Stuffed Pork Chops

I'm thinking this one came from Meals Made Easy, but maybe not...it's not mine though.

You will need:
4 pork loins (thick as you can get them)
3-4 slices of whole wheat bread, cubed
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 parsley
1/3 chopped apples (the original recipe called for raisins or cranberries and I didn't want to do either of those so I thought, what else goes nicely with pork? Apples...think porkchops and applesause)
salt
pepper
brown sugar

Combine ingredients 2-6 in a mixing bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut a slit into pork loins and open them up to make a pocket.
Fill the pocket with the mixture (pack it in there!)
Place filled pork on a cookie sheet (cover with foil, trust me)
Sprinkle a small handful of brown sugar over the top of each one

Place under the broiler (which you should turn on at the beginning of this process) for about 10 minutes. I did not turn it on at the beginning the second time I made these and it took like 20 minutes for the meat to not be pink. Let that sucker heat up!

These are soooooooo good. I paired ours with whole wheat garlic/olive oil cous cous the first time and chef salad the second time. Rice would work nicely as well.

Enjoy!
erin

Enchilada Casserole

Here we go...one more for the Mexican pile! This recipe was given to me by my friend Casey. It's her mom's recipe.

• 1 lb ground beef OR 2-4 chicken breasts
• Corn tortillas
• 1-2 cans enchilada sauce (red if using beef, green if using chicken)
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef. If you're using chicken, you can cook it, but you don't have to. Cut the chicken up into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish. Put a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer the corn tortillas over the sauce and cover with another thin layer of sauce.

Layer the following ingredients in this order until the pan is full: tortillas, meat, sauce, cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes. If the casserole seems too runny, you can stick it back in to bake a little bit longer.

This turned out great when I made it! The tortillas soaked up the sauce and almost tasted like cornbread or something! I think this would also be good with some diced tomatoes or black beans in it.

Pasta Salad with Lemon-Pesto Dressing

This is so good! More of a summery recipe, but it would work for anytime.

From the food network (rachael ray)

1 lb. corkscrew pasta (or medium shells)
salt
1 cup prepared pesto sauce from refrigerated section in supermarket
1 lemon (juiced and zested)
1/4 chopped flat-leaf parsley (you do need the fresh stuff)
1 cup grape tomatos (halved)
4 scallions (chopped)
1 lb. tub of mozzarella cheese (drained and cut up)
black pepper

Cook pasta to al dente then cold shock it and chill it down under cold running water. Drain well.
Place pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, scallions, and cheese in a large bowl.
Add pasta and gently combine ingredients together.
Salt and pepper to taste.

So easy, so delicious!
I made this for my volunteers (old people) and had NO COMPLAINTS, which is a miracle and even some compliments, which is a huge mark of success!

erin

Regarding the Mexican Stuffed Shells...

Please note that Erin said jumbo shells. This does not mean the same thing as manicotti noodles. Try stuffing ground beef into those puppies!!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Why are we such mexican lovers? I voted for italian!

• 15 jumbo stuffed shells
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 16 oz. jar salsa
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Prepare shells. Brown meat and drain fat. Add the cream cheese to the meat in small chucks and sprinkle in the chili powder. Turn off heat and stir together, let cheese melt into the ground beef, allow to cool.

Using a spoon, portion out your filling into the shells (This can be kind of messy and I end up using my fingers to really get a good amount into the shells). In a baking dish, spread a layer of salsa on the bottom and place shells on top. Then cover shells with another layer of salsa.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and top with cheese. Bake UNCOVERED for another 15 minutes.

Any left over filling can be piled on top of shells.

This recipe was found at mealsmadeeasy.blogspot.com

erin

Mexican Chicken

This recipe was on the board at my last Weight Watchers meeting. It sounds good and really simple!

• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c. salsa
• 1/4 c. fat free sour cream

Preheat oven to 375. Put chicken and taco seasoning into a plastic bag. Shake to coat. Bake in a greased baking dish for 30 minutes. Top with salsa about 5 minutes before done then top with sour cream.

Makes 4 servings. 4 points per serving.

I'm planning on trying this one maybe tomorrow night!

Crunchy Chicken Strips

This recipe comes from my Sneaky Chef cookbook (wait...am I even allowed to post this?). This is the one where you can sneak all kinds of veggies and fruits into recipes if people aren't too into eating them. We're using it because Austin isn't crazy about veggies right now (although he can't get enough fruits!) and because Nick and I just don't eat veggies very regularly! This turned out really well when I made it last night!

You'll need to prep a couple of things ahead of time.

Orange Puree:
3-4 large carrots, peeled and cut up into chunks
1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and rough cut
2-3 tbspn water

Put the carrots and potato chunks into a pot. Cover with cold water. Boil for 20 minutes or until they are all softened up. This is important! If the veggies (especially the carrots) aren't soft enough, they won't puree smoothly!

Once veggies are softened, put them in a food processor with a little water and puree. Try not to use too much water, but use as much as you need to get the puree smooth. Makes 2 cups puree. Store in the freezer.

Better Breading:
2 c. slivered almonds
2 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
2 c. wheat germ

Pulse the almonds in a food processor. Don't let it go too long or it will turn into almond butter! Combine with other ingredients. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Crunchy Chicken Strips:
4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 c. flour (preferably whole wheat)
2 large eggs
Orange Puree
Better Breading
salt

Preheat oven to 375. Salt chicken. Put flour in one bowl, combine eggs and Orange Puree in another bowl, and put Better Breading in a third bowl.

Dip chicken in flour, shaking excess off. Dredge in the eggs/puree mixture. Dip in breading bowl, thoroughly covering chicken. Press the breading into chicken. Put coated chicken in a greased baking dish. Bake 10-12 minutes and then turn the strips over. Bake another 10-12 minutes.

The temperature might not be correct, but I'll double check my recipe!