Apple & Onion Sweet Chops

Oh my gosh guys, I think I have a problem. Do any of you food shop and stock your fridge so often that you forget about things that you've bought? Well that happened to me today. I know some people have this issue with having clothes in their closet with tags still on them (I have that one too), but we literally can open our own fruit and vegetable stand with all of the produce we have in the fridge. Its kind of fun because it forces you to come up with different ways to use them in your meals. I knew tonight I was going to attempt the 21DF sweet chops recipe I came across last night, but I knew I wanted to make it as hearty and satisfying as possible. I had bought a head of cauliflower this weekend and had two bunches of asparagus, so I figured I'd roast up the asparagus and think of something different to do with my cauliflower. I thought of what I would typically love with my pork chops and aside from apple sauce I instantly thought of mashed potatoes. Good ol' American style dinner in the Colford house tonight! I remembered I used to make smashed cauliflower in college all the time, so I figured I'd make my own version of faux mashed potatoes with my cauliflower and two wedges of Weight Watcher's garlic and herb cheese. It was way simple and just what we were craving.

I kicked off my day with some steel cut oats, sliced banana and topped them with some agave and cinnamon. Around 11 a.m. I had a few almonds for a mid-morning snack and then did my second workout on the plan. Lets just say, I was planking and doing push ups for a good chunk of the workout. It was definitely difficult, especially since I woke up this morning sore as hell. It actually hurt to try and attempt to put my socks on! But I guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it, right?

 

After my workout I decided to try one of my chocolate Shakeology mixes and it was the bomb dot com. I mixed in a cup of water, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and 1 banana. It seriously tasted like a chocolate malted. Delish! I can't wait to try all of the other recipes that the program provides with the shakes. I started my pork chops around 2 p.m. since they had to slow cook for about four hours on high. I placed them in the crock pot, topped them with one whole chopped vidalia onion, two chopped gala apples, three tablespoons of all natural maple syrup and I added a few dashes of salt, pepper and paprika. Set it and forget it, friends.

 

The house smelled amazing all day as everything began to caramelize together. As my pork chops cooked, I boiled my cauliflower until it was super soft, drained and gave it a good smash until it was all broken up and mushed together. I threw in a few pinches of salt and pepper and two wedges of the Weight Watchers garlic and herb cheese. These are great to keep on handy if you are ever having a cheese craving. You can eat them on their own or use them in a ton of recipes like stuffed baked chicken roll ups (recipe to come soon!) Once everything was mixed I scooped out the cauliflower and set in a baking dish. 

I trimmed my asparagus stems, drizzled with a teaspoon of EVOO and topped with pepper and garlic powder. This is usually my go-to asparagus recipe, roast them up and serve away. I typically bake on 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes and they always come out so delicious. 

Once the pork chops were done I plated everything and we sat down for dinner. The onions and apples were so yummy and had a great balance of sweet and salty. John loved everything and when I asked him how he liked my smashed cauliflower he answered, "oh the potatoes? they were great!" ;) I'm happy that I was able to mimic something we both were craving, but made a much healthier and satisfying version.

 

After some salad inspiration while thumbing through some of my cooking magazines, I decided to prep a whole wheat pasta salad for lunch for the rest of the week. I chopped up some spinach, red peppers, celery and threw in some snow peas, broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I plan to add the 21DF balsamic dressing and a sprinkle or should I say blue box of  2% mozzarella cheese. A little bit of carbs mid-day will help me to stay full longer and it was a great way to use up all of the veggies we have.  I'm heading into the office on Thursday and plan to take some of my salad on the go with me.
Tomorrow's dinner will be a beef stir fry that my friend has shared the recipe for. The only thing I do not have handy is coconut oil, so I may have to pick some up at the grocery store in order to follow the recipe exact. Well time to go and enjoy some hockey on the TV right now since Tuesdays aren't too filled with that much great TV. Enjoy your evening, all!

Apple & Onion Sweet Chops

Ingredients:

-4 boneless pork chops
-1 vidalia onion
-2 gala apples
-1 cup of water
-3 tablespoons of 100% maple syrup
-salt
-pepper
paprika

Directions:

Place 4 boneless pork chops into the slow cooker with 1/2 cup of water, 3 teaspoons of 100% maple syrup, 2 peeled and chopped gala apples (any red sweet variety will do) and 1 chopped onion. Any sweeter onion variety will be fine. I used vidalia. Cook on high for a total of 4 hours stirring a few times in between.

Smashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

-1 head of fresh cauliflower or one bag of frozen florets
-light herb and garlic cheese wedges
-salt
-pepper

Directions:

Chop your cauliflower removing all stems and boil on high until the florets are extremely soft. Drain and put back into your point. With your smasher mush together your cauliflower and then add yout cheese wedges, mixing together until all blended together. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper. Transport the mix into a baking dish and bake on 350 degrees for a half hour or until the top has a nice crispy brown top.