Beef steak stir fry with veggies

What a saga this meal turned into! I couldn't find the beef for stir-fry and spent five minutes digging in the fridge. I gave up and turned to the chicken that I had reserved for Chicken with Olives. I cut up the chicken thighs, all the while thinking that there was an odor that reminded me of cat abscesses. That couldn't be a good thing, so the chicken got chucked in the trash. I pulled out the beef for the Pot Roast and cut it up. My knife was mildly dull and the meat was tough ...

Finally, we were ready to cook! And, then I needed to head to an appointment and I didn't get to eat any of it! Shaun actually ended up cooking most of it.

He says it was a good meal. Here's how it went down (loosely based on this recipe):

1 40 oz beef chuck roast, cubed into one-inch squares
1/2 cup red cooking wine
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


Cover beef with liquid and let sit

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Slice vegetables for stir fry. I used: 2 leeks, one onions, 4 carrots (cut thinly) and a bag of frozen broccoli.

Mix together 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 inch grated ginger (unpeeled) and 2 tablespoons coconut oil

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Heat wok with 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add beef in a thin layer. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until brown. DON'T OVERCOOK. Remember, this will be cooked again later. It took 3 batches to get all the beef cooked because I didn't want to overcrowd the wok. I did cook the beef in all the liquid marinade.

Remove the beef and set aside. 

Add the vegetables and garlic/ginger liquid. Mix gentle. Cook until soft (~5 minutes). Add beef and stir together for 1-2 minutes.

Remove and eat immediately.

Inside-out stuffed peppers

We really, really liked this meal. I have always been a fan of stuffed peppers but it always seems like so much work. On the evening of this meal,  our groceries were delivered at 6 pm and I wanted to get supper on the table. This is what I did:

• Brown 1-1.5 lbs of ground beef. Drain fat
• Add one diced onion, a diced green pepper and 8 ounces frozen corn kernels and cook until soft
• I added a couple of handfuls of cooked navy and garbanzo beans because they were sitting in the fridge. I think they added some nice texture and substance, but I wouldn't go out of my way to add them
• Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning and oregano
• When the onions and corn are soft, add a can of diced tomatoes. It's a plus if they are seasoned as well. I used a 14 oz can, but a 28 oz can will do nicely if you like tomatoes
• Stir occasionally and serve when heated through

This is an easy, hearty dish. We ate them with baked potato slices. I told S that next time I will add more frozen vegetables and he gave me the stink eye. I may keep this as a primarily beef meal but I think it would be good with more veggies.

Beef, squash and tomatillo slow cooker dish

 Ok, stick with me on this one. It was so good, I was almost done with my second bowl before I remembered to take a picture. The recipe is based on a stewed pork and squash recipe.

• Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain fat. Add to crockpot.
• Add one diced onion and eight medium-sized diced tomatillas to the beef. 
• Peel and cube one butternut squash and add to the crockpot. This was the worst part, mostly because many of my knives are dulled.
• Open a can of diced tomatoes (I used one flavored with onion and garlic) and add to the mixture
• Stir together with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. 

Simmer on low for eight hours. The meat was tender and full of flavor. I loved the nutrients from the vegetables.  S liked the beef. We really liked this meal.

Easy taco salad and sauteed spinach

This is one of J and S's favorite suppers. Unfortunately, it is neither especially cheap nor healthy. I suppose it's healthier and cheaper than food we'd buy at a restaurant ...

I tried to healthy-up my supper. I microwaved a baked potato and sauteed spinach to eat along with the taco salad. And ate it on a monkey plate. The rest of the family did not want to join me in healthying-up their meal :)

Taco salad:

• Brown 1-2 pounds of beef in a skillet. Add taco seasoning with water as directed. One of these months we will perfect our own taco seasoning
•  Crunch mission chips onto a plate. Top with beef
• Add tomatoes, black olives, canned diced chilies, diced onions, diced tomatoes, diced green pepper
• Top with sour cream, cheddar/taco cheese, salsa

A child's hand reaching for the black olives.

Any ideas how to make the taco salad healthier? Cheaper?

For the spinach, I sauteed onions in tarragon vinegar. Added defrosted frozen spinach (catch that?). Sautee until cooked through. I'm trying to up my calcium intake and I think that regular spinach will help.

New family favorite: beef bourguignon in the crockpot

I really wish I had time to take a camera class. Trust me; the stew was delicious, even if the picture doesn't capture it.

This recipe is adapted from Julia Child's recipe. I like it because it is a flavorful, hearty stew that cooks all day in the crockpot. The downside of this stew is that it does take about 20-30 minutes to prepare.

1. Fry the bacon. Eat some. Crumple the rest of the bacon and add to the crockpot.

2. Brown the stew meat in the bacon grease. Add to crockpot.

3. Drain most of the bacon grease and saute mushrooms, carrots, celery, leeks, parsnips, potatoes and other stew vegetables in the bacon grease. Add a liberal amount of tomato paste. When tomato paste is nicely malleable, add vegetables to crockpot.

4. Mix in fresh and dried herbs available. I have been using fresh rosemary and parsley, as well as salt and pepper.

5. Pour in red or white cooking wine and stock. I used regular water today and it still tasted delicious.

6. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

7. Eat with fresh bread or rice. Loosen belt.

Nutritious and delicious meatballs

The girls went gaga over them! Slurped up the spaghetti and sauce. Definitely recommend. E asked for me to make it again!




I based the meatballs on this recipe

It was a nice, easy recipe I can throw together in about 15 minutes, after being out all day. I used Panko breadcrumbs, because all other breadcrumbs seem to have dairy and/or soy. I added two eggs and used 1/2 pound sausage and 1 pound of ground beef (low fat). For flavor I added chili powder, since I could not find garlic powder.

Smush it all together and add to oiled, heated skillet. I used two skillets to keep the meatballs from being smushed together. I ended up using all the sauce in the house: 3/4 can of spaghetti sauce, and two almost-finished cans of pizza sauce. No cheese, of course.

I was surprised at how long it took the meatballs to fully cook. Next time I will simmer in a covered skillet. I paired the dinner with microwaved frozen peas and corn. I think in the future I might blend some vegetables in, if I have the time.