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
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
A New Mud Room
Check out this horrible mud room!
I know it doesn’t show it well, but behind the open back door is a small closet and then a sink. Yuck.
It is an old farm house, so once upon a time the sink had a purpose. Now it was just wasting space. Valuable space. We knew this room could be better utilized. Little did we know, we would, as usual, open a giant can of worms…
We thought we’d tear out the sink and old paneling, paint, add barn doors and call it a day. No.
The walls had to be redone down to the studs. A new false wall had to be added above the closet, since we were taking out the drop ceiling. Then we found that the paneling went behind the flooring. This removal ruined the flooring (not sad about it) and in removing the tile we found we had a rotten spot and needed to even replace subflooring. The house is 1862, but still, whew!
We did make the closet go all the way across the space and Jason built custom barn doors and trim. Gorgeous!
Look what we found under the flooring! Lots of these old papers from the 40s!
But now… she’s about done. (I say about, because we do still have an antique flag we are making a custom frame for to hang about the coat rack, but still, very close)
What do you think?! I think I love it so much that I need to add a chair for company. Come in further and you will see the dining room and hallway that we need to do the same too. 🤣
XX,
Jess
Gift Ideas for Her!
I’ve found the cutest, affordable jewelry, perfect for sentimental gifting! JoyCuff!
JoyCuff has such cute pieces! Check out this 18k gold initial necklace!
I love how you can choose an initial, making it a sentimental gift for yourself or someone you love!
I completely adore anything customized with my boys’ names or initials and this momento gives me all the feels! I think this would be an amazing gift for a mama (hello Mother’s Day!), your bestie, a grad, or even yourself!
I also adore their Morse code bracelets! They have the cutest sayings coded in the beads! This one says “badass”!
Yup, mamas are badasses. Another perfect mama gift for that BA chick in your life. My gal pals are all getting one for Mother’s Day!
They even have sayings and mantra bracelets that are super cute!
Use code 20JESS01 at this link on all your purchases too!
AND, if you want to win a Badass Morse code bracelets, check out my giveaway on Instagram, here!!
XX,
Jess
Guest/Play Room Update
Added a new rug! Small update, but so gorgeous I had to share!
Rug is from Mark and Day, and I LOVE their selection and prices! Highly recommend! AND, you can use that link and save 10% 😍
Wall hangings, shelves and a couch coming soon…
Plus, a total gut of our mudroom in process to share soon! 😉
Jess
XX
Guest/Play Room Transformation
When we moved in a few years ago the rooms were all boring and ugly…
Then we painted and added some fun flair to make this one a bright teen room…
Then, the teen grew up and moved out, so we had an empty space. 💡 We had an idea! A play room. But also make it a guest room, so that we still have a space for company to sleep…
And so the room became a guest/play room.
Paint again. Tone down those walls. New floors. New furniture. Make it fun, but grown up enough for guests… viola!
We went gray on the walls, but a touch darker than normal since we have lots of sunshine in here. We did snap in wood floor, since they are durable and easy to clean. Then the fun part…
We added a wall mural from PhotoWall! What better way to keep it fun for play and interesting but adult for guests?!
How cool is that?! It was actually super easy to install, just wallpaper in vertical strips, and it even comes with the paste. The boys are in LOVE with their new space!
You can head to PhotoWall too and use code ‘makemineeclectic25’ for 25% off any of their art, canvases, or wallpapers!
Next we will add furniture, so stay tuned…
XX,
Jess
Sensory Play Part 2
I wanted to follow up with some more sensory play ideas we have found since getting our table. If you are new here, here is the first post on sensory play, where we talk about our table and some items that are super helpful!
First, get a funnel. These come in a pack of three and are collapsible silicone. Makes putting it all back SO much easier!
Another thing we’ve fallen in love with are these super cute jars from Busy Littles! You can even customize your jar with her, just message her on Instagram to order!
These are so fun because she adds acrylic letters and numbers that she makes! We got an alphabet that she customized to a camo theme! We also got one of her winter jars and a rainbow number jar. The boys LOVE them all!
So, what have we learned? That ANYTHING can be added to a sensory bin! The boys love that they can mix, stir, explore, dump, and keep the fun going for hours. Ok, minutes. They are kids. But still, its impressive. And anything that entertains both a 7 year old and a 2 year old is impressive in my book!
Also, here’s a peak at the Christmas box from Little Creators Texas too! We still love these also!
Have you tried sensory play yet?!
Jess,
XX
Sensory Play
I have been working hard to make Barrett’s time while Brantley is in study time more educational and interactive (and Brantley’s breaks too) and include less cartoons.
So I’ve added some sensory play! And its going SO well over here that I thought I would share some of the things we are using and loving!
First, it’s totally not necessary, but the table we got it super handy! I got the boys the Ikea Flisat table. Its under $50 and is great quality. The two tops are removable and their Trofast bins hang from underneath. This concept is awesome! I can take the bins out to wash them, refill them, or even store things in them. The table tops are wipeable and not the type that get crud caught in the vinyl edge, these are solid! I also added the Sundvik chairs, as opposed to the stools they recommend with the table.
We now use this area for all kinds of crafts, coloring, sensory bins, and even snacks.
The large wooden bowl is from Walmart for about $7. The small set is 4 from Amazon. I also added the set of wooden spoons from Amazon. I even have my own set of wood bowls for charcuterie boards because they were so cute. 😂
Sometimes we add things like rice, beans, popcorn kernels, and pastas to the dishes. This is a huge hit. Albeit a little messy. 😉
I highly recommend some Magic Erasers (these things are like mom gold!) and a little broom like this one for clean up.
These plastic jars are awesome for saving some of the fillers or kids’ creations for a while to use again.
And this wire bin (similar) actually has two more that stack on top, but the bottom one on wheels fits perfectly under the table to corral some things.
You don’t need a ton of stuff and can definitely wrangle some things from around the house. These are just the items we started with to keep organized in making sensory fun.
One thing I’m loving so that I don’t have to think up all the ideas on my own is the premade and themed kits from Little Creators Texas. Her play dough kits are so fun! Here the boys are playing with the fall themed kit. They LOVE it and keep coming back to play again!
I also have some kinetic sand, fake snow, and water beads that we can switch into the tubs. And you can add in any little bits like pinecones, blocks, wooden people,, letters,, shapes… the list is endless. This set up has already given these two hours of entertainment. I am impressed. And I can say that I see their wheels spinning and them learning from this kind of interactive play already. I highly recommend.
We already have lots of ideas for new things to try too, so if this kind of thing interests you, be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I will show more things we use for interactive and sensory play!
Have you made any sensory bins yourself? What did you use?
Xx,
Jess
School At Home
This year has been a wild one, that’s for sure. It’s been so different from the norm for many of us. But, one things remains the same. We want our kids to learn, and we want them to have the best opportunities possible. So, no matter what type of schooling you are doing, these ideas can be for you!
We are doing online schooling this year. Classes are via computer, but mom facilitates. Optimal? No. But we are making the best of it. My best tip so far? Find a space and make it for learning. Boundaries and expectations help learning go well!
You don’t need a whole room, maybe a corner, or a table, or even a certain table cloth, and when it comes out, its time to learn. I had always worked from home a lot and happen to have space in my office that I was able to convert to a learning space. Don’t worry, even if your space is much smaller, these ideas can help you too!
I have several tips for routine, but this will just be about supplies for today.
My second?! Keep it fun!! Third tip?! Get a map!
Look at how we combined both with this animal map canvas from Photo Wall! How cute is this thing?!
Photo Wall is amazing for any Wall decor really. They make wall decals, framed prints, posters, and canvases. You choose the art, the size, the material, and can even customize it! These would be amazing in kids’ rooms and nurseries, or even as an awesome accent wall!
Its details like this that really make your learning space fun and keep kids engaged. We knew Brantley needed a map for a lot of his Social Studies work, and looking things up on the computer really wasn’t cutting it. This map not only shows what he needs, but keeps his interest with the animals and details. He’s taken such an interest now! I plan to add a few more maps like this now too! And of course, you can fit them to your space.
Human anatomy? Plants or leaves? Turn them into a fun canvas or poster to make the learning fun!
Tip 4 & 5- Have your supplies accessible, and keep them organized. Again, your space doesn’t need to be huge, but if you can find your supplies and access them easily, you will be more likely to do so. Hands on activities teach concepts so much better. Like using the scissors, ruler, markers, paints… engages and sinks in. It could even be a tote of supplies that comes out with the table cloth when learning time is happening!
I’m no pro yet, but I can tell you that I’m learning right along with the kids. You can do it, and even better with some simple tweaks!
And back to my gushing about this map canvas, because it really is my pride of decorating the classroom. 😉 Here is my map link. And use code makemineeclectic25 on your purchase from Photo Wall too! Your walls will truly thank you, in a classroom or not!
What tips would you add for schooling at home?!
XX,
Jess
Make Mine Eclectic 