Pot Roast

When I think about pot roast I imagine lazy Sundays, a hot kitchen,  and someone slaving away in the kitchen creating a hearty meal. But, really, pot roast can be cooked anytime of the week even when you don’t have much time. And it certainly doesn’t require cooking all day in a hot kitchen.

I think most people reach for convenience food like boxed meals and fast foods because they think they don’t have the time to cook real food (unprocessed, cooked-from-scratch). But it only takes a little bit of planning to have a hearty dinner of pot roast. And that, my friend, is way better than over-salted fries and who-knows-what’s-in your-meat hamburgers.

You can make this recipe two ways. You can cook it for about eight hours in a slow cooker. I like that option when I have to go to work. When I come home there’s a warm meal waiting. All I have to do is make some mashed potatoes and maybe a green vegetable which takes less that half an hour. You can also make this dish in the oven. It just takes an hour and a half in the hot oven. I do this option when I’m home. In between doing some housekeeping, studying, or playing with Amira dinner is cooking.

Ingredients:

1 to 1  1/2 lb. roast (cut into cubes)

4 carrots, washed and cut

4 celery stalks, washed and cut

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. each dried basil, oregano, and parsley

2 tbs. olive oil

water

Directions:

In a dutch oven heat up the oil and add the beef cubes. Brown the cubes on all sides then add the seasonings and vegetables.

At this point if you’re going to use the slow cooker dump everything into it along with half a cup of water. Set the cooker to low and leave it for 8 hours.

If your going to put in the oven add a half cup of water. Seal the dutch oven with foil then place the lid on top of it. Place into the oven at 400 for one and a half hours.

You can make a gravy out of the liquid but I don’t. We just mop up the juices with bread. It tastes good either way!

Serves 8

A Year Of Health: Eat More Vegetables (And Less Fruit)

Wow! I’m really struggling to get these posts up on time  It feels like time is flying. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been crazy busy with all the changes going on in our household or what! This year needs to slow down!!!

I finished my school semester. I’m so happy to be getting a little break this summer especially since Ramadan will be right in the middle of it. Don’t know how we’ll survive since Texas summers are brutal.

This months challenge is to eat more vegetables. I’m trying to find ways to add more vegetables to our meals and having some to eat in between. I want to try some new vegetable sides. I also want to make green smoothies.

Another part of this month’s challenge is to eat less fruit. Fruit…what’s wrong with fruit? Well, nothing really. I’ve cut out processed foods and sugars from my diet. I’ve noticed that my sugar cravings have subsided a bit. But I feel like I eat a lot of fruit. And sugar is sugar no matter what.

This Month’s Challenge

Buy vegetables and cut and prep them for meals and snacks.

Try at least one new vegetable each week.

If you’ve never had a green smoothie try one for breakfast or a snack.

Limit the amount of fruit you eat maybe just one to two servings a day.

 

 

Corner Charging Station

Living in a small two-bedroom apartment is often challenging. Any little bit of clutter can make a room feel disorganized. One important rule of organizing is giving everything a home. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Yup…that’s Organizing 101.

I got tired of seeing cords and phones around the kitchen so I came up with a solution. I wanted a place to charge our phones but I also wanted a place to put incoming mail and a message board of some kind. A few clicks over at the ever-trusty Pinterest and I knew exactly what I wanted.

I already had a dry-erase board. It used to be Amira’s but the sides were a little warped. So I bought some decorative tape and spruced it up a little.

I  had the hanging mail sorter so I purchased a matching charging station on Amazon.com. I  bought the small shelf and the canvas bin from Target. I added a decorative vase to hold our keys. And, yes, those are diapers and baby wipes in that middle shelf. Behind the charging station is my Reference Binder. It holds passwords, information about each family member, and important business information for Ammar. We’re constantly using it so it makes sense to have it in an easily accessible place.

Assigning a place to put mail, keys, and our phones has made our lives a little bit less stressful. It’s definitely easier to leave the house now and my kitchen countertop is no longer cluttered with chargers and mail!

Do you have a designated place to charge your phone?

Southwestern Soup

Life has been a little hectic around here lately. I finally left my job in retail and started working for a hospital. I’m also finishing up the semester. I have term papers due and finals coming up . I’m beyond stressed out at  this point which means cooking is the last thing I want to be doing. But I know our health is more important than the convenience that fast food offers. This is just a busy season in our lives right now and that’s why turn to fast, easy meals when things get rough.

The other day I was in the mood for something a little spicy. I had some beans and corn so I thought maybe I should cook something with southwestern flavors. I was thinking I could make enchiladas, nachos, or tortilla soup but I didn’t have cheese or tortillas. Sigh. That’s what happens when you don’t do any grocery shopping for a couple of weeks.

I made this soup on a whim–just adding ingredients I felt worked together. I turned out so great I thought I’d share it with you guys.

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 cup  leftover chicken

3/4 cup salsa (preferably homemade and not one that is overly sweet or spicy)

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup frozen corn

1 can red kidney beans or black beans, rinsed

1 can white hominy, rinsed

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbs. dry oregano

handful cilantro, chopped

6 cups chicken stock or water

2 tbs. olive oil

a splash of lemon juice

Directions:

In a large pot add the olive oil, onions, and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add the chicken, corn, beans, hominy, and salsa. Stir.

Add the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Then add the stock or water. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Cover and bring the heat down to a simmer. Let it cook for 30 minutes to an hour so the flavors can blend. When finished cooking add a splash of lemon juice.

Serve in soup bowls with a few toppings.

Topping Ideas:

Sliced avocado

Shredded red cabbage

Sliced radish

Dollop of sour cream

Toasted tortilla chips

If you’re unfamiliar with hominy it’s white corn that has been softened with a lime solution until the skins have fallen off. Then it’s simmered until the kernels have opened up. The flavor of the hominy really adds a special flavor to the soup. You can find in the International section of your grocery market.

April Update

This month I tried to drink more water. I didn’t have a set amount to drink each day I just wanted to get in the habit of choosing water. It was a little hard because I have a serious sweet tea addiction but I pushed through. I think for the most part I did a good job.

Going forward I’m going to try to drink at least one liter of water a day. I bought a cute water bottle that I can take around with me. I like to drink ice water. If my water gets to warm I just can’t drink it. So I put in the freezer the night before and take it with me to work. At lunch it’s usually melted but still icy enough that I can drink it. I’m not a fan of just walking around with a water bottle taking sips here and there. I like to sit and drink with a meal or snack. I guess that’s why it’s hard for me to get in more water.

So I’d love to hear how y’all did this month.

How do you get more water in your diet?