ASIAN PEPPER PORK

Asian Pepper Pork
serves 6-8

1/2 cup soy sauce (reg. or lite)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBS vinegar
1 tsp. sesame (or whatever) oil
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced thin (or 3-4 tsp. of minced garlic)
1 TBS ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, I didn't use it)
2-3 pounds pork, trimmed and cut into half-fist sized pieces (could be chops, or a roast)
1 pkg. whole wheat linguini
2-3 green, orange, red, or yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
10-12 oz. of snow peas (they come in bags by the salads)

Combine first 7 ingredients and set aside.  Place pork in crock pot and pour soy sauce mixture over meat to coat.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours until it easily pulls apart with a fork.
Just before serving, boil pasta in large pot, adding peppers and peas to boiling water during the last two minutes of cooking.  Don't overcook the veggies.
Drain noodles & vegetables.  Set aside (keep warm.)
Remove meat from crockpot.  Shred.  Strain cooking liquid and pour into skillet.  Bring to a full boil (thicken with corn starch or flour.)  Cook until slightly thickened.  Add shredded meat.
Serve meat over pasta and veggies.  Garnish with sesame seeds of chopped peanuts, if desired.

This was a big hit at our house.

Homemade Granola Bars

These are actually good.  They taste a lot like the Quaker ones.  Just don't leave your honey mixture on the stove too long like I did.  Ooops....

They freeze well and thaw well too and are good in lunches.  

And supposedly healthier and cheaper.  Probably depends on if you have a cheap source of honey.

Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Makes 24 bars (9″x13″ pan)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ cups Rice Krispies (if you want to make these healthier, you can use plain puffed rice cereal)
• 1 ¾ cups quick oats (regular rolled oats work too)
• ¼ cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed, wheat bran, or additional oats)
• ½ cup additional mix-in ingredients, optional (i.e. shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, sesame or sunflower seeds, etc.)
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup brown sugar (or sucanat)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl.
• In a saucepan, mix the honey, brown sugar and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds.
• Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips.
• Press into a greased 9×13 pan and let cool before cutting into bars.

These freeze well!!

Brigette Shevy from moneysaving mom.com

Chicken Carbonara (Under 500 Calories)

Chicken Carbonara--from ksl.com

WW Spaghetti

Ingredients:

8 oz. whole wheat Spaghetti
½ gallon water
½ tsp. olive oil

Lite Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 oz. yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
½ cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Carbonara

Ingredients:

5 slice cooked bacon, diced
¾ tsp. garlic, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil
½ cup green peas, frozen
20 oz. pre-cooked grilled chicken
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. walnut halves & pieces, toasted
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat water to a rolling boil; add pasta, oil and salt; cook until Al dente. Hold hot.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until light brown.
3. Add milk, chicken broth, flour, salt and pepper over low heat until smooth and thick.
4. Continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens; stir in parmesan cheese.
5. Heat the cooked bacon and garlic in a pan until bacon is crisp. Add chopped basil.
6. Add the lite Alfredo, peas and the pasta; toss to coat.
7. Fan chicken to the left side of the pasta.
8. Sprinkle with toasted chopped walnuts, black pepper and chopped parsley.