Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chops...aka Daddy Does Dinner

In our house, there is a pretty equittable split when it comes to chores. I do laundry; he washes cars. I cook dinner; he cleans up. But every now and then, the lines get a little blurred. And usually the results are pretty dang delicious.

I stumbled across this recipe several years ago--I distinctly remember the first time I made it...it was our first "meal" in the camper after we purchased it. Funny how food memories stick so well sometimes!! I can't recall where to give credit for the original recipe, but I'm sure I've changed things enough over time to probably call this one my own, lol!!

Tonight we served this alongside baked sweet potatoes and my FAVE kale and cranberry salad. The hubs is in charge of the grill in our house, so I set up the brine last night and have done my best to type his cooking directions here. He's a bit like me about cooking..sometimes it's hard to really spell out how you got dinner on the table, but you just know you liked it :)

I'm working on the meal plan for my next go at 21 Day Fix...and the lightbulb definitely went off as I looked at this plate tonight...it's totally 21 Day Fix approved!! It would count as one red, one yellow, and a very delicious green :) I'm looking for a few fab folks to help me stay accountable--if you've got 5-10 lbs to lose the RIGHT way, and are up for getting it done in three weeks, I'd love to have you join me!! Comment below with your email and I'll get back to you ASAP!

As David said, there's a "daddy" sized pork chop and a "mommy" sized one :)

Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chops


Ingredients: 
2-4 thick, bone-in center cut pork chops (boneless could be used I suppose, I just love the flavor of bone-in!)
1 quart water
2 Lipton iced tea bags
1/2 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tspn ground coriander (or 1 tspn coriander seeds)
2 tspns whole black peppercorns
1 tspn kosher salt
1 bay leaf
6 whole cloves
1 tbsp molasses (I've subbed honey or maple syrup in a pinch!)
2 cups ice

Preparation:
In a large pot, combine water through the molasses. Bring mixture to a boil, and then remove from heat. Stir in the ice, and allow to sit till room temperature (I sometimes speed this part up by putting the mixture in the fridge). Place pork chops in a container with a lid and pour brine over chops. Let sit in fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours).

According to David, preheat the grill to high (he thinks his grill gets up to 650 degrees). Sear the chops for about two minutes on each side. Move chops to top rack and lower the heat to low (about 275 degrees). Place chops back on the low grates, and cook for 4 minutes on each side (longer if needed depending on the thickness of the chops).

Check temp of chops using a meat thermometers, and allow chops to rest for a few minutes before serving.

1. FYI: The USDA recommends that pork be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The federal agency says it is lowering the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 degrees to 145 degrees and adding a 3-minute rest time.

Crockpot Whole Chicken Dinner

I guess you can say things have gotten a little busy for our little Fit Foodie Fam...Little started her year in the "Eeyore room" at school (which loosely translates into "your baby isn't a baby anymore"), I started my 8th year of teaching, and the hubby...well football season started, so I'm a widow for the next few months.

All those things are usually what I turn to as excuses for not eating well or not working out.  With a little planning and a GREAT accountability group at school, neither has suffered too much surprisingly. My teacher fit club has been awesome this year--we've been great about meeting for a 30 minute sweat sesh about four days a week. We've tackled some Focus T25, a little PiYo, and even some 21 Day Fix Workouts. It's been super fun varying what we're going each day, but even more fun to have folks to laugh and chat with while we burn a few hundred calories.

Seven versions from seven different kitchens...all delish!

As for eating right, I've really leaned on my clean eating challengers for keeping me focused. August's group really killed it--and pushed me to think outside the box to come up with ways to make clean, healthy eating exciting while still not taking more than thirty minutes a night. September's group really upped the ante though--we ate clean crock pot dinners for four straight nights. Recipe testing was a bit ridiculous--the hubby was traveling a lot for work, so it meant I was pawning off leftovers on unsuspecting coworkers or stocking our freezer with some quick, clean dinners (neither of those are really a bad thing, are they??). Overall, the four day challenge was a great success and SO fun!! 

After some prodding from friends, I've decided to share one of the faves--a whole chicken dinner in the crockpot :) I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we did!! And even if you aren't cooking for an army, my oh my the things you could do with the leftovers!!

Crockpot Whole Chicken Dinner

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds

3 stalks of celery, cut into thirds

7-8 small red or yellow potatoes, halved

2 tspn smoked paprika (regular is ok, too)

½ tspn cayenne pepper

1 tspn onion powder

1 tspn garlic powder

1 tspn dried thyme

½ tspn ground black pepper

½ tspn salt

1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs), rinsed and patted dry

Preparation:

Spray crock pot with a little cooking spray (just be on the safe side J). Throw all veggies into crock pot. Combine all spices, and rub over entire chicken (make sure to sprinkle some in the cavity also). Wiggle chicken into the crock pot, rearranged veggies as needed to nestle it down in there. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Preheat over to 475. If your crock pot has a removable ceramic “pot”, place whole pot in oven and bake for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a ceramic pot, move chicken and veggies into a casserole dish and bake as planned to give skin a crispy, delicious finish!

*My crock pot holds 6-7 quarts; smaller crock pots may not be able to fit this whole meal.

**Chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 160 degrees (you want that to register in the thigh, not the breast). Always check temp before eating!!