Fancy Roasted Pork Loin

$6.39 total / $0.64 per serving

This Christmas, my husband's family came to visit and I decided to make Christmas dinner. So of course, I racked my brain to think of what to serve as the main course. Last year I made a prime rib roast so I knew I had some big shoes to fill! I finally decided to make roasted pork loin stuffed with all sorts of yummy things like garlic, rosemary and parsley.

This roast is spiral cut and stuffed so the presentation is beautiful. Spiral cutting takes a bit of patience and a good sharp knife. My knives aren't the best so I got frustrated half way through; if you are like me, it's ok. Just take your time and go slowly. Eventually it will come together. There are a bunch of tutorials on youtube for the specific process if you are unfamiliar as well.

Nutritional Highlight: Parsley. I always thought parsley was a little useless and honestly didn't bother buying it if it was called for in a recipe. However, I've learned a few things. Parsley, along with other micro-greens, are really good for you! It adds a light, fresh flavor to your foods while providing Vitamin K, chlorophyll and a ton of antioxidants like Vitamins A & C for your body. 

Fancy Roasted Pork Loin  (serves 8-10)

2.5 lbs Pork Tenderloin
1/2 bunch Parsley
12 unpeeled Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Butter
Kitchen Twine

Bring roast to room temperature for more even cooking. Preheat the oven to 325º and heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast the unpeeled garlic for about 6-8 minutes or until the outsides are browned and the garlic is fragrant - be careful not to burn them. Keep in mind, smaller cloves will need to be removed first. Cool the garlic and then reserve 2 cloves for later use. Peel the remaining 10 cloves.

In a food processor, add peeled garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, olive oil and salt. Pulse until combined. This is going to be your filling for the pork.

Starting at about 1 inch above the base, slice into the pork with a sharp knife. Continue to slice the pork while rolling it away from the knife. You should be able to keep rolling the pork away from the knife until you have cut the pork all the way open. Generously spread the filling all ove the inside of the pork. Starting from the end, roll the pork loin back up gently as to not displace the filling. Secure the pork with a couple knots from the kitchen twine.

Place in roasting pan and cook in a 325º oven for 1 hour - 1 hour 20 minutes. The pork should register at 145º internally. Meanwhile, peel the remaining two garlic cloves and mince them. Combine the butter, sugar and garlic in a small microwave safe bowl. Melt the butter mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Once the pork is removed from the oven, brush the garlic butter over the top of the roast. Tent the roast with foil and let rest 15 minutes.

Slice and Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis:

Per 4oz serving: 196 calories, 7.6g fat, 2g carbohydrates, 33.5g protein and over 15% daily value of Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin and Zinc

DIY Christmas Cheer

Create your own Holiday Decor that fits your style. I found the idea to make this window display from a posting I saw on Centsational Girl. This isn't the best picture (we need to clean the outside of our windows...yikes!) I finished this project last Christmas so I'm not sure what the exact price was. I do know however, that it was really inexpensive. Most of the supplies are easy to find at Michael's or Hobby Lobby (the Hobby Lobby's in Utah are always having 50% off sales so that made it even cheaper!)

What you need: 

An idea! (Joy, Noel, Merry, Snow, Believe, etc.)
Ribbon, preferably wire-edged
Wooden letters to spell your word
Paint
Paint brush
Hot glue/hot glue gun
Wood board, cut to fit your specifications (I found a piece at Home Depot for a couple bucks and they cut it for me for free!)
Accents like greenery, garland, berries, candles, etc. This is where you can really get creative and make it your own. These will also help to weigh down the board and keep it in place.

Let's make it:   

First, paint the letters your desired color. Wait until dry and then hot glue one end of a ribbon strand to the back of each letter. Keep your ribbon fairly long, you can always cut it once you decide your layout.

Second, arrange your letters on a flat surface and play around with different variations before committing to a design. Then determine your length; how long do you want the letters to hang? Don't stress about this last part too much because we can make it so the decoration is adjustable.

Third, mark your ribbon and cut off any excess length from each ribbon piece. To make the decoration more adjustable, keep the ribbon longer than desired so you can wrap the ribbon around your board. This will let you shorten or lengthen individual letters or the whole word. 

Fourth, hot glue the ends of your ribbon to your wooden board. Use something to protect your fingers as you press the ribbon into the glue and spread it out. 

Fifth, decide how many times, if any, you are going to wrap the ribbon around your board. Place it in its desired location and finish by decorating with accessories. Voila!

Christmas Cocoa & Cinnamon Rolls

$7.93 / $.79 per serving

♫ "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."♫ I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. Christmas is my favorite. There are so many reasons why I love the holidays but one of the main reasons is because I love the treats. Yep. I love hot chocolate, spiced nuts, Christmas cookies, and I especially love cinnamon rolls. Today I'm going to share with you my recipe for stovetop (or crockpot) hot chocolate AND my all-time favorite cinnamon roll recipe - both of which are a must-have in my house for Christmas. 

For my favorite cinnamon roll recipe, visit Mel's Kitchen Cafe! 

These cinnamon rolls are labor intensive and you definitely can't be afraid to get your hands dirty. But let me tell you, they are the BEST! I opt to make them with half of the butter called for in the filling, other than that I follow this recipe to the letter. They are are so good, I only allow myself to make them when we have a large gathering. That way IF there are leftovers, I can only be tempted by a few. 


Nutritional Highlight: Cinnamon & Cacao. Cacao, the raw form of cocoa powder, is known for it's potent antioxidant properties that come from flavonoids. When choosing chocolate for the antioxidant properties, pick a dark chocolate with 70% or more cacao. Cinnamon is another way to get more antioxidants into your body. It also helps to naturally regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. 

Christmas Cocoa      (serves 10)

1 1/2 cups Half & Half
1 14oz can Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips (at least 70% cacao)
6 cups 1% milk
2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp Cinnamon

In a stockpot over medium-low heat, or in a crockpot set to High, mix all ingredients together. Stir occasionally until the chocolate chips are melted. This will take around 10 minutes on the stove or almost an hour in the crockpot. The bonus to putting it in the crockpot is that you don't have to worry about it burning once you get the chocolate melted. You can just turn it to low and enjoy watching Christmas movies!

Nutritional Analysis:

Per Serving: 394 calories, 16.5g fat, 55g carbohydrates, 9.1g protein, and over 15% daily value of Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorous and Riboflavin.

Cinnamon Apple Waffles

$3.39 total / $.42 per serving

I can honestly say this recipe changed my day for the better! Not only because it is delicious but because it also gave me the opportunity to help someone. I was thinking up what I wanted to make this morning and I had everything I needed for some tasty cinnamon apple waffles. Sounds delicious, right? Alas, for some reason, I felt like I just had to have some apple cider to put in the batter. I mean, I HAD to have it!

So I ran to the new Trader Joe's that just opened and scored a 64oz bottle for $2.99. I bought my precious apple cider and I got in the car, turned up the heat because it was 25 degrees and snowing outside, and started to drive home. As I exited the parking lot, I saw a man that I have become familiar with over the last year. I see this man almost every day on my way to the University; he is homeless and he was wearing only a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. I am immediately struck with a feeling of relief because it has been a while since he has been on his usual corner, I was worried he had died. Then, I realize that he has probably been standing in the snow for hours. I cried the whole way home; I couldn't help it. I was overcome by the obvious need that he had while I was fixating on 'needing' apple cider for my waffles!

So when I got home, I asked my husband through tears how we could help. We rummaged through the house and gathered up some cold weather gear. I decided that our breakfast could wait so that I could heat up some of the Scalloped Potato and Ham Chowder from our dinner the night before. We got everything together and went on our way to provide some sort of warmth for a homeless man on this snowy freezing day. Turns out, that homeless man's name is Bill. When my husband asked him how old he was, he smiled and said that he will be turning 62 on Thursday. As he ate the food that we brought him, he began to tell us his hopes of being off the streets at the new year. Turning 62 means that Bill will qualify for Social Security and get to the top of the list for housing. He realized that he would be penalized for not waiting until he was 65 to receive SS but he also said that he didn't know if he'd make it that long either. Bill was just released from the hospital after being treated for severe pneumonia.

I didn't anticipate when I woke up how much of an impact today would have on me. I feel truly blessed to have gotten the chance to finally talk with Bill and hear his story. When my husband and I got home, he asked me if I had read Bill's sign. I had taken a glimpse of it but hadn't read it the whole way through. He told me the sign read "Help the homeless." The simple fact that Bill had not just been concerned about himself but also other homeless people really struck a chord with Jake. He felt encouraged to keep giving and to tell others about this story. The Christmas season is upon us and many feel more generous this time of year. I hope that through reading this story, you can find something that you can give to someone in need. Whether it is your food or simply your conversation, someone can be blessed by your outreach of kindess and you can too. I know that this recipe will now hold a place close to my heart for that very reason.

Nutritional Highlight: Apples. Leaving the skins on the apples is very important for nutritional purposes. The skins are full of dietary fiber, phytochemicals (which are naturally found in plant foods and help prevent diseases like cancer) and other trace minerals and nutrients. 

Cinnamon Apple Waffles
(Serves 6-8)

2 Eggs
2 Cups Flour
1 3/4 Cups Apple Cider (or milk)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg


Apple Syrup

2 Apples, cored and chopped
1/2 Cup Sugar
4 Tbsp Water
4 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat your waffle iron. For the waffles, beat eggs in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in all other ingredients just until the batter is smooth.

In between cooking the waffles or while someone else is manning the waffle iron, grab a small saucepan. Mix all ingredients for the syrup over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 7-10 minutes. Stir the syrup occasionally to make sure the sugar doesn't burn. When you have your desired consistency, remove from the heat.

Prepare your waffles however you wish (my husband likes tons of butter, me not so much!) and then top with syrup. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis:

Waffles: 294 calories, 15.3g fat, 35.4g carbohydrates, 4.8g protein, over 15% daily value of calcium, manganese, selenium and thiamin

Syrup: 134 calories, 0g fat, 35.8g carbohydrates, 0g protein

The Christmas Spirit

(This post is off topic for my blog but it is a precursor to a recipe that changed my entire day!)

Christmas is a wonderful time of year! I go crazy about Christmas; there is so much joy and child-like wonderment that fills me up during this time of year. Like many Americans though, I can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying that 'perfect' present for my loved ones. However, with being new to the housewife club, Jake and I have had to cut back on a lot since sacrificing that additional income which has set this year up to be a game changer.

Now that we are more budget conscious, we have been forced to take a step back and really put some thought into what we wanted to do for our loved ones this Christmas. In November, I put in a lot of time and did a lot of research for activities that could fill up the Christmas season and not feel like we were missing out. While I was looking into local activities, I found a couple blogs that were talking about doing RACK (Random Acts of Christmas Kindness). This idea really intrigued me. I have a soft spot for children and people in need. So we decided to do it. (We did change the C to mean Christian instead of just Christmas because we would like to make more cards later and carry this activity throughout the year.)

My husband made up some cards that were inspired by one of the blogs and we started thinking up ideas. Basically, you want to do at least one random act of kindness each day of December leading up to Christmas. We thought of several activities that we could do at the beginning of December and then a couple really big things to do closer to Christmas Day. One of the things I am really excited about doing is making a large pot of chicken noodle soup and dividing it into containers to hand out at the park and other places where several homeless people gather. Food is very near and dear to my heart and I felt like a hot home-cooked meal was something that I could easily give that could nourish someone's body and hopefully warm their heart as well.

So far, my husband and I have been really blessed by this activity this year. Our attention has been focused on giving to others what we can give. The stress has been taken out of the season because money hasn't been on our minds. We may be strapped for 'gift giving' cash but we have found it very easy to give of our time and what we have that others may need more than ourselves. This Christmas has really been a game changer for us; it is when we have the least that we have given the most.

“It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” 
~ Mother Teresa

With Love,
Jess