We've had a lot going on the last month. My Mom had a stroke last month--in fact I just looked and it was the day I last posted. She was in the hospital for almost a week then got to go home. She was very lucky that it was a small stroke. She has some speech loss but is working very hard in speech therapy to regain it. We also found out her diabetes was way out of control. This was a huge wake up call for all of us. I think it has inspired my sister and I to look at our lives and see what we can do now to prevent ourselves from getting to this point. We are both overweight and do not eat as healthy as we should. My brother is a fire fighter and in excellent shape. Hopefully he will continue with that trend. Anyways, my Mom is doing much better. She has started walking daily and changing her diet. Things are looking up!
We've all been spending time at my parents helping to get things set up and going in the right direction. Last week while I was there, I bought a Family Circle magazine and found some great healthy slow cooker recipes in it. I pulled out the page and decided to try a few of the recipes. This week I tried Italian Pork Roast. It was delicious! I served it with corn on the cob and rolls. I could see it served with rice or egg noodles too. Here is the recipe from Family Circle Magazine:
Italian Pork Roast (slow cooker)
Makes: 8 servings Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Slow Cook: 3 hours on HIGH or 5-1/2 hours on LOW
Ingredients
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), trimmed and tied
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, drained
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Directions
1. Rub pork with 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning and place in slow cooker bowl.
2. Scatter tomatoes around pork. Pour 1/3 cup of the broth in bowl; top with 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook 3 hours on HIGH or 5-1/2 hours on LOW.
3. Add green pepper to slow cooker for last 45 minutes of cook time.
4. Blend remaining 2 tablespoons broth, the cornstarch and balsamic vinegar. Set aside. Remove pork to a serving platter; keep warm. Strain liquid from slow cooker into a small saucepan and place vegetables around pork on serving platter.
5. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in cornstarch mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper; cook 1 minute. Spoon sauce over pork.
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 242
Total Fat (g) 7
Saturated Fat (g) 3
Cholesterol (mg) 107
Sodium (mg) 460
Carbohydrate (g) 5
Fiber (g) 1
Protein (g) 37
Next week I'm going to try Asian ribs in the slow cooker. Neal and Kinsey both love ribs and Asian food so it should be a good combo.
