Pork Carnitas

This is a great dish for a big group. Leftovers freeze wonderfully and make excellent enchiladas.

Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (about 5.5lbs)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 orange with rind on, quartered
1 lime with rind on, quartered
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
corn or flour tortillas


How To:
1. Trim the fat from the pork and cut the meat into two pieces
2. Place all the ingredients except the tortillas in a slow cooker
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. The meat should pull apart easily when it is done
4. Let the meat cool slightly, then remove from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon
5. Shred the meat using two forks and stir in a few spoonfuls of the liquid for the slow cooker
6. Taste the meat and add salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime if needed
7. Place meat in warm tortillas and top with whatever you'd like (cilantro, lime, avocado, cheese, lettuce, salsa etc.)

8 Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill

1. Find someone that grows fresh herbs or grow your own. There are a lot of herbs that can be grown inside and it is often much more cost effective to buy a plant than it is to buy it in small amounts.


2. Buy meat when it is on sale and freeze it. During the early morning or later in the evening, most stores will have a section in the meat department that has meat that will soon expire. Holidays are great times to stock up on meat. Here a link that serves as a great guide how long you can freeze certain meats:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_freezing/index.asp#19



3. Make food in large quantities and serve the same meal twice that week. Some people don't like to eat the same meal twice a week so if this is you, freeze what you don't use. I also find that if I have some frozen meals in the freezer we are a lot more likely to stay home and eat on those nights when I don't want to cook instead of paying to go out to eat.



4. Stock up on non-perishable items that you use often while they are on sale.



5. Plan your meals for the week and base what you cook off of what you have at home and what is on sale in stores. I have a little notebook that I write down the meals for the week. When you do this, you can look back and see ideas for those weeks that you are not feeling inspired to cook something new.



6. Have a list of quick meals that you can lean on when you don't know what do cook. This will keep you from grabbing something unhealthy or going out to eat. Some on my list are: spagetti, grilled marinated chicken, lentil tacos, chicken salad and BBQ chicken sandwiches.

7. Do not buy soda. You can save about $260 a year and a lot of unnecessary calories by avoiding soda. If you want a drink other than water at home, buy tea bags and make your own iced tea.

8. Make enough food the night before so you can take your lunch to work.

Easy Chicken Curry

This is a dish my mom always made when we had company. It's tasty and easy to make in large quantities. I typically make 2-3 times the amount below. In my opinion it tastes better the next day because the flavor intensifies, but it is still delicious straight from the pot. You really can't go wrong with the amount of things you put in this dish, so feel free to add more curry, ginger, veggies or broth to make it the consistency and flavor you want it to be. I use the 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, but the consistancy and taste is better if you use the full fat kind.

Ingredients:
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 onion, diced
2 red delicious apples cubed (if you use another kind of apple it just won't taste right)
2-3 teaspoons curry powder (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoons ginger powder (more to taste)
3 uncooked chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% fat free kind)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons lemon juice
cashews
coconut
raisins

How To:
1. Boil chicken until it is cooked through and then chop into bite sized pieces and set aside
2. Put a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a sauce pan and saute onions until they are clear
3. Add chicken soup and broth to the onions
4. Add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice, cashews, coconut and raisins
5. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes
6. Add lemon juice and simmer 5 more minutes
7. Serve over jasmine rice and top with cashews, coconut and raisins

Red Beans and Rice

I love red beans and rice because it is such an easy dish with lots of flavors and a good way to get veggies into my little family. Here is a quick easy recipe I have that is a winner every time.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Kielbasa cut into 1/4 inch slices (I use precooked hot cajun andouille chicken sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14-16 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, drained
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups brown rice cooked as directed on packaging

How To:
Cook sausage in a pan with a little olive oil over low/medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. At this point I wipe out the grease in the pan just because it makes me feel better. Add onion, green pepper and garlic; cook over medium-high heat until tender (about 5 minutes). Add beans, tomatoes, oregano and black pepper; reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. stirring occasionally. Serve over the rice or mix the rice into the sausage mixture. Makes 6-8 servings and is great for leftovers. I sometimes like to top mine with a little cajun seasoning mixture.