Easy Pork Sheet Pan really only takes minutes to prepare but the results look and taste great! I like to use boneless centre cut pork loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick, as the protein centrepiece and new potatoes are a terrific compliment. Also, if you like, adjust the spice proportions, in particular the smoked paprika according to personal tastes. In fact, if you’re looking for something a little sweeter, consider adding a tablespoon of maple syrup to the mix. It adds a very interesting dimension to to this easy prep dinner option.

For this particular preparation I used so called ‘baby cut carrots’. Years ago my beloved, who is not overly fond of carrots, used to insist on ‘baby carrots’ thinking they were more tender and tastier. In reality, baby cut carrots are really carrot sculptures, the result of machine processing that saved an industry almost 40 years ago.

In the 1980’s more than half the carrot crop was wasted as it was thought to be too misshapen and was deemed ‘unfit’ to sell. A California carrot farmer actually developed special machinery to process the potential waste into a more palatable shape that quickly came to dominate sales. Today’s baby cut carrots are the result and they occupy a huge proportion of carrot sales. They’re still carrots… just not baby carrots.

I just like how baby cut carrots look on this plate… and visual appeal is another important Veteran Move. Serving plates with greens, reds, oranges, yellows and whites along with your chosen grilled, baked or roasted protein not only looks more interesting it’s usually an easy way to ensure dinner checks off more nutritional boxes than dishes with more uniform, drab colours.