Crock Pot Asian Pork with Mushrooms

This is so so so delicious! It makes a ton so this is great for left overs or if you're feeding a crowd.

2 lbs lean boneless pork sirloin roast
salt and pepper
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp agave or sugar
1 tsp sesame oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice(McCormick makes it but I have a bottle if you don't want to buy it)
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger root ( I just dump a little ginger in and it still tastes great)
8 oz sliced mushrooms

For Topping:
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Season pork on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray, and brown pork on all sides.

In the crock pot, combine the broth, soy sauce, balsamic, sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, Chinese five spice, garlic, and ginger; add the pork and set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low.

Thirty minutes before the timer goes off, remove the pork and set aside to rest a few minutes; add the mushrooms to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred the pork. When the mushrooms are tender, remove about 1 cup of broth and reserve if needed. Add the shredded pork to the crock pot and mix well. If adding baby spinach, add at the end and cover a few minutes until it wilts. Serve over rice and top with scallions and cilantro-these toppings really add to the flavor so I recommend not skipping them.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

1/2 Onion
1 C. carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 150z can of white beans, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
3 c. fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth(I use vegetable)
1 oz chunk of good parmesan cheese rind(I left this out and still tasted great)
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen(thawed) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows
Extra parmesan cheese to top

Rinse and drain the beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of broth in a blender(I actually prefer my beans whole so I skip the puree step)

Ina crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, parmesan rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 min. more. Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Very hearty and the whole family(Avery excepted) loves it.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

This recipe is taken from my new favorite website skinnytaste.com What I especially love about this recipe is the portion control. Each roll is one serving so there's no guessing or blatantly ignoring the serving size and over eating. Also, the whole family loved them so that is a huge plus too!

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9Tbsp part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine spinach, ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on bottom of a 9 by 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3c. of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle Sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

*Because the recipe calls for fat free ricotta and part skim mozzarella, I would add chopped basil or other Italian herbs to the spinach mixture to give the flavor a little more kick.