Trader Joe's W Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon

While shopping at Trader Joe’s I finally noticed the line of bacon.  I’ve seen the peppered turkey bacon before but hadn’t purchased it but I was in a different store and the bacon was more eye level than above my head so I started poking around.  I picked up a pack of the W Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon (in other stores it would be known as Wellshire Farms Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon) to have as a meal plus as an addition to a recipe.

I’ve been trying out trying out nitrate free meats to see if I notice any difference in regards to headaches.  So when I saw this bacon had no nitrates or nitrites and had not been preserved I was intrigued.  When I flipped over the pack and checked out the nutrition facts I was pretty much sold.  Plus the ingredients in the bacon are all things that one can read and understand: pork, raw sugar, sea salt and spices. Can’t get much simpler than that!

The bacon itself is delicious.  It’s thick, it’s meaty, and it’s mildly salty and just an all around perfect bacon. I have been eating turkey bacon for a while now, simply because I enjoy it and it was less points than regular bacon BUT I’m pretty much sold on this bacon and it will become a staple, repeat purchase for me from here on out.  It’s great on its own, it’s great chopped up and incorporated into a sandwich, it’s great in pasta dishes, and it’s just delicious bacon.

A serving size is 2 pan fried slices.  A serving is 60 calories which translates to 1 points plus values (Yes! 1 points plus for REAL bacon!).

QUESTION:

Have you tried the W (Wellshire Farms) classic sliced dry rubbed all natural uncured bacon?

Dinner: Shake & Bake Pork, Potato, Corn & Apple Sauce

This was a delicious and filling dinner I whipped together one night for dinner. It was honestly the quickest and easiest meal to put together and I forgot how yummy Shake & Bake was!  This was truly a “walk in the door, assemble, set it and forget it” type of meal. Dinner was done in 40 minutes – which was the amount of time it took for the pork to cook through.

I started off the meal by trimming the fat off my pork chops. Rinsed them under water then dropped them into the plastic bag that comes with the shake and bake.  I shook each pork chop up individually and put them onto a baking sheet.  Into the oven they went with the timer set.

I peeled and husked some corn, put it in a pot with a splash of milk and set it on to boil.  I then took my potatoes, rinsed them and popped them into the microwave for 8 minutes.  Yes – did you know you can have a baked potato straight out of the microwave? It’s my go to method when I want a potato because it makes it simple and I don’t have to wait 40+ minutes for it.

When everything was done, I measured out my serving and dinner was ready to rock and roll!  What I had was 4 ounces of pork with shake and bake on it (6 points plus), a 7 oz potato (4 points plus), a corn on the cob (2 points plus) and ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (0 points plus).  Overall 12 points plus – filling and delicious!

QUESTION:

What is a quick and easy meal you haven’t had in a while?

Dinner: Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Seasoned Pork Roast with Barbecue Sauce

I had purchased this fully cooked Seasoned Pork Roast with Barbecue Sauce at Trader Joe’s and stuck the package in the freezer since it just wasn’t on the dinner menu for a while. We spotted it in the freezer, took it out to defrost and made it for dinner and I have to say – this is absolutely DELICIOUS!

Since the pork roast is already fully cooked it can be heated through in either the microwave, or in the oven.  I chose putting it into the oven and heating through that way – it made it feel more of a home cooked meal than a fully cooked packaged meal.  I lined my pan with foil (for easy cleaning) and topped it with foil to steam.  It came out perfectly, the meat was really moist and the barbecue sauce survived 20+ minutes in the oven without drying up and getting “chewy”.

My boyfriend, mother and I all had this for dinner (they both raved about the pork) – paired with a baked potato and some canned no sodium corn and it was a perfect meal. Delicious, filling and a great quick and easy meal.

The serving size is totally generous – 5 ounces (including the barbecue sauce) and it only comes out to 6 points plus values!  How can you go wrong for 5 ounces of barbecue pork?  I’m all about getting the most bang for my buck regarding points plus values and this is totally worth it. I can’t recall how much this cost, but I want to say it was under $10 for the package – maybe $8?

My meal in the above photograph is 10 points plus values. 6 – pork, 3 – potato, 1 – corn.

QUESTION:

What is one of your favorite fully cooked meat products at Trader Joe’s?