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 

Rice Bowl with Pecans, Green Beans & Oranges

 I was invited by a fellow blogger friend (you can find her at All Day I Dream About Food) last month to develop a recipe that's appropriate for a diabetic diet. You see, it's World Diabetes Day today & to raise awareness and ultimately support for a cure there are many of us developing recipes, taking crisp photos and sharing how diabetes has touched our lives.

My nephew, Austin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was a preschool aged child. Our good friends son, Ben, was diagnosed as a preschool aged child too. That's the rough thing about this disease. It's touching young children and changing lives forever. My brave nephew and friend Ben have learned to monitor and live successfully. Their strength in the face of adversity is an inspiration. We are hopeful that a cure will come in our lifetime.



Rice Bowl with Pecans, Green Beans and Oranges:

• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 cups fresh green beans
• 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• Braggs Liquid Aminos to taste
• Sea salt to taste

Remove ends from green beans and slice in half. Steam for about 5 minutes. Peel, slice and using a knife, remove the white skin from the oranges. Slice into bite size quarters.

In a bowl, add one cup of brown rice. Next, add one cup of green beans and oranges. Sprinkle with pecans, sea salt and Braggs Liquid Aminos.  Garnish with a whole pecan and serve. Kid friendly, tasty and not just diabetic friendly but it's easy on the budget too!

Our family supports JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation & Team Ben at "Beat the Bridge". Here's a photo from a few years ago:

                                  

                            What cause do you support? 

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!!

Burrito Bowl

I must admit, this is an accidental recipe. 

 Last week I decided to make a large quantity of freezer meals.  I had pounds and pounds of ground beef & Italian sausage.  Numerous onions and more garlic cloves than I cared to count.  I dusted off the food processor and got busy making all sorts of noise and messes.

At the end of the day I was tired & ready to kick my feet up on the coffee table.  I wasn't the least bit interested in a Mom style plated dinner containing a protein, veggie, carb and fruit.  I literally tossed things into bowls, held my breath as I served my family, sat back and hoped for the best.  To  my surprise everyone was pleased with their custom bowl.

Here's how I made my bowl:

• Roundhouse Taco Meat with rice. Click here for the recipe: Local in Bellingham
• Fresh avocado
• Canned olives
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Fresh cilantro
• Shredded cheddar cheese