Quick & Easy Marinated Pork Chops

The past two days I have been concentrating on homemade quick and easy meals. Tuesday's dinner was the inexpensive, under 30 minute chicken and rice dinner. Yesterday was baked marinated pork chops with mashed potatoes and fresh steamed green beans.

It's very important to me that my daughter has home cooked meals. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are her busiest days of the week. They are jammed packed with homework and back to back after school activities. They are also the day that she is watched by a close family friend.

Like many of you, during the week I am looking for quick and easy meals, and it doesn't hurt if it's inexpensive as well. It's November, so if you're like me you're trying to save here and there for Christmas. Every little bit counts.

I did marinate the pork chops the night before. I also peeled and cut the potatoes. But this meal took about 45 minutes to cook and it was very low maintenance.

Rosemary Garlic Marinade

1 TBsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

sprig of rosemary, cut finely

1/4 tsp sea salt

a pinch of crushed red pepper

a pinch of fresh ground black pepper

a dash of white wine vinegar

stir and work into boneless pork chop with your fingers

marinate pork chops

Mocha Marinade

(this recipe is adapted from Ask Aida on the food network)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 TBsp dark brown sugar

1 TBsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp orange juice

1/2 Grand Marnier, or zest of an orange

couple splashes of red wine vinegar

mix and then work into the boneless pork chops with your fingers, let marinade.

Each marinade is enough for 2-3 boneless pork chops. The marinades took me about 5 minutes to make, and another minute to rub into the pork chops. Quick and easy! I set the pork chops in a baking pan with 2 cut cooking onions and a cut empire apple, I even left the skin on the apple. Then I poured in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and let it sit in our refrigerator overnight or however long you prefer to marinade.

Bake at 350 degrees, about 45 minutes depending on the size of your pork chops.

This was served with mashed potatoes, steamed green beans (with some sea salt, ground pepper, and a couple dashes of extra virgin olive oil) and homemade applesauce. When I called to check in- they were raving about it so it couldn't have been that bad!!

This whole meal cost under $20. Thank you Wegman's! I bought the boneless pork chops ($8 for an 8 pack), $2 for the bag of potatoes, $2 for the oranges (for 5 of them), $5 for 2 bags of pre-washed, precut fresh green beans. $1 for 2 cooking onions. Everything else I had on hand.

Enjoy!