Clean Eating Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce

Makes 4 Servings
This is adapted from a recipe I found in Eating Well magazine. I love pork tenderloin and my boys love grapes so everyone is happy. And I've always thought that pork and fruit went really well together. I've always cooked this in the oven but I'm going to try throwing it all into the crockpot to see how it comes out. I'll let you know if it's successful :)

Ingredients

• 4 cups red and/or green grapes
• 1-1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup Madeira (a fortified sweet wine similar to Sherry, can use grape juice) or white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons water

ONE: Preheat oven to 425 and place racks in the middle and lower third. Place grapes on a baking sheet and roast on the lower rack, stirring occasionally, until they are shriveled, 25 to 30 minutes.

TWO: Rub pork with salt and pepper. Add the oil to a large oven safe skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the pork and brown it on one side. Then turn it over and place the skillet into the oven on the middle rack (you can do this while the grapes are roasting).

THREE: Roast the pork until just barely pink in the center, about 12 to 14 minutes or until internal temp reaches 145. Remove it from the oven and let it sit a few minutes before slicing.

FOUR: Very carefully (because the handle will be hot) place the skillet back on the stove top over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Madeira (or juice) and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the broth, thyme and mustard and bring to a simmer.

FIVE: Scoop out 1/2 a cup of the liquid mixture and puree half of the grapes into it (be careful because the liquid will be hot!). Stir it back into the pan sauce and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining grapes. Serve the sliced pork with the grape sauce over cooked whole grains or mashed potatoes.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 286 Calories (69 Calories from Fat), 8g Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 83mg Cholesterol, 482mg Sodium, 16g Carbohydrates, 31g Protein, 3% DV Vitamin A, 2% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 14% DV Iron

:)

Crockpot Pineapple Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Red Potatoes and Pepper Strips

Makes 4 – 6 servings
Pineapple and pork just seem to go so nicely together :) I got the idea for this dish from THIS recipe and have made it several times with rave reviews. One thing I really like about it is that the pork gets very tender but doesn't totally fall apart. I use pork tenderloin but you could easily use a pork roast instead. It might be cheaper and will still be moist and tender thanks to the magic of the crockpot. Tender meat is big in our house because I have two toddlers and they have difficulty chewing meat sometimes. When that happens it makes dinner take FOREVER. Not the case with this dish.

The first time I made this I didn't have pepper strips or potatoes so I used chunks of buttercup squash instead and the next day I turned the leftover veggies into cookies. Is that weird? My point is that you can mix and match whatever veggies you want and it will probably still be great.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1 cup diced onion
• 20 oz can pineapple chunks packed in juice
• 2 Tbsp sucanat or honey
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 4 medium sized red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin 

ONE: Sprinkle the diced onions into the bottom of a crockpot. Place the tenderloin on top.

TWO: Drain the pineapple and reserve ½ cup of the juice. Whisk the sucanat/honey, ginger, salt, flour, and soy sauce into the juice; pour over the tenderloin.

THREE: Place the pineapple, pepper slices, and potatoes in the center of a sheet of tin foil and wrap them up to form a pouch.

FOUR: Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Remove the tenderloin and let it rest for 5 minutes or so before slicing. Open the foil packet and drain any juices into the sauce in the bottom of the crockpot; stir well. I serve this over brown rice drizzled with the sauce but it would also go well with pasta.

NUTRITION INFO -

Per Serving - 356 Calories (33 Calories from Fat), 4g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 69mg Cholesterol, 459mg Sodium, 51g Carbohydrates, 5g Dietary Fiber, 23g Sugar, 29g Protein, 25% DV Vitamin A, 164% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 17% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Healthy Crockpot Pork Chops and Fruit Salsa over Citrus Quinoa

Makes 4 - 6 Servings
We LOVE quinoa in our house. It cooks fast, is fun to eat, and it’s a complete protein all by itself so it’s very filling. This is a very versatile recipe that takes full advantage of fresh summer produce and pairs well with a variety of different proteins, meat or otherwise. This can easily be made into a vegetarian recipe.

My kids love this dish because they are getting to eat fruit for dinner and I love it because I can throw it in the crockpot and forget about it and it doesn’t heat up my whole kitchen. You can even prepare a bunch of it ahead of time and freeze it to make what I call a dump-n-go meal; dump the frozen raw ingredients into the crock in the morning and cook on low all day. This is especially good for me when I’m teaching 40 lessons a day in the middle of the summer and I don’t have any time for prep work.

Ingredients:
Pork Chops and Salsa

• 1 lb boneless pork loin chops (or boneless skinless chicken breast, turkey cutlets, or cubed firm tofu)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 mangos, chopped
• 2 peaches, chopped
• ½ cup diced red onion
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup coarsely chopped/torn cilantro
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 small can chopped green chiles, drained (optional; this makes it pretty spicy so I of course don't put it in. You know I'm wimpy about spicy)

Citrus Quinoa

• 1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed until water runs clear
• 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup orange juice
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ c fresh parsley, minced (or 2 Tbsp dried)
• ¼ cup fresh mint, minced (or 1 Tbsp dried)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ c chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots or sweet potatoes
• Generous handful of fresh spinach, chopped (optional at end)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (optional at end)

ONE: Spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Lay the pork chops on the foil. In a small bowl, combine the salsa ingredients and pour evenly over meat. Seal the foil into a pouch (instructions HERE).

TWO: Combine all of the Citrus Quinoa ingredients except the spinach and beans in the crockpot. Lay the foil pouch on top.

THREE: Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4. The quinoa is done when most of the water is absorbed and the grains (or actually seeds, did you know that?) have started to uncurl like ribbons. If the quinoa is uncurled and tender but there’s still too much liquid in the pot, vent the lid of the crockpot for the last 15 minutes of cook time with a chop stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.

FOUR: Fluff the quinoa with a fork and add the spinach and garbanzo beans (if using). Replace the lid and cook on high for 20 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Stir to distribute. If the pork chops aren’t fully cooked when the quinoa is done, you can reseal the foil pouch and pop it in the oven at 375 for 10 or 15 minutes.

DUMP-N-GO INSTRUCTIONS: Combine all of the quinoa ingredients and dump into a gallon freezer bag. Assemble the foil pouch of meat and salsa as directed above. Put the sealed pouch in another freezer bag (or you could try freezing it resting on top of the quinoa ingredients. It might require some finesse as your putting it into the freezer. Or you could freeze them separately and then throw the foil packet on top of the quinoa stuff after it’s frozen).

On cooking day, dump the frozen solid quinoa mixture into the crockpot and place the frozen solid foil packet on top. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours or on high 3-5 hours. Just make sure that when you freeze the quinoa ingredients, you are freezing it into a shape that will fit into your crockpot. Otherwise you’ll have to chisel away the sides to jam it in there… not that I speak from experience or anything ;)

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving (pork chops and salsa) - 212 Calories (67 Calories from Fat) 7g Total Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 41mg Cholesterol, 173mg Sodium, 20g Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 16g Sugar, 18g Protein, 22% DV Vitamin A, 48% DV Vitamin C, 4% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

Per Serving Citrus Quinoa (1/6 of recipe without spinach or beans) - 259 Calories (72 Calories from Fat), 8g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 237mg Sodium, 39g Carbohydrates, 5g Dietary Fiber, 10g Sugar, 8g Protein, 70% DV Vitamin A, 51% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 16% DV Iron

:)

:)

OAMC Clean Eating Honey Dijon Pork Chops

Makes 4 servings, 1 chop eachThese are quick and easy to throw together and even easier to freeze. When there’s a really good sale on pork chops I will often grab 5 or 6 packs and make a bunch of these in one go. I freeze them before I bake them (directions below) and they’re great to grab out for a quick throw-together dinner. I love that you can bake them straight from frozen because you know I never remember to thaw anything the night before.
Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

ONE: In a bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. Lightly season the four pork chops with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

TWO: Mix the bread crumbs and Italian seasoning and sprinkle the mixture onto a plate. Coat each pork chop with the Dijon mixture and then cover with bread crumbs.

TO FREEZE: Place breaded pork chops on cookie sheet and freeze using the flash freeze method.

TO COOK: Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the desired number of frozen chops on a cookie sheet and bake 50-55 minutes (30-35 minutes if thawed).

NUTRITION INFO:
Per chop - 274 Calories (53 Calories from Fat), 6g Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 74mg Cholesterol, 878mg Sodium, 15g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 38g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 1% DV Vitamin C, 7% DV Calcium, 11% DV Iron

Clean Eating Pork Ragout (OAMC)

Makes 10 servings, ¾ cup each
I don’t often cook with wine but it really makes a difference in this dish. I like this because there’s not a lot of hands-on time and it’s easy to throw together but it’s fancy enough to serve to company. Plus the meat is really tender so it's easy for my kids to eat.

How I “healthified” the recipe:

• The original recipe called for 1 lb each of pork loin and mild Italian sausage. I increased the pork loin to 1 ½ lbs and decreased the sausage to only 4 oz because pork loin is a leaner meat. However, there was still enough sausage to add flavor.
• In the original recipe, the sausage was cooked in the saucepan and the resulting grease was used to sauté the onions. I cooked the sausage in a separate pan so I could drain the grease and then I used a little bit of olive oil for sautéing the onions.
• The original recipe was thickened with 1 Tbsp of corn starch. I substituted whole wheat flour. To do this I needed to double the amount of cornstarch called for, so 2 Tbsp of flour instead of 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. I added the flour to the saucepan with the sausage and spices so that it could be cooked into the dish for a few minutes. This stops it from having a raw flour taste.
• Finally, I pureed 3 big handfuls of spinach into the liquid to boost the nutritional profile. You know I’m all about adding veggies to everything and there is so much flavor from the wine and rosemary that you can’t taste the spinach at all. The added spinach is not essential to the recipe so I made it optional in the ingredients. However, it does add a lot of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Iron.
• The results - A significant reduction in overall calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and a big increase in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds boned pork loin (I use pork loin country style ribs)
• 2 - 4oz links mild Italian sausage
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 1 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (1 ½ tsp dried)
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 big handfuls fresh spinach or a 9oz box of frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained (optional)
• 1 ¼ cups Zinfandel or other dry red wine
• 1 28oz can and 1 15oz can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained (or 3 15oz cans)

ONE: Trim fat from pork; cut pork into ¼-inch cubes. Remove casing from sausage. Cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned and stir to crumble; drain and set aside.

TWO: In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion, and sauté 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned (watch it carefully because it will go from brown to burnt really quickly… you know, not that I speak from experience or anything). Add pork and sauté 5 minutes until no longer pink.

THREE: Add sausage, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flour to saucepan. Cook 2 minutes stirring regularly.

FOUR: In a blender or food processor, puree the spinach (if using) into the broth and stir into the saucepan along with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes.

FIVE: Add tomatoes and their juices to saucepan, and return to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until it reaches a consistency of thick stew (it will be a bit thinner than spaghetti sauce).

Serve over brown rice or pasta. Freeze leftovers in ¾ cup servings using the medium/large portion method to feed your freezer stash. For Once a Month Cooking this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe: 283 Calories (153 Calories from Fat), 17g Fat, 6g Saturated Fat, 67mg Cholesterol, 496mg Sodium, 10g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 18g Protein, 3% DV Vitamin A, 24% DV Vitamin C, 7% DV Calcium, 13% DV Iron

New Healthier Recipe: 215 Calories (78 Calories from Fat), 9g Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 58mg Cholesterol, 288mg Sodium, 11g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 18g Protein, 56% DV Vitamin A, 36% DV Vitamin C, 9% DV Calcium, 17% DV Iron