Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

This is from Skinny Taste

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 4 oz (1/2 cup) • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 176 • Fat: 7.7g • Protein: 25.8 g • Carb: 1.3 g • Fiber: 0.1 g



Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
• 6 cloves garlic, cut into sliver
• cumin
• adobo sauce to taste
• garlic powder
• 3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
• 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumalated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the lighter side

This is from Skinny Taste and is a new favorite!

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter SideSkinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 323.8 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 25.9 g • Carb: 44.1 g • Fiber: 6.3 g • Sugar: 3.2 g
Sodium: 126.5 mg (without salt) 



Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used part wheat part regular)
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk ( I used soy)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese ( I used half light sour cream and hal cottage cheese)
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
•  cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

This recipe is from http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/guaranteed-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-sriracha-mayo-dip/
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3 peeled sweet potatoes cut smaller than steak fries but larger than shoestring.
Soak these in water for 1 hour.
Pat a bit dry then do three separate batches of the following: Put 1 Tbs cornstarch in a ziploc bag and add 1/3 of fries. Shake to coat. Put these on a baking sheet. Do the same with the remaining fries.
Drizzle with 1 Tbs olive oil on each batch of fries. Sprinkle with salt and toss with hands to coat. Arrange fries so they are not touching and have room to get crisp. Bake them for 15- 20 minutes

Amazing Turkey Burgers

3 pounds ground turkey

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely diced onion

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 Tbs worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and grill. Juicy and yummy. My kids prefer these over regular burgars.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Basil

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

About 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

25 large basil leaves, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp honey (10g)

pinch of salt

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to merge.

This is from http://greenlitebites.com/2011/06/20/chickpea-and-tomato-salad-with-fresh-basil/

Quinoa, corn and edamame salad

 I added about 1 cup of grape tomatoes

2 cups frozen, shelled, edamame

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa

1 green onion, sliced

1/2 red sweet bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash cayenne

Briefly boil the edamame and the corn until tender. Drain very well and cool completely.

In a large bowl combine the edamame, corn, quinoa, green onion, red pepper and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin, thyme, black pepper and cayenne until emulsified. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.

Servings » About 8 (1/2 cup) servings

Layered salad

This is from fatgirlstrappedinaskinnybody.com

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe from Creative Kitchen Adventures
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp water (more or less depending on the consistency you want)
2 tbsp honey (can be replaced with agave or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients into a small jar (canning jar). Anything with a lid works well.
Shake to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

*Or use my blending method: throw everything in the blender, blend for about 30 seconds, then store in a jar for 1-2 weeks.
Salad
Makes 2 salads (Salads pictured were made in 32 oz mason jars)
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 big handfuls spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
4 tbsp balsamic vinagrette
Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
dressing
onion
mushrooms
tomatoes
quinoa
spinach
The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the spinach (or whatever ‘leaf’ you choose) don’t touch. As long as they stay separate, these salads can be made up to 4 days in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge with a lid on. This is one of my tricks to eating salad everyday for lunch at work. I make a few jars on Sunday night and just grab one to bring to work everyday. When you’re ready to eat, just shake it up.