't attempt anything that involves thinking
4. As always, low cal/low carb - hey summer is going to be here soon I just know it

I've been a little exhausted and still want to enjoy the cooking process - so I find that keeping it simple has really helped. Last week we were in the mood for pulled pork, but not the bbq kind, although that is always delicious. I copied off of Chipotle a bit, and attempted a mexican or taco salad, but instead of using ground turkey, beef or beans, we got a big ole hunk of pork. Louis got us a great, big cut of meat - not sure if "cut of meat" is the right terminology for pork butt, but anyway it was 5 pounds. He was afraid it was going to be way too much, but I swear the bone was at least 1-2 pounds. I definitely recommend getting the same amount we did, because, that's kind of the point of this meal. Leftovers!

Here's what you need:
Spices - smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, salt, cinnamon
10 cloves garlic
1/2 large onion or whole small onion - white
1/2 cup chicken broth
5 pound pork butt, bone in
a little olive oil
a little butter
fresh spinach or lettuce
chopped bell pepper
chopped cucumber
fresh salsa
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
avocado
sour cream
1 can of corn (only use 1-2 tablespoons per serving)

Here's what you do the night before: Prepare dry rub, and chopped vegetables for seasoning
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Toss all spices into a bowl, mix, and cover until ready to use.

Chop (super fine chop, tiny pieces) up a bunch of garlic - like 10 cloves worth I'd say. You can't have too much.
Chop (super fine chop again) half of an onion, or a whole small onion.
Mix garlic and onion together in tupperware and put in fridge until ready to use.

Set out the crock pot! Every extra minute counts, especially in the morning.

Day of Preparation:
Pat dry rub all over the pork - top, bottom, sides, everywhere - and set into crock pot
Using hands or a spoon, carefully pat garlic and onion on top and sides of the meat. Whatever extra you have sprinkle on top and if it falls to the sides of the pot, no big deal.
Grab some chicken broth and pour it around the meat (NOT on top) until it's about 1 inch deep. Not too much, you basically just want to cover the bottom so it doesn't stick.
Drizzle olive oil over the meat - I used garlic infused from Trader Joe's.
Add a few pats of butter if you so desire, which I did.

Cook on low heat for 10 hours.

When you are ready to eat, take meat out of the crock and set into a casserole dish or bowl. Remove bone, it should come out really easily. Grab two forks and pull the meat apart, getting rid of any unwanted fat during the process.

I've been on a spinach kick so we served ours on top of fresh spinach and added all of our favorite taco salad toppings: fresh salsa, a few tablespoons of corn (lots of carbs/sugar in corn so don't set out the entire can), bell pepper, cucumber, cheddar cheese, avocado, & sour cream.

And that's it! Super simple if I do say! This was delicious, filling, easy, and so satisfying. We really love any healthy type of mexican food so we eat tacos salads a lot. This recipe mixes it up a bit and everyone knows, crock pot meals are lifesavers for any busy lady who does the cooking.