Sweet and Sour Pork

This is such a simple and yummy meal! What's easier than putting it in the crock pot and letting the crock pot do the rest?! Plus, you can use the leftover meat to make pulled pork sandwiches another night.

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
3 lb pork roast (I like to use tenderloin)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
Salt

Arrange potatoes and onion in the bottom of a crockpot. Place pork on top. Spread garlic all over pork.

In a med. bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over pork.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4.

Reserve leftover meat for Pulled Pork Sandwiches, I'll post that recipe later this week!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what this week dinner menu looks like.....

Monday- Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, veggies and rolls
Tuesday- Homemade chicken pot pie (this may change, Dante and I were talking about going out for Mexican instead)
Wednesday- Pulled Pork Sandwiches (recipe to come), veggies
Thursday- Breakfast- my boys LOVE to have breakfast for dinner. We'll probably do French toast and sausage.
Friday- Homemade pizza
Saturday- Chicken salad sandwiches, cut up raw veggies
Sunday- sandwiches/leftovers

Chili

Chili is one of my favorite meals, especially on a cold winter day. This is my favorite chili recipe, it's quick and easy and super yummy!!

1 lb ground turkey/beef
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
2 cans Bush's chili beans
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, shredded
Salt, pepper, oregano and basil to taste

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic until cooked through. Season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Once the meat is browned, add the shredded zucchini and let cook a few minutes. (You cannot taste the zucchini at all, I just add it to get in extra veggies!) Add tomatoes and beans. Add a dash of each seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We eat this chili served over white rice and topped with shredded Mexican cheese. Yumm-O!

Banana Cake with cream cheese frosting

This year I really want to make more healthy, all natural meals. So for Caleb's birthday I didn't want a store bought, sugar filled cake. I found this recipe on another blog and decided to give it a try. My boys LOVED it!! It was actually pretty good.

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 smashed over-ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Mash bananas in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. POur in mashed bananas and all other ingredients. Stir well.

Pour into a greased 9x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbs. agave nectar or honey

In a medium sized bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla and sweetener until smooth. Fold into whipped cream. "Slather" it on your banana cake.

Chicken Potpie

• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
  
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup cooked, diced carrots
• 1/2 cup cooked, diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp thyme (I only used 1/2 tsp of thyme and I thought it was plenty)
• double pie crust

Combine chicken, peas, carrots and potatoes in a bowl; set aside. In a medium pan, melt butter. Saute onion. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbly. Whisk in broth and milk. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in seasonings. Pour over chicken-veggie mix. Line pie plate with bottom crust. Pour in filling. Position top crust, crimp edges and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Turkey Cutlets

This is a Rachael Ray recipe and it's very yummy! Very simple.

4 turkey cutlets (chicken works great too)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. flour
1 egg
1 Tbs. milk
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow on a plate. In a shallow bowl, beat egg with milk. In another shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cornmeal and seasoning.

Coat the cutlets in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

In a large skillet, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add cutlets, cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until deeply golden.

Pumpkin cheesecake

I made this for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it!!!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.