Continuing the Fall Fun: Baked Apples and Pork

After enjoying my fall-tastic pumpkin pancakes this morning, I decided to keep the autumn spirit alive and use one of fall’s finest fruits in tonight’s dinner. Apples!

I tossed a load of laundry in the washing machine and then broke out my trusty recipe binder and flipped to the Pork Chops and Apples recipe I printed out from Eat Better America’s Web site.

Laundry Night!

My Supplies

First, I trimmed the fat off the pork and lightly browned the meat before placing the chops on top of the sliced Granny Smith apples, sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Browning the Pork

Granny Smith Apples Smothered in Cinnamon

Before entering the oven...

Mmmmm!

I then covered the pork and apples with foil and baked at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

Done! Juicy Baked Apples

I fixed myself a nice plate. The apples were definitely my favorite part of this recipe!

Mah Plate

The Best Part

The recipe was pretty decent, though the pork was a tad on the dry side. Ryan had the suggestion to top the meat with applesauce next time which seems like a good idea to me. I might also shorten the baking time.

Enjoying the Baked Cinnamon Apples

Despite some dry bites, I still managed to clear my plate!

Enjoying Every Last Bite

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1	medium unpeeled cooking apple, sliced
2	tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4	teaspoon ground cinnamon
2	pork rib chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (about 1/4 lb each)

Directions:

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Place apples in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
2.	Remove fat from pork. Spray 8- or 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Cook pork in hot skillet about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown. Place pork in single layer on apples.
3.	Cover; bake about 45 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center and apples are tender.

Kashi! For Me? For Free?

Yep! As I was perusing Kashi’s Web site today, I stumbled upon a yummy-lookin’ free sample. Visit this link and select your choice of three Kashi cereals to receive in the mail.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal

I love the Go Lean Crunch, but decided to expand my Kashi-loving horizons and opted for the Honey Sunshine cereal. I can’t wait to get my sample. Packages in the mail are the best. It’s like Christmas!

Somethin’ Fishy

“Ewww that’s kitty chow,” my friend Michaela would say anytime I had a tuna salad sandwich for lunch back in elementary school. Cats do love a good can of tuna and so do I!

The last time four-packs of canned tuna were on sale at the grocery store I stocked up and last night I realized I have one too many cans of this fish in my apartment. That made today’s lunch an easy decision.

Tuna Salad on a Wheat Bagel

I made the tuna salad with a big ol’ squirt of light Miracle Whip and two large spoonfuls of sugar-free relish. After slicing a juicy plum tomato and scooping the tuna salad onto a toasted Alternative sweet wheat bagel, my lunch was ready.

A Fishy Lookin' Bagel

Eating tuna salad takes me back to the days when I’d have to defend my choice of sandwich against the mob of peanut butter and jellies that would surround me at the school lunch table. Ah, memories.

My morning snack choice was definitely less stinky.

Apple Quesadilla

I made an apple quesadilla by melting light Babybel cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and topping it with warm Granny Smith apple slices.

Ooey, Gooey, Cheesy and Fruity

Sweet, salty and oh-so-cheeesy!

Family Fun Run

This morning, Ryan and I leashed up Sadie and set out on a 5 mile run before 6 a.m.

You want me to run? Before the sun is up???

Ryan has played soccer all his life… school, club, intramural teams, you name it. His current team plays once a week on Sundays in a men’s league. The guys really seem to love it but Ryan will tell you first hand that the athleticism that was there in high school just isn’t there anymore.

Like many college guys, after graduating high school, Ryan’s workout routine seemed to revolve around weightlifting more than cardiovascular training. He’s since incorporated more cardio days into his workout routine, but typically does sprints or a machine for a maximum of 20 minutes. It’s no surprise that during the second half of Sunday’s soccer game, he started to feel a little fatigued. I’m sure the 90 degree Florida heat didn’t help one bit!

In an effort to improve his endurance, last night Ryan said he wanted to go running this morning and I quickly jumped at the opportunity to join him since I don’t like to run alone in the morning before the sun is up (safety first!). It was such a treat to have a running buddy to talk to and I loved spending some quality time together before work.

We both worked up quite a sweat and Sadie was thrilled to have two running buddies instead of just one!

Schweaty! (Can you spot Sadie?)

Being the he-man that he is, Ryan showered up and downed a protein shake and was out the door on his way to work within 15 minutes of arriving home.

It's tough to smile before the sun is up!

Since Sadie joined us on our family fun run, I didn’t have to take her on her usual 40 minute walk, so I had a little extra time to put into making myself a super-special breakfast.

In honor of the first official day of fall I decided to make pumpkin protein pancakes. (How’s that for some alliteration?)

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

To make the ‘cakes, I blended 1/2 cup of canned organic pumpkin, 1 scoop All the Whey cinnamon protein powder and two egg whites.

Canned Pumpkin, Egg Whites, Cinnamon Protein Powder

Blended Mix

Close Up

The batter was relatively thin and I think I might use only one egg white next time. I then poured the mix on a hot griddle and enjoyed the fantastic fall aroma while they cooked.

Cook Little 'Cakes, Cook!

Yummmmmy

The batter made approximately five decent-size pancakes (and one lil’ baby pancake that I gobbled right up).

A Very Autumn Breakfast

I topped my pumpkin pancakes with Smucker’s sugar-free breakfast syrup.

Smuckers Sugar-Free Breakfast Syrup

What a great way to begin a new season. 🙂

Happy fall to all!