Brown Sugar Pork Chops

Yesterday I had quite the dilemma.  Brown sugar pork chops or parmesan crusted pork chops?  Both sounded amazing and I knew that either way, I was going to try them both.  With that said, due to sheer laziness I went for the brown sugar ones bc they are easier to make and all I had to go to the store for was the pork chops then.  Let me tell you, these things were delish and so juicy. Not to mention, INCREDIBLY easy to make.  Make sure that you cover them when you bake them so they stay moist and I always line the bottom of the pan with water.  It keeps them from drying out and mixed with the sugar to make a nice glaze to bake it in.  I served mine with baby red skin potatoes mixed with broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans.

 

INGREDIENTS: (this is for 2 pork chops.  I doubled the messurements for 4 chops)2 pork chops (I used boneless)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
minced/chopped garlic

 

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the brown sugar, chili powder, and garlic powder in a bowl.
3. Rub the mixture onto both sides of the pork chop, coating it really well.
4. Transfer to a shallow oven safe pan. Add a little garlic on top of the pork chop and put into the oven. Let them roast in the oven until the internal temperature registers at 140-145 degrees. Depending on how thick they are will determine the cook time.  Mine tok about 25 min

5. ENJOY

 

 

Tortellini Primavera

I have been trying a lot of great recipes lately, all of which are SO easy to make and are healthy.  This one has to be one of my faves though.  In fact, it was a family favorite.  I found the recipe on eatingwell.com and since I'm a HUGE pasta lover, I just had to give it a try :)
 
Makes: 5 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
 

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cup shredded fontina cheese or 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, dill or chives or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots and snap peas, or 16-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 16-ounce package frozen cheese tortellini

Preparation

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Meanwhile, whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the pan, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese, tarragon (or dill or chives) and salt.
3. Add vegetables and tortellini to the boiling water; return the water to a simmer and cook until the vegetables and tortellini are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain; add to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat.

Nutrition

Per serving: 424 calories; 15 g fat (8 g sat, 4 g mono);68 mg cholesterol; 55 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 14 g protein; 5 g fiber; 566 mg sodium; 321 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (126% daily value), Calcium (20% dv), Vitamin C (17% dv), Folate (16% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 2 fat