Weekly Meal Deal: Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops

I am not going to lie. This week was hard for me. The deals at Publix were almost non-existent. I even emailed Michelle at I Heart Publix. She didn’t have any tricks up her sleeve either. We put our heads together and searched. This is what we came up with; Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops.

I really have been in love with my Crock Pot lately. It really makes my life a little easier. We started our homeschooling back this week, and life is a little crazier. It is crazy in general with 3 kids in the house. So, it is nice to throw something in my Rival Crock Pot and let it cook until dinner time. Did you know if you open the lid to your crock pot while it is cooking it ads something like 15-20 minutes to your cooking time? So, just another reason to throw everything in and walk away.

I have added dessert to the meal this week. Partly because apples are so cheap with the target printable coupon. The other part is I am getting ready for Fall. It is so hot here in Florida I guess I am trying to push the seasons along a little.

By the way, this was my first time making this particular recipe. The pork chops turned out amazing! They are super tender! You could cut them with a fork! I served them with a side salad and the left over homemade rolls from the Pepperoni Rolls. OH, they are so good!

Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops
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6			Pork loin chops, 1 inch thick (about 2 1/4 lb)
1/2			teaspoon salt
1/4			teaspoon pepper
1			tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1			medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) Tablespoon minced Garlic
2			cups tomato pasta sauce
4			cups cooked orzo or other pasta
1			cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

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Place oil in Large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle Pork chops with salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.

(I did only cook 3..that is all that I needed tonight. No sense in waisting food!)

Place pork in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle onion and garlic over pork. Add pasta sauce.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours.
Place orzo or pasta on platter. Top with pork and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese

*Suggestion* Put things you like on your pizza in the crock pot with the pork. I bet things like mushrooms, bell pepper, or red pepper would be delicious.

I served these with regular pasta, because I haven’t been to the store yet this week to get the orzo. You could serve these with any type of pasta and they would be so yummy!

Oven Baked Apples
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4-6 Apples such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold bake best
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinammon
1/3 cup raisins
3 TBSP Butter
3 TBSP Flour
1/3 cup chopped nuts ( I used Pecans)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Apple Juice

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Preheat oven to 350°
Core apple, and peel top around opening.
Place apples in 8×8 baking dish.
Fill center with raisins.
In seperate bowl mix together sugar, cinammon, and flour.
Use a fork and squish in butter. (squish is such a technical term!)
Mix in chopped nuts.
Put crumbly nut topping on each apple.
Pour the water and apple juice into the same measuring cup and pour over the apples.
Place uncovered in oven for 1 hour. Baste every 20 minutes while baking.
Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream, or alone!

OMG! These were so gooey and sweet. They were the perfect dessert! They have already sparked my mind for another yummy treat!

And now for the deal!
As most of you know, Michelle at I Heart Publix helps me compile the coupons and the sale prices. These prices are for Publix. You may be able to make these items cheaper if you already have some ingredients on hand. I assume you have some of the basics on hand already.

2 lbs Boneless Pork Loin Chops at $2.99/Lb = $5.98
2 Ronzoni Pasta $1.40 – $1/2 IP = $0.40
1 Barilla Pasta Sauce $1.38
1 Kraft Shredded Mozerella $2.79 – $0.50 tearpad $1.79 if coupon doubles
1 lb Apples $1.00 -$1.00 Target IP = $0
1 Apple and Eve Juice Box $1.39 – $.50 Q from Publix Greenwise = $0.39 if doubles
1 small pkg Pecans (not sure but guessing) $2.25

Total would be $12.19

That equals $3.05 per person! Not Bad!

Comments

Jarmaine from Uprinting.com says:

August 13, 2009 at 12:48 am

Perfect combination! I love pasta, and pork chops as well. So combining the two sounds like a wonderful thing to do. The fact that it's easy to make, just with the trusty crock pot, just leave it and forget about it for a few hours. Come dinner time you're all set. The oven baked apples sound like a really great dessert to top everything off. I wonder if I can add some whipped cream to that before serving? Yummy!
Thanks for sharing all these amazing stuff

Leandrea says:

August 13, 2009 at 5:41 pm

I made those apples in high school and they are so delicious. We are trying them out again tonight. Yum, and thanks!

The Prudent Homemaker says:

August 16, 2009 at 4:15 pm

I have a $2 a pound rule for meat. I don't buy meat over $2 a pound. When it's less, I try to tock up if I am able to.

Sam's Club regularly has boneless pork roast for $1.88 a pound. Sometimes the stores here will have it for $1.89 a pound. Most butchers will cut it into chops for you for free (just ask), or, if they won't (depends on INDIVIDUAL store policy, I have found), then you can cut that roast into boneless chops.

Thanks for the info about he Target coupon. A new Target opened near us and I heard it has groceries. I will have to print the coupon up and check it out!