Back to School . . . Back to Meal Planning

I am beginning the school year with my heels dug in.  Dreading it.  Almost kicking and screaming.  Not ready.  Hating to say goodbye to summer.  I love the ease of summer with a more relaxed schedule.  This summer seemed especially nice with no big events or planning to do.  I had our three boys under one roof, well sort of, but in theory . . .Part of my dread is the thought of the Second Son beginning his senior year and the Third Son, the baby, beginning high school.  I know how crazy and how quickly the senior year goes and I know that once one begins ninth grade time seems to fly in warped speed.  That is a post in itself!The other dread is all of the other early mornings, late nights, duties, responsibilities, meetings, papers, projects, permission slips, conferences, practices, meets, games and over-scheduling that comes with a school year.  Even though I love it all and am one of those Type A folks who loves a schedule, if you have school age children, you know what I mean.  It is just plain exhausting!Then there is feeding these people that live under this roof and actually expect a prepared meal when they come home starving from football practice!  That takes some thought, planning and execution!  So, here we go with one of the first meals of the season . . . it's a new recipe and a good one.Wandering around the grocery store I found thick cut pork chops on sale.  This is not in our normal rotation so I grabbed them and figured out what to do with them last night. BAKED PORK CHOPS WITH BROCCOLI AND APPLES1 tablespoon unsalted butter4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut loin pork chops2 large crisp apples,  cut into wedges3/4 large red onion, cut into wedges1 bag precut broccoli2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme1/3 cup unsalted chicken stock3 tablespoons cider vinegar1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1. Preheat oven to 425°. Coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray.2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and stir until it melts.   Add pork chops to pan; pepper to taste and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until browned.  Transfer pork to center of sprayed jelly-roll pan; scatter apple, onion, broccoli and thyme around the pork chops. Combine stock, vinegar, and oil, stir and drizzle over meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper. Place pan in oven and roast at 425° for 25 minutes or until vegetables are brown and pork chops are desired degree of doneness.Serve pork chops on a plate with vegetables and apples, covering with juices from the pan.I take my food photos in real time . . . not under a white board with a light, so my evening foods will not look beautiful or professional, but here's what it looks like!*Recipe tweaked from one offered in Cooking Light.Nutritional Information:Calories 285 Fat 12.4 gSatfat 4.1 gMonofat 5.4 gPolyfat 1.2 gProtein 24 gCarbohydrate 20 gFiber 3 gCholesterol 78 mgIron 1 mgSodium 180 mgCalcium 40 mgIf you are looking for something to put on the table for your hungry mouths after a long day of school, work, practice or you name it, this is for you.Let me know if you give it a try!Enjoy Your Day!