Real Beef Stroganoff and not too bad for you either plus a dash of Dr. Oz

First of all-- I have to confess my cheesy love affair with Dr. Oz. His genius lies in that he explains pertinent medical information in as simple and as brief a way as possible. As well, he invites his audience to participate in interactive teaching methods that help all types of learners soak in the information he has to share. As a teacher, I commend his ability to make television medical advice as interactive as possible. As well, I can easily skip over segments of unimportance for me. Dr. Oz also says its OK to yummy foods like cookies, macaroni and cheese, and you guessed it, beef stroganoff as long as you take the initiative to prepare the food yourself. I have found this to serve as a valuable mantra when meal planning. The guilt of eating out (I allow it once a week) sears my stomach lining and leaves me feeling like a complete failure for at least a few days. But when we take the time to prepare foods we like ourselves we cut the fat, the carbs, and sodium easily ourselves. We can monitor what we eat and how much we eat by making our own dinners. While the convenience of eating out seems easy and instantly satisfying, Chris and I find ourselves feeling sick afterward and sometimes pissed we ingested the gluttonous garbage.

With all that said here is a super simple recipe adapted from Bittman's How To Cook Everything for beef stroganoff.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (substitute lean ground turkey to cut more fat)
1 onion (diced)
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream (use less if you use whole fat)
3 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
dash of salt and pepper

1 cup brown rice (substitute quinoa if you like)

Directions:
Start your brown rice! It takes about forty minutes

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Add onion and mushrooms. Cook until onions start to soften. Add beef broth, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard. Simmer until your rice has just about ten minutes left.

Add sour cream to pan. Next add your rice to the pan and simmer covered for five minutes.

Enjoy!

I had no idea if I would like this dish. Chris and I LOVED it. Its a nice twist on an old favorite and it was incredibly easy. I could walk away from the stove for a while-- that's my kind of cooking.

Happy cooking and feel free to share any recipes you have with us!

Let the Sunshine In!

I am feeling so incredibly amazing today! Perhaps it was my intense workout (in front of the tv might I add) or perhaps its that Chris finally dropped off the goods on Monday. Or maybe its the GLORIOUS sunshine outside. Granted I have a million tasks needing to be accomplished, but the day just seems to scream, "You can't be in a bad mood today-- just look at those clear skies."

On the baby front- I need to make an appointment since I missed mine while I was back in Colorado. I will update you. I am writing a few pieces on miscarriage, doctor's appointments, and marriage. I start so many essays, but fail to finish one in a timely manner. I hope to have all three posted this weekend.

Have a fabulous day ladies-- I know I am!

Back from Outer Space

Hey everyone. I'm sorry I have been seemingly off the planet for the last few weeks. As some of you may know, my mother-in-law passed away. I spent two long weeks back in Colorado with family as she her health deteriorated. The loss...crushing. After a fairly routine surgery, Doris suffered two incredibly damaging strokes. As her health declined, the family stood together waiting to make...decisions.

I think the pain from her loss feels too fresh, too surreal, and too raw to go into detail just yet. But when I am ready you know I will share.

I decided to spend a week away from the computer and emails when we returned. I facebooked a little, but I concentrated on getting back to the daily routine of living and I have poured myself into helping Chris deal with these traumatic event. Truth be told one of the few comforts I get is dedicating myself to staying busy by keeping him occupied. I find myself saying random things when I am feeling silly like rapping where the dishes go "Put the dish below...your momma no ho" and then immediately feeling sick to my stomach for uttering anything that refers to mothers. I turn the channel at the "Thanks Mom" Olympic commercials. I have found he just wants to know I am there...that I'm present even if we are not talking. We go on longer walks sometimes bubbling with conversation, sometimes with extended moments of silence. He looks forward to making dinner or little errands he has decided he wants to run. Once I woke up to the unmistakable breathing of him trying not to cry. I hold his hand when we sleep. I don't know what else to do. Grieving is such a personal, secret process.

As time trudges forward so will we. We have big decisions to make concerning our whereabouts and employment for next year. We let the pressures of reality simmer on the back burner as we deal with this new grief. We garden, we wash dishes, we sit on the couch. One day, one hour, one minute at a time.