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!

Barbecue Chicken Pockets

These bad boys were quick and easy! Maybe not at the top of the healthy foods list but certainly tasty. Serve with some veggies and you're good to go. Sorry the measurements aren't exact. I eyeballed everything.  :)

1 package of Pillsbury Crescent rolls (8 rolls)

8 chicken breast strips or 1 lbs sliced into strips

Coconut oil

Barbecue sauce of your choice

Shredded cheddar cheese

Fully cook the chicken in 1 tbs coconut oil. 

Preheat oven to 375. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil or non stick spray. 

Unroll crescent roll dough, tear apart and spread each one out to fit chicken. 

Sprinkle cheese, plop some BBQ sauce, place the chicken at the top. 

Roll and place seam side down on cookie sheet. 

Sprinkle tops with cheese. 

Bake for 15 minutes and ENJOY!

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

Turkey Meatballs

I made these at 10PM last week after a super long and busy day. Gregg said he liked it and even ate the leftovers. (I really appreciate my taste tester.)

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 eggs beaten (I used Egg Beaters liquid for 2 eggs)

1/4 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon italian seasoning (you could use your own mixture for even healthier)

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Whole wheat spaghetti noodles or pasta of choice. I was even considering meatball subs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. (I dug in with my hands.) Roll the meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on an olive oil or cooking sprayed baking sheet. Heat in the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through. When the meatballs are cooked, put them into the bowl with your tomato sauce. Let the cool and set in sauce for about 15 minutes. I served with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. 

While those are cooking make your homemade tomato sauce. 

(I honestly would double the sauce recipe if I make it again because there didn't seem to be enough extra sauce for my pasta.) -------> These ingredient measurements are the original, not doubled. 

2 cups of unsweetened organic tomato sauce

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Heat the minced garlic in a medium sized pot over medium heat. After about 5 minutes add remaining ingredients and stir together. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

-----Recipe adapted from brokeandbougie.blogspot.com

Southwestern BBQ Wraps

You can't get any EASIER than this! If you pre-cook the chicken, then this recipe is a matter of dumping, stirring, and zapping. Soooo yum and I've eaten it for multiple meals. SUPER QUICK!

1/2 pound chicken breasts

1 teaspoon coconut oil (olive oil works too) 

1 can no salt added corn –drained and rinsed

1 can low sodium black beans –drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons barbeque sauce of choice (or more if desired)

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon light sour cream

1 teaspoon olive oil

Whole grain wraps or corn tortillas

Lettuce, tomato, or other desired toppings.

Cook chicken in coconut oil over medium heat until cooked through. Dice or pull to preferred size for wraps. 

In a medium microwave safe bowl combine chicken, corn, black beans, barbecue sauce, sour cream, cilantro, olive oil. Stir and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for two minutes or until mixture is desired temperature.

I placed lettuce on the wrap, topped with the chicken mixture, then a small amount of cheese.

Healthy Sloppy Joes and Sweet Potato Fries

This was so delicious that Gregg ate three sandwiches in one sitting and the leftovers did not go to waste! So yum!! 

Healthy Sloppy Joes

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 cups diced onion

4 Tablespoons honey (2 or 3 depending on sweetness preference)

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 can organic tomato sauce

2 tablespoons organic tomato paste

1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar*

1 tablespoon Tamari Soy Sauce*

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar*

Whole wheat buns or sandwich thins

*if you don't have these ingredients on hand you can replace with Worcestersiresauce-----less healthy option*

 

Cook the onion and bell pepper over medium heat about 2 minutes. Add the turkey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, turkey, and honey and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until turkey is completely browned, stir often. --------smells so good!!!!

 

Reduce heat to low and add rice vinegar, Tamari sauce, apple cider vinegar and stir it all together. Now add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and mix until it is all completely mixed together. Cover and heat over low for 5 minutes.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

2 sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch fry pieces. (Use your muscles for this)

2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil (or melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Honey to drizzle over top

 

Preheat oven to 475. Slice the sweet potatoes into inch thick fries. 

 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the fries in the oil and cinnamon and spread out in one layer (Do not overlap any) on the baking sheet and put on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Flip the fries and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Drizzle with honey for serving.

Hope you love these as much as we did! :) 

Salami Stromboli

So it's not my usual What's for Dinner Wednesday post but I really couldn't wait to share this one! Gregg loved it so much he sat here next to me and ate the whole thing minus what I ate. I am not claiming that this is very healthy but quick and delicious IT IS! You could choose other ingredients to make it healthier as well. Here's what I did:

1 roll of Pilsbury pizza crust

1 package sliced provolone cheese 

1 Nitrate free salami

Finely chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with nonstick spray. 

Unroll dough and flatten out into rectangle. Place cheese in a flat layer covering surface of dough. Place a layer of salami covering cheese. Sprinkle green onions over salami. Roll dough (like a jelly roll) and press seam closed. Place seam side down on pan. Cut a few small slits on top of roll. Bake for 20-35 minutes until dough is golden brown.

You can really use any ingredient you choose. Some modifications to make it healthier could be using a hard cheese like cheddar or Parmesan, use a different nitrate free meat or pulled chicken, hand make dough with fresh ingredients or buy a healthier option. 

Mustard Glazed Cod

With Gregg as my taste tester, I got approval. He loved the lemon flavor however, I would have added only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. With no filter on this picture, it was very light and flaky, not very fishy tasting! I would serve with some steamed veggies! So without further ado, here's my first quick and tasty dinner! 

Mustard Glazed Cod

*3 filets of cod (tilapia or other white fish would do)

*2 tablespoons of lemon juice (1 if you don't prefer a citrusy taste)

*2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (I poured from the bottle)

*2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

*1 teaspoon dried basil 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat pan with non-stick spray. Place fish on pan tucking any thin edges. 

In a bowl combine lemon juice, butter substitute, mustard, and basil. Pour over fish. 

Bake in oven for 6-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. 

(Adapted from Team Beachbody)