In my effort to be a more consistent blogger, I'm toying with the idea of having regular features. Yesterday's peek into my ipod might be one, and a feature on what I cook to stay on top of my diet is another idea I have. Eating healthily doesn't mean you have to cut out all flavor and it doesn't mean you have to cut out all fat. It's really just about portion control. Here's a meal you can make in a hurry on a Monday night, provided you've planned ahead a little.
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 16 oz pork loin center cut chops thin
- 2 cups butternut squash
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 1 tsp bacon grease drippings (optional)
- 1/2 cup medium white wine
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup dried bing cherries
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
This recipe works great with steaks, too.
Cook your brown rice ahead of time (you can do this the night before) and measure out 1/2 cup cooked rice per person. Reheat gently in the microwave or in a pot on the stove on low heat.
Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a med pan. I like to use my cast iron skillet. Try to stay away from teflon coated pans.
Thinly slice 1/2 yellow onion and add to pan; cook on med+ until slightly browned.
Remove onions from pan and set aside. At this point, if you'd like to add a little oil or bacon grease to the pan, go for it. I like just a tsp of bacon grease, which is about 40 calories. Cook your meat in the pan, 2-4 min each side. I like to rub the meat cuts with kosher salt on each side before cooking. While it's in the pan DON'T poke or move it at all. Once seared on both sides, remove meat to a plate and cover with foil. Pork doesn't take much to dry out, so you want to almost under-cook it and then let the endothermic heat of the meat continue to cook it through as it rests under foil. Steak is more forgiving, but I like my steaks rare, so I always under do it as well.
Add 1/2 cup white wine to pan to deglaze it and then whisk in 3 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 Tbsp beef base, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup water.
Add 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and the onions you had previously cooked. If you like spicy, now would be the time to add red pepper flakes to your taste. Cook down for about 10-20 min.
Meanwhile, have your butternut squash in 3/4-inch chunks and saute them in your olive oil. Sometimes I like to add a little kosher salt and nutmeg, but it's up to you. Cook through, maybe 10 min.
Serves 4
Start with 1/2 cup rice on the plate, then add 1/2 cup of the cooked butternut squash right on top of that rice. Lean your meat up on your rice and put 1/4 of compote in the pan on the meat, and then garnish with a sprinkle of toasted almond slivers.
If you're looking at the fat content of this meal and freaking out, stop that right now. It's only a third of your daily allowance, and if you've been eating sensibly all day, this is no big deal. You can do this.
The entire dinner (pork chop, squash, rice, compote, and nuts) is only about 650 calories, which is perfect for my goal. I have been eating about 275 calories for breakfast, 140 calories for a morning snack, 500 or fewer calories at lunch, get in a 600 - 850 calorie burn at the gym, have an 80 calorie post-workout snack, and then a reasonable dinner, aiming for a net of 1100 daily calorie intake. It's totally doable, but takes some planning.
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