Recipe of the week: Green chili pulled pork

My husband and I are big college football fans...okay so we are big ASU fans. :)  We always plan our day around watching the game on TV, and in the past always ordered pizza and wings or something like it for game days, so that I wouldn't have to cook.

This year, however, in an effort to save money and calories (15 lbs. down, by the way!!) I've decided to make game day, "crock pot meal" day!  I've been scouring the internet for fun and healthier crock pot recipes, and every game day we are going to try a new one.  We just started last weekend, and I have to say that the first recipe was a gem!!!!!! Green chili pulled pork, which I used to make tacos, was a super easy recipe and turned out to be delicious.

Green Chili Pulled Pork

1 small pork shoulder/butt

1/2 to 1 8 oz jar of green salsa ( I used about 3/4 of the jar)

1 small onion chopped

1 cup cilantro (washed) chopped

2 cans chopped green chilis (or fresh roasted)

Dump all in crock pot. Cook on medium all day. Serve as soft corn pork tacos with mexican rice. 

Could it be any easier??  I was lucky enough to get to use fresh roasted hatch chilis, and it was wonderful!  I served it on low carb tortillas with fresh cilantro and tomato, and a little fat free sour cream.  SO yummy! One word of caution, the recipe doesn't say how big to get the pork shoulder, and the smallest one I found was 7lbs! so I cooked it on high for about 4 hours then turned it to low for 3.

Its been a ton of fun trying to find new recipes that may be a little splurge (enough to feel like we are having a special game day meal) without all the calories.  We have a whole list of recipes that we are going to try out, and I will be sharing the memorable ones with you guys!  

Recipe of the week: Low Cal Boneless Buffalo Nuggets

I got this recipe out of the Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 cookbook, so I cannot claim it as my own.  But it was super yummy so I wanted to share.  The best part....its low calorie and high flavor, the best combination!



Love buffalo wings but stay away from the high calorie, fried food trap?  Try these boneless buffalo nuggets. Full of buffalo wing flavor, these baked goodies are only 180 calories for 5! Just what my diet ordered.  :)

8 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into 10 pieces)
1 oz. (around 14) fat free BBQ flavored Pringles chips
1/4 cup of Fiber One cereal
3-4 tablespoons of your favorite wing sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grind up cereal in a food processor until its a breadcrumb consistency.

Crush Pringles thoroughly.  Mix chips and cereal together with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.

Dredge each piece of chicken in wing sauce then coat with dry mixture and set on a baking sheet that is  lined with foil.

Bake for 8-10 minutes per side, flipping half way through.



I made some ranch using fat free sour cream for a dip.  These taste like the real thing, without the mess.  Let me know what you think!

Oh, and go buy this.  Now. I'm serious!

Recipes to share

So one of my reasons for doing this blog is to share some of my favorite recipes with you. I like to think of myself as a foodie that is short on time and money! I LOVE trying new foods, but I just don't have the money to eat out all the time and, since I have a four year old, my choices of what to make at home are somewhat limited.  But I am always trying out new recipes when I get the chance, and I am going to share the good ones here with you!  And please, if you have a recipe you love, email me with it and I will be sure to post it.

I am always trying to think of good dishes to bring to parties, and this one is an instant hit!  Even people who don't think they like artichokes love this dip.  Try it the next time you have a pot luck!  I like to buy the round loaves of bread and take out the inside. Then I put the dip in and cut up the top and inside pieces and lay them around the bowl.  Yumm!!

Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

•    1 can Artichoke Hearts (14 Oz. Can)                                10 whole Black Olives

•    8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese (1 Pack)                      1 cup (Real) Mayonnaise

•    whole Egg                                                                             ¼ cups Red Onion, Diced

•    ¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese                                   3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

•    Salt and Pepper, to taste                                                   Cayenne Pepper (for Spice)

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5 to 8 times untilmixture is combined but not totally liquefied. Stir and check seasonings, then pour into a small casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

An alternative to the usual Fourth of July fare!

It's the 4th of July weekend, which means get togethers, BBQ's and tons of food!  It is easy to get stuck in the "4th of July" rut, another year of hotdogs and hamburgers, because it satisfies even the picky eaters (kids) in the family, and it is easy.

So then why not spice up the side dishes/appetizers this year?? It is a great way to get in some fun and unique menu items without turning away the culinary novices.  :)

Most people don't necessarily think of putting nachos on the holiday menu, but they are a great, easy, inexpensive side dish that work well with the casualness of the 4th of July! You can even buy the basic ingredients and then make a couple different varieties to set out, and it is much more exciting then just the plain old chips and dip.

Here are some nacho ideas I got out of the food network magazine that  I think would be great:

Margarita shrimp:

1/2 lb shrimp marinated in margarita mix and a little cayenne then grilled
Top tortilla chips with 1 1/2 cups ea. of shredded cheddar and muenster and bake.
Add shrimp, diced onion, diced tomato and avocado


Cajun:

Top chips with 3 cups  shredded cheddar, 1lb. cooked diced andouille sausage and 1 cup each of diced pepper, celery and onion.
Bake and top with salsa and pickled jalapenos.

How about  dessert nachos??

S'more:
Top graham crackers with marshmallow fluff.  Bake and top with hot fudge.


The possibilities are really never ending, and everyone will love the unique addition to your holiday BBQ!