After some extended travel, we are back and excited to return to the swing of our routines! I’m continually blown away by the changes I’m noticing just a few months into the year and into our contentment challenge and health coaching! What felt like two impossible (and not fun) challenges a couple weeks in, is now, a couple months in, a completely new perspective! Trying new foods, noticing how our tastes have changed now that we eat less sugar and seeing the impact on the scale and in our appearance is a new kind of motivation!

So after cooking in my parent’s kitchen for a couple weeks, I am oh so happy to be back in my own kitchen!!! Darrell picked out a few new recipes he’d been eyeing, our health coach sent us some yummy recipes and I found a few we haven’t had in a while (that also haven’t made it to the blog) that I’m excited to whip up this week!

First up, last night, we made this delicious roasted pork loin that seriously looks and tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant!! It was so delicious! This recipe for Roasted Pork Loin with Apple Jus and Sweet Potato was the inspiration and while I intended to write this post simply as a recipe modification, I realized I changed so much of it that it would be easier to follow along if I just wrote my own recipe and linked the inspiration!

I paired it with a side of broccoli and we enjoyed watermelon as a little sweet treat to follow.

I purchased the pork loin at our local Trader Joe’s. I also love their organic sweet potatoes!

RECIPE: Roasted Pork Loin and Sweet Potatoes with Apple Jus

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes - I used 2 medium/large and 2 small (enough for 4 hefty servings)

• 16oz/1lb pork loin

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• 2 medium apples (I prefer Honeycrisp)

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 1/2 tbsp honey

• Cumin

• Salt, Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel and chop sweet potatoes. See images for size. In a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and sprinkle with salt , pepper and cumin. Stir to coat all pieces.

3. Prep a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread sweet potatoes leaving a space in the middle to fit the pork loin. You may need another baking sheet in order to cook all of the sweet potatoes without crowding them too much.

4. Use paper towels to dry the pork loin and then season it with salt and pepper.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork loin in the skillet and lightly sear all sides. Generally takes 1-2 minutes per side. Once the pork is seared, move it to the space on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You may wish to flip the sweet potatoes half way. If you use a smaller pork loin, please note that your pork may be done sooner, and you’ll likely want to check it starting at 20 minutes.

6. Peel and chop the apples into bite size pieces.

7. While the pork and sweet potatoes are baking, use the pan with the pork juices to heat the minced garlic over medium heat for one minute.

8. Add the apples, honey and vegetable broth. Stir and allow to come to a boil. Once the mixture reaches a boil, turn the heat down so that it remains at a simmer. Simmer until liquid has reduced by half and the apple becomes soft. This could take up to 20 minutes.

9. When the pork and sweet potatoes are done, allow a few minutes for the the pork to cool and then slice. Plate the pork loin and sweet potatoes and then spoon a few apples onto the pork. Drizzle the jus over pork, apples and sweet potato. Serve with a side of your choice - I chose broccoli!

This meal is great reheated, making it an excellent leftovers-for-lunch option! Make sure to separate the apple jus from the pork and sweet potatoes when storing your leftovers.

A note about the broccoli:

Darrell LOVES how I cook broccoli and I think it’s funny because I just kinda made it up on the fly one time and I’m not very scientific about it lol! But here’s the gist of what I do, if you’re curious:

I trim about two large handfuls of broccoli (that’s enough for the two of us) and cut down into big bite size pieces. I heat the oil of my choosing (it varies, usually olive oil but last night I used sunflower oil and it was nice!) about 3/4 of a tablespoon or a drizzle more if it’s not enough to lightly coat all of the broccoli. As the oil is starting to warm up (on medium heat or slightly lower, not too hot) I add the broccoli and season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and just a hint of black pepper. Cook until it’s starting to get a nice brown and tender, stirring/flipping to ensure it cooks evenly!

P.S.

If you loved this recipe or need a place to save it - it would mean so much to me if you pinned it to Pinterest! Let me know in the comments what you think!!

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian or medical professional and while I share what ingredients work for me or what I choose to eat (at my own risk) while dining out, I advise you do your homework when choosing ingredients and places to eat. I highly encourage everyone to do their own research when it comes to the products they cook with or restaurant’s procedures. I do not have celiac disease but rather a gluten-intolerance and I’m not an expert on gluten or other food intolerances, autoimmune diseases, or food allergies. I simply share the ingredients I have found work for me, the places where I’ve dined and my personal experiences.