Chops and Kraut

Yesterday I was bad... I mean really really bad. I woke up and worked hard on my workout. Of course, I felt really weak during it. Have you ever just felt like you were a big, wet noodle? That's exactly how I was feeling during my workout. Voices in my head were whining, "I don't wanna do this!" Luckily, I made it through. I then headed to base to do some grocery shopping. I bought a blender and am so happy about that. Now I can start making the popular Green Monster smoothies I see all over the internet. So this is where I got bad... I went through Burger King and got a burger and fries for lunch! Now I think I've been doing really good on my eating and cutting back, but yesterday I was weak. So now I am writing in my blog putting off my workout, because I know I am going to be feeling that burger as Jillian Michaels tells me to do pushups.

So I tried to eat a healthier dinner last night. This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbook. This dish was surprisingly good. I mean, I didn't think it would be bad, but I wasn't expecting to like every single bite as much as I did! Keep in mind that I only cook for two on weeknights, so I cut this recipe in half. So in the pictures you will see a smaller amount than what the recipe actually calls for.

Here is the wonderful recipe for an easy and healthy meal!

Chops 'n' Kraut
Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

Ingredients

6 bone-in pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 7 oz each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided (I used vegetable oil)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds (I left this out)

Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook three chops in 1 teaspoon oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned; drain. Repeat with the remaining chops and 1 teaspoon oil.

Place pork chops in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside. In the same skillet, cook onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Stir int he tomatoes, sauerkraut, brown sugar and caraway seeds. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.

Carefully pour over the chops. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until meat is tender.

Yield: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts: 1 pork chop with 2/3 cup sauerkraut mixture equals 311 calories, 3 g fiber, and 32 g protein.

Doesn't this just sound yummy? Well I can testify that it is! Don't be frightened by the sauerkraut. Adding the brown sugar makes it less sour. Also, I didn't have caraway seeds, so I left those out. The dish still tasted amazing. Remember, I cut the recipe in half, so my pictures look different than if you make the full recipe. I hope you can enjoy this dish as much as I did!