Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin and WIAW

This week has been crazy! Super busy with lots and lots of work meetings and travel.  If this post doesn't make sense that is why.  I am trying to think about the coming weekend and just need to make it for 3 more days.

My busy days warranted a sweet breakfast.  A waffles topped with Vermont Peanut Butter  and bananas.  A big cup of mocha coffee (1/2 coffee, 1/2 chocolate soy milk).  If you ever need to start your day off right mocha coffee is the way to go.

Lunch was prepackaged leftovers from this tater tot casserole, a slice of baked brie, and some carrots.

Dinner was what I looked forward to all day.  It was amazing.  Cooking Light's newest edition has had some major wins for dinner recipes.

With the help of Mr. J, we created this fantastic dinner in little time with little dish mess.

This recipe was one of those that sounded good right from the beginning and then became amazing after realizing I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I hate when there is a recipe I want to make that requires special ingredients.

You sear the pork, pour over 1/2 the marinade and then place the whole thing in the oven.

Brussels sprouts also went into the oven.  Halfway through cooking time, you flip the pork pour on the remaining marinade and then cook some more.  As the meat was resting, I tossed the Brussels sprouts in the pork roasting pan to get the flavoring of the marinade. For a kick I added some additional hot pepper flakes.

This is a dinner definitely fancy enough to impress those holiday guests sure to be paying a visit soon.

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: saute entree pork American

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat.

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over; brush with 1/4 cup marmalade mixture.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Turn pork over; brush with 1/4 cup marmalade mixture.

Bake an additional 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 150°. Remove pork from pan; brush with reserved 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture. Let stand 10 minutes; slice.

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Grilled Chicken Marinade

Lately I have been thinking about a lot of different things in my life. This always makes Mr. J very worried. He knows that if I ever actually come up with any definitive conclusions he will be effected. 

I like to think I make good decisions so he will be happy.  Lately I read Born to Run. This book, like any good book got me thinking.  Mainly I need to be running more. But how I run, why, and what else about my lifestyle will help me run started filling my head.

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

One section of the book was based purely on diet.  Runner exert energy and there for need carbohydrates and protein to build that energy back up.  Well these mystic runners don't eat steaks or pasta.  

Beans, rice, leafy greens. 

This along with a lot of other studies I have heard and read about makes me think that we don't really need animal products.  I am toying with the idea of eating very little meat and drastically reducing my intact of dairy products. Animal protein does not seem to be what the body needs. 

Mr. J isn't as keen as I am to simply just give up meat.  In fact to prove me wrong he came up with this delicious chicken marinade to tempt my palate.  Then he grilled it knowing that my nose would make my stomach head in the right direction.  


We had chicken for dinner.  I never said it didn't TASTE good. 


Our compromise for now is...

1. Eat more fruits and veggies - some with each meal
2. Add more beans to diet - at least twice a week
3. Eat less red meat - maybe once a week

Only time will tell if we can manage...especially during BBQ season.

Garlic Lemon Chicken Marinade

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: grill chicken

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp herbs de Provence
• 4 cloves chopped garlic

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and place in plastic bag or container.

Add chicken and coat thoroughly. Let sit for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and cook any way you would like.

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Asian Beef Salad

Oh weekend could you please be one more day? I know you gave us an extra one but it was so much fun.  And I really, really don't wan to go into work this morning. 

If you are like me today you know that any little thing you have to get done seems like a mountain to climb.  I do not climb mountains.  My gift to you then is a quick meal that takes very little effort.  You place all of the ingredients in a bag to marinate.  The best part is that you only really need 10 minutes, in case you are like me and forget in the morning.  You can also let it sit in the fridge over night.

You broil the steak for about 5 minutes on each side.  Be careful not to start a fire.  This is a common occurrence in my house whenever we use the broiler. 

You can be like my husband and eat the meat straight. I like to actually follow the recipe and have a salad.  Makes me healthy, right?  The flavor is great.  Enjoy your quick and easy meal on what is sure to be a long day getting back into the flow of things.

Asian Flank Steak Marinade

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
• 1 pound flank steak
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oils, red-pepper flakes, and garlic.

Pierce steak all over with a fork; place in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag. Pour soy sauce and half of lime-juice mixture over steak (reserve remaining half for dressing), and marinate at room temperature, 10 minutes (or up to overnight in the refrigerator).

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lift steak from marinade (discard marinade), and place on baking sheet. Broil, without turning, until medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal, across the grain.

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