Pork Carnitas (Take 2)

We found this recipe in Cooking Light and decided to give it a try. We have a Pork Carnitas that we love from Skinny Taste but wanted to see if it could improve. We decided... no. The other one is better. If we had never tasted the other one this one would be a 5 but since we were comparing this one gets a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Similar flavors just not quite as all around good. Husband said he could really taste the citrus which I could not taste at all. Oh well. It was really good and now we have 2 ways to make it!

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed
• 10 garlic cloves sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce drained and chopped
• 20 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas, warmed,
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup bottled salsa
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 10 lime wedges

Directions

1. Make 1/2-inch-deep slits on outside of roast; stuff with garlic. Combine cumin and next 3 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Place roast in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker. Sprinkle pork on all sides with spice mixture.
2. Combine juices and chipotle chiles. Pour juice mixture over pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until pork is tender.
3. Remove pork from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Combine shredded pork and 1/2 cup cooking liquid; toss well.
4. Spoon 1 1/2 ounces pork mixture onto each tortilla; top each with 1 1/2 teaspoons onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons salsa, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 334
Fat: 12.6g
Cholesterol: 87mg
Sodium: 424mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 29.4g

Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

*UPDATED*

 So the picture really does not do this recipe justice. I wish you could smell what I smelled when I walked through the door after work. Actually, you can. Make this. The only changes that Husband made were that he converted it to 8 servings instead of 6 so he could use 2 lbs of ground beef and make more left overs and he didn't want to buy horse radish for this one recipe so he added a little more dijon. I think the horse radish would have made this even better but even so it was great! This can be made gluten free just by substituting crushed rice chex for the bread crumbs and I promise you can't even notice a difference. Thing 1 literally devoured his and asked for another "huge" one. When I asked him how many stars he said 100 so I think we will give this one 5 out of 5 stars. We will definitely make it again.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 ounce fresh breadcrumbs about 1/2 cup
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup divided
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces white cheddar cheese diced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 large egg lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.
3. While breadcrumbs cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, and remaining ingredients. Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons ketchup over each. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until done.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 254
Fat: 11.4g
Cholesterol: 112mg
Sodium: 607mg
Fiber: 0.9g
Protein: 28.3g

Playgroup Granola Bars

Since Husband is a full time student and I work to support the family we don't have a lot of extra funds for sweet treats and snacks and are forced to make them. I searched the web for a healthy granola bar recipe since that is a snack we will all eat and I found this one. I've always had this negative opinion on homemade granola bars for some reason but not any more. These literally taste like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!! Hooray! I didn't have wheat germ so I called my sneaky chef sister in law and she had some milled flax seed she said I could use. It seemed to work great especially since I have never used either and wouldn't know the difference anyway. Thing 2 devoured it and thing one humored me with a bite. When I said it tasted like a cookie he fought me on it saying cookies don't have raisins they have chocolate chips. Someone needs a cookie education class. I'm definitely interested in what Husband will think of these... Anyway, these are great and made a bunch which I put in snack baggies to store for easy snacking. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 35 Min
Total Time: 50 Min

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 161
Fat: 5.5g
Cholesterol: 9mg
Sodium: 79mg
Sugar: 15.7g
Carbohydrate: 26.6g
Fiber: 1.4g
Protein: 2.4g

Chinese Beef & Broccoli

This is one of our recent freezer meals that we got from Once a Month Mom. It is also one of the few we do that is not for the crock pot. My mom used to make Beef and Broccoli all the time and I really loved it. I think I've tried to make it before but it was never as good as Mom made. I'm not sure if it has just been too long since my mom cooked this for me but I actually thought this was good. The broccoli was the perfect amount of doneness and the flavors were really good! We used green onions instead of scallions and probably more garlic than the recipe called for. All in all Husband and I both scored this a 4 out of 5.

Source: recipes.sparkpeople.com

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 5 Min
Total Time: 15 Min

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 3/4 pound boneless sirloin steak trimmed of fat and cut into 2x 1/4 inch strips
• 3 cups fresh broccoli thawed or frozen broccoli
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh OJ
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water

Directions

Freezing directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
2. Label and freeze. To serve, thaw in refrigerator, then place contents of bag into skillet over medium-high heat, cooking until veggies and meat have reached desired doneness.

Cooking directions:

1. Spray a large nonstick wok or high-sided skillet with nonstick spray and set over high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger and orange zest; stir-fry until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the beef strips and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and orange juice; bring to a simmer and cook 20 seconds.
3. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 seconds.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 146.2
Fat: 3.6 g
Cholesterol: 48.5 mg
Fiber: 2.2 g
Protein: 22.1 g

 

Where have I been all your life?!

Ok, OK... It's been a while. I get it. Here I am. We've kind of gone a different route lately and it's been a little hard to share our recipes. That's right, we've jumped on the freezer meal band wagon! We love it! With me working full time and Husband in school it's either that or eat pizza and garbage (not literal garbage...) and we choose freezer meals. I've decided to start sharing the recipes that we find but again I have to say that these are NOT my own recipes. I find them elsewhere and will try them and compile them here for you. I will also tell you if I would change anything. Deal? Ok.

Husband and I are about to have a prep day and I think it would be easiest if I blog each recipe when we eat it rather than all the recipes on prep day. Keep your eyes out for new and exciting things. Yum.

Open-Faced Hummus Sandwiches

Sometimes I am a mean wife and plan things that I know Husband won't like just because I want them and I make the meal plan. This is definitely one of those things. I had thought maybe, just maybe he might like it but alas, no dice. He couldn't even finish it. I, on the other hand, LOVED it. The whole thing ended up blowing up in my face when I could not restrain myself from eating the rest of his sandwich when he didn't finish. That'll teach me. So here's the thing about this recipe... If you like all of the ingredients you will absolutely love this if not you probably won't like it at all. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. We won't talk about what Husband would give it...

 

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
• 1 1/2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 (8-ounce) container plain hummus
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange bread on a baking sheet. Broil 1 minute or until toasted. (Or put it in the toaster like we did...)
3. Combine tomatoes and next 6 ingredients (through garlic). Spread about 1/4 cup hummus over each bread slice. Divide tomato mixture evenly among servings. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 358

Fat: 20.1g

Cholesterol: 7mg

Sodium: 811mg

Fiber: 4.3g

Protein: 12.3g

Copy Cat Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Ok, I totally took the wrong picture for this making it super difficult to blog. The good news: using the search bar you can find either of the recipes included in this post so it doesn't really matter. Husband is a HUGE Chipotle fan so he was on board for making it ourselves. I kept looking forward to this recipe and man did it deliver. Husband says they rival the burrito bowls of Chipotle but majorly prefers our pork carnitas to any of their meat choices. Take that Chipotle. We made the Pork Carnitas the day before on our regular crock pot day and since it always makes enough to feed a small army we planned these with the left overs. We used the rice cooker to make the rice since we are lazy and made the beans while it cooked. then we just layered, added some queso fresco and ate it with a few chips. Yum. Most definitely 5 out of 5 stars!!

Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 tsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 4 • Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts

Calories: 201.0 • Fat: 3.4 • Carbs: 37.4 • Fiber: 0 • Protein: 4.0 g

Quick and Delicioso Cuban Style Black Beans

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 scallions
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper
• 3 tbsp cilantro
• 15 oz can black bean, do not drain
• 1/2 cup water or more if needed
• 1 bay leaf
• few pinches cumin to taste
• pinch oregano
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop onion, garlic, scallions, red pepper, and cilantro in a mini chopper of food processor.
2. Add oil to a medium-sized pot on medium heat. Add vegetables to the pot and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beans, water, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer about 15 minutes stirring occasionally (adjust water as needed). Taste for salt and serve.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 4 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts

Calories: 113.9 • Fat: 2.9 g • Protein: 6.8 g • Carb: 19.9 g • Fiber: 6.0 g