Root Beer Pork Chops

Yea, I thought the same thing. Root Beer and Pork? So I gave it a shot and it was surprisingly good. They complement each other very well. If you head on over to Weekly Meal Deal you can find the full recipe and details.

Hint: If you are a frequent target shopper you can snag Hormel Pork Chops for 3.49lb this week and Pepsi Product 12 Packs are Buy 3 Get 1 Diet Pepsi Free. This should save you some $$ when buying the stuff you need for this meal.

-Mr Crafty

Banana Split French Toast

Ok, I've been posting alot of healthier foods to slim down your waistline after recovering from the holidays. But everyone needs indulgence, and I mean complete indulgence, once in a while. That's a golden rule of dieting, don't deprive yourself. You need to splurge every once in a while to keep your system in check. So why not splurge on a breakfast item that will burn up many of your daily calories? I recently found a recipe that crosses french toast and a banana split all on one plate! Sounds too good to be true huh? Well it isn't. So grab yourself all the fixins for plain old french toast, and I’ll show you how to transform it into this party of a breakfast in two shakes of a clown’s nose.

Banana Split French Toast

• 1 very ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 6 slices Texas Toast
• Simply Chocolate Syrup (see below)
• 1 cup whipped cream
• sprinkles
• maraschino cherries

Heat a griddle or skillet pan to medium heat. In a blender, puree the eggs and banana together. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Dip both sides of the Texas Toast into the banana puree and grill until golden brown. Serve drizzled with Simple Chocolate Syrup and a dollop of whipping cream. Top with maraschino cherries & sprinkles.

Simple Chocolate Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a small pot, stir together all ingredients over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Serve warm over Banana Split French Toast.

-Mr. Crafty

New Year's Food Find #3: Black Bean Burgers

Imagine sinking your teeth into a fully loaded juicy hamburger. Now picture sinking your teeth into a piece of fat shaped into a hamburger with about 10tbsp of salt, sugar, and more fat on top. Doesn't sound appetizing huh. Unfortunately many burger joints deliver this to their customers with a side of fried something and a cup of sugar water. People in America are addicted to fast food and burgers fall into this category. But honestly, who can resist a really good burger prepared in just the right way? Even though the temptation is strong, many people people turn away a good burger for the sake of the calories. Here's where my New Year Food Find #3 comes into play. Black beans are mashed and shaped into patties resulting in a tasty meal that has just about the same amount of protein of a burger and 75% less calories. The best thing about this recipe is it's versatility. I've prepared this in so many different ways from Sunday. The way the recipe below approaches it is from southwestern style cooking. Enjoy!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

-Mr. Crafty

New Year's Food Find #2: Brownies

Ok so we've all stuffed ourselves of some form of baked good this holiday season and now it's time to wise up. So I'd like to introduce you to the second food find in My New Year's Food Finds series; Brownies. These brownies are about half the calories, only two ingredients, and cheaper to make. I'm sure I got your attention by now. Read below for the full recipe and details.

Diet Soda Brownies

Ingredients
1 Box Brownie Mix

1/2 Can Diet Cola


Directions
Substitute the eggs, oil and water normally used in brownies for half a can of your favorite diet cola . -Mix with the contents of store bought brownie mix. -Make sure not to add anything to the mixture beside the half can of cola. -Grease baking pan, poor in mixture and bake according to box. Number of Servings: 12



**Tip**
You can use a box of Low Fat/Low Sugar Mix as well as an extra healthy benefit.






Enjoy
-Mr. Crafty