This post is sponsored by Unilever. All comments and opinions are my own.
I love getting emails from you guys and get tickled at some of the questions that you guys have. Many of you guys seem to be curious about our menus and what I cook… some even asking if my guys really eat the meal that I make.
I guess it’s funny to me because I just couldn’t imagine NOT cooking. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money so we almost always ate at home. In fact, I can remember having to go and “pick” the foods for our dinner from a little garden behind my house. A meal at a restaurant was a special treat and definitely not something we could do very often.
I know… I am old and things have definitely changed. But being the frugal gal that I am, it baffles me why folks can’t see the benefits of cooking meals at home.
For me, the main benefit is the savings. There are four of us, so a meal out is ridiculously expensive. A sit down dinner is at least $50 when you factor in drinks, meal, tax and tip. And honestly, the price is more like $65 with my crew. A stroll through a fast food drive thru isn’t much less. It’s about $8 – $10 per person for lukewarm food that comes in a bag.
AND don’t even get me started on those food delivery services… delivery fees and tips make that a no-go in my world! I have much better uses for my money (teenagers who will be driving soon, college funds, retirement, savings, etc!).
With that said, we do go out to dinner and hit the drive thru on occasion—but the vast majority of our meals are cooked at home. It’s really hard to justify spending $65 for a meal when I can serve up a hot, delicious meal for a fraction of that price.
From a financial standpoint, cooking at home just makes the most sense. But I think maybe there is a misconception that cooking is hard or maybe folks think it’s time consuming. But, that doesn’t have to be the case. There are thousands of easy, family friendly recipes that won’t have you stuck in the kitchen all night. In fact, you’ll find hundreds of my favorites under the RECIPES tab at the top of my site.
All the recipes I share are specifically geared towards busy families who need something tasty AND easy. And when they are easy on the budget, well, that’s even better!
That Mushroom Stuffed Dijon Pork Tenderloin with Crispy Onion Potatoes and Knorr Herb & Butter Rice that you see above is the perfect example of an everyday meal that’s quick, easy and absolutely delicious. It passes the picky-teenage-boy test making it a winner in my book! And since you can grab a deal on many of the ingredients right now at Publix, that makes it budget friendly too.
Look for these deals and coupons as part of the Publix Extra Savings Flyer valid through 2/11. Then stop by Publix, add the ingredients to your cart and you are on your way to a tasty meal that is sure to please your family AND your wallet!
Lipton Recipe Secrets Mix 1.8 – 2.6 oz, $1.09
$1.50/1 Sir Kensington’s Ketchup 20 oz or Mustard 9 oz Publix Coupon Extra Savings Flyer valid 1/29 – 2/11
$1/2 Knorr Sides 3.5 – 6/2 or Family Size 8/3 – 8.8 oz (excludes One Skillet Meals) Publix Coupon Extra Savings Flyer valid 1/29 – 2/11
The key to this meal is your timing. You want to get everything prepped and timed correctly. But don’t worry, nothing takes too long. There is only about 15 minutes of active prep needed. Most of your time is just spent waiting while the pork and potatoes cook in the oven.
To get started, preheat your oven and then start your prep. I like to get the potatoes prepped first. I just quarter some red new potatoes and toss with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and a packet of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix. Place the prepared potatoes on a sheet pan and they are ready to go. You can put the potatoes in the oven when the pork goes in.
Check out my recipe for Crispy Garlic & Onion Fingerling Potatoes for a tasty variation.
Next, it’s time to start the stuffing for the pork.
Cook the chopped bacon for a few minutes and then add in the mushrooms. Once they cook down, you add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in some breadcrumbs, parsley and rosemary and you are ready to stuff your pork.
Butterfly your pork tenderloin then use a meat mallet to pound it to about 1/2′ thickness then rub 2 tablespoons of Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard over the pork.
Add the filling down the center of the pork. Pull the short ends over the filling then roll, wrapping the long sides over and around to seal the filling inside the meat. Tie with kitchen string at about 1-inch intervals.
Place the pork on a sheet pan and rub with another 2 tablespoons of Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard.
Pop the pork and the potatoes in the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.
Once your timer goes off, pull the pork from the oven and let it rest while the potatoes cook another 10 minutes. While you wait, it’s time to cook the Knorr Rice. See… with just a little effort you have a delicious home-cooked meal that your whole family will love. And you can probably get it done in the amount of time it would take to drive for takeout, wait and line and drive home. I told you, cooking at home can save you time AND money!
- 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, silver skin removed, butterflied and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard, divided
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the chopped bacon for 3 – 5 minutes or until it begins to crisp.
- Add the mushrooms and cook 6 – 8 minutes until mushrooms are golden.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the breadcrumbs, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Trim and butterfly the pork tenderloin as follows: Use a sharp knife to remove all the silver skin from the outside of the tenderloin. Cut the tenderloin lengthwise down the middle making an incision about 1 inch deep – making sure you do not cut all the way through the meat. Fold open the meat at the cut to open like a book. Make a lengthwise incision about ½ inch deep down the middle of EACH cut side and again it should open like a book. Place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment over the meat and use a meat mallet to pound the tenderloin into a uniform 1/2-inch thickness.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of Sire Kensington’s Dijon Mustard over the prepared pork.
- Spoon the mushroom mixture down the center of the pork.
- Pull the short ends of the pork up and then roll tightly, starting with the long end to seal the filling inside the meat.
- Tie with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals.
- Rub the wrapped pork with the reamaining 2 tablespoons of Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard.
- Transfer to a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 145-150˚F in the thickest portion of the meat.
- Let rest for 10 minutes, remove the string then cut and serve.
And speaking of savings! Look for more great savings on these other Unilever items when you shop. You’ll find these deals included in the Extra Savings Flyer too.
Sir Kensington’s Special Sauce or Chipotle Mayonnaise 12 oz, $4
Hellmann’s Mayonnaise or Vegan Dressing & Spread 11.5 oz, 2/$6
Ben & Jerry’s Snackable Cookie Dough 8 0z or Doggie Desserts 4-pk
$1.50/1 Talenti 10.6 – 16 oz Publix Coupon Extra Savings Flyer valid 1/29 – 2/11
And the savings doesn’t end there…you can earn a gift card as well!
With the Mix & Match Grocery Rewards powered by Fetch Rewards you can bring home trusted hair care, body care as well as meal essentials and score a super perk. Just purchase $15 of participating products and you’ll be on your way to a $5 gift card.
There are literally dozens of brands and hundreds of items across the store that qualify for the promo.
It’s super simple to participate in the promo. To get started, just follow these three easy steps:
- Buy $15 worth of ANY participating Unilever products at Publix
- Snap a photo of your receipt(s) in the Fetch Rewards app
- Earn a $5 gift card and use it to save even more at Publix
Keep in mind that you must download the Fetch Rewards app to participate. Just text UNILEVER to 467-467 to download the app and get started.
You can earn up to FOUR $5 gift cards with this promotion! That’s a total of $20 in savings for each household, all for loading up on your favorite products from the Unilever family of products. So what are you waiting for? Load your cart with big savings and earn a gift card to boot!
Really enjoyed this post. It’s so true
What a fantastic, delicious meal !