My Meals are on Wheels

Cumin Spiced Pork Chops w/ Roasted Butternut Squash and Mixed Chili Beans

Today’s Menu: Cumin Spiced Pork Chops w/ Roasted Butternut Squash and Mixed Chili Beans

For Breakfast this morning I Scrambled a couple of Eggs, toasted 2 slices of Aunt Millie’s Live Carb Smart Wheat Bread, and a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. Another beautiful day outside. 78 degrees and sunny out today. After Breakfast I did a load of laundry. Then I got the cart out of the shed and did some yard work. Later I rode around the neighborhood enjoying the day. So for Dinner tonight I prepared Cumin Spiced Pork Chops w/ Roasted Butternut Squash, Mixed Chili Beans, and Baked Garlic Oval Loaf Bread. Mom loves this trio for Dinner!

I had the Chops in the freezer and laid them in the fridge overnight to thaw. To prepare my Chops I’ll need; The Cumin Spiced Rub which consists of 1 tbsp Roasted Cumin, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Chili Powder, 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika, 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper. To prepare it, preheat oven to 400°. Combine all the ingredients; rub it all over the pork chop. Let stand 20 minutes. Start by heating the Extra Virgin Olive oil in a Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to the pan; cook for 3 minutes, browning both sides. From the stove to the oven and bake at 400° for 20 minutes until the thermometer registered 150° (slightly pink), turning after 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Fantastic combo of Spices, which makes one incredible Crust on the Chop with the inside being tender and moist! Love this seasoning on Pork!

Then for one side I prepared some Roasted Butternut Squash, an easy recipe for some delicious Butternut Squash! I purchased 2 small packages of Diced Butternut Squash at Meijer. They sell packages of it that they dice up. This is a lot easier than peeling and seeding one yourself, especially if you don’t have a good knife to cut it. I’ll need; 1 package of Diced Butternut Squash, Walnut Pieces, Bacon Pieces, 1 tablespoons Extra Light Olive Oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Grinder Sea Salt, and 1 teaspoon McCormick Grinder Peppercorn Medley.

To prepare it; Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the Squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the Olive Oil, Salt, and Peppercorn and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the Squash is tender, turning once with a spatula. And done, very easy to prepare. With the small amount of Seasoning and Olive Oil, it really brings out the flavor of Butternut Squash! The Walnuts work perfect with the Squash.

For a 2nd side I prepared a can of Bush’s Mixed Chili Beans – Kidney and Pinto Beans in Mild Chili Sauce. For me you just can’t beat Bush’s Beans. I’ve prepared these several times now and really like them, nice combo using the Kidney and Pinto Beans. To prepare them just empty the Beans into a small sauce pan. Cover and heat to a simmer. Done! I also baked a loaf of Garlic Oval Loaf Bread. For Dessert/Snack later a 100 Calorie Mini Bag of Snyder’s Pretzel Sticks with a Diet Peach Snapple to drink.

Pork Facts….
One serving of pork is 3 ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. An image of the portion size is important because a thick pork chop can be twice that size and without realizing it you can eat double the calories. You’ll get 137 calories and 4 grams of fat from a 3-ounce pork chop. Pork is similar to chicken, with 3 ounces of chicken breast containing 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. A pork chop has 65 milligrams of cholesterol, compared to 72 grams in chicken breast, but they both have just 1 gram of saturated fat.