The week in inspirations

This week I'm featuring inspirations from inspirational women.  This is a little prelude to an upcoming theme I'll be focusing on.  In the coming months I'll be interviewing women I know and love who are making it all work (family life, careers, passions, social lives etc.)  I can't wait to share these amazing women with you. 

I've been following Susan from Freshly Picked baby moccasins on Instagram for a while and was so excited to see her on Shark Tank this week.  Her story of how she started making moccasins out of a need to find a shoe/sock that would stay on her baby's feet is very inspiring.  She had no training or sewing skills.  Just a need, a passion and a scrap of leather from a yard sale.  Now she's selling over $600k in moccasins and just made a deal with one of the Sharks, Daymond John.  I love a good story like this!  And I can think of a few people who just might need these moccs very soon….

Floriole is hands down my favorite bakery/cafe in Chicago.  The food is amazing (the croissants and BAD sandwich are my favorites), the atmosphere is charming and the owner is another passionate and talented woman on a mission who happens to be so nice and generous (she lent me her beautiful upstairs space free of charge to hold a fundraising event for Nurture a few years ago).  She got her start with a stand at The Green City Farmer's Market in Lincoln Park and eventually worked her way up to a the ultra-successful cafe on Webster.  While I love her doughy inventions, sometimes you just can't justify it, which is why I was so excited to see that they're offering baked eggs in spiced tomato sauce with yogurt and greens.  If you can't make it to Floriole, here's a recipe to try on your own.

Mabo Kids is run by a mother of two and made in the USA (love that) using quality fabrics with simple, classic and sweet designs.  I love the 3 timeless pieces above.  Baby clothes with all these qualities are not easy to find!

And for all of us inspirational women out there who need a little help making it all work (who doesn't) and putting together a hot and delicious dinner in the meantime, here's a slow cooker recipe that my lovely (and equally inspiring) sister-in-law recommended.  This one will make you look like you know what you're doing in the kitchen even if you don't.

I  hope you're having a great weekend.

Winter Farmer's Market BBQ Pork Tacos

Sam thoughtfully chose our ingredients from the market on Saturday....

And here's what we did with some of them on Sunday:

BBQ Pulled Pork
1.25 lb pork tenderloin (leaner than shoulder etc.)
2 shallots diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup reduced sodium broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
2.5 cups (+/-) BBQ sauce (we used Chicago's own Smoke Daddy Sweet and Smokey.  Choose your favorite high fructose corn syrup-free sauce or make your own)

Put all ingredients except BBQ sauce in a slow cooker on high for approximately 3 hours or low for about 5 hours.  Shred the pork with a fork, add sauce and let simmer on low for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Wedges
2 sweet potatoes scrubbed
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp real maple syrup
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Pinch of Paprika
salt & pepper

Bake potatoes at 450 for 15 minutes.Take potatoes out of the oven and cut into long wedges. Toss to coat in oil/syrup mixture.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until crisp on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray.

Winter Slaw
1 baby red cabbage diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup kale diced
1 small butternut squash steamed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (cut squash in fourths and put in steam basket until tender (about 30 minutes depending on the size of your squash)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tsp maple syrup
2 Tsp reduced sodium soy sauce (regular or wheat-free)
1 Tsp Sriracha Sauce
salt & pepper

We enjoyed these items separately on Sunday afternoon and on Monday night, added some corn tortillas, black beans and avocado to the sweet potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes), pork and slaw for these BBQ pork tacos.  Both meals were very good, but according to my husband, the tacos were "awesome"...tough to get from him with leftovers!