Salsa Pork Chops

Another try at a new pork chop recipe...this one is just eh....pretty good flavor, but not as good as the teriakyi pork chops I made last week.

CrockPot Recipe for Salsa Pork Chops with Cumin, Garlic, and Lime
Adapted from Kayln's Kitchen
4 pork chops with fat trimmed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (or less if you're not a pepper fan)
1 T olive oil (or less for a non-stick pan)
1 cup salsa
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
(If you want more sauce you could use 1 1/2 cups salsa and 3 T lime juice)

Trim all fat around the edges of pork chops and discard fat.  Combine ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, and fresh ground black pepper in a small bowl; then use the spice mixture to rub the trimmed pork chops on both sides. 

Spray sides and bottom of the slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray.  Put pork chops into the slow cooker, pour over salsa-lime mixture, and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until the pork chops are very tender when pierced with a fork.  (I switched them halfway through so the ones on the bottom were on the top, but it's not essential.) 

Serve hot, with a little sauce spooned over each pork chops.

Pizza Quesadillas

I love pizza and so I take any chance I can to eat it! My family, however, tires of pizza, so I tonight I tried Pizza Quesadillas. So easy and oh so good! Paired with a nice salad, it was a great alternate to regular pizza, plus I used all-natural quesadillas I found at Whole Foods, so the entire meal was clean.

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas

• 8 flour tortillas (I used 6 to make 3 whole quesadillas)
• 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 16-ounce jar of pizza sauce (I used pasta sauce)
• For the "toppings" I used pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and onions

1. Brush each tortilla with a layer of pizza sauce
2. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce on the bottom tortilla. Top with pepperoni and other toppings, if desired. Sprinkle with another layer of cheese and place the other tortilla on top (sauce side in).
3. Pre-heat a medium cast-iron skilled over medium heat.
4. Lay quesadilla in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy.
5. Slice into quarters and serve with a little bowl of pizza dipping sauce.
6. I actually baked mine in the oven rather than using the stove.

Sam's Club

Last week Living Social ran a fantastic deal on a Sam's Club membership. A one-year membership was $45, plus you got a $20 gift card and $20 worth of vouchers for Sam's Club rotisserie chicken, pizza and cookies. On top of all that, since three of my friends (thank you kind friends!) bought off my link, I got mine for free! 
I've never been a huge Sam's or Costco fan because I think I can do better with coupons, sales and stockpiling at the grocery stores. But, since it was such a good deal, we decided to give it a shot. Overall, I was impressed with the all-natural selection. 
Here's a look at what I got and what I spent...

Veggie Chips $4.98 for a big bag...I've never had this brand before, so we'll see how they are. 
Yogurt $8.58 for 18...Kroger brand is a little cheaper on sale, but my kids like the Yoplait better.
Chix breast 6 lbs...a great deal at $10.98
Fruit cups $6.98 for 4 packs of 4...these have one perservative ingredient in them, but they are so convenient for traveling and going out to eat, I look past it. 
Butter...4 lbs for $7.98. I can usually get 1 lb for $2.50 on sale at Kroger, so a great deal

Goldfish crackers...Thompson household staple $9.65 for that huge box
Rotisserie chix...3 lbs of chix for $4.88...an awesome deal since Kroger just raised the price on their rotisserie chicken to $7.99 for one half the size. Plus, I've found rotisserie chix freezes well.


On a side note, we ate out at O'Charley's after shopping...who is this girl that got broccoli over fries??? Clean eating is sinking in deep :)

Canned Oranges

My kids love mandarin oranges and Cuties oranges, so I tend to buy the huge 5 pound box because it is a great value. However, sometimes we don't get to the end of the box before the oranges go bad. I found a pin on Pinterest that showed how to can mandarin and Cuties oranges, so I decided to try it out. It worked great! 

How to Can Mandarin Oranges
From Pick Your Own
1. Clean your jars, rings and lids. A dishwasher works great for this.
2. Peel your mandarins. Remove as much of the white pith as possible.
3. Pull apart the segments.
4. Pack sterilized jars with Mandarin segments, leaving about 1/2 space at the top of the jar.
5. Prepare your syrup solution. It is up to you whether you want a light or thick syrup and adjust the amount of sugar accordingly. The sugar does not actually preserve the mandarins. Preservation is achieved through the canning process and water bath technique. I just added hot water to the jars for no added sugar. If you want to use a sugar syrup, use  a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. Place the solution over medium high heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring solution to a boil and immediately pour over packed jars of fruit. Slide a knife down the edge of each jar to release any air bubbles. I found an offset spatula worked great for this step.
6. Place lids and rings on jars.
7. Place jars in a boiling water bath and boil for 15 minutes. You will need to adjust the time if you are living above 6,00 feet.
8. Ensure the jars are sealed. Any unsealed jars should go directly into the fridge. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark place for up to 9 months.

Granola Bars Part 2

Last night we got almost 5 inches of snow. The kids and I had fun playing in it today, going for a walk and building a snowman. Tonight for dinner, I opted for easy-peasy chili with grilled cheese (on clean, all-natural bread). Simple, warm and filling! For my chili, I just brown 1 to 2 lbs of ground beef with 1 cup of onions. After the meat is cooked through, drain off grease and add in 1 large can of tomato paste and 1 can of kidney beans. Add about 1 to 2 cups of water and let it all simmer on the stove.

Also this week we tried another granola bar recipe my SIL suggested. They set up much better and we were actually able to cut them into bars. They also tasted good...so good, in fact, they only lasted two days ;)

 

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
1/2 cup peanut butter or sunbutter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
1 cup oats
1 cup total of any combination of:  sesame seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chip (we used mini chocolate chips)

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.

Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.  Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and mini chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP. Pour in and stir well.

Stir well, then spread mixture into a 8×8 or 9×4 pan.

Chill for two hours, then cut into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap for a quick grab and go snack!

Teriyaki Pork Chops

I am not a huge fan of pork chops, but my hubby loves them, so I have been searching for new and different ways to eat pork chops. Tonight, we had Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork Chops. My husband loved the flavor the chops had after cooking all day and I enjoyed how tender they were coming out of the crock pot. I thought the flavor was good too. We paired the pork chops with homemade broccoli slaw and stuffed mushrooms (not homemade!) :)

Teriyaki Pork Chops 

• 4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick (I used bone-in pork chops, but you could use boneless as well)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup chicken broth

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and add to crock pot with remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days...we were gone for a long weekend and to be honest, I didn't do so well on the natural eating front! For example, Friday night's dinner was a good old-fashioned Lenten fish fry, complete with curly fries, Cole slaw and green beans. Before we left for the weekend, I did make an easy and delicious dish in my crockpot, Beef and Broccoli. We paired with brown rice and store-bought egg drop soup, which was delicious on that cold and yucky night.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips (I used strip steaks I found on sale and cut those into thin strips)
1 cup beef broth (I didn't have all-natural beef broth, so I just used water)
1/2 cup soy sauce (I found all-natural soy sauce at Whole Foods)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooled sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine. (If your sauce is not thickening, try bringing your sauce to a boil on the stovetop with the corn starch mixture. Boil until your desired consistency is reached).
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.