Recipe: Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup - Yum!

Since winter made a comeback this weekend (brrrr!), I decided to post this recipe for a hearty, warm winter soup.  My Mom makes this soup at home a lot, but I think she originally got the recipe from Lenten Soup Suppers at church.  It's very easy to adjust for flavor and veggies, and I typically just throw whatever I find in the freezer into the soup pot.  Super easy, yummy, frugal, and satisfying.

Beef Barley Soup   1 lb. ground beef (I use grass fed beef from Greenwood Farms!) 1 T olive oil (or your choice cooking fat) 2 c. chunky med. salsa (or whatever level of hotness you want.  Last time, I used 1/2 medium & 1/2 hot, and it was pretty hot!) 2/3 c. quick barley (I usually add extra barley to make it heartier.) 2/3 c. cauliflower and/ or frozen peas (in the picture above, I used peas, green beans, sliced zucchini, and frozen corn) 2 T minced dried onion 5 c. beef broth (add some water if you used extra barley) 1 C julienne strips of carrots (I used whole baby carrots...lazy...) 1 T basil (adjust based on how many veggies or barley you add) 1 (15 to 16 oz.) can red beans, rinsed   Brown beef and onion in olive oil, drain grease, if necessary.  Add broth, salsa, carrots, barley, beef, and basil to a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cook uncovered 10 minutes.  Add cauliflower and/ or peas.  Cook 5 minutes.  Then add beans and cook to heat throughout.   Very easy!  Basically, you just dump and cook.  I typically double the recipe, let cool to room temperature, portion and freeze for later consumption.  You could definitely double this recipe but only use 1 pound of beef for an extra frugal way to stock your freezer (I LOVE my deep freezer!).

Meal Planning Saturday

I've been away for a while, but I'm back for now!  Grad school can get crazy along with my regular full time job and blogging goes down the drain.  But here's my meal plan for the upcoming week!

Meal Plan for 3/26/2011

I'm hoping the chicken casserole will turn out okay...it's supposed to be with broccoli, but asparagus was on sale this week so I am going to attempt using it instead (crossing fingers).  I will be trying a new recipe tomorrow:  Persian Lentil Soup.  I'm not sure I've ever cooked with lentils before, but I definitely have some on the pantry shelf!  And, it's a frugal choice!  And, I'm going to try and soak them efficiently.  I'm off to Whole Foods to pick up a few groceries (in the SNOW!), then back home for a domestically packed Saturday!

What are you eating this week?

Meal Planning

My meal plan last week went differently than I planned...I had WAY more leftovers than I anticipated on having.  Therefore, I ate baked oatmeal and shepherd's pie all week with some variation at lunch.  It was definitely more economical, though, having one pound of ground beef stretch throughout my entire week of dinners.  This week, I'm trying to accommodate for the possibility of having a mega-leftover situation again.

Here is my meal plan for the week of 2/12/2011:

Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Simmering in the skillet

The only times I remember eating shepherd's pie were the times when I lived in the college dorm.  Yes, good old college dorm food.  I don't remember it being very tomato-y, but I remember greasy ground meat, and layers of veggies topped with mashed potatoes.

So, when searching for new healthier recipes, I was part excited about trying a shepherd's pie recipe and part uneasy.  I tweaked this recipe with much success!  My only problem is that I ate one small square on Monday night when I made it, and I was totally full.  I had planned my menu this week to have leftovers for a few nights, but now I might need to freeze some single servings so it won't go bad.  It made a LOT!  My advice is to use a deep casserole dish.  Mine was deep, but it still bubbled over the sides a bit when cooking.  Luckily, I put a jelly roll pan underneath it to catch drippings when in the oven.  Go me for thinking ahead. :)

Ingredients:
8 red potatoes
8 carrots
Milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste for mashed potato/carrot mixture

1 lb. grass fed beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
1 - 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (the original recipe called for 20 ounce, but I only had 28 ounce and it turned out fine).
3 tsp basil
2 tbl honey
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground mustard
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
4 c. of frozen vegetables (I used corn, zucchini, and green beans)
1.5 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
First, make the potato mixture.  Chop 8 carrots in small pieces and cut potatoes.  Put in a pot of boiling water and cook until soft.  When soft, drain and mash by hand adding in milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.  **Note: I hand mashed my potatoes and carrots and left the skin on the potatoes for a more rustic sort of mix.  Picture below.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking...
1.  Add ground beef to skillet and brown.
2.  When beef is about half way brown, add minced garlic and chopped onion to skillet.
3.  When onion starts to look translucent and beef is brown, add spices and tomato.  Taste and add more seasoning if desired.  Simmer for about 25 minutes.
4.  Add frozen veggies and simmer for an additional 10 minutes (or until frozen veggies are hot).
5.  Pour tomato and beef mixture into deep 9x13 casserole dish.
6.  Assemble mashed potato and carrot mixture on top of the tomato and beef mixture.
7.  Top with sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of paprika.
8.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

YUM!  I'll be eating this for days because I'm only cooking for one, but this was good and filling packed with veggies and healthy beef.

Brown the beef with garlic and onion

Simmer the tomatoes, veggies, and spices.

Layer on your potatoes and carrots on the tomato-beef mixture

Cheese, please!

Hot and cheesy out of the oven!

Cultured Food

I'm posting today about a really cool class I'm excited to sign up for...if I can pinch enough pennies together to afford it!  Luckily, there is a giveaway for a free class registration and I want it!

I've bought some fermented foods at the store that haven't been pasteurized, but they are hard to come by and crazy insane expensive.  A small jar of sauerkraut at Whole Foods was $9.99!  That's just not right.

So, I'm curious about making my own concoctions.  I've read part of the book Wild Fermentation, but I still find letting things get icky on my counter a little intimidating.

I'm currently reading about the GAPS diet, and I should probably learn some of these techniques before starting that adventure, if I choose to go that route.  I hate doing things that are trendy or a fad, and I feel like GAPS is turning into a fad.  But, I'm doing my research and will then decide.

Mindful Monday: Captivating

I want this blog to be about more than food and bodily health because I believe that the mind, emotions, and soul can effect your physical health.  So, on Mondays, I'm going to share something that can expand your mind, heal your heart, help with stress relief, etc.

Today, I want to share one of my favorite books:

Captivating by Eldredge

Now, this book isn't exclusively "Catholic," but I like many of the ideas in this book.  It's easy to read, and it's one of the few books that I've read multiple times.  In fact, I wanted to take a picture of all the notes and drawings I have made in my copy, but I think one of my friends *ahem, Kelly* still has the copy I lent to her a while ago.

This book helped me through many difficult situations in my life by reminding me of my purpose as a woman and that I am loved.  It helped lead me in a "Catholic" way to Mary, the Rosary, and the Eucharist.  I invite you to read a bit of this book and see if it help expand your mind, calm your fears, or make your soul sing.

Baked Oatmeal: Smiles and Update

Rolled Oats

I previously posted the recipe for the baked oatmeal I tried yesterday along with my disappointment in how it turned out.  I had this nagging feeling like something important was missing.  Something sweet, but not necessarily sugar.  WHAT was it!?!  Well, this morning, after doctoring up my slice of oatmeal a little more I realized what the problem was.

Raisins!

Yes!  I figured it out, and I'm kicking myself for not figuring it out earlier.  Duh.  This morning, I realized that the baked oatmeal was much better cold and not hot out of the oven.  It was very dense, but filling that way.  I added cinnamon and real maple syrup to it today, which helped some with the sweetness, but raisins would be much, much better.

So, I say go ahead and make this lovely cake-y breakfast, but take my advice and let it cool, add some cinnamon, and get the raisin-y goodness in there!

Finally, I can say...YUM!