Skillet Apple Pork Chops

From Cooking Light, September 2016 issue

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6 oz.) bone-in pork chops
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 tsp. pepper, divided
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. fresh sage (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary (or about 1/4-1/2 tsp. dried)
2 medium apples, sliced thinly
1 small red onion, vertically sliced

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork evenly with 3/8 tsp salt & 3/8 tsp pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Remove from pan.
2. Combine stock and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pan; swirl. Add remaining salt & pepper plus the other spices and the apples and onion to the pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in stock mixture. Return pork to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.

You guys, this took under 30 minutes from start to finish and was so, so good. My whole house smelled amazing after and I kept saying how good it was. This is such a comforting and easy fall meal. I doubled the apples the next time and it was a better ratio of apples to pork :)

Inside Out Philly Peppers

4 bell peppers

1 medium white onion, diced

8 oz. package sliced mushrooms

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup beef broth

1 lb. ground turkey

Package of ultra thin swiss cheese

A1 steak sauce

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Slice bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds.

Add onion, mushrooms, garlic and 1/2 cup beef broth to a large sauté pan. Cook until broth is evaporated and onions are tender. Place in a bowl and set aside. Add ground turkey, ½ cup of beef broth to the pan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the meat is cooked through. Remove from heat and add meat to onion/mushroom mixture.

Add ¾ c A1 steak sauce and 4 pieces of ultra thin swiss cheese and stir until the cheese just begins to melt. 

Fill each pepper with meat mixture, and top each pepper with a slice of ultra thin swiss cheese. Place in crockpot, and cover.

Cook for 2-4 hours on high heat, or on 6-8 hours on low heat.

Green Protein Juice

8-12 oz. coconut water
1 large kale leaf, removed from stem
2 large handfuls baby spinach
1 cup frozen mixed fruit (I use strawberries, peaches, mango & pineapple)
1 scoop protein powder (I use chocolate).

Add all ingredients to your blender, juice & enjoy.

Overnight Oats

1/2 cup raw old fashioned oats
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp. nut butter
1/2 banana, sliced thinly

Layer ingredients in a small jar. Put on the lid and refrigerate overnight. Stir and enjoy.

Power Juice

8 oz. coconut water
1 large kale leaf, removed from stem
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup water
3/4 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1 cup frozen mixed berries

Combine all ingredients in your blender and juice away!

Overnight Oats

1/2 cup raw old fashioned oats
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1/3 cup frozen mixed berries

Layer ingredients in a small jar, close lid and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, stir and enjoy.

Supreme Pizza Quinoa Casserole

Adapted from Ashlee's recipe at Veggie by Season

2 14-oz cans vegetable stock
2 cups quinoa
24 oz. frozen 3 pepper & onion blend
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup grated parmesan, divided
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350*.  Bring stock to a boil in a pot.  Add quinoa to vegetable stock, stir and turn to simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes or until stock is absorbed, stirring every few minutes.  Heat a saute' pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil.  Add peppers, onions and garlic, stir and saute' for 7-8 minutes, until liquid is cooked out and vegetables begin to caramelize. Remove from heat.

When quinoa is cooked, add tomato sauce, cottage cheese, half of the mozzarella and parmesan, basil, oregano, fennel, crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add vegetables from pan & stir well.

Pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbly.

This was good the first day & absolutely delicious the second day.  Add whatever pizza toppings you like best.  Enjoy!

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

(from Spark Recipes)
1 T butter
1 medium onion diced
1 can Reduced Sodium Chicken Stock
4 medium potatoes cubed
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn
3 T ground pepper
1 lb frozen shrimp
1 can diced mild green peppers
1 T crushed red pepper

Melt butter over medium heat and sautee onions.
Add chicken broth and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 15 minutes  While simmering, run frozen shrimp undercold running water until fully thawed and remove tails.  Then add shrimp to pot for 5 minutes.  Then add remaining ingredients.

Makes 6 servings.  266 calories per serving.

WE LOVED THIS!!!  I can't follow a direction so I put in 6 potatoes, a box of chicken stock, and two cans of corn AND CRAB MEAT (it was on sale).  We also added a lil cheese and cajun seasoning and it was perfect.  I'm always looking for ways to make recipes better so next time I will not put shrimp in it (it's too chewy the next day). This made 7 servings for us, but I have a big eater on my hands. 
I can't wait to make this again.  The bad things is it is high in carbs, but seriously I may eat this daily.  HA!

Healthy Slow Cooker Jambalya

(from SparkRecipes)

1 pkg Turkey Smoked Sausage, browned
1 Cooked chicken breast, chopped
1.5 C onion, chopped
1 C Green pepper, chopped
1 C Red pepper, chopped
1.5 C Celery, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Put all in a slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours or low 3-4 hours. Serve over brown rice.

Makes 4, 1 1/2 cup servings.
This was super good, but a little time consumming with chopping everything. I can't follow a recipe for the life of me so I used an orange pepper instead of green, put more garlic in it, and cooked it in a electric skillet. I had to add about 1 cup of water to it, but besides that it was super easy. If I do it in a crock pot I would add liquid there to because I was everything to soak up the flavors. I served over white rice (because it's all I had). I hope you enjoy it. It makes about 3 servings for us.
I think next time I will use kielbasa instead!

The best part is it only has 232 calories in the jambalya, but that's not including the rice.

Spicy Black Bean Burger

2 - 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained & rinsed well
1/2 large green pepper
1/2 medium onion
10 baby carrots
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Combine the green pepper, onion, carrot, & garlic in a food processor & pulse until diced & well combined. Drain of excess liquid. In medium/large bowl, put the dried black beans & mash with fork to make a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Line a baking sheet with parchment & bake at 350* for 40 minutes or until edges are crisp.

This made 6 large patties.  I ate one & froze the rest so I now have 5 more meals waiting for me in the freezer!  Can't beat that!  It was a lot better than I expected, & I just added a little sea salt to it to make it a tad more flavorful.  Next time I think I'll eat it with salsa & plain greek yogurt.  Mmm! :)

Green Monsters!!!

Ok girls, I'm introducing you to the green monster movement!  I have now been having a GM for breakfast every day for about 2 weeks now & they are amazing.  I always thought the same thing I'm sure you're thinking now... Spinach in a smoothie?!  BUT... combine it with things you love: your favorite fruits, juices, yogurts, etc. & you won't even taste the spinach.  This is an awesome way to get a full serving of fruits & veggies!!! 

My recipe:

1 large handful + another smaller handful of raw baby spinach

1 cup almond milk

1 pkg of greek yogurt

1 cup of fruit

Combine it all in a food processor or really good blender/juicer & voila! 

I have used both frozen & fresh fruit & both are good.  I have used blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, & banana.  Everything is good and I promise you cannot even taste the spinach!  An awesome way to start the day, or refuel any time of day! :)

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

From SparkPeople

1 cup old fashion rolled oats
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
raisins or nuts (optional)

Soak the oats in milk for about an hour. Preheat oven to 400*. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray (I used paper cups and still sprayed and had some stickage). Combine oat mixture with applesauce and egg whites & mix until combined. In a separate bowl measure & whisk the dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry & mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired. Do not overmix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into pan. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin w/ some of the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Remove from pan, cool & enjoy. These can be frozen & reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

These are pretty good for a healthy breakfast. Next time I will definitely add some nuts for some texture. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal

I made pumpkin cheesecake for Drew, my Mom & Dad, Grandma Ruth, & Fr. Thom for Thanksgiving. I wanted to use the rest of the can of pumpkin, so I made this. It was delicious & a great start to a fall morning!

2 cups old-fashioned oats
3 cups milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in oats and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and spices and stir until heated through. Makes 4 servings.

Zucchini Muffins

3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted butter (or 1 cup vegetable oil)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup walnuts (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter (or oil). Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the zucchini mixture and mix in. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir these dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture. Stir in walnuts, if using.
2) Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little butter or vegetable oil spray. Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups, filling the cups up completely. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about ~30 minutes. Allow to cool in muffin pan for ~5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin let cool another 20 minutes.

This was so, so, so good! It made about 16 muffins (plus a baby one) and they were a big hit. Can't beat all that fiber, either! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!