CROCK POT Apple-Honey Pork Loin with Sides!

 Sunday Dinner:

Crock Pot Apple-Honey Pork Loin

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Bacon (a healthier Dutch Oven Potato recipe)

Steamed Beans with Mustard Sauce

Let's start with the Pork Loin. I have never been a fan of a pork loin. Until now. I was completely blown away. When it's finished, it doesn't taste like pork at all. Cooking it for 7 hours makes it just fall apart, sort of like a pulled pork recipe would. And it is so delicious, even warmed up the next day! 

Ingredients:

Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
Honey, approx 4 T
Cinnamon, 2 T

Instructions:

Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
Place the pork loin into the Crock Pot. Drizzle some honey into the slits. Then place apple slices into the slits.

Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey. Place the rest of the apples on top. Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.

Cook on low for 7 hours.

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 Steamed Green Beans with mustard sauce

Ingredients:

1lb. bag of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

For the sauce:
1 1/2tsp yellow mustard
1C mayo
3TBS dijon mustard
1/3C Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
1/4tsp salt

Instructions:

Put a pot of water to boil. Once water is boiled, add green beans to a steamer basket or large mesh strainer and place lid on top. Steam for 10 minutes.

While beans are steaming, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and place in fridge.

Once beans have been steamed, drop into a bowl of ice water for about 30 seconds. Drain and enjoy with mustard sauce. 

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 Oven Roasted Potatoes with Bacon (aka Lightened Up Dutch Oven Potatoes)

Ingredients:

3lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2lb thick sliced bacon
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1TBS olive oil
1/4C Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Parsley

Instructions:

Scrub potatoes and dice into large chunks. Place into a large pot filled with water until covered by at least 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, cut bacon in half, then into 1/2in pieces. Cook bacon in a skillet until golden, yet flexible. Remove onto a plate lined with paper towels and drain off all but about 1TBS of the drippings.

Check potatoes and if fork tender, drain and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 425.

In the same skillet that you used for the bacon, add 1tsp of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes. Add the bacon back to the skillet and combine.

Prepare a baking sheet by brushing remaining olive oil on the bottom of the pan. Place potatoes down and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in over for 30 minutes.

Reduce temp to 375, turn potatoes over and sprinkle with the bacon mixture, and Parmesan. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley (dried works well also).