Miso Braised Pork

So good, so easy...
Miso Braised Pork
2.5 lb pork roast
1/2 cup red Miso paste
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar

Salt, pepper and sear all sides of roast.  Dissolve brown sugar in remaining ingredients over medium heat.  Add roast to crock pot and pour Miso over.  Low for 6 or high for 8, until roast just falls apart.
For pressure cooker- low pressure for 90 minutes.

Made this Saturday for company along with roasted carrots and bacon wrapped asparagus.  Everyone had seconds and wanted thirds.

Transitions

Long time no post.  I'm going to try my best to get back into the swing of things since as a family we have decided to make some dietary changes.  We have fallen back into some very bad habits.  I could make a million excuses- busy schedule, hard times, laziness but ultimately they are just that excuses.  If I could come up with valid reason it might be a different story.
So on the verge of this Thanksgiving holiday, I will be thankful for another start at living the life that my family and I deserve.  A healthy start, concentrating on what we put in our bodies and what what we can do with that nourishment. 
My husband and I have discussed the Paleo diet.  For those not familiar, it is a diet of protein, fruits, vegetables, fat and very low on carbs.  Also, no processed, refined, sugar fueled foods.  If it can be hunt or gathered from nature it can be consumed.  Don't think I'm going all caveman or homesteader.  I live in the city with a small yard and a black thumb. 
We will not be going strictly Paleo, but a transition back to a natural, real food diet.

Ham Glaze

It seems as if now when you buy a ham they are 'kind' enough to put in a glaze packet.  From what I read of the ingredients it consists of a granulated sweet substance and a gelatinous goo.  Mmm, yum.  Lets face it, the best thing about a glazed ham is the sweetness it adds to the salty tones of the ham.  I can't say that my glaze is the best, but I've never had a single complaint, except that maybe every morsel wasn't drenched in it.
Ingredients: Honey and brown sugar.  That's it!
All you need to do is drizzle the honey over the ham, covering as much square footage as possible.  Then pack- literally, with your hands- the brown sugar onto the honey.  Bake uncovered per the hams heating instructions.  The sugars will brown and get all crispy so be sure to keep an eye out for any burning.  If things get a little too dark just cover with a little piece of foil over that area. 

Menu Plan Monday- a day early!

Happy Easter everyone! 
Sunday- Ham (of course), potatoes, carrots, peas
Monday- Shepherd's pie, using some of the potatoes from Sunday
Tuesday- Grilled Chicken with squash
Wednesday- Chicken Enchiladas using some chicken from the day before, rice and beans
Thursday- Crab Cakes, cole slaw and oven fries
Friday- GF Pizza Night
Saturday- A certain little boys 7th birthday and he has yet to decide what he wants for dinner

Monday Menu Plan!

Monday: Stuffed peppers with Quinoa
Tuesday: Chicken stir fry with cabbage, broccoli, carrots and rice
Wednesday: Honey mustard chicken with peas and carrots
Thursday: Kiel Basa, green beans and red potatoes in the crock pot
Friday: Skillet fried fish with cole slaw and baked beans
Saturday: Shredded pork tacos with Spanish rice, tomato and lettuce
Sunday: Quinoa meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and asparagus

Basic Math

What does 7.91 lbs or pork loin at $1.99 a pound equal-
18 pork chops
1.5 lb roast
2 lb breakfast sausage

I go to Sam's club about once a month and come home with a whole pork loin anywhere from 7 to 9 pounds.  With this, a sharp knife and some FoodSaver bags, I can get enough pork to feed my family for at least a month! 

Here is my recipe for the breakfast sausage:
(It is a combination of several recipes, from several sources)

2 lb pork loin (I use the fattiest end)
2 heaping tsp dried sage
1 T sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
a few red pepper flakes

Using a meat grinder, mine attaches to my stand mixer, grind the meat using the fine disk.  Add all the spices and mix thoroughly with your hands.  Yes, your hands.  They are the best mixing tool ever.  Divide this up into about 12 patties.  Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and stick in the freezer until frozen solid.  I leave mine in overnight.  Then place them in a zip top bag, label and pop back into the freezer until needed.  Then just take out however many you need, thaw in the microwave and cook up as usual.

Some of my favorite links...

Here are some of my most used, most trusted sites to score great, healthy recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/
http://www.food.com/
http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Home.aspx
http://onceamonthmom.com/

I must say, I use allrecipes the most.  Its menu planner is simple and efficient and the reviews of each recipe are extremely helpful.  Check them out and discover something new (and healthy)!