So Easy: Chipotle Orange Glazed Pork Chops

This recipe is the first I made from my new Ellie Krieger cookbook, and boy did it impress! For such a minimal list of ingredients, I was really pleased with the burst of flavor these pork chops had and my husband loves that it is yet another reason to use his favorite ingredient, canned chipotle chiles in adobo. Okay, maybe not his favorite, but pretty close! And I love that on a busy weeknight, this lovely and substantial meal can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes-seriously!

And might I suggest pairing with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans sauteed with shallots? Just a thought. And most importantly, enjoy!

Chipotle Orange Glazed Pork Chops

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger's So Easy

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded chipotle with 1/2 teaspoon adobo
4 (3/4-inch thick) center cut pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
1/2 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl combine the maple syrup, orange juice concentrate and chipotle.
Preheat grill pan. Sprinkle both sides of the chops with salt. Brush 1 side of chops generously with glaze. Place on grill pan glaze side down. Brush other side with glaze. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat

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On Preperation

When it comes to sticking with healthy eating and snacking, a little preperation goes a LONG way! It takes about 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon to wash and prep fruits and veggies, hard boil some eggs and grill up a few chicken breasts so healthy snacks and meals are right at your fingertips all week.

And a little tip I have learned: if a beautiful array of produce is the first thing staring you in the face when you open your refrigerator, chances are, you are less likely to reach for the Girl Scout cookies and consume mindless calories!

Just remember: "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."

In good health,

Kate

Rainy Weather Chili

Hearty, delicious and well-flavored-exactly how I would describe last night's dinner. Ever since reading about Bob's Redmill soup mixes in the latest issue of Clean Eating, I've been intrigued, so I bought some to try for myself. After a few weeks of mulling over what to add to the grain and bean mix, I finally settled on chili. And oh my, was that a good decision!

Whole Grain and Bean Chili
2 cups Bob's Redmill Whole Grain and Bean soup mix
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans chopped (no salt added) tomatoes
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 gloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Southwest Spice blend

Soak grain and bean mix in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add seasoning, tomatoes, 5-6 cups stock and Grain and Bean mix. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding stock as necessary. Serve warm with homemade cornbread! Enjoy!



Can't wait to get my hands on the Vegetable and 13 Bean mixes!

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Just Say No

To getting sick, that is! Keep your immune system strong this cold and flu season with these 9 immunity boosting foods!

It seems like everyone at work has been sick these last few weeks and I have managed to somehow dodge the bullet. Maybe the fact that many of these items are regulars on our menu has helped to pack that extra anti-cold and flu punch! Hmm, this also sounds like a good excuse for my husband to get more beef...

image/Prevention

A Winning Combo

Ever wonder how to fuel your body after a great sweat session? Allow me to take the guessing away because I've got a delicious solution packed with good-for-you ingredients that is sure to restore those muscles and put some pep in your step!

Each month I expectantly wait on my Oxygen magazine to arrive and almost immediately flip to the shake of the month for some new smoothie inspiration. This month's may be my favorite yet! Behold, this simple 5 ingredient creation~


Peach-Ginger Recharger
Recipe courtesy of Oxygen

1 peach, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh gingerroot
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender and blend thoroughly. Makes 1 serving.

Good to know: Buttermilk has probiotic qualities, which help aid in digestion, nutrient absorption and also increase your body's defense against disease.

image/secretsauce

An Old Favorite

I first baked these tasty muffins ages ago. In fact, they were one of the very first recipes I used from Whole Foods website and they have faithfully remained a regular part of my online recipe box. But like many great recipes, even these muffins have gotten overlooked and passed aside for newer, more exciting recipes. Until this weekend that is.

Before my parents left for their Alaskan cruise last week, my Mom brought over a ton of produce she didn't want to go bad while they were away for 10 days. So there I was, a fridge full of food and not enough meals in the day to consume it all. And that's why I decided to dig deep into my recipe archives and bake up these Carrot Apple muffins. After all, there's not much else I could do with two bags of shredded carrots!

And it's lucky I did because I had forgotten just how much I love these little guys! A truly understated muffin that subtly fills your senses and nourishes your body. They're not too sweet, which I can appreciate for a breakfast item. Plus they contain all whole wheat flour, yet remain perfectly moist thanks to the applesauce. I think this recipe would also make a delicious bread, if you prefer that to muffins.

My favorite way to enjoy these muffins is heated with a drizzle of agave nectar - YUM!

Carrot Apple Muffins
recipe adapted from Whole Foods

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw, chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup standard muffin tin or use muffin papers. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine carrots, applesauce, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add half the carrot mixture to the flour mixture, stir until blended then add the rest pf the carrot mixture. Stir in walnuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm.

image/wholefoods

From Farm to Doorstep

Yesterday I received my very first Farm Fresh to You delivery! I absolutely love the idea of eating local and seasonal foods, so I decided to try this service I've heard so much about. I started out getting only the small box every other week, mainly to make sure we put everything to use (I hate waste!). Thankfully, the website shows you what is scheduled to come in your box the upcoming week, making it incredibly easy to plan a menu around the produce! It will be a fun challenge to see how creative I can get as the seasons change!

Here's what I received this week:

2 Bartlett pears
1 lb black plums
1 lb heirloom tomatoes
1 lb Roma tomatoes*
1 large cucumber
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 bunch Italian basil
2 bell peppers

*Farm Fresh to You allows you to exclude certain items from your box. I chose to omit beets, broccoli and cauliflower (bleh!). So this week, instead of the scheduled broccoli, I recieived 1 lb of Roma tomatoes!

Creating next weeks menu was especially fun! Here's how I plan to use my goods:

Sunday: Grilled pizza with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella and gingered pears over vanilla bean gelato for dessert (heirloom tomatoes, basil, pears)

Tuesday: Pistachio raspberry crusted chicken, salad w/ pine nuts and shaved Parmesan (green leaf lettuce)

Wednesday: Fajitas (bell peppers)

Thursday: Cold sesame noodles with chicken and cucumbers (cucumber)

We will enjoy the plums for snacking and I would love to make a homemade pasta sauce with the Roma tomatoes and extra basil for next week!

Going Green

Ever since I started this blog (almost 2 years ago!) I've wanted to post about green smoothies. For some reason or another this post just never came to be. How I have never shared my love for something like this is beyond me, but this week I decided that needed to change! Allow me to pass on the stealthy trick that is a green smoothie.

Basically, it's a super simple way to incorporate more leafy greens into your diet. I actually love them, especially spinach, but I could always be eating more. How about you?

The first time I saw a list of ideas on the Vita-mix website I was curious. Mostly because I couldn't imagine a smoothie, which is typically a breakfast item, tasting at all decent with vegetables in the mix. But I was so wrong! Amazingly enough, their flavor is masked by the sweetness of the added fruit and actually gives it a cool, refreshing aftertaste.

Believe me on this one. I have turned many people to the green side with recipes such as this:

Going Green Smoothie
recipe adapted from Vita-mix

1/2 apple

1/2 cup (78 g) pineapple

2 cups (60 g) fresh spinach

1/2 ripe banana, peeled 1/2 orange small sliver lemon and lime

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

1 cup (240 ml) ice cubes

Next time you whip up a smoothie, throw in a large handful of one of the following:

spinach
kale
collard greens
lettuce
parsley

and start reaping the benefits of more greens in your diet!

Sweet Treats

It came to my attention last week that homemade popsicles are all the rage this year and I had not yet hopped on the bandwagon. But after reading about them here and here and here I decided enough was enough and we were no longer going to endure these triple digit days of Summer without some popsicles for comfort!

And true to form, I also wanted these super cute Tovolo molds everyone was using, even though I have some multi colored ones I picked up at a garage sale a few months ago (never used!). But these were so much cuter! Deciding though to use my better judgement and save my $13 + shipping for a rainy day, I settled on using what I had.

That is until we came across them at Nordstrom Rack this weekend. And for only $9.96! To my suprise, Chris was the one who insisted I buy them. I'm pretty sure he's been hankering popsicles since I mentioned them last week. So we purchased some. And I couldn't be happier with the results!

That night I made strawberry, nectarine and blackberry pops (aka: the fruit the was about to go bad in the fridge) and oh my, they are so refreshing and so easy! The splendid thing is, they are a healthy alternative to store bought and the possibilities are nearly endless!

Next I would like to try some kind of watermelon mint combo! YUM!!

Berry Nectarine Popsicles
6 ounces strawberries, hulled
2 nectarines, pitted
3 ounces blackberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Hansen Happenings

Happy Wednesday morning!

I am feeling exceptionally good today for a few reasons. The first being that it rained last night and I am loving the chilly, gloomy weather that comes along with rain (at least for now)! And secondly, today is my Thursday since I am taking Friday off for the Harvest Festival! I requested the day off ages ago to be sure I would get it! I'm just a little excited!!

Today seemed like a perfect day for a crock pot dinner so I prepared Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos this morning. Yum! And I've got to say, this blog has become a handy little reference for me when it comes to recipes we've really enjoyed. In fact, this week alone I have made Almond Stuffed Chicken, Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies!

It has occured to me that we are right in the middle of the cold and flu season and somehow, Chris and I have managed to stay under the radar and remain healthy...knock on wood. I'm really hoping it stays that way because we have much planned for the upcoming weeks!

And finally, I just can't believe how quickly the holidays are approaching! It seems a little bittersweet because on one hand, I adore this time of year, but on the other, I am all too aware of how quickly it passes. So I am making a solid effort to sit back and enjoy every single moment, Christmas movie, cup of hot chocolate, family gathering and holiday decoration. I can't wait to spend my second holiday season as a Hansen!



Savor each moment!