Pork with Spicy Orange Cranberry Sauce

YUM to the E is this recipe from my new diabetic cook book!  A.R. was recently diagnosed as prediabetic/diabetic and he has had to get serious about making changes in his diet to regulate his blood sugars.  It's been a hard adjustment for him, but he's making progress and since he now has to take his blood sugar levels 5 times a week (three nights and two mornings) it has helped to see how various foods effect the readings.  I received this cook book from a friend and coworker of mine who is also diabetic as a pleasant surprise one day.  I'm really greatful to her for the tips and advice she has given to me as I am the primary chef in our household and I prefer to keep A.R. around a lot longer to watch Mariela grow up with all his limbs in tact.  His doctor scared him into taking positive steps forward by saying he literally is risking limbs now if he doesn't start taking care of himself- which translates to him not being able to walk Mariela down the aisle one day in his head.  I'll take the scare tactic since nothing I've said has seemed to sink in!  Making changes in my cooking hasn't been difficult yet, but I still have a lot to learn about it.  So far, A.R. doesn't have to take insulin, but we'll know more about that and his prognosis after his follow-up next month with his primary care physician.

Pork with Spicy Orange Cranberry Sauce

Pork Chops with Apples & Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I posted this recipe today on the food blog I participate in.  I found this recipe in my January/February 2011 Food Network Magazine and it was a hit!  I will definitely be making it again soon.

http://therecipenest.blogspot.com/2011/03/pork-chops-with-apples-garlic-smashed.html

Sherried Gravy Pork Recipe

I've been experimenting with crock pot recipes and this is one of the latest favorites on our "make again" list. Enjoy!

Sherried Gravy Pork

Once-A-Month Cooking: Installment 3

Cooking time!


I was too impatient to wait for the weekend to begin my cooking adventures, so I decided to cook in the evenings after work (YES! I'm insane) by meat type which was how the cooking schedule was broken up for the meal plan I chose anyway. Day 1 was beef dishes, day 2 was fish and miscellaneous dishes, day 3 was pork dishes, and the last day were the chicken dishes.

Meals ready for the freezer

Day 1 of cooking I was able to finish 9 meals with the help of A.R. before I couldn't stand any longer and my swollen tree trunk calves and cankles needed a break. After night one of cooking, it was VERY clear that this was an adventure I shouldn't have waited for my 9th month of pregnancy to undertake!! A.R. got home from school and jumped right in to save me...I think he was a little scared of my nesting :). Day 1 of cooking took 3 1/2 hours and I made the following meals: Green Chile Enchiladas, Baked Beans & Hamburgers, Grandma's Chili, French Dip, Marinated Flank Steak, Shish Kabobs, Rosie's Meat Loaf, Jack Burgers, and a Sicilian Meat Roll. There was actually two additional beef meals, but I just didn't have the stamina to finish all the meals.

Meals labeled & ready for the freezer

On Day 2 of cooking I had hoped to cook for only 2 hours so I could put up my feet for a little while before bed time. Day 1 had thoroughly exhausted me and made me a little sore from being on my feet so long, so going to work the next day was a real struggle. I finished the beef dishes on Day 2 and cooked the miscellaneous and fish dishes in 2 1/2 hours. Once again after his class got out, A.R. came home and rescued me by helping out. I made the Mexican Stroganoff and Three-Bean Taco Chili first, then I made the Crustless Spinach Quiche, marinated and froze the Grilled Salmon, and a recipe called Dawn's Lasagna. To make things easier on Day 3, A.R. browned the sausage for me that would be required for some of the pork dishes and I refridgerated it in ziplock bags in the fridge over night.


One thing I was pleasantly surprised by at this point was that some of the dishes really didn't require much prep work before freezing. Some of the steaks just needed a marinade made which we poured in the freezer bags with them and then froze. Also, the lasagna was really easy to prep for freezing as I didn't have to boil the noodles in advance. Those dishes that did require some prep work and cooking (chilis, enchiladas, beef stew, stroganoff, etc.) all smelled absolutely delishous!


Day 3 was the pork dishes and I made all dishes in the plan except for the Ham dishes which I eliminated as A.R. isn't a fan of cooked ham. I made Cranberry Pork (marinated it and it froze it so it is now crock pot ready), Split Pea Soup from scratch (my first homemade soup ever!!), Italian Shepherd's Pie, and Bird's Nest Pie. Cooking time on Day 3 took 1 1/2 hours.


After Day 3 of cooking during the week I gave up and decided to wait for the weekend to finish the last of the meals and make the chicken dishes. A.R. was on board again as my sous chef and we were able to finish up the meals in 2 hours. We made Chicken Tetrazinni, Sweet & Sour Chicken (I tasted it and it was DELISH!), Chicken a la King, Southwestern Chicken Soup, Lemon Chicken, Chicken and Rice Pilaf, and Oriental Chicken.


Our total cooking time: 9 1/2 hours- the book said it would take 6-8 hours if you followed the prep schedule which we did not. I think if we had cooked the meats in advance (like we did with the sausage) along with pre-chopped all the veggies our cooking time would've been decreased. I was also slowed down being 9 months pregnant, swollen, and tired!


I must say our freezer smells AMAZING when you open it now and I feel so much better having so many meals ready to cook. We've already eaten a couple of the meals which I will review in later blog posts. If the meals taste as good as they smell in our freezer we'll definitely try Once-A-Month cooking again, but not until AFTER I have this baby!

Mango Pork Chops

Despite the incessant rain and over 3 weeks without more then a 1/2 day of sunshine, it is summer time and one thing I love in the summer is mangos! Tonight I got the idea to make some pork chops topped with mango salsa; however, I was out of tomatoes and too lazy to go to the grocery store so I tried this recipe instead. It was delicious! The only thing I'd do differently next time is use the lighter raisins instead of brown ones. They did add in some color to the chutney, though. It took me less then a 1/2 hour to prepare and cook the meal. I actually grilled on the counter top using my Cuisinart grill/panini/griddle because yet another thunderstorm was passing through.

Mango Pork Chops (it may not look good, but it was delish!)

Recipe is courtesy of Recipetips.com

Ingredients:
- 4 pork chops
- 1 large mango, divided
- 1 small onion (I used a red onion for color)
- 1/2 cup raisins, preferably golden raisins
- 2 cloves garlic, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 cup water
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
*Peel the mango and then slice half and dice the other half. Set the slices aside. Chop onion and garlic.
*Mix diced mango, onion, raisins, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, salt, pepper and water in a saucepan. Simmer until onions are soft and mixture is thick, but not dry, about 10 minutes. Add a little more water, if necessary. Set aside (this can be prepared ahead, if desired).
*Preheat the grill. Trim excess fat from the chops. Lightly salt and pepper each side and grill to desired doneness. Briefly grill the mango slices, if desired. (They are good either grilled or not).
*Serve chops with sauce spooned over and around them with slices on top.

Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

I made this meal the 2nd time I cooked for Alexi and it was a winner. It used to be his favorite meal until this came along. I think last night's version was the best I've made it yet. The gravy was a bit browner then normal but it tasted delicious.

Recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light June 2006. It is estimated to have a 40-minute prep and cook time.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried marjaram
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage
4 (4 oz.) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4-inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

Directions:
1. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, salt, dried marjaram, dried thyme, and dried rubbed sage in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, turning to coat; shake off excess. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once. Remove from pan; keep warm.3. Combined reserve flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to pan; place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
Yields: 4 servings, 252 calories, 9.6g of fat, 28.9g protein, 10.6g carbs, 0.3g fiber

Enjoy!