Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops

I made a new recipe last night - I'm trying to get out of our oh-so-boring grilled chicken with 2 veggies routine. Unfortunately when I try to get creative with dinner I end up cooking something yummy but very fattening. At the request of my husband I have been on the hunt for some healthier recipes. 

For example: instead of my extra cheesy shrimp and grits recipe (that calls for 8 oz of white cheddar cheese), I made a healthier version that only uses shrimp, grits, green onion, red peppers, and some hot sauce. Saved us many calories and still very good! 

Last night I felt a little fancy cooking this new pork chop recipe I found, but it was so easy and really took only 30 min. 

To start I microwaved 1/2 butter squash (cubed) in 1/4 c. of water - covered with vented plastic wrap for 8 min, stirring half way through. Watch out for the steam because it burns, trust me I am still feeling my burn today. 

While that was cooking I seasoned 3 pork chops with thyme, salt, and pepper. Then I pulled out my brand new Canon Rebel T3i (yay!) and tried to go all Pioneer Women with pics of my progress. 

After the squash had cooked I added 1 c. of couscous to the bowl and an extra 1 1/2 c. of water. Re-covered and microwaved again until the couscous had absorbed all the water and softened. 

I heated olive oil on med-high heat in my skillet and cooked my pork chops about 3 min on each side. Once those where browned on each side I added 1 small sliced red onion on top and cooked until soft. Once the onion is soft add in 2 tbsp of dijon mustard and 2 tbsp of apricot jam. Cook for 6 min. 

Serve the pork chops and onions over the butternut squash and couscous mixture. And enjoy!!

I love this recipe and it is now in my recipe book as a keeper.

By the way, I got this recipe and the healthier shrimp and grits recipe from Good Housekeeping (thank you Kelly for my subscription - I love it)!