Musings of Fisherette: Winter Bounty Squash & Stewed Beef

Musings of Fisherette: Winter Bounty Squash & Stewed Beef

Winter Bounty Squash & Stewed Beef

Winter Bounty Squash & Stewed Beef is a simple, budget conscious, cold weather clean eating recipe with only 348 calories per serving according to myFitnessPal recipe tally of ingredients)

Step 1 - Gather ingredients:

WINTER BOUNTY - (157 calories)

· 2 cups Symphony Tomato Ensemble (mini heirloom tomato ensemble works too)
· 2 Delicata Squash
· 1 bunch Kale
· 1 bunch Rainbow Chard
· 1 small onion
· 6 cloves garlic
· 2 tbsp light Olive oil
· *Salt
· *Pepper
· *Garlic Salt

STEWED BEEF - (191 Calories)

· 3 oz. Stewed Beef
· *Lemon Pepper
· *Smoked Paprika
· 1 cap Liquid Smoke
· 1/4 cup Red Wine
· 2 cups Water
· 1/4 cup Italian parsley
· 4 sprigs Oregano

* Season to taste
· Salt
· Pepper
· Garlic Salt
· Lemon Pepper
· Smoked Paprika

Step 2 - Wash Ingredients

Wash kale, rainbow chard, tomatoes, except onion and garlic, including squash (skin is edible).

Step 3 - Prepare & Bake Squash

· Cut squash length-wise and scoop out seeds with spoon.
·Drizzle/brush 1 tbsp Olive oil over squash
·Season with salt & pepper.
·Place on aluminum lined cookie sheet and cover with foil.
·Bake at 425° for 1.5 hours or until soft (able to pierce easily with fork).

Step 4 - Sauté Vegetable Mix

·Add to large skillet 1 tbsp. Olive oil with chopped onion, garlic, kale, and rainbow chard and sauté until soft,

Step 5 - Cook Stewed Beef

·At medium temp slowly stew the Stewed Beef ingredients in oven-safe pan, adding water if necessary, until beef is tender.
·Place oven-safe pan in oven at 425° until browned.

Step 6 - Plating

WINTER BOUNTY

·Add 1 cup Sautéed Vegetables Mix over 1/2 Delicata Squash

STEWED BEEF

·Place Stewed Beef trailing out squash half.

Enjoy!

The Cuddle Factor

Some things have to take place in the privacy of your home...things like cuddling with a really good friend.  It's a shame that as you grow older and have to leave behind the group pleasure of public cuddling to fond memories of ecstasy fueled raves, that cuddling is something you only get to do with a partner!  Having been single for the past few years out of choice (and yes I still date!) I've found sometimes that platonic cuddling with a friend can be better intimacy than random sex with a stranger!

Maybe it's the fact that there's no other agenda other than wanting and enjoying the feeling of two kindred spirits coming together.  No demands or conjoling for more than the offer to hold someone close and enjoy the energy of their presence.  I'm sure some would say that was "gay" both as a derogatory slur and meaning "that's just a little too happy for my tastes"...but oh well I like it!

It could be the slight chill of Fall that I preceive in the air or early preparation for National Cuddle Day (yes-it's a real thing!) but I want to share with the world my newfound love of cuddling with friends! I challenge you to your own platonic cuddle fest to discover if your life isn't just a little bit better!

Poverty Stew

Poverty Stew

Don't let proverty get you down.  You can still have a filling healthy meal that you can feed the family and still have some leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day!

Ingredients:

Add the following to a large pot:

-2 cups lentils
-1 red onion diced
-5 cloves of garlic
-4 large carrots
-3 large potatoes
-1 can of diced stewed tomatoes
-1 tablespoon "Better Than Bouillon"
(doesn't matter which one)
-add enough water to have the ingredients in a nice soupy mix

Cover the pot and bring to a boil at a medium temperature for 1.5 - 2 hours

15 minutes before being done add:

-2 cups chopped kale
-3 strips Bacon (veggie bacon, turkey, or real bacon all works in this recipe I used veggie bacon by Morning Star)
-4 drops Worcestershire Sauce
-Season to taste (just be aware the Bouillon has salt added)

Pair with homemade cornbread for a filling meal that won't break the bank!

*All the above ingredients can be all added to a crockpot, so you can come home to a nice meal

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364439794818301315/

Are You Getting In The Way?

This past weekend I got my hands on Tyrese Gibson's new book "How to Get Out of Your Own Way", and couldn't help but to recognize numerous ways in which I have indulged in self-sabotage, laziness and apathy towards reaching some goals that I would like to achieve in my lifetime. I know that if I was on my death bed today I would have some serious regrets.

Why is it I'm able to achieve some goals but flounder when it comes to the goals that would enrich my life, others, and overall make me a better person? For instance, I've always wanted to be athletic. Even though, I actually enjoy working out for the most part and as I get older I recognize how moving more can help - to well move more - I don't do much to recognize my athletic dreams ! How do I get out of my way? How do I stop the cycle of starting and stopping achieving a dream that I solely have the power to make come true?

I see the runners, cyclists, snowboarders, even weekend tennis players and I want in! So I'm giving myself permission to live the way I want for one year. In this year, I'm going to get out my way to embark on living the life I've always wanted, I'm going to train so that I can hit the slopes next winter without being a sore mess! It's going to be a uphill battle but I hope to see you at the top!

Gardening - A Wish List Item Come True!

Last year, I wrote a wish list of items that I would like to see happen or achieve in my life. Today one of my wishes is coming true - I'm starting a garden!

I got an all in one kit from Eldorado Heirloom Seeds to start my garden. At $109.95 it's a bit pricey, but I thought it would be a nice start for a newbie like myself to gardening, since it includes 67 varieties of Non-GMO/Hybrid seeds, DVD/CD instructions, as well as a free bottle of their 100% Organic Vegetable Thrive.

Using heirloom seeds there will be a difference in the produce from which I am used to and something new for my palate, as well as the potential to use the seeds for the next year's planting.

I'm excited to have fresh produce that I helped to grow - to create new recipes, can my own tomato sauce, save some money, as well as helping to tamper down my paranoia of being as self sufficient as possible in these economic times.

If all goes well - I hope to expand my gardening to raising some livestock so I can get a little closer to my "Little House On The Prairie" dreams. Wish me luck!

Writing My Wish List

Recently, I've been feeling out of touch with myself. I used to dream of wonderful things, feeling that with enough hard work I could achieve anything I set my mind to. Yet, something happened along the way...but now with a sliver of hope, I don't want to wander in the blistering desert of forgotten dreams any more. I want to be awake. I know if I don't do something to hang on, to reach, and strive for more, I'll become paralyzed.

I know before too long, I'll end up a scared, fearful old lady wallowing in my bed in an old folks home...waiting for my time to die, haunted by the things I never did.

Nine years ago, I moved to New York a week before 9-11 (just my luck) and feeling angst about inner/outer turmoil, I took to writing in my journal. Through my writing, I discovered a curious thing - I would write down things that I wanted to for that day, and lo and behold it would happen! I'm not talking about tasks, but things I wanted...like wanting a certain friend to call, getting a interview, etc. It felt like magic!

I don't know how I forgot about this, but in the routine of my life I lost the ability to dream of things that I wanted to achieve this life. Luckily for me, when perusing through a bookstore (one of my favorite things to do) I came upon the book "Write It Down, Make It Happen" by Henriette Anne Klauser and was reminded about the magic of writing down the things you wanted to achieve.

For me, this was eye opening and at the same time invigorating. Before bed, I wrote down the things I wanted and realized that through some effort, most if not all were things that I could really achieve in this lifetime. This morning I woke up excited to get started living the life I want!

What follows is my wish list (in no order of importance):

• Write a book and screenplay


• Learn to play the guitar


• Learn to speak Spanish fluently


• Have a nice comfortably home with a vegetable/flower garden


• Be able to support a charity


• Travel the world


• Be a board member for something


• Be a good parent


• Act in a movie (Big Budget)


• Get to a healthy weight


• Go to the Oscars (with a date) and the after party!


• Love God, myself and others


• Die a peaceful or unfearful death


• Have a loving, romantic relationship with a man (dreaming of Zachary Levi)


• Run a marathon


• Dress in a feminine style (accessories and high heels)


• Be a Lady


• Have a monthly income of $20,000+


• Be able to support my Mom and Aunt in old age


• Have good fulfilling friendships


• Go on a medical mission trip


• Live in a foreign country for a few years


• Feel successful


• Start a family trust


• Have nice feet (I hate to show them - rather go naked)


• Dance


• Have a production company


• Have my own network channel


• Tone my body


• Provide for my child so that my child can start working on dreams early


• Get involved in positive activities that increase my knowledge


• Meet Oprah, President Obama, Zachary Levi (ah...to dream!)


• Have a pirate chic themed wedding of my dreams


• Go to a movie premiere


• Have a spot at the table with Chelsea Handler


• Guest star on SNL


• Do stand-up comedy


• Be pain free


• Stop fighting with my family (love but sometimes...)


• Win the lottery (huge jackpot)


• Own some real estate (apartment complex, offices, homes, etc.)


• Start a non-profit organization


• Swim in the Caribbean Ocean


• Take a big family trip to Alaska (see the northern lights)


• Start a clothing line


• Get a weave


• Have a son named Noah


• Be happy and free from depression


• Have custom made clothes and shoes


• Make someone happy


• Have a room in my house for painting


• Make a music video


• Stop living in poverty


• Help under privileged youth gain knowledge of the world


• Record a song


• Ride a horse in period costume on the beach


• Have a dog, goat, sheep and horses


• Live a simple Green lifestyle