Do you KNOW how hard it is to keep a thrice-a-week-blog? It's basically like tending to a newborn that never grows up. It never gets easier and I'm always on the prowl for ways to make it better, help it grow.
Last time we checked in with one another, I committed that I'd start sharing more of the "healthy" issues as well as the financial ones associated with my food and cooking. Promises will be made good this evening.
Since we last spoke, I've actually been devoting quite a bit of my time to my husband and I's new co-blog (oh, wait, snap? Did you say spill the beans? Yup, there's a co-blog coming. Brace yourselves.) and our passion for savings. Mike's always been thrifty (brag moment: that's how he bought me my big ass engagement ring and why we were able to pay for our honeymoon in cash) and I've been a couponer-in-closet for a few years. I've talked about it casually, but never really put more than the casual towards it. Until now. Not long ago we decided to really make a financial change in our families future--and for us, that also meant building a stockpile. (ya, ya, ya, we're THOSE people) I wont go into details here, those are for later (and um, a different blog) but we have seen those efforts pay in our dinners, while still keepin' it fresh.
Now, on to the real reason you've stopped by: FOOD.
Tonight's dinner was pork. Why? Because we love it. And because it's healthy. And because we had it.
Spicy Blue Cheese Crusted Pork
Ingredients:
2 pork chops (4-5 oz each) brined in quick-brine (see recipe)
1 Tbs Dijon mustard, whole seeds
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
2 Tbs crumbed blue cheese
Directions:
Bring indoor grill (or George) to heat. Remove pork from brine (where you've brined for at least 12 hours, up to 24) and let rest for about 5 minutes. Pat dry and season liberally with garlic and onion salt. In small bowl, whisk mustard and soy sauce together. Coat each side of the pork. Place pork on grill and let sear for about 3-4 minutes before turning. Cook until slightly pink in middle, or to temperature. While still on grill, spoon blue cheese over top and let melt.
Remove from heat and serve aside roasted garlic potatoes and healthy salad. Tonight we chose Green Giant microwavable sides.
Calories: Pork: 250 calories (depends how generous you are with cheese), Potatoes: 150, Salad w/ Dressing: 75. Total: 475 (roughly)
What'd it cost? Good question. The pork I bought on special weeks ago, they had a 5 for $19.99 sale at the store. For that I got a package of pork that has 2 meals in it. So, the pork portion of tonight's meal was about $2.50. The potatoes were about $.50 and the salad figures out to about .25. (Mostly because I scored salad dressing for free a few weeks ago with an amazing sale at Walmart.) Dinner for 2: $3.25.
That's what I call a money-saving-meal.
