Or gangsta, or whatever. I'm really excited about Outkast's reunion so I've been listening to them alot lately. I also just saw that I haven't touched this blog since October of 2012. Which means that I was even busier than I may have realized last year!
Big things happened in 2013-we had about a million weddings to attend all over the world, I got my 200 hour yoga teacher certification, finally learned how to do a kipping pull up, got a gold iPhone, completed a major offshore project that had me on a boat for a full month, spent Christmas in Paris, got engaged, and now its 2014. OMG ya'll.
Sundays are still my rest day, and lately I've taken to making 3 days worth of meals for the week ahead. This definitely includes my morning green smoothie, which I'll post about later, lunch prep, and dinners. Spending a few hours in the kitchen on Sunday makes for a less frantic Monday and Tuesday, which means I don't have to race home panicking that Tim will be starving and cranky.
Also, its been cold in Texas. And I'm not just saying that as a Texan-we had 3 days in a row of below freezing temperatures last week! Now, I'm not talking ridiculous sub zero Midwest or Canadian temperatures, but we felt the gusts of the polar vortex down south. Its actually been nice to have a little chill in the air and I'm loving making all the soups and stews and pastas and such.
Witness then, the beef and butternut squash tagine I made last night-don't worry, you don't need a tagine, nor do you need to know what one is. This was actually a super simple recipe, and quicker than I had expected, meaning you could whip it out in like 30 minutes on a weeknight. It also made the house smell amazing because of the cinnamon in the rub. I also didn't read the ingredients/instructions too clearly so I had to make a few minor adjustments.
Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine
adapted from Cooking Light
2tsp paprika
1tsp ground cinnamon
3/4tsp salt
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp crushed red pepper
a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper
1-pound beef shoulder roast or petite tender roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1tbsp tomato paste
3c (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
Combine all spices in a bowl and mix well, then add the beef and toss it around until all pieces are coated.
Heat your olive oil in a dutch oven on medium high heat until shimmering. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Sundays are still my rest day, and lately I've taken to making 3 days worth of meals for the week ahead. This definitely includes my morning green smoothie, which I'll post about later, lunch prep, and dinners. Spending a few hours in the kitchen on Sunday makes for a less frantic Monday and Tuesday, which means I don't have to race home panicking that Tim will be starving and cranky.
Also, its been cold in Texas. And I'm not just saying that as a Texan-we had 3 days in a row of below freezing temperatures last week! Now, I'm not talking ridiculous sub zero Midwest or Canadian temperatures, but we felt the gusts of the polar vortex down south. Its actually been nice to have a little chill in the air and I'm loving making all the soups and stews and pastas and such.
Witness then, the beef and butternut squash tagine I made last night-don't worry, you don't need a tagine, nor do you need to know what one is. This was actually a super simple recipe, and quicker than I had expected, meaning you could whip it out in like 30 minutes on a weeknight. It also made the house smell amazing because of the cinnamon in the rub. I also didn't read the ingredients/instructions too clearly so I had to make a few minor adjustments.
Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine
adapted from Cooking Light
2tsp paprika
1tsp ground cinnamon
3/4tsp salt
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp crushed red pepper
a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper
1-pound beef shoulder roast or petite tender roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1tbsp tomato paste
3c (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
Combine all spices in a bowl and mix well, then add the beef and toss it around until all pieces are coated.
Heat your olive oil in a dutch oven on medium high heat until shimmering. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.
