Cranberry Pork Delish Recipe!

Here at The Parson's Pantry and Parlor, the name of the game is eating healthy while also saving money and time! This dish is a perfect example of that mantra.

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Pork is often an untapped resource for clean eating. The cost of your most common meats is usually highest for beef but decidedly lower to pork. Honestly, if you're able to do afford it, one of the most cost-effective and safe ways to source pork is to purchase half a hog at a time, freezing the cuts of meat in a large stand-alone freezer. Throughout the country, thousands of farmers make extra money by sharing the meat they produce with free range herds; the bulk of the cost is actually the processing of the meat.

Most cost-effective would be butchering the meat yourself, which is not quite as difficult as it sounds. Next best, however, is purchasing from a local farmer preprocessed. Half a hog runs around $400-$600, depending on the part of the country, but can last 4-6 months, depending on how often you eat pork.

But, even if you're living paycheck to paycheck and unable to make such a large investment at one time, there are ways you can cut cost! One way is to buy in bulk. And that's not just for canned or dried goods. That's meat too!

Sam's Club and Costco both sell larger slabs of meat that can then be sliced and divided in the home, stretching the meat for multiple meals. In fact, right now there is a large Member's Mark Bone In Pork Boston Butt for only $2.48/lb! Just because you purchase a "roast" doesn't mean that's how you have to serve it! Chop it up as stew meant, make stroganoff, slice up some steaks, or make it into strips and batter it for steak fingers!

Even Wal-Mart and local grocery stores often offer pork tenderloins at two per pack, costing roughly $4-$5 per pound. For instance, today I was able to purchase a 3 pound Smithfield All Natural Pork Tenderloin for only $10.42.

That tenderloin can then be sub-divided into at least 2 meals, sometimes 3 if I am mixing it with pasta. For instance, for Beef Stroganoff, I can use the pork from about one third of this since I'll be supplementing with mushrooms and noodles. Pasta, rice, and vegetables are an inexpensive way to stretch meat in meals and fill the belly.

Other pork recipes, such as pork chops, pozole, or Cranberry Pork Delish require roughly half of the tenderloin in the pack, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, since pork is a main portion of the meal.

Slicing tenderloin into thin-cut pork chops allows your breading to stretch the meal. Also, cutting your own pork chops from a tenderloin saves you what is called a butcher's fee. Believe it or not, the same weight's worth of pork in a tenderloin is cheaper than that same weight in a package of pork chops. Why? It takes time to slice the meat and for that time, you pay a hidden butcher's fee!

Essentially, the unwritten rule is, the less processed a meat is, the less expensive it is. Honestly, slicing tenderloin for pork chops takes mere minutes and can save your two to four dollars for a family of four! That's insane savings from just being willing to slice it yourself!

The same goes for any recipe calling for chopped/cubed pork or beef. Hidden within the cost is a butcher's fee. It is much more cost effective to purchase a large roast or slab of beef/pork, and cube the meat yourself!

For this recipe, we use about half the package of Smithfield tenderloin, a cup of cranberries, and a few simple seasonings and staples you have around the house!

Voila! A healthy recipe that includes the super food, cranberries!

Let's make it!

Cranberry Pork Delish Recipe

Servings:

Serves 4

Cranberry Pork Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs avocado oil

• 1-1/2 lb pork chops or tenderloin cubed

• Dash of salt and pepperr

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp dried sage

• 1 sm onion, diced

• 1 clove minced garlic

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 cup fresh cranberries

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1 tsp Dijan mustard

• 1 tsp Sriracha

• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped for garnish

Cranberry Pork Recipe Directions:

1. Once pork chops are cubed, add a dash of salt and pepper.

2. Heat the avocado oil on medium-high and add the pork to the skillet.

3. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and sage, and brown the meat for roughly 3-4 minutes, until both sides are browned. Remove pork chops and set to the side.

4. Add about 2 Tbs more of avocado oil, as needed. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

5. Add red wine and cook for about 2 minutes.

6. Then, add your home-cooked chicken broth, cranberries, brown sugar, dijan mustard, and sriracha.

7. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

8. Once sauce begins to thicken, add pork back into the skillet.

9. Stir pork and cook until the meat is fully cooked and the sauce has glazed the pork.

10. Serve with chopped green onions for garnish!