Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

Hi friends, I've got a mild case of writers block today.  It's been explained to me by numerous writers and academics that the best thing to do is to step away, take a break and come back later. My problem with this advice is that later can turn into much much later and that's just not how I roll. I'm all about production and results & later doesn't yield results. (You love me anyway, even if I'm a driver, right?)

So what's causing this said writers block you ask?  Writer's block happens to me when I have stuff to talk about but I put a filter on and decide that I can't share my entire life with the world. 

It's seems as though the stuff I want to write about is floating around the front of my mind like a dark cloud floats low in the sky on a spring day.I want to push the gray clouds out of the way and frolic in the flowers and bask in the sun.  So, for now, I will share with you a beef barley recipe that my kids like. A home cooked, healthy meal can be my way to bask in the sun, for now :-)

Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup barley
• 2 boullion cubes
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry the hamburger, onion, garlic, salt and pepper on stove top medium for about 13 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and drain.  

Place carrots & celery in the Ninja Cooking System on stove top medium (no need to add oil as you will have ground beef grease residue). Saute for about 5 minutes. Add water, boullion, parsley, barley, brown sugar & tomato sauce. Mix well.  Add hamburger mixture and cover with the lid. Turn to stove top high for 10 minutes. 

Last, turn the dial to slow cook, low and set the timer for 2 hours.

Serves: 6

What do you do when you get writers block?

Crock Pot Beef Broccoli

I have a heavy heart today. It feels achy, sore and sad. A friends dad passed away coupled with the devastating news about the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.   I watched President Obama begin his speech by stating "we have endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years". He paused  during his speech numerous times & wiped away tears before they rolled down his face. As he held back tears, mine flowed. I knew, then, that the conversation I would have with my children would be difficult. I was tasked with balancing my own emotions of sadness and confusion regarding the tragedy while explaining it to my own elementary aged kids.

I was thankful to receive the mass email from the Superintendent of our local school district with a link to an online resource for talking to children about traumatic news or events. I took the time to read the article before my kids arrived home from school and it provided a great platform for me to work from.  I began asking my kids if they had heard about the tragedy today...they had not.  I explained briefly that a gunman entered a school and fired rounds from a semi-automatic weapon and that there were numerous casualties.  From there, my kids had lots of questions and I remembered the link, "don't provide unnecessary details".  I answered their questions honestly and paused at times. Trying to stay strong for them. For us.

So for now, I will hug my kids a little longer, turn the t.v off,  tuck my smart phone away a little more often and try to really engage in our family experience, as we all try to understand, mourn and process the "whys" of how precious lives were taken away in such a horrific way.

Crock Pot Beef Broccoli

• 1 pound Beef, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups broccoli
• 3 tablespoon green onions
• 4 cups cooked rice
• sesame seeds for garnish
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients in the crock pot except the rice, broccoli, sesame seeds and green onions.  Set on low for 6 hours.  

Steam broccoli. Place rice on the plates and layer with beef and sauce. Next add cooked broccoli, green onions & sesame seeds. 

Serves: 4 

Kick Butt Teriyaki Beef Bowl

My (thoughtful, smart, caring, competitive, handsome & amazing) son celebrated his birthday recently and asked that his party invitation state "Be ready to kick butt". His slogan matched the venue which was a paintball party. In keeping with the theme, he chose the subsequent thank you card  and photo with the slogan "Thank you for helping me kick butt".  As a Mom concerned about the world around us I contemplated his slogan choice for a bit and decided to "roll" with it. It isn't the slogan that I would choose, but then again, I'm not and have never been a tween boy. As these moments pass I find myself admiring his unique spirit, realizing how fast (too fast) time is going by & reminding myself to let him be himself.  I found this quote on Pinterest and it serves as a little reminder for me to reflect upon.

Quote source:  http://imgfave.com/view/1944802

My son loves this meal and so I found it fitting to name the meal "Kick Butt Teriyaki Beef".

How to:

• 1 1/2 ground beef
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Bragg's or soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• a few dashes of red pepper flakes
• pepper to taste
• sesame seeds to garnish
• green onion, thinly sliced to garnish
• Serve over cooked rice

Pan fry the ground beef and minced garlic until cooked.  Drain fat.  Place back in the fry pan and add Bragg's, red pepper flakes and pepper. Toss well, adding a little extra Bragg's to create more sauce.

Place cooked hot rice in a bowl. Top with meat mixture.  Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions on top and serve.

      It's that easy!  And yes, this meal Kick's Butt!!