Crock Pot Pork Loin Tacos:: 21 Day Fix Approved

Y'all! I am so sorry I have been slacking on my What's for Dinner Wednesday posts. I would like to start utilizing this blog for other posts as well but haven't quite decided what. If you have anything specific that you would like to see PLEASE let me know! :)

So I have started this new adventure with Insanity Max:30 and the meal guide for this new program encourages the same plan as 21 Day Fix! With 21 Day Fix, planning is KEY! That is one reason I LOVE this recipe, I used it for multiple meals. Also, being a teacher, I was able to cook the tenderloin overnight, shred before work, and keep on warm all day until I got home. Talk about a quick, after work meal.

1 lb pork tenderloin

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cup water

Corn tortillas

Shredded cheese of your choice

For Sauce:

1 teaspoon of fresh or dried cilantro

1 large tablespoon of plain greek yogurt

A few shakes of cumin

1 teaspoon of almond milk or skim milk

For Rub:

Dash of chili powder (can add more for desired "kick")

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of oregano

Combine the spices and rub well onto pork tenderloin. Add water to crock pot. Place pork tenderloin in the crock pot with the bay leaf and water. Cook on low overnight for 6-8 hours or until pork easily shreds. Shred the pork to desired consistency with a fork and leave in the crock pot on warm until ready to eat. (I cooked mine overnight, shredded before work then left on warm all day while I was at work!)

Sauce for taco: Mix together tablespoon of greek yogurt with milk, cumin, and cilantro. Stir until well blended and drizzle a spoonful over top of taco. 

Place the tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Zap in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften the tortillas. Top with pork, cheese and sauce and any other desired toppings. (I would stick with the basics for 21 Day Fixers.)

1 Red with pork

1 Yellow for two small corn tortillas

1 blue of desired cheese split between the two tacos

Sauce should not be used enough to count

I also used the leftover pork on a Flat Out bread pizza and that was wonderful as well. 

(Light) Spinach Alfredo

I know you heard the word "Alfredo" and thought "yeah, right!" But besides the store bought light Alfredo and a small dab of butter it's good to go! And it was delicious too! --Gregg approved--

2 cups penne pasta

10 oz light Alfredo sauce (Bertolli brand was the one I used)

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/4 cup plain almond milk (or skim)

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1 egg

1/2 cup part skim Mozzerella cheese 

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray casserole dish with olive oil spray or cooking spray. (I used 9x13)

Cook pasta, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again well. 

Whisk Alfredo sauce with spinach, cottage cheese, milk, butter, garlic, and basil.

Add the pasta. 

Whisk in the egg. 

Pour into the dish and top with cheese. 

Bake for 25 minutes and then let sit for 10 minutes. 

Hope you love it as much as we did!

Mayo-less Egg Salad

I'm super excited that this only uses 6 ingredients and tasted awesome as well! I made this one recipe and ate lunch for 3 days with four eggs! That means it's cheap too. 

4 hard boiled eggs 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sweet relish

Salt and pepper

1-2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

Peel the hard boiled eggs and seperate the whites from the yolk. Save 3 whites and cut and mix the yolks with the 1 white. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

Slice up the remaining whites to add to your sandwich if desired. I used whole grain sandwich thins. 

Yum! The less healthy version was definitely a childhood favorite!

Meatloaf Cupcakes

I know the sound of it is like ummmm weird, but they are soooo delicious I PROMISE! Gregg even asked me to make them again!

So here is the story. I left school at 7:30pm one night last week and was freaking out because I had thawed the turkey out and couldn't let it go to waste but DID NOT want to cook! These bad boys took 30 minutes to make and cook and it only took me about 2 minutes to clean my plate. oops. ;) SO worth it! Hope you find this recipe as delicious as I did and useful on one of those crazy nights. I am even thinking about making the mini size ones as an appetizer type dish for a party. What do you think?

1 lb ground turkey (or beef if you choose)

1/2 chopped onion

2 eggs (I used egg beaters)

1 cup bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup organic ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

barbecue sauce of your choice

mashed potatoes (I was so slack and used one pack of instant mashed potatoes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins well with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray).

Mix all of the ingredients together. Mix well. 

Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. 

Top with barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes. 

Make sure you get all three in one bite (the perfect bite)! 

This recipe made 12 meatloaf cupcakes.

Cheeseburger Casserole

Got a craving for cheeseburgers...I have one now just saying the word! Mmmmm. But I'm not talking McDonald's burger that can sit on a counter for a year without going bad junk. (vom!) Mix it, cook it, and eat it...and then eat it again and again! That's my kind of meal. I even invited my mom and brother over to share and they approved.

2 cups of whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles (or noodles of your choice)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions (as you can see I used pre-chopped frozen ones)

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 clove minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tbsp organic tomato paste

2 cans of diced tomatoes, drained (I only used one because I'm not huge on tomatoes), no salt added

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 cups of the cheese of your choice (this is what I had but would prefer reduced fat)

(optional chopped dill pickles for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray (I use olive oil spray). Cook the pasta according to the package al dente and drain.

In a large skillet heat the oil, add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in garlic and add meat. Cook until browned and season with salt and pepper. In the skillet add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and mustard and stir well until mixed through. Let this mixture cook until bubbly and thickening for about 2 minutes. 

Stir the meat mixture into the pasta and spread into casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

When it is finished you can sprinkle the chopped pickles over the top and serve. 

1 serving= about 1 cup and this recipe makes about 9 servings. As usual I portioned it out and packaged it up and there's my lunch and dinner for a few days!!

This recipe is on a few different websites so I just made it how I liked it with the ingredients that best suited me. :) Hope you like it too! 

Spaghetti Pie

If you can't tell by now I LOVE Italian food! What's better? Quick and easy Italian food. I stumbled across this, added my touch, and it was delicious. 

1/2 box of whole grain spaghetti noodles

2 tablespoons of butter (this is the worst part)

2 eggs, beaten (I used Egg Beaters)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup part skim cottage cheese

1 12oz package chicken sausage, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 a can of no salt added diced tomatoes

1 6oz can of organic tomato paste

1 teaspoon of sugar 

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 cup shredded mozzarella (or amount of your choice) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie dish with olive oil or cooking spray. 

Cook spaghetti al dente and drain. 

Stir butter in hot noodles until melted. Stir in egg and Parmesan. 

Form this mixture into a crust in pie dish. Spread cottage cheese over noodle crust. 

In a skillet cook the meat and onion. Stir in drained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and garlic powder and heat through. Stir well. 

Spread meat mixture over cottage cheese.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. 

Adapted from moneysavingmom.com

5 Ingredient Pizza Bake

I am a pizza queen. I mean I love all foods but pizza is up there in a tie with a few other favorites! Anyways, as we all know pizza isn't the best for you either. I found this recipe and changed it up a little to suit my needs and made it a little healthier. I LOVED it! The gluten free Bisquick was a little dry but I fixed that with pizza sauce. Hope you love it too. 

1 box 16oz Gluten free Bisquick pancake and baking mix  (can use regular Bisquick if preferred)

1½  cup water

14 oz jar organic pizza sauce

1 package turkey pepperoni

2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray.)

In a medium bowl mix Bisquick with water until a soft dough forms. (I started with 1 cup of water and slowly added more as needed.)

Drop half of the dough by the spoonful into the bottom of the baking dish. (This will not completely cover the bottom of the dish.)

Drizzle half of the pizza sauce over the dough balls. Place half of the pepperoni over the top of that. Top with half of the cheese.

Repeat the layers with the remaining dough, sauce, pepperoni, and cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into 8 squares to serve.

Quick, delicious, not too unhealthy, Friday night favorite. 

Adapted from bettycrocker.com