Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Challenging My Family to Try Pork! This Week: Pork Tenderloin

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I’m participating in a really interesting challenge that has been launched by the National Pork Board. It’s called the “Good and Good for You Challenge.” The goal is to inspire us all to make healthy lifestyle choices in 2012. Pork is an excellent lean meat option that our family rarely chooses, which is why I wanted to take part in this challenge. I thought it would be fun to expand my culinary horizons. We’ve already drastically reduced our intake of less lean meats over the past few years, but honestly, all that’s really meant is that we mostly eat ground turkey! It’s time to think outside of the gobble and see what pork has to offer!

Publix is the retail partner for the Good and Good for You Challenge, and as such, they are offering a special sale on a different cut of pork each week from now through February 22nd. This week you can score pork tenderloin for just $4.99/pound, which is a most excellent buy! Here’s the cut I purchased, which actually includes 2 one pound tenderloins in the package. I used for one dinner and stuck one in the freezer to use later in the week.

The only thing I’ve ever made with pork tenderloin is carnitas in the slow cooker, so I needed some new ideas. Fortunately, there’s a website just for such a purpose! It’s called porkbeinspired.com and it is full of great recipes that your family and your waistline will love! Since I’ve been craving guacamole like nobody’s business lately, this recipe for pork tenderloin sliders with three sauces really caught my attention. I also liked just how fast it came together. Did you know that thinly sliced pork tenderloin can cook up in as little as 3 minutes? SWEET!!!! The recipe is found below. You can make all three sauces to give your family plenty of options, or you can just opt for one, like we did (guacamole, of course!). 

Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Three Sauces

(note: I’m only including the sauce we used, but you can see all 3 options on the original recipe)

Recipe courtesy of the National Pork Board

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), trimmed

1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning

2 teaspoons olive oil

12 mini (1 1/2-x-2-inches) rolls, split and toasted

6 romaine lettuce leaves, torn

2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices*

Directions:

Cut pork about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle pork on all sides with the seasoning. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning once, until the pork is browned, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Place the tenderloin in the rolls, top with lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce of your choice.

*Tomatoes can be served raw or broiled for more intense flavor

SAUCE

Spicy Avocado Sauce:

1 small ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno, including seeds

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro

Place the avocado in a small bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher; add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Serving Suggestion:

You can substitute the romaine lettuce with arugula, baby greens, baby spinach, or cabbage instead.  Make all three sauces so everyone has a choice, or choose your favorite bottled sauce, such as barbecue or honey mustard sauce. Serve the sliders with baked sweet potato fries.

Here’s a pic of how our version turned out. It isn’t as pretty as the picture above, but I still thought it was a rather attractive sandwich!

Wanna hear my verdict? This was absolutely DELICIOUS! AND…I love how quickly it came together. It is perfect for a weeknight. Also, this is very kid-friendly. The size is not overwhelming for little hands. There’s no doubt that this is going into my recipe rotation, pork tenderloin and all!

If you live in an area with a Publix, get yourself to the store and pick up some pork tenderloin! The price is right, and the recipe possibilities are enormous! I feel so inspired to try out this particular cut with several different recipes I found on porkbeinspired.com. The next recipe I’m going to try in a few days with my remaining tenderloin is the pork tenderloin cancun with chorizo potatoes. Doesn’t that look incredible??? I’m also going to spend some time on this website learning about the different cuts of pork and different cooking methods. Since I’m new to using pork, I’ve got a lot to learn, and its great to have all the resources I need in just one spot.

If you’d like to learn more about making healthy eating choices by using pork, be sure to follow Pork Be Inspired on Facebook as well as Twitter for great tips, as well as contest info!

Disclosure: I am participation in this campaign in conjunction with The Motherhood, and am being compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.


Win a Kindle Fire with Ronco!

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One of my very favorite brands of pasta is Ronco. I have two main reasons. The first one is because their products are excellent and reasonably priced (ok, I guess that’s two reasons right there!). But there is one more reason I love this company: they do AWESOME giveaways! If you were reading my blog last year, then you probably saw two big giveaways I did with them. Three winners each got a year’s supply of pasta (wow!) and in a separate giveaway, someone won a Cuisinart stainless steel 4 piece pasta/steamer set and 4 boxes of pasta. They have certainly shown Stuff Parents Need readers a lot of love!

And today is no different! I want you to be in the know about a most excellent contest happening over at the Ronco Pasta Facebook page. It’s called the Pasta Moments Photo Contest, and as part of it, Ronco wants to see your favorite pasta moments, as well as what “home” means to you. Break out your cameras and capture the spirit of home and comfort, and submit it to the contest to be entered to win some outstanding prizes!  

One grand prize winner is going to snag a Kindle Fire! OOOOOHHH!! There are weekly prizes for all 7 weeks that the contest is running (weekly winners get a 1 year supply of Ronco pasta!). Official rules can be found here.

You know you love pasta, and you are probably planning on having it for at least one meal this week. So capture those moments, submit them to Ronco, and see if you can snag pasta for the year or a Kindle Fire!

Disclosure: Ronco is providing me with a $25 gift card to Shutterfly as a thank you for the time I spent writing the post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

 

Get That Curly Hair Tamed Without the Tears: KRLY Kids!

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If you have a child with Shirley Temple curls, then you are tremendously blessed. Such hair is absolutely GORGEOUS!

You are also cursed, because you, as the parent of a young curly-haired child, have the job of keeping those lovely locks clean and under control. While I don’t have this situation in my own house, it is my understanding that many parents feel that they pay a steep price for their kids’ twirly tresses!

There are some great products on the market that I want to make sure you know about. They are from the Ouidad company, which makes salon quality products for adults. They have introduced the KRLY Kids line, and it is extremely gentle, moisturizing and easy to use.

The three products in this line are as follows:

1. No Time for Tears Shampoo ($12.00, 8.5 oz)

  • proteins and amino acids create luxurious curls

2. No More Knots 2-in-1 Conditioner ($14.00, 8.5 oz)

  • detangling rinse and leave-in conditioner prevent split ends and also leaves a slip in the curls so a comb will glide through with ease!
3. Pump n’ Go Styling Spray Gel ($15.00, 8.5 oz)
  • special wheat proteins define curls and protect against humidity with a soft hold
I can’t speak from experience about how these products worth, but they sound absolutely fantastic. If you’ve ever used these products, please leave a comment below and let others know about your experience!
Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review, though I did pass them along to a friend with a curly-haired child! All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

CoCaLo Reusable Cloth Diaper: The Perfect Bum!

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You’ve no doubt heard before about the economic and environmental reasons to switch from disposable diapers to cloth. But today I want to focus on another reason:

THE CUTE FACTOR

cocalo diapers

Cloth diapered tushies are the cutest thing EVER, and they put every single disposable diaper on the market to absolute and complete shame. They come in a rainbow of delightful colors and patterns, not to mention the fact that their material can be downright luxurious. Tell me, would you prefer your underwear to be made of material eerily close to paper, or of organic cotton? Yeah, your baby feels that way, too.

CoCaLo Diapers

Today I’m featuring a well-known baby company, CoCaLo, who has just released their first cloth diaper. And they went all out when it comes to respecting the fashion aspect of cloth diapering! All of their CoCaLo cloth diapers in the line are made with super fashionable patterns (look at the denim cuteness!), and the fashion sets, which I had the chance to review, come with matching t-shirts, too!
cocalo diaper inside While I haven’t had the opportunity to put this diaper to the test, yet, I do really like the look of it. It comes with a tri-fold insert that looks highly absorbent. This is the type of diaper where you can simply pull out the soiled insert and put another insert in and then go on about your day, meaning that you won’t be changing your baby out of this super cute diaper cover after just one potty session. Love that! Check out the inside of the diaper for yourself. See how deep the insert holder is? I’ve got a feeling that it is designed to hold up really well against leaks!  These diapers are called Perfect Bum,  and isn’t that the truth? I found that in the winter months, cute cloth diapers like these meant that bloomers weren’t necessary with dresses at all. In fall and spring, I’d just pair something like this with a pair of babylegs an be good to go!

The Perfect Bum is available now at Babies R Us and other specialty stores throughout the country. The fashion set I reviewed retails for $29.99, or you can pick up the diaper with a liner for just $16.99. Edit: They are now REALLY cheap on Amazon! Hurry!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Perfect Bum fashion set just like the one I received!

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Fun, Affordable Fashion from Mybabyclothes.com! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I love being a customer at Mybabyclothes.com. from baby hats to tutus, this site has it all. It’s all photo-session worthy in cuteness, and also worthy of much excitement due to their reasonable prices!

Last week we received this unbelievably cute twirly dress from the site. It is from Bonnie Jean, a company that we have previously reviewed and loved. Darah asked to wear it IMMEDIATELY, and then proceeded to wear it all day, every day, for THREE FULL DAYS. Yes, indeed! I finally had to point out the dirt that had accumulated on the dress and tell her that it must be washed. As I type this, it is line drying (went through the wash on the gentle cycle like a champ, I’m pleased to report). I have absolutely no doubts that Darah will ask for a status update on the dress when she gets home from school today, in the hopes that it is dry enough to wear again.

This dress looks to me like something from an upscale boutique, but minus the upscale pricing. It’s just $26.99, and considering how much Darah loves it and how cute it is, I’d say that price is a steal! Mybabyclothes.com really is a great destination for baby clothes. Consider shopping there before your next baby shower or for an upcoming birthday for a toddler in your life. Right now they are having a big sale, with prices up to 60% off. Squeal!!!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift certifcate to My Baby Clothes Boutique!

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Maternity Monday: MAM Products Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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As far as pacifiers go, we are EXTREMELY loyal to MAM in our house. Darah was horribly offended whenever we tried to offer her any other type of binky. It would promptly be spit out. So MAM it is around here, and the same will be true for our new baby.

MAM has actually just come out with a new pacifier that has really piqued my interest. It’s called the MAM Perfect Pacifier. What makes it so perfect? Well, the nipple is 60% thinner than a traditional pacifier, which means less pressure on baby’s jaw, reducing the risk of misaligned teeth. Great innovation, MAM! It is offered in sizes 0-6 months and 6+ months. Colors currently available are pink, blue and green. The ARV is $5.99 for this product.

MAM also makes some other amazing products, including an entire infant toothbrush line that I reviewed previously. Did you know that they also make bottles? Well, they do! And anyone who is currently expecting is going to want to check out the MAM Anti-Colic Bottle, for sure. It has a vented base that regulates air pressure. This is important because it means that the milk going to baby will have less air in it, which means less gas, which means less crying! Another excellent feature of the bottles is that they are designed to be quickly and easily sterilized in the microwave. No more waiting for the dishwasher to finish its cycle! These bottles come in 5 oz and 8 oz and retail for $6.99. That’s a great price for such a unique and useful bottle!

MAM products are available at major retailers all over the country.

Win it!: MAM is pleased to offer one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader the following prize pack worth $55!

  •  One triple pack of MAM Anti-Colic Bottle
  • An assortment of MAM Perfect Pacifiers in Blue, Green and Pink

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Getting Back Into Coupons and Leaving Scissors Behind: SavingStar

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When I was pregnant with Darah, I was a couponing DIVA!!! I stocked up on about a 6 month supply of diapers and wipes (that was before I became a cloth diaper fan) and each package I purchased was at least half off, if not more. We had enough toilet paper to last a year, and our pantry was overflowing with food (some great, some, admittedly, junk) that I routinely got at 50-75% off with my coupons. From the perspective of our budget, it was awesome!

So what happened? That little bundle of joy that came into our lives in August 2009 stole our hearts, as well as all of our energy. You know how that goes, probably! It’s a good thing I had such a stockpile, because I fell off the couponing wagon for about a year.

When I quit my job and we were down to one income, I knew that getting back into couponing was pretty much necessary. Our grocery budget just couldn’t be $350/month for a family of 3, anymore. So, I dipped my feet back in the waters, and while I never returned to my former couponing glory, I did start saving a good chunk of money each month and re-establishing some stockpiles of various products we go through quickly.

And then, on my 31st birthday, we found out that we were expecting. I was reeling with morning (who am I kidding? ALL DAY) sickness by the time I was 5 1/2 weeks along, and basically, anything that wasn’t necessary for my family’s survival went by the wayside. Coupons did not make the cut.

I’ll be honest, even though I’m feeling significantly better than I was for the first 3 months of the pregnancy, my coupon binder is still collecting dust. It can be so hard to get back into couponing when you don’t have a good supply of coupons on hand and have to re-build. Also, just taking the time to clip and sort coupons is a big ask when there are so many other things demanding your time. I have been wondering if all that work that goes into it really is worth it, or if I should just give up, altogether.

Then I learned about SavingStar, a site designed to help simplify the process of saving money on groceries. This site is full of PAPERLESS coupons. That means you don’t have to go buy a paper, print anything from your computer, or clip anything. Everything is digital!!! These coupons work at over 100 chains (that’s 24,000 stores) across the nation. The odds are pretty darn good that your favorite grocery store is one of them!

Basically, all you need to do is register your grocery and durgstore loyalty cards on SavingStar. That’s something you are already using at checkout, but now grocery coupons from SavingStar are loaded on your card, so if you purchased anything that has a coupon, you save money. That’s so easy!

What happens next is a bit different than using traditional coupons, though. Instead of the money you saved coming off your bill at the store, the savings you earned are added to your SavingStar account. That process can take between 2-30 days, just depending on when the store sends the purchase data to SavingStar. So you do have to wait a little bit for your savings, but they will come!

Once you have at least $5 in your account (that doesn’t very long to accumulate when using coupons, I promise), you can cash out by having your savings deposited into your bank, sent via PayPal, or you can get an Amazon gift card or make a donation to American Forests.

New coupons are added each week. So instead of going out to get a paper and then clip and sort all those coupons, just log into SavingStar and click on the coupons that interest you. This makes using coupons super easy, and its something I feel confident I can do now, and continue to do even when we have our new little one in May and I’m SERIOUSLY strapped for time.

Check out SavingStar.com.  You’ve got nothing to lose and money to save!

Disclosure: I am receiving a gift card from the sponsor in exchange for sharing my honest opinion about their services, which I have provided.

Win a Vinyl Banner from Uprinting.com! GIVEAWAY!!!

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Do you own a small business? If so, this is a great giveaway for you! Uprinting.com has teamed up with Stuff Parents Need to provide the following giveaway:

2′ x 3′ Vinyl Banners for one winner
with or without 4 Grommets,
premium 15 mil Vinyl Banner
1 Business Days Turnaround time
Free US shipping only

Even if you don’t have a business you need to promote, you should consider banner printing for any number of possibilities, from birthday to retirement banners for special occasions, to welcome home signs for loved ones coming home from time away. We actually have a “Happy Birthday” banner that we put out for everyone’s birthday, and I absolutely love it! It’s a terrific way to quickly decorate for a special day.

 We’ve placed orders from Uprinting.com a few times before and have always been impressed with the quick turnaround and quality products we have received. If you haven’t become a customer of theirs yet, I highly recommend giving them a try!
 Win it!: As I stated early, one of you is going to get a 2×3 banner for your business or home. Woo hoo!

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A Fate Worse Than Frozen Pipes: How Being Eco-Smug Cost Me Dearly!

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Have you ever purchased a product that is eco-friendly or made a particular change to your home that was a good move for the environment? And have you ever felt REALLY smug about it? I’ll admit it, I’ve done a few things over the past few years that have made me feel quite impressed with myself. Today’s story is about a time when my feelings of superiority got the best of me and taught me a lesson.

When we got Hattie back in 2005 (she was a rescue from a shelter, which of course, made me feel smug and awesome), we didn’t know anything about cat litter. The shelter where we got her recommended a particular brand of litter that was VERY eco-friendly. In fact, it was so safe for the environment that you could flush it down the toilet! Sure, it cost a bit more than the stuff found in most stores, but just think of the benefits to the environment! Also, how wonderful would it be to just flush your litter instead of having to stink up your trash cans with it! We were sold. And we were better than everyone who bought Johnny Cat, for sure.

As we carried on with our eco-fabulous lives, we started taking full advantage of the wonderful, flushable litter. And it was great, it really was. Hattie’s litter box was kept pretty clean and our house didn’t smell like a litter box.

And then, it happened. The toilet that we used to flush her litter got stopped up. No big deal…it happens, right? We didn’t see the possible connection to the litter, at first. It’s just an old toilet with old pipes and blockages are just an occasional issue that everyone has to deal with. So we got our our plunger (Why on earth would we use something like Drain-o? Remember, we are eco-hipsters!). And the plunger did absolutely nothing.

Then we used some eco-friendly products to try to unclean it. Still, nothing. In a moment of desperation, we reached for the horrible chemical de-clogging agents (Shh! Our dirty little secret!). And still, nothing. Uh-oh.

So we reluctantly called a plumber. When he came out and got to work, he asked us what in the world we had been pouring down the toilet. We told him about our fabulous litter and he just laughed and laughed, and said it was a HORRIBLE idea to flush that stuff, because it had basically given us something worse even than frozen pipes. The fabulous “flushable” litter, you see, turned into something similar to cement in the pipes (it was made of wood, so it couldn’t really be cement-like, but you get the idea). It was a beast for him to get it unclogged, and it certainly set us back a pretty penny.

So we ditched that stuff like a bad habit and sought out different solutions. We certainly felt like idiots for believing that it was actually a good idea to flush litter down the toilet. Eco-friendly or not, toilets just aren’t designed to handle that kind of stuff! We did find some eco-friendly alternatives, but the truth is, it all smelled awful! Oh well, so much for being superior to everyone else on the cat litter front!
Have you ever been schooled when your head got a little bit big about something? Do tell!

Disclosure: I am participating in a blogger campaign for Bucks2Blog about frozen pipes
and was compensated. All thoughts, opinions and embarrassing stories expressed here are strictly my own.