I don’t know who needs to hear this but you do NOT need to buy expensive cuts of meat to hit your macro targets. Learning how to cook cheaper cuts of meat save you money on groceries, and can give you different alternatives of hitting your macro targets that you otherwise wouldn’t have thought of.
Pork tenderloin is a great example of a very under-rated meat in the health and fitness world. It has less fat per serving than chicken breast with a similar protein content, it is packed with vitamins and minerals, and it keeps well in the fridge, making it an ideal meat to use for meal prep.
The down-side to some cheaper cuts of meat? If they are overcooked they can come out dry and not appealing to eat, particularly if you are eating it a few days in a row.
There are ALL kinds of ways to make pork tenderloin extremely tasty, this recipe below is just one example. By creating a marinade, sautéing the pork tenderloin first and finishing it in the oven you can add a lot of flavour and also make sure it doesn’t dry out, even if you overcook it slightly.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 strips boneless pork tenderloin (approximately 600 grams each, for a total of approximately 1200 grams)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Nutrition:
Makes 6 Servings:
Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl or measuring cup, pour all the ingredients for the marinade, and set aside.
Heat an oven-safe pan on medium-high heat. (I use a cast-iron pan, but anything that can transfer safely to the oven will work nicely.)
Once the pan is hot, add your pork tenderloin, pour 1/3 of the sauce, flip the pork tenderloin and pour the 1/3 of the sauce on the other side.
Allow the pork to continue cooking until you start seeing a golden brown crust forming on the bottom. Once you see this colouring develop, flip and allow the top side to develop a golden crust as well.
As the pork continues to cook, brush or pour some of the remaining sauce on to the top periodically.
Once you have a good golden crust on all sides, brush or pour whatever is left of the sauce on top of the pork and put into the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes (depending on size) until cooked through.
TIP:
Once you pull the pork tenderloin out of the oven, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing so you don’t immediately lose all of the juiciness of the meat.
TIP #2:
Take any liquid that is left in the bottom of the pan and pour it over your pork tenderloin once it has been cut. This will add additional flavour and keep it from drying, particularly if you are using this for meal prep. You can add a very small amount of water or chicken stock to help pull up additional flavour if the consistency at the bottom of the pan is too thick.
Enjoy!
