Make Stuffed Iowa Pork Loin With Us!
We got a new grill and have been trying out all kinds of new recipes and brushing up old favorites around here!
Let me tell you, Pit Boss is the ultimate grill, and we are in love!
We got the Sportsman 1230 Wood Pellet Gas Grill combo. This beauty can smoke, bake, braise, roast, grill, barbecue, char-grill and sear, all in one machine!
So, on to one of our favorite family recipes!
Stuffed Iowa Pork Loin
Ingredients
Vegetables
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
• 1 small onion (or half of a large onion – chopped in small pieces)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 mushrooms (baby portobello – chopped small)
• 2 cups baby spinach (chopped medium/small)
Pork and layering the filling
• 3.25 pounds pork loin (blot dry with paper towels)
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup crumbled bacon or bits
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 large apple (chopped small)
• Meat seasoning or rub (we use Rufus Teague)
Instructions
• As you cook the onion, use that time to chop the other vegetables to save time.
• Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat, add olive oil, then add chopped onion and sauté for 7 minutes or until translucent. Stirring occasionally.
• Add salt, pepper, crushed garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add chopped spinach, stir and cook for 1 minute or until the spinach wilts. Set aside.
• Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.
• Butterfly the meat
• Spread the mustard evenly on the pork.
• Sprinkle on the shredded cheese, bacon and apple chunks.
• Spread on the vegetable mixture.
• Refold pork and sprinkle with grill seasoning or rub.
• Place the pork on the grill, add the meat thermometer, and smoke for roughly 3 hours or until inside temp reaches 145 degrees.
Viola!
We love ours with grilled sweat potato wedges!
Let me know what you think of the recipe!
And if you have any questions on the grill, ask away!
XO,
Jess
Gorgeous Wedding Decor!
We did it! We got hitched! And it only took us 9 years!
But 9 years later, and we have a home and a family, and the wedding budget was small. So, I’m here to share a few things we did to throw a gorgeous wedding, but on a budget!
First, if you are a planner like me, buy an actual planner and skip hiring one. I used a basic wedding planner from Amazon and tracked everything myself. It’s definitely doable!
Next, buy what you can, don’t rent, and resell when you are done. It was actually cheaper to buy tablecloths and runners than it was to rent them!
Third, pick a venue you like, but if you find a budget friendly option, don’t worry if it needs a little boost to get wedding gorgeous! I used Rent My Wedding and transformed our very inexpensive, albeit dated and bland venue to a gorgeous spot, on a budget!
Before:
Blah, drab, dated. But cheap. Enter Rent My Wedding.
We used white drape walls and uplighting to make the glow. We also added the custom monogram behind our table. It all turned our venue into our rustic glam dream spot!
The whole rental process was super simple too. It can all be chosen and rented online, and customer service is super helpful! Everything is shipped right to you. The directions made it all very easy to assemble and decorate. Then you pack in back up and ship back with the included labels. We even a scheduled a shipping pick up! Boom. We highly recommend Rent My Wedding!
Xx,
Jess
A Mom Must Have
Ok, so it isn’t really for mom, but it sure does help mom’s peace of mind!
That’s the Gabb Wireless watch (or phone!).
Gabb Wireless makes smart watches and phones for kids who aren’t quite ready for the scary world of unlimited tech. Or parents who aren’t ready.
They make keeping kids safe super easy. The devices don’t have internet access, for one. Boom, no unsupervised access. Secondly, they only allow calls and texts to and from approved contacts. I enter approved contact info within the parent app. Third, the devices allow tracking though the parent app. I can make sure B is where he needs to be. The devices even allow for scheduling of no usage times. Like during school, I can have it scheduled that B can only make am emergency call, nothing else.
Plans start at $10/month, and you can save $25 on any device with the code JESSIMARIE. Shop here.
So, at an age where I need to have contact with B, knowing he has sports and activities and will be without me at times or need rides, but also being too young for full access to unlimited internet, this thing is a huge help. We both love it and have been using it for over a year now.
Keep them young, keep them safe.
Xx,
Jess
Eco-Friendly Laundry Switch
I try to use as many eco-friendly products and practices in our home as possible. But products have to work too. Especially when it comes to laundry for my dirty boys. 😜
Enter Tru Earth Eco-Strips!
Each Tru Earth laundry strip packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip of liquidless laundry detergent that you just toss in the wash. 🤯
The smart hypoallergenic laundry detergent formulation seeks out and dislodges dirt molecules and stains, keeping them in suspension until they are rinsed away. It makes your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet. That’s a mama win-win!!
Plus, Tru Earth strips are gentle for you skin too, even the most sensitive skin. They are hypoallergenic, paraben free, phosphate free, free of chlorine bleach and added dyes. Plus they are vegan and made in Canada!
Best of all, they work. Even on muddy boy clothes and stinky baseball uniforms. Mom approved!
So if you want to make a switch that’s healthier for the planet and your family, Tru Earth laundry strips are it!
XX,
Jess (a mama with dirty boys and clean laundry 😉)
Beauty Must Haves
Mom life may keep me super busy, but I still have a few beauty essentials that are must use, no matter how busy.
First, kids, business and stress may add to my wrinkles, and I believe in aging gracefully, but there are still few things I can do to combat early aging. Good skincare. No, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to have the right ingredients.
My favorite skincare brand is Dime Beauty! I use every single product from them and have better skin now than I did in my 20’s! They use clean, safe ingredients and are cruelty free, plus affordable and EFFECTIVE!
This is my holy grail morning and night trio!
The eyelash boost serum has been amazing! And the blue facial oil saves me from break outs!
Use code JessicaM20 at Dime too!
Another must have for me is dry shampoo. No brainer. Life is crazy. Sometimes I don’t have the time to wash, dry, and style my hair. But I do have a quick second to dry shampoo. It refreshes my style, eliminates oils, and volumizes. Win!!
Gimme Beauty dry shampoo is my favorite. They use safe and natural ingredients, like arrowroot, and it leaves my hair soft and fresh. They have a citrus to pick you up the morning, a coconut with UV protection for daytime, and a lavender scent to be calming at night. I truly love them all.
Use code JESSICALAING50 for 50% off your first subscription order at Gimme. (Cancel anytime)
One more thing that I highly recommend and totally don’t want to live without… my Ellavive gel nail system. Manicures are great. But often time consuming and expensive. A super quick and affordable option saves my nails!
This is the fastest system, and 1 minute per coat under the UV light, and it lasts me so long!
You can use code EA20JLAING at Ellavive too!
What do you think? Anything else you would add?
XX,
Jess
Kids Gift Idea and Black Friday Deals
Christmas is fast approaching! But I’ve got an awesome gift idea for your littles!
Barrett fell in love with the balance bike from Coco Village! He rides it everywhere!
It really is a great skill to build for kids too. Even big brother (8) can ride this one! Barrett is 3 and it took some prefecting. They also have a 3 wheeled version!
Plus, if you subscribe to the VIP list here, you will receive an email on NOVEMBER 23rd giving you special early access to all their Black Friday deals!!
Coco Village is our favorite stop for gorgeous and fun kids toys. Check them all out!
Here are a few more of their adorable kids items too!
Hope your kiddos will love these ideas!
XX,
Jess
Guest/Playroom Update
We finally have an official guest space in this guest/playroom!!
What is the best way to keep the space usable for playing while also functional for housing guests?! A sleeper sofa, of course!
We found just the one at Slumberland Furniture too!
This one is not only comfy and gorgeous, but is the perfect color to be stylish and playful, and has a hidden bed!! Win!
Plus, Slumberland is having a big Anniverary event right now with a HUGE Travel Giveaway!! When you spend $1000, get 10% off Slumberland Low Prices + 2 complimentary Hotel Nights. When you spend $2000, get 15% off Slumberland Low Prices + 3 complimentary Hotel Nights. And when you spend $3000+, get 20% off Slumberland Low Prices + 4 complimentary Hotel Nights!! Check them out for details!
So what do you think of the room progress?!
XX,
Jess
Trip Must Haves
We road trip and day trip a lot this time of year! So, I’ve put together a few things that are super helpful when we travel. These are good for kids of all ages!
I pack food. Duh. More importantly, I pack fun food that we don’t normally have. It makes great entertainment and fun, and even works when you need a little bribe. So helpful on a trip. Pre-packaged stuff is handy too!
I pack mess free coloring. So simple, but so handy. And I don’t have to worry about clothes and car being destroyed or crayons melting. They make some awesome mess free goodies now, all are clear to begin and make color on the special pages. Viola!
Pack a bag within a bag. I take a fold up beach bag like this one. We stop to put our feet in the water at the beach? We can throw things we might need in here instead of taking a bigger, bulkier bag out. Anything sandy can be contained here too!
I pack a wet bag! Same idea, but wet suits or shoes won’t make a mess when contained in here!
I pack a few new or not-used-in-a-while toys. Dollar Tree is great for finding inexpensive and fun surprises to pack. This popper toy has been a road trip favorite this year (from Target).
I pack Tubby Todd Baby Fresh Spray. Mom of boys here. They can get real sweaty and stinky. What if we want to stop for dinner? Spray ’em down. Fresh boys! 😉 (you can use this link for 10% off too!)
I pack a portable fan. I’ve got one that clips to the stroller and this one that mists too in the diaper bag. Easy entertainment and so refreshing when we all need it!
I pack this multi travel bottle.
It holds 4 bottles inside. Perfect for sanitizer, soap, lotion, etc, but keeps them small and contained.
I pack our weighted blankets. Our favorites are from Moxie. These make car naps so easy and enjoyable. Aah, some peace and quiet! (You can also use code Jess15 for 15% off here!)
Hope these are helpful! Happy road tripping!
Also, if you want my bigger list of toddler travel must haves, see the post here!
XX,
Jess