In pork chop heaven

I think I've just died and gone to pork chop heaven. I may never eat again, to keep its taste on my lips.

But really, I just had the perfect meal. I've had a day to myself, and between chores I had time to visit the Manotick Village Butcher again. The past two weeks since we've moved back to the area, I've been using up frozen meats before taking the local pledge and buying exclusively from them again. Yes, the owners are friends, but also they serve up awesome tasting, ethical, healthy, local meat. You can't beat that. *little happy dance*

I treated myself to a pork chop, since my lovely husband isn't home and he won't eat them. Also accompanying the seared chop were the sweetest little yellow potatoes ever from my weekly organic veggie box, and wilted spinach with local garlic. Perfect dinner.

I also picked up some local eggs, milk from Cochrane's dairy, lean ground beef (grass fed, so high in Omega-3s), and lard (yes lard!).

Lard? My dear husband is going to freak. The lard I picked up is a perfect translucent white, prepared from the healthy pork of the same kind I ate for dinner tonight. We've all been scared away from lard, but really, we need to brush up on our science. Lard really isn't so bad, and in fact we should use it more often. It contains only 40% saturated fat, as compared to coconut oil's 85% or butter's 63%. It also has 45% monounsaturated fat, and if you are concerned about weight loss, some research has shown that monounsaturated fatty acid's are associated with weight loss. Monounsaturated fat is a heart healthy fat as well, so next time you need to reach for a fat to make a pie crust with, or to fry your chicken in, pick up some lard and get cooking! (noting that perhaps, these foods should be consumed in moderation).

Anywho...for folks living in town who want to try the goods from the Butcher, I'm always willing to pick up orders and bring them to work with me. And if you're looking for Ostrich, they even have some in the freezer!