Herbed Pork Chops

Tonight's dinner was herbed pork chops and "vegetable pasta" with salad. I actually try to keep our dinner carbs to about 25-30, but tonight's dinner was more like 10 grams. This was a great and light meal. And really easy, although it does require a little prep time (for the "vegetable pasta"). The pork chops were *extremely* easy, and only took 30 minutes in the oven, plus about 5 minutes before to brown the pork chops, combine the herbs, and get it in the oven. Excellent weeknight option!

From Idiot's Guide:

 Herbed Pork Chops


6 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped into large pieces
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and black pepper together. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in an ovenproof medium saucepan (that has a lid for later) over medium-high heat. Brown both sides of pork chops in butter.  Near the end, throw in chopped onion.

4. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with the herb mixture.  Off heat pour in water and cover pan.

5. Bake covered for 30 minutes.

Vegetable Pasta


3 (6-inch) zucchini
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper

1.  Cut each zucchini in half crosswise and then into several lengthwise strips, 1/2 inch thick. cut each strip into 1/2 inch-thick-pieces. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt.  Put over a bowl since this will make water drain from the zucchini.  Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat dry. (This is supposed to pull water out of the zucchini to make it hold its shape and get less mushy during cooking).

2.  Put zucchini in a microwave-safe bowl. Toss in olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper. Microwave for 1-2 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Serve as is or with sauce.  (I sprinkled it with grated Parmesan, and it was pretty tasty, although definitely not pasta-like).

We, of course, finished this with a salad (green salad with blue cheese and sunflower seeds).  Definitely a very light meal, but the pork chops were very tasty! They are definitely a repeat item!

Slow cooker pot roast

How do we manage to cook healthy meals? Once or twice per week we use the slow cooker. I love doing this one weekend day - that way if we are out doing something fun, there is still a great meal waiting for us when we get back. And if we don't go anywhere, then it lets us have a lazy relaxed day.  Our Sunday meal this week was pot roast, baked zucchini, and salad.  The pot roast is actually a great weekday meal, because it only takes about 5 minutes to get things prepped and into the slow cooker.

Both recipes from DH.

Slow-cooker Mediterranean Pot Roast


3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2.5 lb boneless top round steak or boneless chuck roast, all visible fat discarded
28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1. Sprinkle the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes over both sides of the meat.

2. Pour 1 cup crushed tomatoes into the slow cooker. Place the meat on the sauce. Pour another 1/2 cup of sauce over the meat. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is fork tender. Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.  To serve, thinly slice the meat against the grain and top with some sauce.

(Serving suggestion - we don't do pasta, but this sauce would be great over whole wheat pasta.)

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Mediterranean  Zucchini


2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1/2 tsp driend oregano, crumbled
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Place the zucchini with the cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil over each half.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients except the Parmesan. Sprinkle over the zucchini.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or just until tender. Remove from oven.

5. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

YUMMY!!!!!!