So I follow a number of people on social media, and one of them is Sammy Montgoms. If you haven't heard of her and you like simple home cookin' (or Italian food!) please check her out... sammymontgoms.com.  This recipe I followed to a 'T' and it came out incredible!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 (ish) lb. chuck roast (you could use blade roast)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (I used EVOO)
• 2 tbsp. butter (I used unsalted)
• 6 cloves garlic - four whole and 2 minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3/4 cups red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• handful fresh thyme
• handful fresh sage (alas I used up my sage earlier this week so I didn't have this ingredient)
• S&P
• onion and garlic powder
• green onions (optional - I did not use)

Whipped potatoes

• 8 medium russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Begin by setting your oven to 325 °F.
2. To your beef, add a small splash of olive oil and rub it in, coating all sides.
3. Season both sides generously with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Be sure to coat the sides of the beef as well.
   
4. Let your beef sit while you chop your carrots, celery, and onion.
5. Make four small slits to the top of your beef and nestle in four whole cloves of garlic. Keep the other two aside. 
6. To a large oven safe pot, preferably a dutch oven, add your olive oil and set to medium/high heat.
7. Add your beef and sear on each side for 4-5 minutes until a golden crust starts to appear. Be sure to also sear the sides of the beef to ensure it's all evenly browned.
8. Just before removing the beef, add your butter and baste the top by scooping up the melted butter and pouring it over the top.
9. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside for a couple minutes.
10. To the same pot, add your carrots, celery, onion and two cloves of garlic. Let sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
11. Add your tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes or until the tomato paste becomes a dark red color.
12. Deglaze with your red wine and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half and has slightly thickened. 
13. Add your stock and return your beef back to the middle of the pot.
14. Add your bay leaves and fresh thyme (plus fresh sage if you have it!).
15. Cover and roast in the oven for 2.5-3 hours, flipping the beef halfway through cook time. Tip: the beef will be ready once you can shred it easily with two forks. 
16. Remove beef gently from the pot and strain your veggies so you are left with just the gravy.
17. Add your gravy to a small saucepan and bring to a light simmer for 5-7 minutes - I added some cornstarch to thicken the gravy.
    
18. While I did this, Loren did a rough chop of the meat and mixed it back in the dutch oven with the veggies (optional).
19. Scoop your mashed (whipped) potatoes onto a serving plate, then a ladle of gravy, followed by a generous piece of your beef.

I went looking for a recipe for the thin flank steak I had in the freezer, that not only would be healthy-ish but would be kinda easy...I mean our little one is walking now so short prep time is a must! I found a recipe for these steak rolls, modified it for what I had in my fridge, and it definitely was a hit in our house. Please feel free to add in other veggies - we did!

Ingredients:

• Flank/skirt Steak - we had a package already...made enough for 4 rolls...check out the first picture. PLUS it was already seasoned so that cut down on time
• EVOO
• S&P (unless your steak is already seasoned!)
• Veggies: we used red & yellow peppers, and then some button mushrooms and yellow onion for Loren

My Rosemary Balsamic Glaze

• Balsamic glaze (about a 1/4 cup)...I already had a bottle, so I used this as a base and added the other ingredients to give it a little more "ummpfh". 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• ~ 1/4 cup beef broth
• 2-3 springs rosemary

     Directions

1. Heat one tbsp EVOO on medium-high heat - cook the veggies until they are a little crisp (not soggy) and season with S&P as desired
2. Unroll/lay out the flank steak; place a few of the veggies vertically on the steak, in a way that you can roll the steak up (like rolling a burrito)
3. Roll up the steak - I used a couple of toothpicks in order that they stayed closed
4. For the Glaze:

•      In a sauce pan on the stove on medium-high heat, put in one tbsp EVOO and the garlic and cook until fragrant...about 2 minutes.
•      Then add in all of the other ingredients except the beef broth...bring to a boil
•      Add in the beef broth for one more minute on the same heat, then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. this should thicken
•     Remove sprigs of rosemary before serving

     5. Grill the steak rolls for about 2-5 minutes on medium high heat- just depends on how done you want your steak!
     6. Drizzle the glaze on the steak and enjoy    

 It's perfect grillin' weather here in Arizona...mid 70's during the day and cooler at night, so we tried out this gem last night. WOW - so good! The marinade was simple to make ahead of time, but be aware that there may be an ingredient on the list that isn't a staple (at least not in ours).  We paired it with grilled asparagus - just some oil and S&P :) OH AND we paired it with a bold Cab - really good and you can find it in stores for about $20...if you have the Vivino App, find me and you can see the wines we try!

Marinade recipe:

• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/3 c soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• chives (I used a handful, but you could also use 2 scallions)
• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2+ garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8+ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp Mirin (in the asian section of your grocery store...a Japanese sweet rice alcohol)
• 2 lbs sirloin tips

Directions:
1. mix all ingredients (minus the steak) in a medium bowl; I used my immersion blender to smooth out the garlic and chives). If you want, put aside 1/4 cup aside for serving later. 
2. Add steak tips to the remaining marinade & refrigerate for at least 1 hr; I did this in the morning so it soaked all day!
3. Grill on high heat for about 8-10 minutes, turning as needed.  We threaded the steak on metal skewers for easy grill use
​4. Enjoy  :)

Stuffed peppers are a wonderful way to get more veggies into your diet, but sometimes the stuffing can be carb loaded (rice!). This recipe has THREE ingredients...super easy but really yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Rotel (I used the one with green chiles)
• 1 block cream cheese (softened if possible)
• 1 lb bulk sausage

I also added red pepper flakes and S&P to kick it up a notch, but thats optional! You can also use hamburger meat or diced tomatoes....

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the meat (can be done ahead of time!) according to the directions, draining excess grease.  Add in the rotel and cream cheese (plus any desired spices) and mix together until the mixture is creamy/melted.

2. Cut the peppers - I did mine bu just coring/cutting the tops off and leaving them whole; you can also half the peppers.

3. Stuff mixture into peppers and bake for about 10 minutes...I just kept an eye on them to ensure they didnt start to burn/turn brown.

I've been dormant on my blog for a couple of months for a teeny reason...I gave birth to my daughter Ava on November 4th! We've gotten a great routine going, so starting at the beginning of the year, I decided to take a month off of traditional carbs. Now there are carbs in practically everything, so I am avoiding any bread, rice, potato, or flour products...you know, all the gooooood stuff ;) The struggle all moms have with baby weight is real, and even though i am walking every day and hitting the gym 2-3 times a week since I have been cleared to do so, diet has to play a part if I ever want to see a flat stomach again!

I don't want to eat chicken and broccoli every night, so i am trying to find creative ways to still enjoy food but keep true to No Carb January. This is the first of what I hope is many recipes that are carb conscious - and for all my gluten free/allergy people out there, I think they might be good for you too.  Cheers to Healthy in 2020

Ingredients:
Zucchini (recipe calls for 6-8, I only used 3 but made all the filling and froze the extra for a future meal...prep ahead!)
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp EVOO
1/2+ cup chopped onion - I had a white onion in the fridge so I used that
2+ cloves garlic minced
1 cup marinara sauce
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese - i had leftover shredded Mexican blend, but any will do

Directions:
1. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, scoop out all filling and set aside. I highly suggest you salt/pepper the zucchini to give it a little flavor.  Place the zucchini 'boats' on a greased pan and set aside.
2. Cook the onion in the EVOO on medium high heat for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic in and continue to saute.  Once you think the onion and garlic are done, add the meat, and cook until it is no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.  this can be done ahead of time too for easier dinnertime prep!
3. Turn the oven on to 375. Spoon the mixture into the boats and cover with cheese.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly

So I have been a wee bit judgmental towards prepped food delivery programs, like "Hello Fresh", "Blue Apron", etc, as I am a huge advocate for home cooking and exploring recipes in the kitchen.  I told myself I need to TRY a pre-prepped package and really see for myself before spouting off! I went all out...I ordered my entire grocery order online at my Fancy Fry's as well as some "prep + pared" meals...and Hayley got a fun car ride out of it with drive up service!

SO the verdict: WOOHOO...these are great! I won't lie and say I will use these services/prepped meals on the regular, but I can definitely see the appeal - all the ingredients were portioned out, the instructions were simple, and this meal didn't require any knife skills.

This is a really great idea especially for those that aren't comfortable in the kitchen, don't have oodles of time to cook, or maybe want to share cooking with a loved one/child. For me...I got a great recipe out of it that I will use again in the future!  

Ingredients:
* 1 tbsp. minced garlic
* 2 tsp basil (I would used fresh chopped basil next time)
* 8 oz. ground beef
* 1/2 cup ricotta
* 1 egg, beaten
* 3 tbsp. all purpose flour
* 3/4 cup panko
* 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
* 1 cup crushed tomatoes (or marinara)
* 2 1/2 cups cooked penne pasta (or whatever pasta!)
* 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
* 1/2 cup EVOO
* S&P to taste

Directions:

~ In a medium bowl, combine the beef, ricotta, 1/2 garlic, 1/2 basil and S&P, mixing well. Once mixed, roll into meatballs, making about 10 total.

~ Heat the skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats, put the flour on one plate,  beaten egg in a small bowl, and the panko crumbs (with S&P as desired) on another plate. Roll the meatballs in flour, dip in the egg, and then roll in the panko crumbs and then place in the skillet. Turn frequently to brown the meatballs on all sides.

~ Once the meatballs are cooked, I removed them to cool while I did the rest of the cooking (the meal prep said you didn't have to, so that's up to you). Sauté the zucchini and garlic for a minute or two, and then add in the basil and tomatoes - simmering together for about 3-5 minutes.

~ toss the penne pasta back in with the sauce, and then add the meatballs back in to coat. When serving, sprinkle the parmesan on top!

NOTE: I portioned these out into three servings instead of the meal package instructions of two...and it was PLENTY! This way it is only 586 calories/serving, not 880 :)

It's been a while since my last blog, but sometimes this thing called "life" (yes that's a Prince reference) changes up the game and distracts you! Nonetheless I am back at my cooking skillz and last night the food was amazing! Adrian and I had been leafing through the newest Cuisine Magazine and came across two recipes for our girls night meal, and here is the main course...SO dang good. Its actually 2 recipes in one, as I made my own homemade pesto (check out that recipe here: Http://welman101.weebly.com/blog/my-homemade-pesto)

Cheers!

Ingredients (makes 4+ burgers):
12 oz. ground round
12 oz. mild Italian sausage (not links)
1/2 + cup fresh basil pesto (if you don't make your own that's okay!)
1 ball of mozzarella -sliced (try for 8 slices)
bread...we used Publix White Mountain Bread
EVOO
1 large tomato - sliced into 8 pieces
fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Turn on the grill to about medium heat, making sure to coat the grill with oil or a grill cooking spray first. Combine the meats together and add 1/2 of the pesto...best way to mix this up is to take off your rings and dig in! Put the burgers on the grill and cook for about 6 minutes on each side.

At the end of the 12 minutes, add 2 slices of mozzarella to each burger and let cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the burgers from the grill, cover with foil, and let rest while you take care of the bread. Brush each piece of bread with some EVOO and throw on the grill...about one minute per side.

Once you remove the bread from the grill, brush the remaining pesto on each slice, then layer the burger, then tomato, and finally the fresh basil on top. Take a moment to enjoy ;)

I may be on a sorta warm-comfort food-yummy kick lately. If you try this, use the 'less is more' philosophy with the Tabasco sauce, otherwise it will be spicy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb ground beef (I used 93% lean), cooked!
• ½ onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained
• 3 cans (30 oz total) beef stock
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp tabasco
• 20 oz spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz pasta (I used elbow!)

Instructions:
            Add all ingredients into the crock pot (LARGE!) and cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4. I know...wicked difficult :)

I am trying to make more things from scratch (when I have time!) as I like to know what is in my food, and to reduce the processed foods as much as I can. Yes I want to be more healthy, but I don't think these are technically that! However they are sooooo yummy :) the recipe makes about 36, so you can freeze them after for future meals. I made meatball subs for dinner but they also would be awesome with spaghetti. Please give me feedback if you try these...

Ingredients:
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated parm
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 cup beef broth (low sodium if you can!)
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp oregano
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
2-3 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch nutmeg
----
2 lbs ground chuck
1 cup beef broth

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (except beef and 1 cup broth), mixing well. Then add in the beef. I highly suggest removing your rings and mixing the meat and other stuff with your hands!!!!

Make the meat mixture into 2 inch balls; On a cookie sheet, sprayed with nonstick spray, place the meatballs so they aren't touching. For reference I used 2 trays. Once all are added, pour the remaining cup of broth in the bottom of the pans to keep the meatballs juicy. Bake on 450 for 25+ minutes.

Who doesn't like tacos?!?!?  For those of you who love tacos & Mexican food in general, you gotta make this recipe! There is a little stove work before you throw everything into the crock pot, but once you get through that, you can 'set it & forget it' and have this lovely meal waiting for you a few hours later :) Cheers!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. EVOO, divided

2 pounds beef (I used a boneless chuck roast)

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

1 cup beef stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

5 cloves garlic, minced

Flour tortillas

Toppings as desired: I had fresh sliced avocados, lime wedges, salsa, and shredded cheese

~ In a small bowl, combine the spices - chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne & red pepper flakes; rub the spice mix into the beef, covering all sides well. Heat 1 tbsp EVOO in a skillet pan on medium high heat, then place the beef in the pan to sear the sides...about 2 minutes on each side. After which, remove the beef and place in slow cooker. Add the remaining EVOO and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 1 minute or until golden brown. Add the beef stock to the pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the wonderful brown bits of yumminess into the mix! Next add the tomato paste to the pan and stir until all is combined.  Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes so the sauce thickens. Pour the yummy sauce over the beef in the slow cooker; cover and cook on low for 7 hours (or 3.5 hours on high...which I did).

LAST STEP (once you get home) take the beef out of the slow cooker and shred with two forks...then add back into the slow cooker to absorb remaining sauce. Serve the beef in your tortillas with your favorite toppings and enjoy!!!

Tonight’s recipe came from Jerome…so if you like it, you need to give him the kudos! This was uber easy to make and I was able to set it up in the am and then go about my business while it cooked. SO delish!!!!

* 2 lbs flank steak
* 1 red pepper, chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped
* 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
For spice rub--
* 2 tsp chili powder
*  1 tsp cumin
* 1/4 tsp onion powder
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Suggested Toppings
* Limes
*Fresh Cilantro, chopped
* Fresh avocado slices
* Grated Cheddar Cheese
* Your favorite salsa
* Corn Tortillas

Today was a day filled with doctors’ appointments, labwork, and long lines at the pharmacy…so thank goodness I took the steaks out of the freezer before I left this morning! When we got home, I whipped up this marinade for the steaks so it could thaw while we took Hayley on our walk – about 30 minutes (perfect timing). This could be a really good Paleo dinner like we had – salad and steak – but I think it would go awesome with some roasted red potatoes!

Grilled tri-tip steaks

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Tri-tip steaks – I had a package of 1.3lbs…you can have more as there was leftover marinade/sauce (flank steak will work well if you can’t find tri-tips

Sunday night in my house always represented the true ‘family night’…everyone sitting around the dining room table, having an awesome comfort food meal, and gearing up for the week ahead. Note that faded out with the increasingly busy schedules we all had (soccer, ballet, etc) but we are trying to bring it back in our house! Tonight’s dinner is an oldie but a goodie…Pot Roast.  As I love my crock pot, that’s how I made it…we shall see if it measures up to mom’s!

 Ingredients:

• 3-3 ½ lb pot roast – we used a 3.22lb from Fresh Market
• Onion soup mix
• ¾ cup water
• Carrots & red potatoes (I used a whole bag of baby carrots and about 8 red potatoes)
• Spices (Salt & pepper for me) to taste

~ cut up the potatoes and put them with the carrots into the crock pot. Place the beef on top of the veggies…add the onion soup mix, water, and spices to coat. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours (5 on high).  After the 8 hours, we cut up the beef into chunks and added back into the pot so it could soak up the sauce…just for about 30 more minutes!

We picked up some stew beef at fresh market, and I was looking for a recipe to use the meat, and came across this very easy but yummy recipe! I was able to add the ingredients to the crock pot and start it going while having a friend stop by for “cawfee tawlk”

 Ingredients:

• 1 pound cubed beef stew meat
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional…I did NOT add…I thought I was doing well by having mushroom soup!)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• Salt & pepper (and any other spices you like!)

~ In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, spices, onion soup packet, Worcestershire sauce and water. Cook on low setting for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving….I made sure to cube up my cream cheese before adding it to the mix.  I then served this over Healthy Harvest whole wheat wide noodles.

(I forgot to take an aftershot!)

I love making my own version of a classic…I switched the noodles to whole wheat, the ricotta is skim, and brought in some veggies to make it at least a little bit more healthy :) cheers!

Ingredients:
I box healthy harvest whole wheat pasta (uncooked)
1-2 jars sauce (I like the chunky vegetable sauce)
1 container part-skim ricotta
I bag of mozzarella cheese
I package chopped frozen spinach - thawed and drained
1-2 peppers - chopped finely (I had green but any kind works)
Fresh garlic - minced - amount is your discretion (I used 3-4 cloves)
2 eggs
1 lb lean ground beef
Parmesan cheese
S&P to taste

Tonight is the Notre Dame game, so I wanted to make a yummy meal for Jerome while he cheered on his team :). Enjoy…and go ND!

Ingredients
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cool water
Carrots (I had baby carrots & cut in half)
1/2 large onion - chopped finely
Red potatoes, quartered
1 beef roast (mine was labeled pot roast…you can use chuck roast)
1/2 cup (or so) beef stock (H2O if you don’t have stock on hand)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Mix together the cornstarch & H2O & put in crock pot. Add in veggies and salt and pepper; then on top put on beef….season more as desired. Add in stock and Worcestershire sauce on top of meat. Cook on high for about 5+ hours (or low 10 hrs). Yummmmm

So last night I made a lasagna ahead of time…and thank goodness I did as I didn’t want to come home and make a full-blown meal tonight! Here is my recipe :)Sara’s Whole Wheat Vegetable & Meat Lasagna

• 1 box whole wheat lasagna
• 2 jars pasta sauce (I like the tomato & basil from Bertolli)
• 15 oz ricotta
• 1 big bag shredded mozzerella
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup parmasean cheese
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• fresh parsley, green pepper, red pepper, garlic, basil (chopped finely)
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained)
• extra minced garlic as desired
• salt, pepper and other spices as desired

~ cook meat with spices as desired; drain and place back into saute pan with one jar of sauce and the minced garlic. Mix together the ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzerella, spinach, eggs, and parmasean; fold in the other vegetables.

Place some of the meat/sauce mixture on the bottom of the 9x13 pan, layer lasagna noodles (uncooked) and then another layer of the sauce, then layer 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat the lasagna/sauce/cheese mixture; then put a layer of the noodles followed by some of the second can of sauce. Lastly add the rest of the mozzerella, and sprinkle some additional parmesean on top as desired.

Note - I put my lasagna, covered with tinfoil, in the fridge for a day. I cooked the dish covered on 350 for 1 hour, and then remove the cover and continue to cook for 15-20 more minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes…enjoy!!!

Florida-Georgia tailgating…mini wonton tacos :) put some Olive Oil spray in muffin tins, lay 2 wonton wrappers inside to make the cups.  Scoop some cooked hamburger meat (made with taco seasoning) and sprinkle with grated cheddar. Cook on 350 for 10 minutes…delish!

So I have been “go go go” for a while now, and this weekend we decided to just ‘chillax’. Friday night was just a glass of wine and tv (ok, half a glass of wine as I fell asleep early!), and then a lazy Saturday morning reading with Hayley on my lanai. I did my 6-mile run (55.08 minutes…9.11/mile!) and relaxed before a Networking Event out at the Beaches with some wonderful colleagues. This morning was such a great day…nice breeze so we decided to have our coffee overlooking the lake and reading our Kindles. After a furious 2 hours of cleaning the house top to bottom, then lunch with Adrian and a trip to Home Depot, we settled in for a nice evening at home. Knowing I have a heavy running/training week ahead, I decided to cook a very lean meal for dinner…thin-cut steaks and spinach salad. Enjoy the recipes!

Grilled Balsamic Steaks - makes 4 servings @ 180 calories each

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce if unavailable)
• 1 clove minced garlic (I used a lot more!)
• 1 lb strip steak

~ combine the first 4 ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag; marinate the steak in the sauce on each side for 20 minutes.  Grill to desired wellness and serve with salad

Sara’s side spinach salad - makes 4 servings at 175 calories each

~ combine 3 roma tomates (de-seeded and chopped), 1 cucumber (peeled and chopped), 3/4 chopped green pepper, 4 cups washed spinach, some white cheddar cheese (choppped up!) and Publix Poppyseed Dressing.