Chinese Five Spice Pork Chops

The Wheel of Meals landed on Meals Under $10

It's fairly easy to make a meal under $10 when it's just two people.  I'm sure I could have come up with something for under $5 if I wanted, but I was in the mood for pork chops.  I rounded to the nearest nickle from my grocery bill:

$4.35 Center-Cut Rib Pork Chops  (2 chops)
$3.50 Bok Choy  (1 head) - This was more costly than I had expected
$2.00 Microwavable Rice  (1 package)  I was feeling lazy
all other ingredients were in my pantry/fridge
$9.85 total

Ok, the aromas coming from my kitchen while this baked were incredible.   I wasn't sure how the Chinese five-spice blend would work with the pork, but it was good.  I served it with white rice and sauteed garlic bok choy for an Asian feel.

Chinese Five Spice Pork Chops
from somewhere on the internet

Ingredients:
2 large pork chops (3/4-1" thick)
1/2 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Arrange pork chops in a glass baking dish.  Sprinkle the five spice powder over the chops then drizzle the soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic over the top.  Rub mixture into the meat.   Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Uncover and bake in a preheated 325º oven for 30-40 minutes until the meat is cooked through.

For the bok choy, I sauteed the chopped white bok choy stem pieces in a small pat of butter in a skillet over medium heat along with a couple minced gloves of garlic.  When softened after 5-10 minutes, I added the coarsely chopped green leaves and let the leaves wilt, just a minute or two.  Add salt and pepper and serve.