Sugar & Spice Pork

 Before you judge because you typically don't like pork, try this recipe! I have made it for so many not-so-much-pork people and have converted them with this simple and delicious recipe! Pork tenderloin is right next to chicken breasts in the leanness of the meat, with upwards of 26 grams of protein per 4 oz. serving, so it's a great and tasty alternative for keepin' it clean and lean. The hubs always begs me to make it, and sounds of pure joy are sure to be heard when he takes like every bite...it's pretty much become expected now. So here's my spin off the one found in the P90X cookbook.

Recipe for: 2 lbs lean pork tenderloin

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all these ingredients together in a little bowl, and put off to the side.

Take pork tenderloin cuts (about 4 oz. each) and lightly coat both sides with EVOO. Then sprinkle spice rub over both sides to marinade (if time allows).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When you're about 20 minutes from eating dinner, start the meat. First, put a little bit of EVOO in a skillet on high heat. Place tenderloins in skillet until brown, two minutes on one side then 2 minutes on the other.

Put tenderloins on a baking sheet, and put about 1 tbsp of brown sugar on top of each cut. pat it down until the top is covered evenly with the brown sugar. Place in oven until cooked. It usually takes anywhere between 15-20 mins for these puppies to cook, it juts depends on the thickness of the cuts. It's really easy to over-do pork, so for the most moist(please excuse, i hate that word, and can't think of another one)and tender outcome, be sure to check it starting around the 15 minute mark. This may mean to just cut open the top of one and make sure it's white inside and no pink juices flow out.

and voila...you have an oh, so tasty and perfectly healthy switch up to the meats you probably normally use in dinners. You can thank me later:)

Food Week - Mini Menu

It's FRIDAY!!! 

As promised, here is a little menu for you to get an idea of some of the things I eat and when in a typical day. Recipes are on their way for the one you would like to see, so leave me a quick comment below so you can tell me which ones you're interested in..:) 

On the bottom of the chart you can see the typical times I eat each thing, I would prefer to eat dinner earlier, but Nick sometimes doesn't get home until later...the joys of commuting....Poor guy. 

-Prograde Nutrition

-Thinkthin bars

-Cheesey Salsa Eggs

-Protein Spinach Smoothie

-Chipotle Chicken

Hope this helps you all out a little bit! PLEASE let me know if you have questions on anything more specific because I know nutrition is a lot more complicated than this little bit of a menu. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!! 

Food Week - Dinner

Dinner is another hard one to fit in. Especially when using fresh, Organic ingredients, it can get a little overwhelming going to the store a couple times a week so the meat and veggies taste delicious and fresh. Trust me, I feel your pain. going to the store twice a week maybe is just one of those things that you're going to have to plan for and accept. I usually have one day where I get the majority of everything I need, then the second run to the store are usually things I forgot about or just need a little bit more veggies or fruits to get us through the following Monday. I am not a planner by any means, so a lot of times it's my own fault I have to go back, but when I plan properly, everything goes smoothly and the trip to the store is really quick because I know exactly what I'm getting.

Another joy that comes along with cooking fresh is it (usually) requires quite a bit of chopping and slicing. So a good tip is to try and chop up everything you need to, like peppers, onions, celery, lettuce, etc. all at once so for the rest of the week it's just a quick and easy throw into a stir-fry, salad, quesadilla, or sandwich. It's remarkable how much easier it makes the whole preparation!

One of my favorite and most versatile meals is my Chipotle Chicken meal. You prepare all the same ingredients, but you can use it for any kind of concoction--you can make it into a salad, while your other husband makes it into a burrito or fajitas, and your kids have it in a fun, easy-to-eat quesadilla. Lots of chopping, but so worth it for it's versatility and easy, tasty leftovers.

It tastes just as scrumptious as it looks pretty! I also just put a little bit of salsa and squeezed lime on top of my salad, it doesn’t even need dressing! You get a perfectly healthy and balanced meal without sacrificing one bit of flavor and yumminess!

Ingredients (all Organic):

2 chicken breasts

2 bell peppers

1/2 cup onion

1 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans

3-5 cups lettuce

2 TBSP olive oil

Mexican seasoning

Mango Salsa

limes (to taste)

cilantro (to taste)

Prep: Marinate Chicken by first applying olive oil to both sides of chicken breasts. then sprinkling mexican seasoning on both sides, a pretty ample amount so you get the flavor. let marinate as long as you can, at least 2 hours if possible. squeeze lime juice on when you put the chicken on the grill/skillet, this will keep more of the lime flavor on there. Cook brown rice, and when its just about done, squeeze in lime juice and throw in chopped cilantro to taste. chop and sauté peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil. warm up black beans. 

Chipotle Chicken Bowls

Wanted to share a delicious meal that I made last night! Healthy, light, simple to make just lots of chopping, easy to tweak, and easy to make in bulk so you can have some for left overs:)

Clockwise we’ve got Lettuce, sauteed peppers and onions, black beans, homemade mango salsa, limes, brown cilantro lime rice, and chipotle chicken

It tastes just as scrumptious as it looks pretty! I also just put a little bit of salsa and squeezed lime on top, it doesn’t even need dressing! You get a perfectly healthy and balanced meal without sacrificing one bit of flavor and yumminess!

Ingredients (all Organic):

2 chicken breasts

2 bell peppers

1/2 cup onion

1 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans

3-5 cups lettuce

2 TBSP olive oil

Mexican seasoning

Mango Salsa

limes (to taste)

cilantro (to taste)

Prep: Marinate Chicken by first applying olive oil to both sides of chicken breasts. then sprinkling mexican seasoning on both sides, a pretty ample amount so you get the flavor. let marinate as long as you can, at least 2 hours if possible. squeeze lime juice on when you put the chicken on the grill/skillet, this will keep more of the lime flavor on there. Cook brown rice, and when its just about done, squeeze in lime juice and throw in chopped cilantro to taste. chop and sauté peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil. warm up black beans. 

Serve as desired, I made mine into more of a salad, because I needed more veggies that day, but this is a really easy recipe to do whatever you want with it-make quesadillas, fajitas, burrito bowl so a tortilla is on the bottom, however you want it! I just squeezed some more lime, cilantro, and put some mild salsa on top and it didn't need any dressing since it was so flavorful.