Keto Pork Tenderloin: A Slow Cooker Recipe

So, I have been recovering from a recent surgery to repair damage received while I was pregnant with my Shelby girl.  I had read and read about both the surgery and the recovery for years, finally making the decision after years of pain that now is as good a time as any to just do it.  After all, I’m not getting any younger.

Knowing that protein speeds recovery, and since I was already starting to add more and more Keto recipes into my diet, I was actually a bit relieve to realize that I was more prepared for the recovery than I originally thought I was.  Research is wonderful, but we learn best with real-life learning.  So, here’s some research, and then a real-life, tried-and-true Slow Cooker/Crock Pot recipe: Keto Pork Tenderloin.

RESEARCH

*This is in no way all-inclusive of all research ever done by people way more qualified than I to inform, instruct, and teach.  I am not a professional.  This research is what stood out to me, things that I found interesting.  It is stuff gathered in my own way, in my own made-up lists when researching certain categories that fall under the umbrella of the word Keto, such as “Protein after surgery.”  It is not meant to be used for any type of professional or particularly informative information.  I just found it interesting, is all.*

There is no magic formula for finding the balance between too much and too little protein.  In my research, though, I have found that a good rule to follow is to get 20 to 35 percent of your calories from protein, at least to start out.

13 SIGNS YOU NEED MORE PROTEIN

• You’re recovering from surgery.
• You have metabolic problems.
• Your joints ache.
• Your blood sugar is all over the place.
• You love running, cycling, swimming, and other cardio activities.
• You want to build muscle.
• You physically train hard.
• You’re over 50.
• You’re always hungry.  (Do you eat to live, or live to eat?!)
• You’re stressed.  (If I am being honest, this one really confused me.  Is there anything that truly can help you be stress-free?!  I am pretty much convinced that if you’re a woman that breathes air, you’re going to be stressed about something!)  But I digress….
• Your sleep sucks.  (Refer to my statement above, adding “tired” where the word “stressed” is added to the sentence.”
• You’re vegan.
• You’ve cut your calorie intake to lose weight.

1o REASONS WHY BALANCED PROTEIN IS DESIRED

• Protein provides balanced vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.
• Protein reduces cravings by lowering the hunger hormone, ghrelin.
• Protein increases satiety when paired with physical activity.
• Protein benefits workout recovery, promotes muscle repair and growth, enhances muscle mass and performance, as well as slows age-related muscle loss.
• Protein prevents lean muscle loss during weight-loss programs, as well as age-related muscle loss.
• Protein aids in body weight regulation.
• Protein increases fat-burning.
• Protein helps ensure a nitrogen balance.
• Protein lowers triglycerides.
• Protein benefits bone health, as well as reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

KETO PORK TENDERLOIN RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. pork loin roast
• 4 strips uncooked, thick-cut bacon
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Rub pork loin with the contents of the dry onion soup mix.  Wrap the bacon strips around the roast, tucking the ends underneath as you set the roast into the crock pot slow cooker.  Pour the water around the roast.  Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours, or until a thermometer stuck in the center reads 160 degrees F.  Click {here} to learn more about how to cook pork safely.

As time passed, I found myself looking at the clock every few minutes once the scent started to indicate warming deliciousness.  The savory smells wafting through the house made time feel as if it was counting backwards.  Randy actually checked the roast with the thermometer more than once within the four hours, it was taunting us with its mouth-watering aroma.

Keilie was walking into the kitchen when I was pulling it out.  “OH. MY. GOSH!  Is that bacon?”  Frantically running to the stairs, she called up, “GUYS!  COME DOWN FOR DINNER!!  MOM WRAPPED IT IN BACON!”  I’m convinced they made up their minds that this was the most delicious meal of their childhood before they even made it to the bottom stair.

Side note: I had visions of talking with the neighbors as I explained the raucous sounds coming from our home that I’m sure could be heard throughout all of Washington State.  “No, no.  That was not thunder.  It was my kids racing down the stairs, excited about something I made for them for dinner.  Does that happen often, you ask.  Only if it is wrapped in bacon.”

Yes, it was that good.  They didn’t even complain about eating all of their vegetables, if you can believe it.  I guess you could say this pork is magical.

My Operation Recovery Protein is now firmly situated (and maybe even highlighted, if my kids have anything to say about it) in the top ten Favorite Meals of All Time!  And the fact that it only uses four ingredients and is basically a dump meal?  SCORE!!

Tried any Keto meals that you believe are magical, even without being wrapped in bacon?  What about a meal that could become a go-to for all surgery recoveries?!  Have you ever gone in for a surgery feeling mentally prepared, only to be a bit surprised at how much it really takes out of you physically?  Again, research is so much easier to understand when you add the real-life aspect to the learning.

**Please remember that I am not a professional.  Like at all.  (Unless you count “perpetually stressed and tired” as a profession.  Which, let’s be honest, I do.)  I was not told by an actual professional that I need to do Keto, that it would heal me faster after surgery, or that bacon really is magical, prompting kids to eat vegetables without complaint.  This is a personal choice that I am making to add more and more protein, and less and less carbohydrates, to my (and, incidentally, my family’s) diet, to see how we feel, and maybe, just maybe, find that it does reverse some of the maladies that we’ve accepted as normal in our daily lives.  I do not know what, or if, it will do for you.  Either way, this recipe is freaking delicious!  Try it, and tell me if you find it as magical as my kids did.**

Other Keto Recipes I’ve tried and LOVE

• Keto Creamy Chicken Salad
• Keto Baked Chicken Tenders

Kay, now I’m off to lay on the couch, because recovery is exhausting, I tell you.  I sat at the computer for an hour, yet it feels like I’ve run a marathon.

~Steph