Beef Stew Provencal
Posted: May 12, 2010 Filed under: Wednesday | Tags: beef stew, spelt bread 1 Comment »So it is day one of my “posts that mean something”. It was actually nice to enjoy my breakfast instead of typing and getting right into my lunch today.
The highlight of the day was DINNER!
Beef Stew Provencal
- 3/4lb beef for stewing
- S&P
- 1 tbs flour
- 1 onion
- garlic
- 1 cup low sodium veggie broth
- 1/4 cup dry red wine (optional, I didn’t have any so I added more broth)
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs – from the garden!
- 1 squirts of tomato paste – good measurements
- 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
- 2 zucchini sliced into 1/2 moons
- 4 carrots diced
You can either brown you meat and then add it to the crock pot or just throw it all in together.
I cooked mine on low for 9 hours because I am out of the house for that long on most days and I don’t trust Nick or Doug to watch my pot when they are home during the day.
There is nothing like the smell of dinner cooking away when you walk in the door. It is the smell of relief. No cooking dinner tonight because it is already ready!
Delicious! I made this in the winter with potatoes, but I liked using zuc this time to make it more seasonal.
I added some spelt bread sticks for dipping and my whole grains.
This bread is so hearty and filling. Very satisfying meal tonight.
Success!
Now it is time to spend my extra time with N and Sissy Pants 
Night All!
Sorry Arugula
Posted: March 18, 2010 Filed under: Thursday | Tags: beef stew, kickball, RoadID, z-bar Leave a comment »Got to make this quick, I have a kickball game to attended! It is glorious outside, but it is supposed to get colder tonight 
I was so hungry to eat dinner, I totally forgot to take pictures! It wasn’t that exciting anyway. I guess my lunch did not hold me like I had planned. Boo!
It was still delicious!
leftover Guinness stew on a bed of arugula with a side of cucs and an apple. Cucumber seeds make me burp, what about you?
It is official, arugula is too strong of a flavor for me. It masks the other goodness of meals. I confirmed this at dinner.
I was starving at 3pm and happily wiped out my Zbar!
spreadsheets in the background!
I did have a nice little present waiting for me in the mailbox today!
One of my birthday presents from Nick arrived, my road ID! No close up due to personal info etched on it. I am planning on wearing it 90% of the time. You never know when you might need emergency medical care! I love how the green matches my Polar!
I also came how to a bunch of boys watching college b-ball. Nick and his friends have a tradition of taking off Thursday and Friday of the tournament and order pizza and wings while watching from 12-6. That is a lot of TV!
So again I forgot to take pics of my dinner. I roasted a whole bunch of asparagus in the over for 30min at 350 covered in Lowery’s season salt and oregano. I ate the whole bunch with a 1/4 cup quinoa with arrabitta sauce on top of a bed of arugula (blah). I also had 3 pieces of cornbread with real whipped butter – this was easily the best part of dinner. The arugula killed my quinoa .
Momma will be here tomorrow! I still need to pack, but I have my list!
See you in the morning, wish us luck!
Duck Farts
Posted: March 17, 2010 Filed under: Wednesday | Tags: beef stew, Guinness, Saint Patrick's Day 1 Comment »Hello! How was your Saint Patrick’s Day? Mine was pretty low key but enjoyed. We had a little party at work and I had some of the most amazing Irish Whisky cake. I also had my planned wrap with leftover chard and mushrooms with some mustard and an LC wedge. I also had a lovely orange. Sorry, no pics, lots of people.
When I got home I walked into the lovely smell of Guinness Beef Stew!
- 1 lb london broil cubed
- 2 large organic potatoes cubed
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 parsnips chopped
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1 can no salt added deiced tomatoes
- 2 tbs garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 can of Guinness stout
- splash of veggie broth
- 2 bay leaves
- lots of thyme
- S&P
I didn’t measure much, but turned it on low for 9+ hours and my slow cooker did it’s magic.
I had two potatoes before heading out for my run this afternoon.
I went on a nice 3.5mile run. Who am I kidding??? It was hard! My chest hurt and I could hardly breath! My sinuses like so many others right now are seriously messed up. I could also “feel” my knee and my glutes were on fire thanks to yoga yesterday. I came home and did tons of stretching, foam rolling, core moves and icing.
When Nick got home it was time to celebrate! Duck Farts and Guinness!
I found out about these shots in Boston and they are supposed to be Kalua, Jameson and Bailey’s but we were out of Bailey’s?!?! I subbed it with Guinness because I think that is how they made them in Boston for some reason?
In my Fleming Irish shield shot glass. Katherine, this one is for you!
Along with stew and beer we also enjoyed some more of my Dubliner cheese from Kerrygold.
Yum Scrum natural light! I love that I don’t have to rush out the door to run and it is still sunny at 7pm.
Time to enjoy the rest of the day with my loves.
Night All.
Not So Meatless Monday
Posted: February 1, 2010 Filed under: Monday | Tags: beef stew, kashi, salad, spaghetti squash 1 Comment »Another Mondays bites the dust!
My day went by pretty smooth except having a bit of a problem with a few projects I was review that were claiming to be green. They are really just protected rich people’s backyards.
Lunch was the last of my beef stew and some kashi crackers.
New water goblet! I made these in Boston when my friends and I went to the professional bull rider tour. I was a super fun night and we were able to hangout with the cowboys after!
I hadn’t been drinking I swear! Anyway, honestly it was nice to change up my work glass. Sad I know.
I a keeping this on the short list of things to make!
My afternoon ticked by and I broke into my orange around 3:0pm.
Scoring supplies in the background.
After work I went and picked up and new super expensive bag of cat food for Sissy and saw to ordering 10lbs bags. I also did some core work and a ton of push up and dips. My heart rate actually went up! It was amazing! It felt so good and it was only for a few minutes! After a shower I set to work on bills, budgeting and taxes. Oh so fun! You can see the evidence of my labors in my dinner pictures.
Spaghetti squash with basil tomato sauce, meatless balls and parsley.
I also had a salad of spinach, celery, carrots, avocado and more parsley.
I just realized I broke meatless Monday with my beef stew Does it count if it is leftovers? I would have had to freeze it otherwise! I will try and do a better job next week!
Nick and I are settling down to watch Schindler’s List. No we do not like depressing movies, he has just never seen it!
Night All!
One Month, No Run
Posted: January 27, 2010 Filed under: Wednesday | Tags: beef stew, beer bread, blackberries, Mediterranean chicken, salad, turnip Leave a comment »Tonight’s post is going to have a bit of a different start. You see today marks exactly one month since I last ran a) outside and b) over a mile. I actually remember the day perfectly, odd. It was such a nice Sunday morning run, and if I had to pick my last one it would have been a high note to end on.
Since then I have been to the gym 3? times and only been able to run on the treadmill for 8:19 before stepping off holding back tears from the pain in my knee. About a week and a half later I had been taking it easy and the pain was still there, I consulted my friend Ray who is a physical therapist and he came to the conclusion of patella femoral pain syndrome.
I did a ton of research, followed his exercises, did no cardio (only yoga) and ordered the knee sleeves recommend by HTP. If you couldn’t tell I like to address problems like this and get the fixed ASAP! Unfortunately my knee still felt like "someone was stabbing me with a knife in the side of my knee cap" and I went to see an orthopedist. The x-rays came back negative and he came back with sort of a catch all answer of irritated soft tissue. Either my IT band was pissed or the soft tissue that covers the bones in my knee were inflamed.
The worst part about this…I was told I basically was not allowed to move my knee anymore than I had to. I could swim (I think that is what he said, I was in a daze at this point), but I don’t belong to a gym with a pool nor do I have the funds to join. I asked about yoga, no. Foam roller? No. All of my hard work basically went out the window. I mean I now know that I can train for things and have a plan, but I have lost all of my stamina that took me months to get, and I can see the difference in body shape and muscle tone. I’m not going to lie, one of the main things I was worried about was gaining back the 20lbs I had lost or at least a portion of it. So…the big question, one month after I stopped working out/running, have I gained any weight? No. Surprisingly I have not gained any weight, just lost the tone in my legs and abs. I have tried to cut back on my snacking and calorie intake to match my calorie output, but honestly I think it really has to do with what I am eating. When I started getting healthy I began with going to the gym, but still eating nasty food. It was not until I changed my diet that the weight seriously started to come off. This to me is proof that you cannot just work off your fat, you must also eat less of it! I still have another 3 weeks to go until I am allowed to test out my knee…I already have a 2 mile run planned (I am just hoping I can do it). I am hoping to maintain what I have accomplished during that time and check off most of the things on my Month Off To-Do list. Life is all about challenges and how you deal with them. I am not giving up on running, and I am looking forward to the 2010 spring season!
Note: This is how MY body reacted to change, not everyone is the same. I just wanted to share this information to show that exercise is not the cure all to weight management. Please do not read too much into my little story.
Thanks for reading my little knee bit, now onto the regular posting!
Lunch was as delicious as dinner last night!
I got this pink Tupperware because of the built in spoon…I have since lost the spoon.
Stew and beer bread!
I didn’t get hungry for an afternoon snack until I got home and was starving!
I had my last scone with a little bit of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.
Glowing in the last bit of day light.
I stopped by the library to pick up some books I had on hold and had a glass of wine over Curtis Stone…so dreamy, but these recipes are way out of my league!
Awesome wine! I brought my glass to dinner.
Mediterranean chicken:
- chicken tenders
- lemon
- kalamata olives
- feta
- parsley
- roasted red peppers
- thyme
- capers
- oregano
Cook chicken in EVOO and lemon juice with dried oregano and thyme.
Mix other ingredients a bowl and heat in microwave for 30 sec.
I also roasted up a fennel bulb and white turnip to go along side – 30min
bake chicken for 15min and then serve onto of fennel and top with olives feta mix.
The only thing I would change about it was the amount of salt. No need to add any! Feta + Olives + capers = a little too much salt.
Check out how big my parsley is getting!
Turnip and side salad. Delicious and filling!
For a little dessert I heated up some black berries with chocolate chips on top.
Yum, chocolate!
I am going to get back to reading through a couple more cook books I picked up at the library this afternoon. New recipes are in the works!
It is so weird being done with blogging so early…I would just be getting out of the shower from the gym if I were still running
More than 1/2 way through the week!
You Have to Eat The Bad to Get to The (oh so) Good
Posted: January 26, 2010 Filed under: Tuesday | Tags: beef stew, beer bread, biggest loser Leave a comment »Biggest Loser is on! I just got back from gettin’ my hair did.
Please focus on the color and not the bags under my eyes or the breakout central on my face. It looks so much more natural and the girl that did it was totally cool! Thanks Alyson!
So back to my day.
As boring as my lunch was, my dinner was amazing!
Got to get through the bad to get to the good.
Black beans, LC wedge mash with avocado. Small sweet grapefruit (this was actually good). The sandwich, not so much!
It was one of those better in concept than execution. Obviously I ate it anyway, I don’t waste food! It didn’t taste bad, but was screaming for some Franks.
Best part of lunch – smaller sweeter g-fruit from TJs.
I had another Z-bar for my afternoon snackage.
These seriously taste like a cookie, are they a cookie in healthy form? At least they are portioned! I think I like the honey graham flavor better.
And now we get to dinner!
When I came home this was waiting for me.
I made this delicious Provencal Beef Stew from Cooking Light. I made a few changes by adding baby potatoes instead of zucchini to make it more of a winter stew and I used veggie broth instead of beef.
When I got home I made a loaf of Kelsey and Ashley’s beer bread. That actually came from Farmgirl Fare (who knew!?!) .
When the bread was ready I served myself a 1/2 portion of soup and a slice of bread before heading to my hair cut.
This was so good! If you have a slow cooker and like beef stew this is a must make! Katherine – get on it!
My bread turned out a little flat, but it was so flakey I had to pack it down. It still had that great beer herb taste, but I want mine to look like Farmgirl Fare’s next time.
When I got home I had another 1/4 serving and another 1/2 piece of bread…I think I had about 2.5 servings of bread throughout the night It is so good!
Now I am enjoying Biggest Loser while Sissy still tries to get the bug out of our lamp.
Due to my bread love I am sticking to a little high school for my night cap.
I hope everyone is having a super night!
I heart biggest losers!
Bitter
Posted: January 12, 2010 Filed under: dinner, Tuesday | Tags: beef stew, ezekiel, soup, yoga Leave a comment »Well it is trivia night around these parts and that means a quick post before I head out the D-O-O-R. Again I am torn between Biggest Loser and trivia, but Nick really wants me to go and we are taking two cars so if we run late I can get home and go to bed. I get so cranky when trivia runs over, you don’t want me to be around anyway. When the clock strikes 10PM I know it!
And were back to the food.
Lunch was meh. I had a can of Progresso hanging around that needed to be eaten because it didn’t going with my other snobby low sodium organic Amy’s soups, and I really wanted soup for lunch.
Is this soup just broth? Yeah that is what I thought. 
I guess that is how they can make it 60 calories per serving and load it with sodium. I am not bitter I swear. I have just become highly aware of over salted foods these days. It was pleasant enough and I finished it with aka’s and some carrots + celery sticks. I also had an adora disk for dessert + one artificially flavored truffle that was in my desk. I threw the rest of the bag away this afternoon. There was just no need for them to be tempting me with words I can’t pronounce. Wow I am seriously bitter tonight!
My afternoon was pretty uneventful except for me trying to figure out how to walk with no knee pain and I broke from this activity to have a snickie snack.
Seltzer, apple, almonds and a date stamp that puts me in the Finance department. Do I have a finance degree? Nope not even close, Masters in Environmental Earth and Ocean Science Thank You. Not bitter.
At least dinner was cooking away when I got home. While it finished off I did some yoga on demand and my PT stretches + some foam rolling. I also tapped my knee up like Ray told me and I am currently walking with no pain and I only took 2 ib profane around 2pm. We will see what it feels like when I crawl into bed.
This morning I put a small organic steak wrapped around and onion into the slow cooker with the rest of the onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato, oregano, bay leaves and S&P. I soaked it in 2 cranberry limbic Sam Adams brews to make a beer based beef stew. It smelled good.
I gave Nick most of the meat, but what I got was definitely the best part. It was moist and “fall of the bone” if there was one.
I loaded my stew on top of some green beans and had a side of 1/2 an Ezekiel muffin with Cotswold cheese. Mmmm cheese.
I could say I was bitter not to get more of the meat to stick with the theme, but I wasn’t. I got just the taste I wanted with all of the flavor cooked into the rest of the stew.
I am currently having a cup of green tea and another Adora disk, got to get my calcium in 
Sorry for being so bitter today, I think my knee is really getting to me. Hurry up and ship my sleeves! One week until we re-visit my injury. I have many thing to be happy about in life and two of them are sitting next to me on the couch. Ending this post with a
Have a great night all!
