Pulled Pork Sandwiches

A yummy, easy summer recipe. Prep time is only about 10 minutes, which is exactly what I love about it (plus it's super good!) Just a side note, you can use a pork shoulder for this but I always use a center cut boneless pork roast, or a pork loin. It has a lot better quality meat, and you waste less because it's so lean (even though it's more expensive).

Pulled Pork
1 (2-3 lb.) boneless pork roast
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 cups BBQ sauce
2 TBS mustard
2 TBS honey
1 TBS soy sauce
Salt and Pepper

 Scatter onion over bottom of slow cooker and place pork on top. Add broth (or water), cover and cook on low until very tender, about 8 hours. Remove meat and let cool.  When cool enough, pull meat into thin shreds, removing all fat and gristle. Drain liquid from slow cooker. Return pork to slow cooker. In a bowl mix BBQ sauce, mustard, honey, and soy sauce. Poor over pork, season with salt and pepper and stir to blend. Cook one hour longer on low. Serve on hamburger buns or kaiser rolls.

Steel-cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut Oatmeal
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 TBS butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBS ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to blend. Using a liner makes things so easy, but if you don't, make sure to spray the inside before putting the ingredients in. Cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls. Makes 7 3/4 cup servings. I seperate mine into containers so that the portions are all the same. The best thing about this meal is that it keeps you full for a long time. I'm not going to lie though, it takes a while to get used to the taste and texture, but after getting used to it, instant oatmeal tastes nasty and this is so much better for you.

Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk, butter or brown sugar.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorite recipes. The only downside is that it takes quite a while to prepare. But it's totally worth it, and to be honest, it's even better as a leftover.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake
8 oz. uncooked rigatoni
1 TBS olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breasts
1 (14 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
(I usually add half a can diced tomatoes as well and use the other half in spaghetti sauce later in the week. One can of tomatoes just doesn't seem enough)
1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive and onion cream cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions. Saute onions in olive oil until tender. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken and next 4 ingredients together with onions. Spoon mixture into dish and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.