Beef Tips and Gravy Over Rice

 

I try to always plan my menu's but on tight budget weeks sometimes it's just whatever I can come up with! This past week was one of those! I had some chopped stew meat in my freezer. Typically I make beef stew with this but I didn't have any potatoes. A quick search on the internet landed me at a crock pot beef tip recipe. Well, I didn't have time to use my crock pot at this point and was missing some ingredients but it gave me enough motivation to come up with something! The recipe turned out so good! Eli cleaned his plate and that rarely happens! It's easy and very frugal since stew meat is one of the cheapest meats you can buy!

Beef Tips and Gravy Over Rice, Serves 4

1-1.5 lb stew meat
1 onion, sliced thin
3-4 TBS soy sauce*
3-4 cups of water*
1/3 cup flour, plus 3/4 cup water
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Oil for cooking (I used refined coconut oil)
Salt and pepper
Cooked Rice (I used brown)

Heat oil in stock pot. Add beef stew meat with the sliced onions and brown (I peppered them lightly, be careful with the salt though, especially if you are using beef broth or full sodium soy sauce. I didn't salt mine at all until the end!). Once the tips are browned add 3 cups of water, plus 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for 1.5-2 hours or until tender. I added one more cup of water with soy sauce at about the 1.5 hour mark, so just watch your liquid. It wasn't absolutely necessary but it made more gravy, which we like! :) Mine took right around 2 hours. Once the beef tips are tender, add in your parsley and garlic powder and turn the heat up to a low boil. Make a slurry with the 1/3 cup of flour, plus 3/4 cup of water. What this means is to mix your flour and water together with a fork until the flour is incorporated. Once your beef mixture is at a low boil, add in your slurry stirring constantly. Continue stirring until you get the thickness you desire and to cook out the flour taste (about 5 minutes). You may have to add more slurry if you want a thicker gravy. Taste to season, add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over cooked rice.

The Hubs doesn't like rice so I made these whole wheat drop biscuits for him to have with his! They were really yummy, too! I'm sure the first part of this recipe could be made in the crock pot and then thickened right before dinner. I haven't tried it yet but will soon!

*Soy sauce sounds weird but I read a tip somewhere that if you don't have beef broth (and I rarely do!) you can use 1 cup of water and 1 TBS of soy sauce. It doesn't taste like soy sauce, but gives it that deep flavor. You can certainly use beef broth if you'd like. I use MSG free, low sodium soy sauce!

Let me know if you try it!

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Menu Plan Monday 10/24

Monday... WHAT? It's already Monday!? Last week was our fall break, so hubby took off! It was full of a lot of fun things... my sister came home, my hubby and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, we had lots of family dinners, Luke had his last 'official' soccer game, we visited the pumpkin patch, sis and I went to the Kari Jobe concert, we celebrated my 30th birthday and the Hub's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! We were busy but it was great! Tomorrow the Hubs goes back to work and we start back school! It will be nice to get back into a routine though. Tonight I could really tell the kids were just worn out! And I am too!

So, what are we eating this week?

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas, Steamed Veggies

Chicken Pot Pie

Vegetable Soup and Corn Bread

Lasagna and Salad (dinner with family)

This week I'm only planning 4 meals because I think we may have something planned one night (kind of up in the air right now...). If not a good grilled cheese never hurt anyone! ;)

This weekend is Alabama's open week so we're having a big meal with some family and friends! I use this recipe for my lasagna. It's a little bit of work but it's really good stuff! Totally worth it for special occasions! I usually make this when I'm taking dinner to someone (add salad and bread) and it always get compliments! I love a good recipe!

I'm planning on doing some pumpkin bread this week too! Have a great week!

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Menu Plan Monday 10/24

Monday... WHAT? It's already Monday!? Last week was our fall break, so hubby took off! It was full of a lot of fun things... my sister came home, my hubby and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, we had lots of family dinners, Luke had his last 'official' soccer game, we visited the pumpkin patch, sis and I went to the Kari Jobe concert, we celebrated my 30th birthday and the Hub's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! We were busy but it was great! Tomorrow the Hubs goes back to work and we start back school! It will be nice to get back into a routine though. Tonight I could really tell the kids were just worn out! And I am too!

So, what are we eating this week?

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas, Steamed Veggies

Chicken Pot Pie

Vegetable Soup and Corn Bread

Lasagna and Salad (dinner with family)

This week I'm only planning 4 meals because I think we may have something planned one night (kind of up in the air right now...). If not a good grilled cheese never hurt anyone! ;)

This weekend is Alabama's open week so we're having a big meals with some family and friends! I use this recipe. It's a little bit of work but it's really good stuff! Totally worth it for special occasions! I usually make this when I'm taking dinner to someone (add salad and bread) and it always get compliments! I love a good recipe!

I'm planning on doing some pumpkin bread this week too! Have a great week!

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas!

Menu Plan Monday 9/26/11

We're eating out of the pantry, fridge and freezer this week! So, I've been going over what we have to come up with our meal plan! Here it is!

Chicken and Dumplin's, Peas (I've got several kind in the freezer), Corn Bread

Beef Soft Tacos, Corn

Cabbage and Navy Bean Soup, Leftover Corn Bread

Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Cheddar and Herb Biscuits (made with ww flour)

Chili & Fixins

I'm going to be doing a little baking too: Pumpkin Bread & Loaded Oatmeal Cookies (though now I make them with all whole wheat flour and only sucanat in place of the sugar)!

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Recipe Review: Tomato Bacon Egg Strata

On days when my hubby is off I love to make hot, healthy breakfast for us! Egg based casseroles are one of our favorite and I tried a new one today from The Hour That Matters Most by Les and Leslie Parrott. (You can read my review on the book here)

I love trying new recipes and this was no exception! Of course I did change the recipe up a bit by substituting some of what we had on hand (and used more real foods). That is what is so great about this recipe, you can interchange some basics and have a whole new taste! So here is the recipe with my substitutions in parenthesis.

Tomato Bacon Egg Strata

4 cups cubed sourdough bread with crust

1/2 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp chopped garlic (used 1 clove)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbles (used local sausage)

2 cups shredded Swiss or mozzarella cheese (mozzarella)

1 cup nonfat liquid egg product (4 large eggs)

2 cups non fat milk (2% milk)

Spray (I buttered) a 9x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Layer first 10 ingredients in the order given. Pour egg and milk over the top and cover (I beat my eggs and mixed them with my milk and then poured). Refrigerate over night or freeze to use later.

If you've frozen the dish, thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 35 minutes; then remove cover and bake another 30-45 minutes until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*As you see I used sausage but it would be great with bacon or even ham as well. I also used real eggs and did not use skim milk.

This recipe would work well with a variety of vegetables. I think adding sauteed onions would be great! And to get in some green veggies a couple of handfuls of spinach would work well!

The flavor was great! My only downside was the egg/milk mixture. I feel like I needed more eggs, less milk. I like a more egg-y, dense base. The ratio of milk/egg in the recipe leaves the casserole more custard-y and I'm not a big fan of that texture. I think I would rather have maybe 6-8 eggs and 1 cup milk. I will definitely try that next time! It really is just a personal preference! All in all it's a great recipe to have and is great for weekend family meals! I will let you know if I try any other recipes from the book!

Menu Plan Monday 8/19/11

Busy week means a late and rushed menu! Oh well! I hope you have a great week!

Beef Curry (I've never had curry.. but we're going to try it this week!), Sweet Potato Biscuits

Tomato Bacon and Egg Strata (recipe from the book I'm reviewing), Fruit

Cheesy Baked Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Easy Garlic Broccoli, Brown Rice (didn't get to this last week)

Beef Stew, Leftover Biscuits

Spaghetti, Salad

Other meals: leftovers, sandwiches, ect

I'm also planning on making some zucchini muffins! Tried anything new lately?

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Menu Plan Monday 8/22/11

**Edited to remove one of the meals since we're celebrating a certain little boy's 3rd birthday this weekend! My mom and I are getting together tonight to plan the menu. Probably sandwiches and finger foods!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Carrots and Ranch Dip (the only meal we didn't get to last week, boiling the chicken today... which means homemade broth!)

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Baked Penne with Spinach and Sausage, Salad

Sour Cream Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit

Others- sandwiches/leftovers... and sometimes the boys and I eat with my parents when the Hubs has school! :)

I'm also going to make a batch of crunchy chocolate chip granola bars (except we make them into bites for snacking)! We're out of muffins too and according to my children that is just not acceptable. I'm really, really ready for fall so I think I might make pumpkin muffins! :)

Have a great week!

P.S. I have a book review coming soon! I'm really excited about it and I can't wait to share more! It's all about food and family! Two of my favorite things! :)

Check out Orgjunkie for more menu plans and recipes!

Taco Soup

This recipe comes from a combination of several recipes I've looked at over the past few years. I really have a thing for soups. Sadly, my family doesn't like them much. The Hubs tolerates them but I think he'd rather eat something else. Anyway, when the fall hits, I'll be making a lot of soup (even if I'm the only one to eat it!) and taco soup is one of my favorites. Most recipes call for ranch dressing packets and taco seasoning packets and I don't use those because of the MSG and outrageous sodium content. Not to mention mixing up your own ranch mix and taco mix is healthier, super easy and frugal! So, here is the crazy, simple recipe that I love to use!

Taco Soup, serves 6-8

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 large onion, chopped

16 oz can diced tomatoes, (can use rotel or Mexican style)

16 oz can black beans, drained

16 oz can red beans, drained

16 oz can kidney beans, drained

16 oz jar picante sauce

2 cups frozen corn

2-3 TBS taco seasoning mix

water

In skillet brown hamburger meat and cook onions. Drain meat. Combine all ingredients except corn and bring to a boil. I rinse the picante sauce jar out with water and add it to the soup. That would be about 2 cups of water added. After the soup comes to a boil add frozen corn and bring back to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for about 30 minutes. You can also combine in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

*Add more or less taco seasoning mix to taste. You can also adjust the heat depending on what type of picante sauce you use. You could also use drained, canned corn in place of the frozen. I'm trying to get away from canned goods and corn is one of the easier things to find frozen. Maybe this winter I'll try to cook more beans and keep them in the freezer for soups! Anyway, this is a very versitile recipe that you can change to suit your tastes.

Can I also encourage you once more to make your own taco seasoning mix!? And as you can see you don't even have to buy an extra jar, just wash out an old pickle jar! Please try it!!! It's so easy and healthy!

Menu Plan Monday 8/15/11

Doesn't this look yummy?

This is the breakfast that I have after we have Easy Potatoes and Onions with Dill the night before. It's so good the next day with scrambled eggs! Sometimes I scramble my eggs with the potatoes but today I did them separate. So good!

We've got a busy week so I've got a few easy meals! I am trying a few new recipes this week too! Fun!

Hot Dogs (these nitrate and nitrite free ones) on the 'gill' as Eli says, Green Beans, Potatoes & Onions with Dill

Grilled Pineapple Chicken w/ Pineapple Salsa, Green Peas and Corn

Taco Salads, Cheesy Rice

Chicken Salad, Carrots and Ranch Dip

French Dip Sandwiches (Crock Pot), Creamy Pasta Salad with Celery

Others: Leftovers/Sandwiches

Check out orgjunkie for hundreds of menu plans and recipes! Later this week I'm sharing my recipe for Taco Soup!

Who's ready for fall!!?? ME!! Fall is my favorite... Alabama football, cooler weather, chili and soup, our 7th anniversary and I turn the big 3-0!

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday 8-8-11

A few meals didn't go as planned last week, so there are some repeats!

Favorite Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit

Chicken Soft Tacos, Cheesy Peas and Rice

Mini Meat Loafs, Black Eye Peas, Easy Potatoes and Onions with Dill

Taco Soup, Corn Bread

Homemade Pizza

Others: Leftovers, Sandwiches

Also on my cooking 'to-do' list is:

chocolate banana muffins
loaded oatmeal cookies (with some healthier modifications)

Check out OrgJunkie for more menu planning tips and recipes!

Menu Plan Monday 8/1/11

I have lots of yummy things from my Dad's garden... squash, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes! Yum! Here is our menu for the week:

Eggplant Parmesan, Salad

Sloppy Joes, Squash, Cucumbers/Carrots with Dip

Chicken Tacos, Cheesy Rice and Peas

Homemade Pizza

Favorite Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit

Other: Leftovers, Sandwiches

A friend gave my dad some apples so I'm also going to be making some more apple pies! This time I'm going to mash the apple filling! I think the boys will like them more!

What's on your menu?

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Sour Cream Waffles: Recipe Review

As you can tell from my menu plans, we love pancakes around here! But every once in a while I like to switch things up and make waffles! I had tried a few recipes but when I found this one I knew it would be my go to recipe! I found this recipe from the same site that I found our favorite pancakes. They are so yummy! So, as long as I've got sour cream on hand (and we typically do!) I'm making these!




These waffles are rich (a stick of butter and 1/2 cup of sour cream, which by the way are good for you), so we all typically eat less of these than pancakes! I usually serve these with real maple syrup and fruit. And if we're blessed to have yummy nitrate free bacon, we'll have that as well! My boys love them cut into waffle sticks for dipping!



I hope you try Sour Cream Waffles! They are delicious and easy to whip up! Let me know if you try them!

Menu Plan Monday 7/18/11

We had some unexpected events come up this past week so some of my menu got thrown up in the air. That's how life works though, right!? I've got a decent stocked freezer and that's good because our budget is tight this week!

Salmon Patties, Green Beans, Corn on the Cobb, Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli, Brown Rice (one of the meals we didn't get to last week!)

Chicken, Potatoes and Eggplant/Squash (all on the grill and this will be my first time grilling egg plant! My daddy's is just now coming in! Yum!)

Favorite Pancakes, Bacon, Cantaloupe


Mexican Tortilla Pie



Others: Sandwiches, Leftovers, ETC



I find that when I plan and buy food for 7 meals, we never eat it all. So I usually plan 5 meals and we mostly get to them! :)

Today I'm making mini apple pies with the apples I picked from my dad's trees yesterday! Hopefully I can share the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

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Menu Plan 7/11/11

I have been slacking on menus because I felt they were all super boring, same old dinners over and over!! We have family favorites (which means the kids will actually eat them), so I cook them often! I've been searching for some quick(er) summer meals and even crock pot meals, so hopefully I'll get out of this rut! I've got two new recipes on the menu this week and hopefully I'll get to them!

Cheesy Black Bean Burgers, Potato Salad, Green Peas

BBQ Grilled Chicken, Potatoes and Squash Patties

Chicken Nachos, Corn on the Cobb (is that a weird combo or what? My kids like it though!)

Lasagna (using a recipe my mom uses and is so yummy!), Salad, Bread Sticks (friends coming over for dinner)

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli, Brown Rice

Other: Sandwiches, Leftovers!

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas and recipes!

Meat and Potato Pot Pie

This recipe is a combination of two recipes I found online! It was SO yummy! It's definitely more of a fall/winter dish but really it's worth heating up the kitchen! I had some local grass fed beef from the dairy and potatoes, onion and carrots from my CSA box. I started to do some online recipe searching and came up with this yummy, healthy dinner:

Meat and Potato Pot Pie

(adapted from Meat & Potato Pie)

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
6-7 (1.5 lbs) new potatoes, diced small
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup water
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce




1. Place potatoes, carrots and onions in a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on med-high heat until tender. In the mean time cook ground beef and drain.



2. When the veggies are tender add in the cooked ground beef and the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add flour and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in water, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes until sauce has thickened.



3. Pour mixture into a buttered deep dish pie plate or a 2 quart pyrex dish. Place rolled biscuit topping over the meat mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes, until biscuit is golden brown on top!





I used Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits, from 100 Days of Real Food for this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out great! Check out the 100 Days of Real Food for more ideas & recipes on how to eat real food!

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Menu Plan 6/13/11

I *almost* got back on track with my budget this week. I spent $110. My goal is 80-100. (note- that includes paper towels, toilet paper, and diapers!). I only used one coupon too! And $25 of that is produce from local CSA organic produce (kale, lettuces, onions, radishes, blueberries). I don't have time to break it all down but I'd like to start back doing that in the future. I was doing MUCH better on our grocery budget when I did! Here is what is on our menu:

Crockpot Apricot Chicken, Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli

Tuna Sandwiches, Salad or Carrots with Ranch Dip

Favorite Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Homemade Turkey Sausage, Fruit

Beef Nachos w/ Black Beans and Corn, Side Salad

Last night we FINALLY ate the Apricot Herb Glazed Salmon. It was really good but the Hubs and I both agreed that we needed extra sauce to pour over everything! So, next time (um, hoping I can find wild caught salmon on sale!) I'll make double the sauce and save half for after they are finished. The boys and I are eating dinner one night with my mom while the Hubs is at class! And I haven't figured out what we're doing for Father's Day dinner yet! I've got kale coming from the CSA so I'll probably make Kale and Onion Breakfast Casserole FD morning since the Hubs enjoyed it so much. We'll probably be grilling something out!

Have a great week!

Check out Orgjunkie for more menu ideas!

Menu Plan Monday, 6/6/11

After a great birthday weekend we need lots of good, healthy food to fuel us this week! We have a few roll overs from last week and I'm working from what we have here on hand too! Here's what we'll be eating this week:

Apricot Glazed Salmon, brown rice, sautéed green beans and onions

Roast with potatoes and carrots

French toast, scrambled eggs, cantaloupe

Tacos

Grilled chicken, easy garlic broccoli, corn (I get the Winn Dixie Organics brand of frozen corn, several when they go on sale!)

Extra (though I doubt we'll get to it): Spaghetti

I'm trying out this recipe for whole wheat snickerdoodles! Can you believe that in all of my baking I have never made snickerdoodles?

Looking forward to a great week!

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Menu Plan Monday - 4/18

I have a few repeats this week!

French Toast, Papa's Fruit Salad

Apricot Herb Glazed Salmon, Sauteed Spinach, Brown Rice

Taco Corn Fritters, Black Beans, Salsa

Italian Roast Wraps, Salad

Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Herb and Cheddar Crust, Green Beans

Breakfast: Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins (posting redo recipe this week), cereal, yogurt/cheese, fruit

Lunch: PB&J/honey, Cheese Quesadillas, Corn Dog Muffins, Veggies and Fruit for sides!

I have no idea what we're having for Easter! I've got to get with my mom so we can plan our meal! We typically have ham and lots of sides! I'm thinking of making a Pina Coloda cake.. the kind with coconut cream! Yum! Do you have any favorite Easter dishes? Care to share?

Menu Plan Monday 4/11/11 (recipe review)

I meant to post this review last week but I forgot! We love our pancakes around here and I have a very favorite recipe. But I saw a link for Peanut Butter Pancakes over at I'm an Organizing Junkie and thought I'd have to try it! And they were so yummy! My boys really enjoyed them! I don't think I'll be replacing my normal recipe but it will be a nice recipe to have for a change every now and then! Oh and I used all whole wheat flour and sucanat in this recipe, too. Now, here's what we're eating this week:

Chicken Fingers, Peas, Mashed Potatoes

Italian Roast Wraps, Sauteed Green Beans

Taco Corn Fritters with Salsa, Salad

Apricot Herb Glazed Salmon (new recipe), Steamed Broccoli, Brown Rice

Chicken Ranch Pasta (re-making a recipe), Salad

I didn't get to make Maple Pecan Muffins last week so I'm making them this week! I did make the granola though! It was soo good! I made it with 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I gave in a bought the boys a box of Chocolate Cheerios. That's as close as they get to 'junk' cereal. The box is gone though and it will be a while before I give in again. I've regained composure. ;) We get so much cereal on WIC that we usually have too much! I'm not a huge fan of boxed cereal because there are much healthier options but it's free so the boys get it sometimes for breakfast and occasional snacks. WIC cereal is healthier cereal (Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, Honey Bunches of Oats w/ Almonds, ect) So...

Breakfasts: Maple Pecan Muffins, Peanut Butter Pancakes (from freezer), Cereal, Fruit, Yogurt, Cheese, Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: PB&J/Honey, Cheese Quesadillas, Leftover Veggies from Dinner, Fruit (and we always have a bag of baby carrots for lunches too!)

Visit Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more recipes and menu ideas!