Finding the Balance: Motherhood , Motivation, and Me: 38 WEEK FOOD DUMP!

After traveling Monday through Thursday for nearly 3 months , Josh is finally back to working from home as we await the arrival of Jordan. ONLY 2 MORE WEEKS!!! To say I am ready is an understatement! Physically, I feel great! And things are still pretty easy. But, I'm ready to hold my sweet girl; and to see my ankle bones again!! I have had what I like to call "perma-cankles" for the last 2 weeks. Some days they are smaller than others, but I can't figure out what keeps the swelling down. Some days working out decreases the swelling and other days it puffs them up like balloons. So I guess I'll just keep on keeping on!

Now that Josh is home I have been trying to cook dinner at least 4 nights a week. I figure while the house is still quite and my energy level is high, I'll enjoy some time in the kitchen.

Here are 2 of my favorites from last week. I found them on cookinglight.com under the heading "Eating Healthy on a Budget" This is a GREAT place to find wonderful recipes to feed the family for very little money!

GREEK STYLE PORK CHOPS

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (4 oz) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups diced plum tomatoes
1 /2 cup diced seeded cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
cooking spray

Preparation:

1. In a large Ziploc bag combine 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, oregano, 1 tsp olive oil, and garlic. Add pork chops to bag and marinate for 20 minutes turning bag over after 10 minutes.

2. Combine remaining vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, dill, and 1/8 tsp salt in a small bowl, stir well with a whisk. Cover and chill until pork is ready to serve.

3. Combine tomatoes, onion, and cucumber, sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt and set aside until ready to serve.

4. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove pork from marinade bag and sprinkle each piece with remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Add pork to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is reached.

5. On each of four plates place 3/4 cup of tomato mixture and top with 1 pork chop and a dollop of yogurt mixture.

*** I chose to bake my pork chops on 350 for about 20 minutes rather than using a grill pan. I served this dish with a side of pita bread and hummus.

MUSHROOM AND SAUSAGE RAGU WITH POLENTA
**I forgot to buy polenta on my shopping trip so I used grits instead and it was wonderful

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz hot turkey Italian Sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced ( I used baby bellas instead)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, un-drained
2 1/2 cup no salt added, fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked polenta (or in my case grits)
4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 Tbsp butter

1. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Remove sausage from casings and add to pan, sauté for 3-5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain fat and remove sausage from the pan.

2. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat, add onion, sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in sausage, 1/8 tsp salt, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium; simmer gently for 15 minutes.

3.While sausage mixture is simmering, bring broth and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add polenta (or grits) stirring well. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in remaining salt, cream cheese, and butter. Serve with sausage mixture.