For this super awesome meal I chose three recipes; two from my Pinterest boards and one from my cookbooks.
First, the pork chops. Meat tends to be the most expensive part of the meal so I've kind of adopted this habit where I only buy it when it's on sale and the rest of my meal plan is chosen based on meat free dishes. This week my local Kroger had thick, bone-in pork chops on sale. Yum! I'm a big fan of pork chops. Since I didn't have a specific pork chop recipe in mind for these bad boys I just selected the first pork chop recipe off my (now very long) list of recipes to try. And that recipe happened to be Smothered Pork Chops and it comes from the Cook This, Not That! Skinny Comfort Foods cookbook.
This recipe was delicious! It's all about yummy, thick cut pork chops cooked in a delightful sauce. I encountered a few hiccups along the way but the overall result was still mighty tasty. In fact, I'll be eating the leftovers tonight. When I cook meat on the stove top, sometimes I have a hard time telling when it's finished cooking. I purchased a meat thermometer to remedy this, but I'm not finding it helpful. The thermometer never showed my pork chops getting anywhere close to the correct pork temperature and yet I still ended up overcooking them a smidge. This is becoming a reoccurring theme. I also overcooked some chicken breasts on the stove top because the thermometer never came close to the correct temperature with those either. I thought my thermometer must be broken or miscalibrated, but after investigating it, it's not. It works just fine with oven or crock pot cooked meats. Maybe I'm using it wrong? I need to look into that.
Anyway, because I overcooked the pork chops a smidge I ended up also completely cooking the sauce into the pork chops as well. There wasn't any leftover to drizzle over the meat. Oh well. You live and learn, right? Despite my hiccups, which were my own fault, the recipe still came out fantastic and I will definitely be adding this one to my box. I just need to better learn to judge the doneness of meat. 5 Wooden Spoons.
And the breakdown. I've mentioned this in another post but this cookbook also gives you the calorie and price breakdown. The book says it costs $2.49 per serving and has 260 calories per serving. My total was $6.11 at $1.53 per serving (at four servings). I think mine came out cheaper because I really got a good deal on the pork chops. My calorie count came out to be 357 per serving, nearly one hundred more than the book claims. But really both are just meant to give you an idea.
The next recipe in this delicious weekend-starting feast is called Crack Broccoli and it comes from Laura who runs the blog A Beautiful Plate. This isn't just any roasted broccoli, mind you. Tossed in oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes it's roasted with sliced almonds until beautifully caramelized it's then sprinkled with lemon juice and cheese. What more could you ask for? Head on over there to get this recipe.
Now, to be honest, I was so busy obsessing over the pork chops I totally forgot to add the lemon juice and cheese at the end, but it was still really good broccoli. I imagine the next time I make this it will taste even better when I get the recipe right. This earns a solid 5 Wooden Spoons.
The total cost of this side dish came out to be $3.39, at $0.85 per serving, at four servings. It also has 221 calories per serving. A bit indulgent for a veggie recipe, but that comes from the oil. Totally worth it in my opinion.
The last dish in our meal was Baked Brown Rice. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed in this recipe. The photo on the blog looks mouth watering but the finished product came out quite bland. It comes from Nichole over at Real House Moms. Now, the great thing about a basic rice recipe like this is that it is basically a blank canvas. The method of cooking was fine so all I want to do is improve upon the flavors. Next time I would probably cook the rice in either a vegetable or chicken broth or stock. I'd also add the salt, pepper, and some addition herbs and spices (to be determined) in with the rice before it goes in the oven as opposed to after, which the original recipe calls for. If I wanted to convert this into a full meal as opposed to a side dish I'd probably also mix it in with some chicken and vegetables.
As is, the total cost of the recipe was an impressively low $1.48 for the whole dish! And that works out to be $0.37 per serving, at four servings. And the calorie count sits at 282. Not too shabby.
As is, I'd give it 3 Wooden Spoons, but I'll update you all with a review of my revised version at a later date.
Now, I apologize in advance. This morning I made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes for brunch but I didn't get a picture of them. The finished product didn't look much like the photo on the blog and thus didn't look appetizing. But, as they say, don't judge a book by its cover. They tasted great!
These pancakes come from Lori at Recipe Girl. Go over and take a look at her pancakes to see what you're getting into. Now these came out okay and tasty, but I'd change a few things the next time I make these. For starters, I'd use my own pancake batter recipe. The recipe she provides comes out quite runny and thus make thin pancakes. I prefer mile high fluffy pancakes, so I'll stick to my tried and true recipes. I would also make my cinnamon swirl mixture in advance. You're supposed to achieve a toothpaste consistency before cooking and mine, even in the fridge, took a few minutes longer than anticipated to get there. Also, my icing came out goopy looking. I'm not sure if that was bad technique on my part or just the recipe. Let's just assume it was me.
Though I originally pinned this recipe to my breakfast board, there is no way I'd make these again for breakfast. They are far too sweet and scrumptious to pass off as a breakfast item. These are most certainly a dessert. So I will make them again, don't get me wrong, but they will follow a meal instead of acting as the meal.
So the good news and the bad news. The good news is this recipe is super budget friendly, $2.07 for the entire meal, and just $0.52 per serving, at four servings. The bad news is this is a calorie bomb, working out to be 594 calories per serving. I'm glad I didn't do the math on this before I ate these, as I will admit I ate two servings this morning. Holy sugar high, Batman! But I'm also pregnant so I get a pass...this time... Anyway, 4 Wooden Spoons and it'll definitely earn a place in the dessert section of my box.
Anyway, have a great weekend my lovelies. Much love, Hailee
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