As most of you know, my mantra is ‘keep movin’ forward.’ I may not always succeed in this mantra, but I start each day anew with the same goal. To live each day to the fullest, and to live each day with positive energy.
But daylight savings time truly kicks my butt. There. I said it. I honestly can’t lose ANY MORE SLEEP. So this is a weekend I dread. Profusely. Profoundly. And all the other Pro words that I am probably misusing missing.
So what do you do when you dread something? You distract yourself, of course. I spent the weekend shopping, eating, spending time with my daughters, and today I got my hair done!!! WOOP WOOP! I also scored some new shoes for work, as well as a few shirts to welcome spring.
Where else can you get two awesome pairs of shoes for less than 50 bucks! Thanks, TJ Maxx!
My 8 year old got her ears pierced Friday….and is still smiling. I swear my face hurts from smiling because SHE is smiling so much. Yeah, life is good.
She’s still smiling. LOL
Other than a gazillion pushups and hours of shopping, I didn’t work out Saturday…but that’s ok, I can’t feel my arms. I made the mistake of posting this to my fb fan page. LOL!!!
My updated hair do! Feelin’ like a million bucks I must admit!!
Today was my sucktastic long run on the Dreadmill. I woke up late due to daylight savings (no surprise there), and all of the groups I knew that were running were probably sipping coffee as I poured myself out of bed at 8:30 am.
So this is all I had. And it was painful, let me tell you.
Miles are miles!
Last week I had 2 strength work outs, and 4 runs totaling 14 miles which ended the week 3 of marathon training strong.
I finished up the day with our traditional Sunday Supper. The hubby returned home tonight, tired, coming down with a cold and plain worn out. I hoped this would help recharge his batteries.
Baked Cod, twice baked spaghetti squash and Brussels sprouts with bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese. YUM!! I’ll post the recipe soon!
Bacon makes everything better!!!Sunday Supper!
How was your weekend? Did you get any miles logged? What’s your favorite “re-charge” food?
So after finishing my temper tantrum from the weekend, I decided this morning to pick myself up and start over today. Despite struggles, single parenting, and normal teenage drama I needed a clean slate. So here….we….go….
truth.
This morning I woke up on time, and allowed myself an extra snooze. I smiled as I cuddled my dog, and I took my time getting ready since I only had ONE child to tend to this morning. And it felt great. This is a new day.
Work was great, and I had time to organize and file a lot of paperwork that had been collecting dust on my desk. YAY to organizing, right?!
My hubby offered to take our youngest to ballet even though it’s something I normally do, stating, “You need a break.” He’s right… I do.
Can I get an Amen? Pic: veryfunnypics.eu
So I cooked the family dinner after work, and jumped at the chance to run. My legs are still very tight from Saturday, so it felt GREAT to stretch ’em out on the ‘mill. WAIT…did I say that out loud? A dready run that wasn’t so dreadful. Winning.
quick dready run that wasn’t so dready…
After my run, I ate dinner, showered, and have been sitting quietly at my computer working on the recipe section of my blog for about an hour and a half. Have you checked it out yet? It’s just a start, but I’d love for you to try some of my favorite recipes! You can check it out here! Feedback, comments, and ideas are always welcomed!
It felt great despite laundry duty to give myself a couple hours to do something JUST for me. Running. Writing. And cataloging recipes. Does it get better than that?
How do you spend your down time? Do you allow yourself time to just do YOUR thing at least once a week? If not, I highly recommend it. I tell ya what…my uninterrupted shower tonight was off. the. chain. LOL
Thanks, y’all! I look forward to hearing from you!
First off, I finished my second week of marathon training strong! My first 20 miler week is complete and I am quite pleased. A couple of the miles were walked, but the majority were spent running and I even finished my first double digit run of TEN miles on the indoor track in a neighboring suburb on Saturday. 8 laps equaled ONE mile, so yeah…you can imagine how this MIGHT have felt. But it went surprisingly fast mostly due to my awesome friend Janel providing me with great conversation as well as keeping track of the miles with a clicker. I set out for 8 miles, but felt so good I did an even 10 miles for the day. I don’t do a mid week long run, so often times add a mile or two to my weekend long run. All in all-WINNING. (My only set back for the week was missing my yoga work out, but I made sure to foam roll and stretch today to help with the soreness. I also took a 25 minute Epsom salt bath tonight to help ease my sore muscles).
Runner love right here!!
I came home to be informed that although my hubby had returned from his 3 weeks of travels just this past Friday, that he would be leaving again on Wednesday and suddenly my runners high was deflated. First I got mad, then I cried, and then I decided to just take a hot shower and try to move forward with my weekend.
As you all know, his travels are a bitter chip that resides more times than not on my shoulder. I wish I could kick this chip’s butt, but darn it the anger sure seems to win most times as I tackle the single parenting gig. Keep in mind I have a job too, kids that are in school/have activities to be taken too and a house that needs tending to…after a while, any normal person would break, right? Please say this is normal…lol
So this morning I awoke after FINALLY sleeping most of the night for almost 9 hours and I felt…better. It’s Sunday, and with Sundays in our house comes Sunday Supper. We decided to have a chopped challenge as well, and my 5 ingredients were:
Beef round roast
Tomatillos
Beets
Mangos
Mussels
So here’s what I came up with:
Appetizer
Mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and saffron with red pepper flakes served with a salad over tomatillo dressing.
For the tomatillo dressing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, husk and rinse your tomatillos and quarter. Dice 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and add in the tomatillos. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes. Transfer to your food processor or blender, and liquefy the mixture. Strain for seeds, and set aside.
For the mussels, in a stock pot melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and extra virgin olive oil, and add in 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of saffron. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and add in 3/4 cup of white wine, and a splash of water. Bring to a boil. Add in your previously cleaned mussels and cover the pot, shaking every minute or so. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the mussels open. Pardon my spelling error…
This was…divine! .COM
Main course
Beet and chipotle pepper soup serve with braised beef.
First, season your roast with your favorite Mexican spices. I used cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sear on all sides, and transfer to a crock pot or dutch oven. Add 2 cups of beef broth (unsalted), 1 cup of red wine, and a large onion that has been sliced. Let simmer for 2 hours.
Secondly, for your soup…
In a soup pot that has been preheated to medium high heat with extra virgin olive oil add:
1 onion-diced
3 cloves of garlic-minced
4 large beets, peeled and chopped
1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
Sauté for about 5-6 minutes until just tender
Add in 3-4 cups of unsalted beef stock and bring to a boil. In a separate cup, add a teaspoon of corn starch to cold water. Mix well, and keep the soup at a boil for a couple of minutes. Reduce to a simmer for about an hour.
Puree the soup, and just before serving add a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt. Mix well, and serve! Don’t forget to check for seasoning! I sliced the beef thinly, and served with the soup!
Gosh, isn’t it pretty? ❤
Desert
First off. I don’t bake. I hate to measure, and baking makes my crazy. But I decided to use the mangos in a desert type style, trying to keep with my Mexican type theme of cooking.
I peeled and chopped the mangos, and added them to my food processor. I added in brown sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of water and mixed well. Set aside.
Take 2 sheets of puff pastry dough and roll out. Cut 8 circles out, spoon in the mixture, and pinch the edges tight. Crimp each tart with a fork, brush each tart with a fork and sprinkle some more brown sugar over the top. Back at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
In my defense I only half of one, and skipped the vanilla ice cream but YUM!
So at the end of the day, I’ve trained, I’ve cooked, and I’ve shed a few tears. But I’ve kept moving forward.
How was your weekend? Did you cook? Are you training for any races? How do YOU deal with stress?
Sundays are always usually a good day in my household when I am not scheduled to work. I think because of a few reasons. Some of which being, I normally do most of my laundry Friday night, and spend the majority of Saturday trying to get the chores done around the house. I do this, so I can at least have ONE day to have some fun, be it relaxing, shopping, what have you. I also almost always cook Sunday Supper, even if it’s something simple. But I’m jumping ahead…
Every few months the girls and I love to head out to our local consignment stores to pick up a few things. I LOVE clothes, always have, but I don’t love paying full price for anything other than a new pair of running shoes…you just can’t buy those used. My youngest, S, loves ‘Once Upon a Child’ and will spend quite a bit of time going through the leggings, skirts, and shirts to create the perfect outfit. Today we got her several outfits to include a handful of skirts, a couple pairs of pants, a dress for spring, 2 pairs of tennis shoes and several shirts. We walked out of the store with a large garbage sized bag of clothes for $88 and change. WINNING.
Next it was my eldest daughter J’s turn to shop. She isn’t as big on the whole consignment shopping gig, but realizes it gets her more clothes, more often, so she is pretty good about being thankful. She ended up with 8 or so shirts, and me with a running vest, two running tanks, and a pair of Converse along with S getting 2 work out T’s for just over $100. If you would have paid retail for these clothes between both stores (name brands included Hollister, Forever 21, American Eagle etc) we would have paid at least 2-3 thousand dollars I am guessing. Yet we paid 200 bucks. More WINNING.
That got J and I talking as we drove to a running store for me to test drive some shoes. Even if we HAD the money, would we pay full price for something as silly as clothes? We agreed, nope…All 3 of us love getting new items, and tire easily of our wardrobe so it’s awesome in my eyes, that we can share our bargain shopping together. ❤
Pic credit: retailmenot.com
I also, test drove these bad boys that I think are the winner winner of my marathon training’s chicken dinner. Hope to have time to pick them up tomorrow so I can give them a test drive on Tuesday. (I need a neutral running shoe that still provides cushion and stability-these seem perfect!)
Brooks Launch 2’s
Since the hubby is home briefly for his drill weekend (his first weekend as the Commander I might add, woop woop so proud!) I jumped at the chance to make our traditional Sunday Supper. I kept it simple as J had Badminton practice tonight. (She’s super excited to try out for the HS team, and it’s nice to see her excited about, well, anything other than locking herself in her room to read).
Tonight we have for you, a stuffed chicken tenderloin served with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed cauliflower and red cabbage.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken
1 package of tenderloins, dried and pounded out with a tenderizer. Season each piece with kosher salt, and pepper.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
Layer each piece of chicken with one piece of prosciutto, and one piece of mozzarella cheese that have been cut 1/8 inch thick. Top with another chicken tenderloin. Repeat until all tenderloins have been “stuffed” and topped. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season lightly with Italian seasonings. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. (Don’t worry when you see a lot of the cheese oozing out, it’s magic happening!)
Fingerling potatoes
Wash potatoes with cool water, and dry on a kitchen towel. Place the potatoes in a bowl and add 2 cloves of minced garlic, kosher salt and pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Drizzle in a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and mix well. Pour the tots on to a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Ensure there is an even layer, and place in the oven with the chicken, on the bottom rack. Cooking time is the same as the chicken; ensure tots are cooked until fork tender.
Cauliflower and Red cabbage
Clean and chop one head of white cauliflower, set aside. Mince 1 clove of garlic, and add to a pan that is heated to medium/high heat with extra virgin olive oil. Add in a pinch of red pepper flakes, and sauté for about 2 minutes. (Don’t burn the garlic!!) Add in the cauliflower, and cook until the veg has a bite to it still. In the last minute or two, add in 1/4 cup of chopped red cabbage. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Garnish with a pinch of parsley.
this pic really doesn’t do the dish justice. GREAT comfort food right here. And healthy too!
Questions! Do you try to have one family meal each week? What are your feelings on consignment shopping? What are your favorite running shoes?
Last week was a tough week for me. I’m not sure if it was the bitter temps, or the hubby traveling for the second week in a row but I admittedly found myself in tears more times than I care to admit. My eldest daughter tried my patience, multiple times, and I found myself with my head in my hands choking back the sobs early Friday morning. Could I DO this yet another week on my own? And then at around 9:30 a.m. while I was at work I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. “I’m sorry for being grumpy this morning.” Smiles…I immediately felt better. It’s amazing what a simple acknowledgement to even unintentional hurts can do…so as the day went on, we planned a nice dinner out after school/work to celebrate another week of surviving Chiberia 2015. J and S decided on our favorite Mexican place called Sergio’s. If you are ever in the western suburbs of Chicagoland I highly recommend it. It’s family owned and operated, has fresh ingredients, and SOOOO affordable.
Doesn’t get much better than this…
Today, as most non-working outside of the house Saturdays go, I had a full schedule. I had planned on meeting up with my run club for coffee after my dreadmill run, but I slept through my alarm and started my day an hour and a half behind schedule. The hubby arrived home late last night, but only for his Army drill weekend so I saw him all of 30 minutes. But that extra glass of wine probably was NOT a good idea seeing the fact I had 6 miles on deck this morning. I got up, ate my tablespoon of PB with chia seeds, texted Maria, and hopped on the ‘mill. I knew immediately this was going to be tough. Barely half of a mile in, and I wanted to cry. I cussed quietly, at myself, the ‘mill, and anyone who would listen. And at 60 minutes, the ‘mill reset, and real tears formed in my eyes. I wasn’t quite finished with my 6 miler, but thankfully I finished. That is all I can say. I did it. It sucked. And Mother Nature could bring on spring like temps ANY time now…please…
Week 1, long run, DONE.
After my run it was time to EAT. It’s been a while since I said 6 miles was a long run, but I was famished. What did I eat? Check it out…
My go-to post long run meal. Yup…bacon and eggs.
And then it was time to shower, and tackle 3 hours of housework. I turned up the tunes, scrubbed bathrooms, vacuumed floors, dusted, washed bedding, and mopped. My house now looks and smells amazing! YAY!! Then, it was time to shop for the week so the girls and I headed to Aldi to stock up on groceries. I love this store sooooo much. My basket was completely full of fresh produce, fish, chicken and healthy snacks for such a reasonable price. Winning!
So tonight for dinner I decided to make something simple after such a busy day. I made a yummy gluten free pasta dish, that had my famous semi-homemade marinara sauce.
Here’s what you’ll need for the sauce:
1 package of turkey sausage links cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of diced pancetta
1 small white onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and pepper to taste
Here’s what to do:
In a wide sauce pan heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add in your onion, garlic, mushrooms and red pepper flakes and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the turkey sausage and pancetta and cook through for about 12 minutes. Season with kosher salt, pepper, and Italian herbs to taste. Once the sausage is cooked through, drain off the grease. Also, wipe your pan out with paper towels removing the excess grease. Add everything back into the pan, and pour in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding in more S&P if needed. Let simmer for about 25 minutes. The longer, the better…
I served over gluten free rotini, and as always it was a hit with my family.
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese!
Lessons learned this week:
1. Running is hard. Running on the treadmill? Even harder.
2. Teen kiddos will test us more than nearly almost anything in life. We won’t always pass, but there is always room for growth.
3. Knowing your passions in life, and participating in said passions is freeing…really.
4. Ask someone how THEIR day is, or what THEY are up to…it truly can make a difference.
5. It’s ok to cry. But don’t forget to wipe away those tears and move forward.
I am rounding out the week with 15 miles of running, 1 yoga work out, and strength training as well.
Questions!
How was your week? How do you deal with one sided conversations? What are your favorite “easy meals?”
Although I haven’t joined the 30 day Yoga challenge, I have decided to include Yoga in my weekly routine, at least 1-2 times per week. Those of you that know me, know I am NOT flexible…But I am working towards being a leaner, stronger, more flexible runner in 2015…so here we go…
Balanced and even?? Heck no…but I sure am trying.
And meet my amazing yoga partner, my mini Mover.
My 8 year old held strong for 30 minutes tonight; So proud! (notice my photobombing dog, yeah…lol)
After work, and Yoga, we decided to prepare a healthy meal. The chicken wings I had (again) in the Caf at work were NOT healthy. Argh. Someone please pass me a side of will power, please…lol. I am down 2 lbs so I won’t complain-too much…8 lbs to go…
We made a yummy salad with mixed greens of baby kale, arugula, and spinach along with some chopped romaine. I added radishes, tomatoes, green onions and a healthy yogurt dressing.
Top your salad with crab meat that has been seasoned with a little Old Bay and YUM!
Tonight we hunkered down on the couch and watched American Idol. Yup…still a junky 13 years later. There are very few shows we can catch on our ONE channel, but I’ve been trying to gather the family more at least a few nights per week for at least an hour. We all love music in our house, so this show is a win/win. And it’s an hour spent with my favorite people. What more could I ask for?
And now I sit here, with my thoughts and honestly I think I’ll go to bed soon. In my efforts to disengage from FB, I still find myself checking back far too often seeing people’s posts that just (sorry) piss me off. Why do I bother? As my sister says….FB sure can be a ‘Life suck’…I need to not let it suck the life out of me. This brings #SMDH (shaking my darn head) to a whole new level….
So tomorrow I have a good ole dready run on deck, and despite work, kids, housework, etc, I’ve decided to MAKE the time. Because guess what….I NEED it. This…is no longer a want.
OOPS, my laundry timer is going off…Back to reality gang!!!
What are your favorite cross training work outs if you are a runner? Have you ever tried Yoga?
I only ran once last week, and despite my scale being angry at me for the lack of exercise, I won’t complain. The two nights during the week I can normally squeeze a work out in are Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday I got a couple miles in, but Thursday was my daughter’s school production and that trumps running any day of the week. I did make sure to meet my goal of cooking at least 3 of the 5 days during the week though, leaving the other two days (Mon/Fri) for left overs/sammiches.
I woke up this morning after a good long week of a headache to not much relief so decided to push my run off one more day. I’ll tready it tomorrow while Chiberia is in full affect. Yeah, I am wimpy like that. I may even get bold and do yoga too!
Upon realization that we will be missing the Super bowl tomorrow due to lack of cable/streaming capabilities I wiped away my “poor me” attitude quickly and sat down to make my shopping list. We would still eat great food and enjoy each other’s company this weekend. Well, minus my eldest mover…she is off with friends because isn’t that what teenagers do?
Our list was filled with tons of produce and the ingredients to make some yummy detox soup I found over at Be Fit With Tracy. Click HERE for the recipe. I will be making this tomorrow, and can’t wait to give it a try! We also had the ingredients for Beef Bourguignon because well, that’s what the hubby requested for dinner. I borrowed the recipe from my favorite cooking store, Sur La Table and modified it slightly using finely diced carrots, baby shallots, pancetta and gluten free flour vs. the called for ingredients. You can find the recipe HERE.
My youngest mover and I hit the road running and battled the crowds with smiles on our faces. You’d think the world was ending without a single empty shopping cart in sight, and hundreds of people squeezing through the isles. But we survived, LOL!
me and my mini mover
After unloading all of our groceries, I started the cooking process as this is no “quick” dish. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to be exact! Here is my prep in pics!
Everything is ready, and the lid is about to go on! T-2 hours!Be patient, let the butter and the heat do the work…after about 15 minutes you’ll have perfection!Use the same pan you cooked your onions in, just add a bit more butter!
Can I get a drum roll please? Here is the final product after 2 hours of simmering. Did I mention how GOOD my house smells?
YUM!
My husband tasted, and literally picked me up and started swinging me around the kitchen. I’d say that’s a win. ❤
Final dish, served with red wine, Pinot Noir goes well with this dish!
I can honestly say this is one of the best dishes I have made to date. I am proud that I tackled a dish that Julia Child herself is known for, and even more proud that it tasted so good! I was also reminded that I just can’t give up on my dreams. It may not be happening for me now, but I will keep movin’ towards those goals!
How do you stick with your dreams and goals despite road blocks? Have you ever tackled a recipe you didn’t think you could prepare?
As part of my effort to compile all of my recipes this year (I started this effort in 2014), I will be blogging more of the magic food I create in my kitchen. Please keep in mind some of these recipes may seem almost too simple…But that’s the joy of cooking-especially on week nights! Creating simple, healthy, and tasty meals without having to really think! Win WIN, right?
I think so!
Tonight I had approximately 40 minutes upon arriving home from work to create a tasty dish before piling the family in the car to attend my youngest Mover’s school production. That’s plenty of time, right? Even better, I was able to speed walk for 2 miles at an incline while this yummy goodness simmered! Triple win!
Pic credit: tobreatheistowrite via google
On the menu was:
Mexican spiced chicken stew served over gluten free rotini pasta.This is a great dish on a cold, damp, winter evening!
Top with crème fraiche, sour cream or yogurt!
Here’s what you’ll need:
One package of boneless skinless chicken thighs (feel free to use white meat if you prefer, to me the dark meat has so much more flavor)
Four cups of vegetable stock, separated into three cups/one cup mixed with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken
One russet potato, peeled and cubed (sweet potato would be great too, I just didn’t have one!)
One white onion, diced
One large carrot, halved and chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2-3 teaspoons (to taste) of taco seasoning (I buy pre-made from my local mart)
2-3 teaspoons (to taste) of chili powder
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Crème fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt and chives to garnish. (This helps cut the heat of the stew)
Here’s what to do:
Take a Dutch oven or soup pot and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat
Add your chicken, and season with salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, taco seasoning and chili powder. Sauté until cooked through, and add your three cups of stock and vegetables. Mix well, and add your additional one cup of stock that has been mixed with cornstarch. Bring the stew to a boil.
As the stew cooks, you will need to continually taste and season accordingly!
Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
I served over gluten free rotini pasta cooked according to the package instructions, but this dish could definitely be served on it’s own.
Enjoy!
Question! What are some of your favorite weekend night meals? How do you balance work, kids, and healthy cooking?
My co-workers and I love, LOVE, love to talk about food. Today was no different, so when one of my coworkers started talking soup-my ears perked up quick! I LOVE soup in a probably not so healthy way, especially in the winter time. She mentioned making a carrot soup with curry….”HMMMM,” I thought…that sounds AMAZING.
I will admit the underlying effort to lose the belly fat that this winter has given me as a not so sweet gift fueled my motivation to head to the grocery store after a very busy day at work. I picked up a bag of “horse carrots” as my youngest calls them, shallots, and some fresh herbs so I could make my OH so yummy soup for dinner.
This was such a hit, and you can omit the crème fraiche if you desire!
Here’s the recipe and what you will need:
6-8 large “horse” carrots, pealed and chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
6 cups of organic vegetable stock-low sodium if possible
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 pats of unsalted butter
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning: Tumeric, Curry, Cayenne pepper, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish-Crème Fraiche and chives
Get a large sauce pot and heat to medium high heat. Add in your butter and olive oil. Add all the veggies, and sauté until soft. Add your seasonings, but just a pinch at a time to ensure your get the right flavor. Next, add your stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce down to a simmer and let cook for about 25 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat, and puree with a blender or immersion blender until smooth. Return the soup to the heat, and let simmer for a few additional minutes while you ensure the seasoning is just right. Garnish with crème fraiche and chives, and serve! I accompanied the soup with a yummy shrimp salad (dressing free-just marinated the shrimp in lime juice, salt, pepper, and evoo!) that was the perfect pairing for this spicy soup!
Can I get a YUM!?
Question-are you a soup eater? What is your favorite kind? Do you enjoy making your own soups?
Tonight, I’ve prepared a pan seared steak, with a raspberry/red wine sauce served with a root vegetable puree’ and simple chopped salad.
What you’ll need for the steak:
Top sirloin steak, or your favorite cut.
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Drizzle both sides with the olive oil, and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
What you’ll need for the root vegetable puree’:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan; while you are waiting, start chopping!
3 carrots, peeled and chopped in 1-2 inch pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 medium sized red potatoes, peeled and chopped in 1-2 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 pat of unsalted butter
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Boil veggies until fork tender, (NOT mushy) and place in your food processor and process on high until completely smooth. Cover, and set aside.
What you’ll need for the raspberry/red wine sauce:
1 box of beef stock, brought to a boil with 3 tablespoons of corn starch. (Add the corn starch right away when the stock is still cool or it will clump)
Season with kosher salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Chop one onion, and add to the liquid.
Add in about 2 cups of a good red wine (Pinot Noir or Merlot are two of my favorites for sauces)
Bring back up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let reduce down to about half the original amount. Strain the mixture, and put back on the heat. Add in one dollop of sugar free raspberry preserves (or fresh if you have them on hand would be even better!) and whisk until incorporated. Add another pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer.
Now it is time to sear your steaks. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Preheat a pan with extra virgin olive oil, to a high heat. Sear your steaks (don’t overcrowd the pan) to a golden brown, 3-4 minutes each side, and place on the baking sheet. Cook an additional 10 minutes in the oven, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
While your steaks are finishing off in the oven, you can prepare your salad.
What you’ll need for the salad:
Romaine hearts, chopped finely
½ of a red onion, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to season
Toss with your favorite dressing-I used a sugar free red wine vinaigrette
Plate as shown, drizzling the red wine sauce over the steak, serve, and enjoy!!!
Note-as an added yummy goodness I roasted some button mushrooms in the oven for about 20 minutes, drizzled simply with extra virgin olive oil, a splash of red wine, and salt and pepper. My daughter gobbled them down! Delish!
Movin' it with Michelle 