Hey guys!
I’m so glad you all liked yesterday’s panCOOKIES! And if you happened to miss them, click HERE, get your drool on, and then come back so we can celebrate Monday in style!
Time to join Katie in another edition of Marvelous in My Monday!
Friday night, I headed over to my parent’s house for our first family dinner in MONTHS! Since we’d all had a pretty hard week, mom and I made the call and deemed it a pizza night so I stopped by my favorite take-n-bake pizza shop and picked up two large pizzas (pepperoni and cheese) for only $4 each!
As per tradition, I veggie-fied the heck out of the cheese one! 😉
I assure you my dad was happy with the evening’s menu…he just doesn’t know how to smile! 😉
And well, what’s a balanced meal of salad and veggie-packed pizza without a little indulgence?
There was also some apple pie involved, but none for me…I was ALL about the ice cream…with cocoa powder! Please tell me I’m not the only one who knows how delicious this is!
Saturday, I ended up picking up a day shift at the hospital…not so marvelous, but I definitely made up for it in the hours that followed…
I met up with this guy:
And we went out for suuuuuuuuuushi!
We started out with an appetizer of tuna tataki (SO good!) followed by some seaweed salad. Then came our plate-o-deliciousness.
Paradise roll on the left and the Blue something-or-other roll on the right (it was topped with grilled steak…YUM!), and over to the side, two pieces of squid sashimi!
Neither one of us had ever tried the squid before, so it was a bit of an adventure…
An adventure that WON’T be repeated!
It was pretty fishy tasting, but the biggest turn-off? It swelled in your mouth the more you chewed…gah, it was everything we could do to not spit them out! Lol
On Sunday, I woke up bright and early (daylight savings time means nothing when you’re a nightwalker like me!) and ended up having a pretty productive day before heading into work later on.
I finished up some cleaning I started on Friday, got my sweat on at the gym, and then, since I had so much success with it last Sunday, took another stab at meal prepping for the week…
I’d say my efforts proved fruit-FULL!*
*And serve as proof that I can indeed make something besides pancakes! 😉
After drooling over Sarah’s roasted grapes last week, I decided to pick some up when I stopped by the store over the weekend and then they just happened to have a sale on some pork chops…yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and call it destiny.
Pure, delicious destiny!
Grilled Pork Chops with Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Keywords: grill roast entree high protein paleo pork fall
Ingredients (Serves 3-4)
For the Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions
- 1 1/2-2 cups red or black grapes
- 1/2 large red onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Grilled Pork Chops
- 3-4 4oz. boneless pork loin chops*
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon ground sage
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. In a bowl, combine grapes and onions and add oil and spices.
3. Stir/Toss to coat.
4. Arrange on in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
5. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until onion pieces start to brown and grape skins start to wilt.
For the Grilled Pork Chops
1. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, syrup, and spices.
3. Brush mixture onto both sides of each pork chop before placing in the skillet.
4. Cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the thickest portion of the meat reaches 145F and juices run clear.
5. Serve alongside your favorite grain and top with thyme-roasted grapes and onions.
My new favorite grain? Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend…I could kick myself for allowing the bag to sit in my pantry for over a YEAR!
If you’ve never experienced the delicious flavor of a roasted grape, I’m telling you right now, you haven’t lived! And with the combination of their sweet flavor with the savory thyme…it was simply magical.
As in this plate magically disappeared in a matter of minutes! 😉
What was marvelous about YOUR weekend?
What’s your MOST favorite ice cream topping?
