Easter is over and it’s the end of the school year and frankly I am DONE! I know I will be saying the same thing come August when I am ready for my kids to go back to school and get the hell out of my house, but right now I am so over homework, bedtimes, practices, games….dinner! Yes, I am over dinner right now. I love to cook, but it’s hard to come up with something to make for dinner every night. Sometimes I wish my kids were like plants and I only had to feed them every few days:) But, my kids like to eat EVERY day!

So, even though we are in the home stretch and are ready to quit we still need to make sure that we are feeding our families. There will be plenty of nights this summer where good ole Chic Fit A will work just fine. But, for now the best thing to do is to make a weekly meal plan. I know this sounds very cupcakey, but it does not have to be overly detailed or complicated. If you just take a couple, I seriously mean a couple, minutes and jot down a couple ideas for dinner then go to the grocery it will make 5pm on Wednesday so much easier.

I have a printable weekly meal plan on the right of this page. Print it off and just write in what you think you can pull of that week. I normally only cook Sunday-Thursday so that is why I made the calendar that way, but if you cook more often-god bless you-but just write in the extra day at the bottom.

For example:

As you can see, my calendar is not fancy and please excuse my handwriting:)

Tonight I know it is Balsamic Pork Chops with Green Beans. So at 5:30pm when I am running in the door from driving kids all over town I know that pork chops are on the calendar and there is no thinking. This recipe I know takes about 35 minutes from beginning to end. That means that I can have dinner on the table by 6pm if needed.

If you think about it ahead of time and if you are using your calendar then you will know that Wednesday night you are having pork chops and you can remember to marinate the chops in the morning for even more flavor. But, if you are at the grocery at 5pm there is definitely no time for marinading.

This is a great dish that everyone will love-even the steak eaters. It’s salty with a hint of tang and sweet. Its so good!

E-mail me your thoughts or questions or feel free to post questions on my instagram page theresalwayspizza_blog

Balsamic Pork Chops

Makes 6-8 chops

Mariande:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic-whole

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon rosemary, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Chops:

6-8 thick cut, boneless pork chops

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2-3 Tablespoons butter

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled, but left whole

1 (14oz) can chicken stock

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

In a large zip top bag combine all marinade ingredients and add chops. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. If you don't have time to marinate them at least dunk the chops in this mixture before you dredge them in flour.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Remove the chops from the marinade and dredge each piece in the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil. Add the garlic cloves. Once the butter is melted add the chops. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side. Once browned, remove to a plate.

Add the broth, vinegar and rosemary. Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Let the mixture come to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Allow the mixture to reduce by about half. This will take about 5 minutes.

Return the chops to the skillet and let finish cooking through, about 5 minutes. You don't want to over cook them or they will become tough, so if your chops are thin enough and have cooked through in the previous step then just heat them through with the sauce.

Serve with sauce poured on top.

Notes:

*I serve this with green beans or rice or noodles