Pork Tacos

 

Pork Tacos

So this started out being Easy Pork Carnitas, but I kept not being able to make dinner because of the baby....so Craig ended up just smoking the meat with seasonings. I think he used a fajita seasoning and some sort of chipotle seasoning. It was really good! So I just made tacos with cheese, lettuce, cilantro, onions and Cholula Chipotle Cremosa sauce. Super good and flavorful!

Here is the recipe for Pork Carnitas from Damn Delicious that we were going to make 

EveryPlate Sriracha Pork Stir-Fry

 

EveryPlate Sriracha Pork Stir-Fry

This was okay. I mean it wasn't bad but it was just kinda generic tasting. My son didn't even like it, but I feel like he didn't give it much of a chance. I think next time I'd add some chili crisp or something. The cilantro wasn't part of it but I had some already chopped up. I should of actually put it in the rice so it was a cilantro like rice instead of just lime rice. It wouldn't be one that I'd get again but it was fine.

EveryPlate Herby Pork Chops in Tomato Cream Sauce

 

EveryPlate Herby Pork Chops in Tomato Cream Sauce

This was delicious and easy! I did do 2 small changes to the recipe though. Instead of cooking the zucchini in batches on the skillet, I just roasted it in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes so I could cook the other stuff while that cooked so it would be quicker. Also with the lemony couscous I added pepper and grated parmesan and that really elevated it. We all loved it, and normally I'm not a huge pork person.

Brunswick Stew

 

I forgot to grab a picture the other night when I made this, so hopefully Budget Bytes wont mind that I borrowed their picture :) 

My teenage son really liked this, my husband and I did not. It just was too sweet, maybe it was the bbq sauce we used but it just tasted sweet. I did switch out the lima beans for carrots, which I know are sweeter....but I really think it must have been the bbq sauce. We added some cayenne to ours to kind of balance it out. I also used store bought pulled pork to make it easy to throw together with my 3 month old. I served it with some crescent rolls, which are always tasty.

Unfortunately we won't be making this again.

Click here for the recipe from BudgetBytes

Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders with Mac & Cheese

 

Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders with Mac & Cheese

Craig smoked pulled pork on his smoker and we put it on Hawaiian rolls with horseradish and coleslaw. They are SO GOOD! The mac and cheese I made with the doubled recipe version. The recipe version only listed 1 cup of milk when I doubled it, but you need 2. I also should of put a bit less garlic. Still delicious though and I'd make it again. Oh yeah I used 1 cup of freshly grated mild cheddar, and 1 cup of Velveeta shreds.

Click here for the macaroni and cheese recipe by Joy Food Sunshine

Cafe Rio Smothered Burritos

 

Cafe Rio Smothered Burritos

This was excellent and I even got high praises from my husband. I followed the Cafe Rio Instant Pot recipe exactly. Then I filled the burritos with the pork, microwaveable cilantro lime rice, Bush's southwest beans, and shredded Mexican cheese. I baked uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes. I then topped it with some of the leftover sauce, monterey jack cheese, cilantro, hot sauce, onion and avocado. Super good!

Click here for the copycat Cafe Rio Pork recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Hello Fresh Sweet & Spicy Pork Chops

 

Hello Fresh Sweet & Spicy Pork Chops

Everything had a really good flavor, but it did need some rice or something. The sauce would be super good over the rice. It's not spicy at all, so next time I might add some more sriracha or some chili crisp. I would try it again though!

Hello Fresh Sante Fe Pork Tacos

 

Hello Fresh Sante Fe Pork Tacos

I liked how quick this was, and there was tons of food for 3 people. It did taste good but it wasn't anything too special. It needed more cilantro, there was barely any. I did heat the tortillas on a pan instead of microwaving them, and I liked the leftovers a lot better actually! I definitely underfilled the first ones that I took a picture of, I wanted to make sure there was enough for all of us. But there is plenty so I could of filled them a lot fuller. 

Sheet Pan Pork Chops

 

Sheet Pan Pork Chops

  This was pretty good, even though I'm not a huge pork fan. A little salty because of the stuffing mix and ranch dressing packet but I would definintely try it again. My son was gone so he wasn't able to try it, and my husband said it was "ok". But it was super easy so that's a win.

Click here for the Sheet Pan Pork Chop Recipe from Your Barefoot Neighbor on TikTok

Hello Fresh Apricot Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

 

Hello Fresh Apricot Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

    This was delicious! I didn't pay attention and I didn't realize it was a pork LOIN not a pork chop. It would of been a nicer presentation if I sliced it into rounds, the sauce could of covered it a bit better. My husband said it was super good though, and he's really honest with my cooking lol. 

   I did actually put it in the air fryer since these pork cuts were super thick. I browned it well on each side in a pan and it was starting to look too done, but the temp wasn't high enough. So I threw it in the air fryer for 350 for about 15 minutes and then it was done. 

  I also accidentally added shallots to the rice, tonight was not a paying attention night lol. We'd definitely order this again though!

  My teenage son was at a friends house tonight, but it wouldn't of been enough for him. I would have to of air fried some egg rolls or something since the portions aren't that big for Hello Fresh. 

Hello Fresh Pork Chops in Cranberry Shallot Sauce with Garlicky Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

Hello Fresh Pork Chops in Cranberry Shallot Sauce with Garlicky Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

   These were pretty good, the cranberries were perfect today because it was the first time it felt like Fall here today. It wasn't really a sauce though, at all. It was delicious but I wish it was saucy. Maybe I cooked it too long, but it didn't seem like I did. I'm not sure I'd get this recipe again, I think I'm coming to the realization that none of us really care for pork chops! I always had picked them for Hello Fresh because I never make them, but I think I won't get pork chops anymore.

My son grew a watermelon in the garden! I think we started it too late because it's not very sweet, but it was still fun to do!

 

Hello Fresh Honey Butter BBQ Pork Chops

Hello Fresh Honey Butter BBQ Pork Chops

   Okay this was a fail, but I don't think it's 100% my fault. Fail point #1, it says to add salt and pepper to the pork chops, and I did. But I used salt sparingly because I was worried that the bbq seasoning would also have salt and it would be too salty. It didn't, so it was kind of bland. Fail point #2, was the the "honey butter" was a bunch of butter melted, with 2 honey packets. Even when mixing them up, there was soooo much more butter then honey. It was basically pouring straight butter onto the pork chops. Next time I'd half the amount of butter and maybe add a pinch of cayenne. The green beans and mashed potatoes were great though! The tomatoes were from our garden that we needed to use, I just stacked slices with salt, pepper, parm, garlic powder and a balsamic vinegar glaze. 

 

Hot Honey Peach Pork Chops with Salad, Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Bread

Hot Honey Peach Pork Chops with Salad, Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Bread

   I saw a recipe from Hello Fresh for Hot Honey Peach Pork Chops. The recipes they post online don't have the exact measurements, so I tried as best as I could. 

Click here for the Hello Fresh recipe card for Hot Honey Peach Pork Chops 

  I had planned to use this dill pickle salad kit, but my husband had to work longer hours today and my son was hungry and I didn't want the salad kit to get mushy. So I just made a quick ranch salad that I can remake again for my husband when he comes home. I also made instant mashed potatoes, and my son had some garlic bread because he's 14 and is always hungry! 

 

Hello Fresh Fully Loaded Pork Taquitos

 

Hello Fresh Fully Loaded Pork Taquitos 

  YUM! This was so good! My son says he hates avocado (he doesn't) so I told him it was verde sauce and he loved it lol

Honey Mustard Pork Chops, Garlic Smashed Potatoes and Mediterranean Salad

 Honey Mustard Pork Chops, Garlic Smashed Potatoes and Mediterranean Salad

   This was good but there was a few issues. First, the recipe for the pork chops were for thick bone in pork chops. I ordered them for grocery pickup, but they substituted with the thin boneless pork chops. So I followed the recipe as close as possible and used a meat thermometer....but they were still kinda over cooked. I've never been able to make a juicy thin cut pork chop. The honey mustard sauce was excellent though!

Click here for the recipe for Honey Mustard Pork Chops from BudgetBytes

  The second issue I ran into was the potatoes. I was making "Crispy Smashed Potatoes in the Air Fryer". Where you boil them, then mush them down with a cup/bowl/fork whatever, then air fry. Every potato I smashed just fell apart. I tried lightly smashing and smashing more forceful, they all fell apart. So I ended up just adding some butter, garlic, salt, pepper and milk and mashing them. They tasted good but my son really wanted to try the air fryer version.

Click here for the recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes in the Air Fryer by Diethood

  I can't even think of the word potatoes without thinking of Sam.

  The third issue really isn't an issue, but personal taste. The salad was just a Taylor Farms Mediterranean Salad Kit. I try to like these flavors, I really do. But I really don't like feta cheese. I WISH I did, because it's higher protein and lower calorie. It was on sale so I thought we'd get it, but I don't think we'd get it again. I do love Taylor Farms salad kits though!

Orange Jalapeno Pork Chops and Queso Broccoli 4 Points

 

 

  I'm really not a big fan of pork.....well besides bacon, but these Orange Jalapeno Pork chops are so fresh, sweet and slightly spicy, the flavors just work beautifully together. The only difference I did was I used a TBS of monkfruit sweetener instead of a half cup of honey. You could of course add more, but I like it slightly on the spicier side. I also didn't strain the sauce, we liked all the bits that got nice and cooked in the cast iron skillet. 

  Served with steamed broccoli and I put 2 tbs of salsa con queso on mine, along with some garlic powder. And cantaloupe of course, we like that around here lol.

Click here for the Orange Jalapeno Pork Chop Recipe by All the Nourishing Things

Points:

- 1 pork chop. 4 points

- Broccoli with queso. 2 points

- Cantaloupe. 0 points.