As my healthy eating began at the end of August last year, I’m always trying to find ways to eat and enjoy meals.
This time I decided to try to incorporate pork chops to my diet.
I have not been a big fan of pork, ever since my grandfather took me to a pig farm as he needed pig (to roast) and the blood (for a dish), the experience was enough to traumatize me and stray away from pork (with the exception of bacon and glazed ham).
But reading the healthy benefits of pork, I decided to incorporate lean pork into my lifestyle.
You get 137 calories and 4 grams of fat from a 3-ounce pork chop. Pork is similar to chicken, with 3 ounces of chicken breast containing 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. A pork chop has 65 milligrams of cholesterol, compared to 72 grams in chicken breast, but they both have just 1 gram of saturated fat.
Pork chops deliver a big boost of complete protein. Men get 43 percent of their recommended daily intake, and women gain 52 percent from a 3-ounce pork chop.
Pork chops also provide Vitamin B and Zinc. (from sfgate.com)
For the pork chops:
- 4 lean pork chops
- 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of sage leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
I mixed the ingredients of my spice mixture into a bowl and coat the pork chops which I then fried on a pan. And cooking takes about 10 minutes. Make sure you use a thermometer to make sure that the pork chops are 145 degrees.
Because I no longer incorporate bread, rice or pasta, I eat more veggies.
For this meal, I ate pork chops with asparagus.
Asparagus is just packed with health benefits: It’s loaded with nutrients: Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. (from eatingwell.com)
It’s a delicious, simple and healthy meal that is easy and quick to prepare.
