It’s a question we face all the time: What’s for dinner?

Depending on your mood, your day or your schedule, this question can take you by surprise, irritate you — or cause you to order takeout!  So, how do you turn this question into an answer that makes you sound calm, cool and collected?

It all comes down to planning.

This might sound simple, but planning your meals in advance does require a bit of time and effort. The good news is that it pays you big dividends in the forms of less stress, more efficient grocery shopping and better meals for your family. 

As a foodie, I love cookbooks and cooking magazines, and finding new recipes to try is a great first step in planning your meals. Cooking Light® magazine is one of my personal favorites and is a great place to find fun, new ideas for when you’re in the kitchen. A perfect example is their recipe for spiced pork chops with apple chutney. If you like spicy, this recipe is for you. Check it out below. And don’t forget to sign up for our BeWell newsletter for more tips on healthy eating!

Chutney Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

5 cups (1/4”) cubed peeled apples (about 3 apples)

¼ cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ teaspoon ground ginger (original recipe called for 2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground mustard

A dash of ground allspice

Preparation:

To prepare chutney, melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add apple; sauté four minutes or until lightly browned.  Add cranberries and the next six ingredients (through allspice); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer eight minutes or until apples are tender; stir occasionally.

Spiced Pork Ingredients:

¾ teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (if you don’t have chipotle chili pepper and would like a “milder” version, use regular chili powder)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder (I like to use 1 teaspoon minced garlic in place of garlic powder.)

½ teaspoon ground coriander (This is an expensive spice but a little goes a long way.)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 (four-ounce each) boneless center-cut pork loin chips, trimmed

Cooking spray

Preparation:

To prepare pork, while chutney simmers, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine chipotle and the next four ingredients (through black pepper); sprinkle over pork to coat pork with the spice. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook four minutes on each side or until done. Serve with apple chutney.

Serving Size and Nutrition: 

1 chop and 1/3 cup chutney

321 calories, 9.6 g fat, 24.4 g protein, 34.5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 72 mg cholesterol, 1.1 mg iron, 520 mg sodium, 45 mg calcium