Honey Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Red Potatoes

Honey Grilled Pork Chops

1/2C soy sauce
1t ground ginger
1 1/2T minced garlic
4T brown sugar
6T honey
1T oil
4 center cut pork chops, 1 1/2 inch thick


Combine soy sauce, ground ginger and garlic in a bowl. Place pork chops in a resealable containter and pour mixture over pork chops. Marinate overnight and grill over med heat. While chops are cooking on grill, simmer brown sugar, honey and oil in a sauce pan until sugar dissolves. When pork chops are almost done place them on the top rack away from direct heat and brush on the glaze cook until finished.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Bag of small red potatoes
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Grated parmesan cheese( I probably used 1/2C to 1C)
Pepper
Seasoned Salt
Garlic
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes into bite size chunks and rinse off in strainer. Combine all dry ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag. Add the potatoes to the dry mix and shake well to mix. Drizzle a little olive oil on a cookie sheet and pour potato mixture onto the cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about an hour or until potatoes are slightly browned and crisp on the outside.

Yet another fabulous couple of finds from http://www.recipezaar.com/. It was also another hit with the family which is never easy to do with my family. Hope everyone else enjoys as much as we did.

My outdoor palace

I don't really enjoy being outdoors much, especially when it is really hot. I don't have air conditionnig in the kitchen though so I have been trying to do most of my dinner cooking on the grill. Here are a few of the things I have purchased to try to make my experience not so bad: Shade canopy, picnic table and a really nice grill.

Other Household Shopping

dog food, cat food, dish detergent, pine sol, liquid bleach, huggies 30pk, glad trashbags, paper plates, wet wipes, pig ears for puppy, puppy food, cat litter, two tank tops, copy paper, headbands, cascade, baking cups and a variety puzzle book Total $97.16


Kenneth's Pre-Kindergarden supplies
Watercolors, Kleenex, folder, crayons, pencils, baby wipes, bag of rice, bag of dry beans, glue sticks, hand sanitizer Total $28.58 his backpack from last year is completely re-useable he only went to preschool and for a paint shirt he gets an oversize t-shirt

This weeks Shopping!

My friend Heather tells me I am great at budgeting and meal planning and should blog about it so here goes.

Here is my meal plan for this week. Saturday July 12 through Friday July 18. I babysit during the day so for breakfast and lunch I am feeding 6 people and then for dinner us four.

Saturday July 12
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches & chips
Supper: Honey Grilled Pork Chops w/ Roasted Red potatoes

Sunday July 13
Breakfast: Biscuits n gravy(Tip: I am not a person who "functions" well in the morning so to cheat I buy the powder mix country gravy and add crumbled browned sausage to it...my hubby never notices the difference!)
Lunch: Sandwiches & chips
Supper: pineapple skewered shrimp with rice and veggies

Monday July 14
Breakfast: Poptarts
Lunch: Hamburger Helper
Supper: Steaks marinated in Andreas Steak sauce with baked potatoes

Tuesday July 15
Breakfast: Chocolate Pancakes
I use regular pancake mix and add a little nesquik for something different and serve them with a little powdered sugar instead of syrup
Lunch: Spaghettios
Supper: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Stuffing

Wednesday July 16
Breakfast: French Toast
I put about 8-9 eggs in a cake pan, add milk, cinnamon and a little sugar to them, mix well. Dip Texas toast bread in the mix, and cook on a griddle pan. (Hint-I make the whole loaf at once and freeze in freezer bags then pop in the toaster for breakfast to warm it back up.)
Lunch: Hot dogs with Chips
Supper: Grilled Lime Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Thursday July 17
Breakfast: Pancakes (Hint: I make several of these at a time as well, make several batches then add the nesquik syrup to the mix and start making chocolate pancakes, I freeze them in freezer bags and a quick trip to the microwave in the mornings to heat them back up.)
Lunch: Hamburger Helper
Supper: Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze with rice and veggies

Friday July 18
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets w/Macaroni and Cheese
Supper: Beer grilled pork chops and spanish rice

My total for groceries only(not including household supplies and diapers and such) this week was $73.66. I didn't clip or use any coupons either.

My Awesome Resale Find

I have made a decision that I AM going to lose all my "having two children" weight. I made myself a mini goal that I am trying with all my might to attain. I would like to lose two dress sizes by August 30 as I have been asked to be the matron of honor in my sister-in-law Kendra's wedding on that date. So I have been walking for 20 minutes every day to boost the weight loss I hope. I however am the hottest natured person you will probably ever meet and I can barely stand to be outside for my children to play in the 90 degree weather we have been having let alone walk a mile down the street in it. I had been driving to a close friend of mine's to use her treadmill, but started thinking that 70 extra miles a week in gas would add up quickly with gas at $4.05 a gallon. So I started calling resale shops in the area and searching for a used treadmill.(New ones start at $250.00) I found one for $49.99. It is old and doesn't look the greatest in the world, but it has all the functions of a new one including incline, all its missing is a pulse check, but heck I can take that myself.

I'll post a picture as soon as I can get some help getting it out of my van and into the house!!!

Rasberry Tilapia

4 4oz Tilapia Fillets

1/4C olive oil

1/4C raspberry vinegar

1/4C honey

1t yellow mustard

1/2t dried dill weed

Preheat oven to 350

Grease an 11x7 inch baking dish

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, raspberry vinegar, honey, mustard and dill weed. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Pour mixture over the fish fillets, coating them evenly. Bake in preheated oven uncovered for 20 minutes or until fish is flaky with a fork.

I sauteed these on the stove in a little olive oil so I wouldn't have to heat my kitchen up as hot as the oven would. This tastes incredible!!! I would eat it again and again!!!

Update to my post on Artificial Sweeteners

As I eliminated all artificial sweeteners from mine and my family's diets, I searched for something other than sugar as over use of sugar is not good for us either. I stumbled upon a natural sweetener called stevia leaf. They are selling it now it is called Only sweet. It is an all natural zero calorie sweetener. I found it at Krogers $5.99 for a box of 100 packets.

Angel Food Ministries

I thought I would write and let everyone know that I have been ordering food every month from the Angel Food Ministries. It costs $30 for the basic packages and they usually have other available boxes ranging from $16 to $20. They are either grill boxes, or chicken or this month they even offered a fresh fruit and vegetable box. They come with a variety of food in them. Last month I was able to provide all the meat for my family except for fish and shrimp for $70 for the whole month. This month I paid $86 as I ordered the fresh fruit and vegetable box as well for an exta $16. I am excited about it, as we are able to eat steaks and ribs which we ordinarily would never be able to afford to eat.

this months menu was:
40oz. marie callenders family crock pot dinner(meat included)
1.5lb boneless pork filet
5lb breaded chicken chunks
1.5lb meaty beef ribs
28oz meatloaf and gravy
1lb beef fajitas
1lb fully cooked meatballs
1lb all meat hot dogs
1lb broccoli
1lb peas and carrots
28oz pasta sauce
1lb pasta
32oz borden 2%red.fat shelf stable milk
32oz hawaiian punch
12ct. corn tortillas
7oz blueberry muffin mix
1 dozen eggs
1 dessert item
all for $30.oo, with the purchase of this you may also purchase
July Special #1-1.5lb new york strip steaks(2x12oz), 2.5lb boneless netted boston butt roast, 2lb meaty beef ribs, 1lb mild italian sausage $20.00
July Special #2-1.5lb kansas city strips(2x12oz), 1.5lb ribeyes(2x12oz), 1.5lb bacon wrapped chicken filet(4x6oz) $20.00
July Special #3-10lb breaded chicken tenders $18.00
July Special #4-6 ears corn, 2lb carrots, 2lb yellow onions, 1 cello wrapped lettuce, 1 pineapple, 1lb strawberries, 1 seedless watermelon, 6 russet potatoes $16.00
They are even approved by the government to accept link cards!!

Grilled Chicken Legs with Lemon and Pepper

8 chicken legs with thigh
1/2C olive oil
1/3C fresh lemon juice
1T chopped fresh rosemary
1t salt
1/2t fresh ground pepper

Arrange chicken in shallow bowl or baking dish, whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place chicken on grill until browned on all sides(about 10 minutes) turning once or twice. If using gas grill reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes.

I placed this in a glass baking dish and baked it for almost two hours at 350 instead of grilling. I also doubled the ingredients because it was barely enough to cover four chicken legs with thighs let alone 8. I did not use fresh rosemary because I didn't have any on hand, but it was still delicious even with dried rosemary. Yet another fabulous find from recipezaar.com #28279

Zesty Grilled Tilapia

6 6oz tilapia fillets
6 T olive oil
1T grated orange zest
6 T freshly squeezed orange juice
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 t hot sauce, to taste
1 t salt
fresh ground black pepper

Place fish in a large nonmetal dish, whisk together remaining ingredients, pour over the fish. Cover and marinate in the refridgerator for 30 to 60 minutes. Grill until fish just flakes when tested with a fork, about 5 minutes per side for each inch of thickness.

I marinated overnight. I also cooked the fish in a disposable foil pan on the grill, which made it easier to manage. Another wonderful try from recipezaar.com #291446

Grilled Bourbon Salmon

1/4C pineapple juice
2T soy sauce
2T brown sugar
1t bourbon
1/4t fresh cracked pepper
1/8t garlic powder
1/2 vegetable oil
1lb salmon fillets

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Remove skin from salmon. Place salmon in a glass dish side by side. Pour some of the marinade over(reserve some for basting while grilling) refridgerate for at least 1 hour a few hours will be even better. Drain and grill over med. -high about 5-7 minutes per side or until fish flakes-basting with the reserved marinade.

I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and I combined my ingredients in a freezer bag and put it in the fridge overnight. I also think it would be okay to omit the bourbon if you so choose as it was only a teaspoon, and I couldn't taste it not even in the background.

This is also a find from recipezaar.com recipe#548

Tequila Lime Shrimp

Tequila Lime Grilled Shrimp
1/2C Olive Oil
1/3C freshly squeezed lime juice(i used the little plastic lime found in the produce section)
3T tequila
2T chopped garlic
2-3T chopped cilantro
18 jumbo shrimp, raw, deveined and shells removed

Combine ingredients and marinade shrimp for several hours or overnight. Grill 2-3 minutes per side. Serve hot or cold.
recipe #276009 from http://www.recipezaar.com/

I doubled this recipe and used two bags of the frozen cooked jumbo shrimp from aldi's. Still turned out terrific!! We will definately have this again and again.