Megan

Simple Savory Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce

April 17, 2017 by Megan

Simple pork tenderloin with plum sauce. This recipe is perfect to serve at gatherings with friends and yet simple enough for a weeknight meal at home. The pork tenderloin is seared and then baked in the oven. Try this unbelievably tender pork tenderloin for an all-around delicious meal!

The Simple Life

Pork tenderloin. This is a meal that has always looked intimidating to me on the outside, but when it comes down to it, it is rather simple. Amazingly delicious but also simple. Not many meals that are this tasty could can be described as simple.

And pork tenderloin is totally like my family. To some, having 3 kids ages 3, 3 (not twins!), and 5 may seem intimidating but it is rather simple. And I mean simple compared to when they were a newborn, 11 months, and 2 years. Yes, compared to that time life right now is simple. Holidays with family are much more relaxing. There was a time I would spend the entire weekend changing 3 kids’ diapers, feeding them, and rocking them and then realize I barely got 2 words in to my siblings and parents. It was CRAZY! But I still loved it. Buuuut, it was still crazy.

But life right now is pretty darn special, because we spend the holidays exposing them to new holiday traditions. I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes around the holidays. Our kids made it to three Easter egg hunts this past weekend. My heart melted every time Parker or Reese ended up with fewer eggs, only to see Collin come to their rescue and start sharing his eggs. It’s moments like that when I realize I have some amazing little kiddos.

Simple Doesn’t Mean Boring

If there is one thing that I could say to anyone that has turned up their nose when I say I am a dietitian and I actually enjoy healthy food it is this: Healthy Food Doesn’t Mean Boring Food. A bag of baby spinach> yes, that is boring. A bag of baby spinach mixed up with quinoa, blueberries, candied almonds, feta cheese, red onion, and cucumbers topped with a blueberry vinaigrette> that is anything but boring. It is delicious, healthy, and one of my favorite salads ever! It is my Bar Harbor Mason Jar Salad and you should totally check it out! So I hope you find that this pork tenderloin recipe is simple and totally NOT boring as well!

There is more truth than people realize to the saying, “You are what you eat.” And what you put into your mouth is how you will feel. Chow down on a Big Mac and large fry and you will feel just like that Big Mac and large fry, which is stuffed and greasy. However, if you eat a tuna melt on a whole grain English muffin and some carrots/celery with ranch you will probably feel a lot different because you are feeding your body with nutrients it NEEDS to function.

Pork + Plum Sauce = this is amaaaazing!

So back to this fantastic meal. I could hardly contain myself when I tasted the plum sauce. Your mouth has got a party going on right here. And it’s called plum sauce. It’s simple. You should try it. And the plum sauce on top of the pork tenderloin is the ultimate savory simple dinner.

We ate the pork tenderloin with a salad, however you may be curious about the garlic bread. You guys, the plum sauce is so amazing that I was dipping my garlic bread into the sauce. 😋 It is that awesome!

The Plum Sauce is adapted from Jo Robinson from Eating on the Wild Side. This book is a fantastic read and has some wonderful recipes in it as well.

This post has an affiliate link and any purchases made via the link will give me a commission. I only recommend items that I have tried myself and enjoy.

Simple Savory Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce

3 Scoops of Sugar

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Dish

Ingredients

1 lb-1.25lb pork tenderloin
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 clove garlic
6 red blue, or black plums, pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

Pork Tenderloin

Preheat oven to 350℉.
Brush pork tenderloin with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
In a cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Sear pork tenderloin for 1 minute each side, turning 3-4 times.
Bake pork tenderloin for 30-35 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.

Plum Sauce

Meanwhile, mince garlic and set aside. Combine the plums and balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
Cover plums and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and honey and stir. Simmer for another 10 minutes uncovered.
Spoon sauce in to the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 10-12 times making sure the peels are finely chopped.
Serve over pork tenderloin

Notes

The plum sauce makes about 2 1/2 cups.

The nutrition facts label is for the pork tenderloin alone as you will have a lot of sauce leftover. Per 1/4 cup serving of plum sauce, there is: 46 calories, 1.3 grams of fat, 8.5 grams of carbohydrate, and .4 grams of protein.

Pork Carnitas

A Food Blogger at Home Just Trying to Stay Fit

April 14, 2017 by Megan

Welcome to my wellness page and the first ever wellness post! I am a Food Blogger at Home Trying to Stay Fit!!

Now that I am home all day with the kids I have been trying to find a way to “work out” at home other than running around picking up after my kids. 😉

As a mother of 3 kids ages 2, 3, and 5 I am finding it harder and harder to get into a regular running routine. I am a runner. Whether that means I am able to run 3 miles a week or 20 I enjoy running. It clears my head and it makes me feel energized. And sometimes regardless of how many steps I put in a day per my fitbit, until I get outside and go for a run or walk I just feel blah.

So, in order to de-stress I am trying another form of exercise. Yoga. What is yoga? In my opinion, yoga is a way of exercising the mind and body. It promotes strength, flexibility, and self-discipline through a series of poses. I am by no means an expert, this is simply my own way of interpreting yoga to myself. And this, my friends, is my yoga journey that I will be sharing with you all. So sit back and enjoy and you will probably even get a good laugh from time to time.

Day 1

Yoga at home today. Confession #1- I have never attended any type of yoga class. I have practiced what I believe is yoga for a couple of years in my own way. I google yoga poses and find what interests me. But that’s it. Oh, and if I’m going to get into yoga, I need the right clothes. You can find my top and yoga pants here and here. I love them! They are so comfy. Also those are not affiliate links.

My favorite routine of poses I have come across is by Sarah at Broma Bakery. Check it out here. Some are easy, some bring out my wiggly feet as I like to say. Either way I enjoy it.

Although I don’t know how much I am relaxing when I have a 2 year-old walk in the room and she sits down on my back as I am planking. 😂 The girl always makes me smile.

Day 2

First day of yoga class. Ever. I really hope I don’t embarrass myself. But I am super excited at the same time!! I mean after all of this time of me stumbling over myself trying to do yoga on my own, I might finally learn some things about how to go about yoga the correct way. Like how long are you supposed to pose for? How do you transition from one pose to the next? No more of Na-Amastay in bed! It is time to do this!! Let’s go!

1 hour and 15 minutes of yoga later and I am feeling fantastic. This thing of me taking yoga classes might just become a thang and I am feeling good about it. I totally walked out of that classroom relaxed, energized, and ready to take on the day.

The Consensus: I loved yoga class. It was so calming and yet I left class feeling like I got a good workout.

For one, the music alone is peaceful and you can actually concentrate on what you are doing. I found it a lot easier to balance myself when I don’t have 3 kids running around me. And it was nice having someone who could correct me when I wasn’t doing the posture correctly. For those of you curious I went to Just Breathe yoga in Kearney.

Day 3

Okay I am going to take another shot at trying yoga at home. I even learned a couple of things from class that should help me! And I am starting to actually look forward to this part of my day. Yoga has a lot of benefits, more than just exercise. It certainly is a quick way to round up all of my kids. They can be off and playing and the minute I pull out the yoga mat they all come running. Today, my daughter managed to slide herself underneath me while I was planking. And then she tried to do the poses with me and if I was too slow she let me know and told me “next one mommy!” 😛

Looks like yoga might be a good reason to get out of the house every now and then. However, I will probably miss my little girl wanting to do yoga with me so I think I have a yoga partner in the making.

Day 4

Today, I managed to get my head stand down! 🙃 So pumped. I have been wanting to be able to do this for awhile…like forever! And I got it today!!! I have lots more work to do, but so far I am kind of loving this yoga journey so far.

And there is nothing like trying to do the airplane pose when your 3 year-old comes in, tips you off-balance, and then chuckles until he hits the floor laughing. 🙄

Obviously, I don’t have a tripod for my camera and it is sitting on one of the kids’ chairs. That is why you are unable to see my feet!

Happy Friday!

Namaste

Best Chewy Almond Butter and Oat Bars

April 13, 2017 by Megan

Almond Butter and Oat Bars mixed with peanuts, crushed pistachios, and mini chocolate chips. These bars are the perfect thing to grab on the way out the door for a healthy breakfast or after a hard workout.

Breakfast Is A Good Thing

You guys, I’m not a breakfast eater but that seems to be changing. I mean I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I have eaten breakfast for most of my life. That is until the last…well probably since I got married and we had kids because I no longer had time. Suddenly, feeding the kids and getting them ready before we had to head out the door was much more important. And it’s been fine. I actually didn’t even miss not eating in the morning and quickly got accustomed to just my coffee. However, since being home with the kids, my coffee is not enough to keep me going until lunch time.

I run around and around all morning long and by the time I have a chance to eat I am so dang hungry. The solution? Time to start eating breakfast! And these almond butter and oat bars are just what I have time for in the mornin! 🌤

So, this is me; the new breakfast eating me. And another thing, I don’t drink as much coffee now that I eat a quick breakfast. Just 2 cups now! Stellar! And these almond butter oat bars are perfect for me to grab in the morning and then off I go! They are so chewy and so delicious. Around this house, they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert.

These bars are that AWESOME!! Almond Butter is the WAY-TA-GO!!

For this recipe here is the almond butter I used. I have also tried Jif®️ creamy almond butter but picked up MaraNatha®️ this time because it didn’t have any hydrogenated vegetable oils in it.

Affiliate Link Disclosure:
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the links and purchase the products I will receive a commission. I only recommend products that I have used myself and enjoy and would recommend to you.

Busy Days. Busy Life.

Here you have a recipe for a quick breakfast idea, a healthy snack to take to work, or a bar to grab for some post-workout fuel. These bars are perfect for on-the-go and our busy, busy lifestyles. This is a great snack option and it is packed with nutrients. Nutrients. The important little things we are all in need of in this crazy, busy world overloaded with fast food and convenience foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. With a little planning, we can all make smart choices about the food we are putting in to our bodies.

Currently I am reading The Body Book by Cameron Diaz and it is terrific! It really makes you think twice about what foods we are eating on a regular basis and just how much food affects the way we feel and look. Check it out here.

What Makes These Bars Awesome

These bars have just 6 ingredients. Yet, these 6 ingredients together produce an awesome flavor! I am kind of on an almond butter kick this week!
They take just 15 minutes to prep. That’s a little bit of time to have a whole lot of grab-and-go breakfasts for you and the family.
Packed with nutrition. No unnecessary/weird ingredients like the bars you buy off the shelves. Just wholesome ingredients that will give your body energy. Now that is AWESOME!! 👊

Best Chewy Almond Butter & Oat Bars

Whole Grain

Good Source of Protein

On-the-go Breakfast