Enjoy Each Bite

When preparing pork chops the other night, I had the idea to use Grape Nut Flakes cereal instead of Panko bread crumbs to give the pork a light breading with more nutrition. I like using crumbs or flakes to give meat a little more texture and fried flavor. First, I heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in my skillet.  Then, I place the pork chops in and sprinkle them with Grape Nut Flakes, garlic salt and Mrs Dash seasonings. Flip over as needed and sprinkle on opposite side as well. I added the chopped asparagus once the pork was almost cooked through and then let it steam for a little while.  I served the pork chops and asparagus with my new QUINOA side dish .

Quinoa is a new grain to me. Here is the first way I have prepared it. Quinoa with asparagus on the side. 1 cup quinoa boiled in 2 cups water Cook about 20 minutes (no water left, just like rice) Add 1-2 Tablespoons salsa (I used Herdez Mild) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Serve warm or cold.

My husband bought me a food processor for Christmas this past year. I was so excited! It was a Black a Decker processor with lots of features but it had one major problem. It was SO LOUD! My ears were ringing after the first time I used it to make apple sauce. I tried it another time and just couldn't handle the noise, so I took it back and picked out this little gadget . The name NINJA just sounded quiet to me! And my husband likes ninjas so I knew he wouldn't be offended for me switching out his gift for this. :) So far, I love it. It has a large container and a smaller one. I used it to chop walnuts for my cinnamon rolls and it was done in seconds, just 5 quick pushes of the button. The motor interchanges between the two sized bowls and the bowls also have rubber lids that can seal them up if you want to put them in the fridge. I have also made smoothies so far and it is great.

I tried something new... La Choy Creations. This one is Sweet Sesame Chicken and it was delicious. It was around $4 at Walmart and I think it was worth it for the occasion. And it went great with stir fry veggies.

I am passionate about Avocados. They are my favorite fruit of all (I think they are considered a fruit anyway). I am grateful when they are affordable and perfectly ripe at the store. Here's how I make guacamole, although I never measure anything, so these are estimates. 2 perfectly ripe medium avocados (I usually buy hass) 1/8-1/4 cup chopped cilantro (from my GARDEN !) 1/2 Tbl garlic salt 1-2 tsp lemon juice Mash it all together and enjoy in huge amounts with tortilla chips!