First NV grown tomatoes!

Our first tomatoes from the garden! Not very big but hey, got to start somewhere right? 

My Fitness Pal App

I have been using my fitness pal app for the last four years. It's a free app that allows you to log in your goals, keep a food diary and log in your activities. It tells you how many calories you are consuming and burning. 

I love this app. It syncs with Runkeeper and my Garmin Vivofit. It has a really cool barcode scanner and you can upload recipes through the website. 

If you have a smartphone and you are serious about cleaning up your diet, I would highly recommend it. (This is my own opinion. I am not working for or being paid by myfitnesspal.com) 

Slow cooking in the summer!

Happy Father's Day!

Today is nice and cool in the high desert so the hubby and I decided to cook some Beef Shortribs in the crockpot. So easy and the house smells fantastic! 

First you braise the ribs to seal in the juices and flavor. 

Then you add your veggies and fresh herbs to the crockpot. We just used what ever we had in the fridge, carrots, celery, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme and onions. 

When the ribs are nice and brown, add them to the pot along with a cup of broth and a packet of onion soup mix. 

Add some red wine, set the pot to high and cook for a few hours. When the yummy beef falls off the bone, it's ready. 

BBQ once, eat 3 healthy meals!

 

A favorite in our house is BBQ Tri Tip. Its easy and one big roast will yield 3+ healthy meals. We purchase untrimmed Tri Tips. When cooking on the BBQ, the fat cap helps keep the roast moist. We use a combo of seasonings but our favorites are Cow Camp Garlic Season-all and Pappy's Santa Maria style seasoning.

 

Season the meat liberally with your selected seasoning. Here I used Pappy's.  I prefer to use a charcoal Webber BBQ for cooking roasts. Prepare your BBQ for indirect heat and cook the roast until the center reaches 145 degrees for med-rare and 160 degrees for medium. 45 minutes  is usually enough time. Let it rest for 5 minutes and slice against the grain. 

Meal #1 - sliced tri-tip, steamed broccoli and wild rice. 

Meal # 2- Tri-tip tacos with all the fixings. 

Meal # 3 - Steak salad with ranch dressing. Pictured above.

Remember that a serving size of lean beef is 3 oz. In those 3 oz. you get 10 essential nutrients including protein, B12, selenium, zinc, niacin, B6, phosphorus, choline, iron and riboflavin. For more info please go to www.beefiswhatsfordinner.com

Strawberry Spinach Salad

There is nothing better than fresh strawberries picked the same day you eat them. In California there are tons of strawberry stands. In Placer County where my parents live, there are not only stands but they grow the strawberries too. Picked fresh everyday, sold until they run out, then picked again the next day. Always sweet and ripe and taste like sunshine. My Parents came for a visit last weekend and brought us a flat of Placer County grown strawberries.

 

So what do I do with a flat of these super ripe strawberries?

 

I wash them, take the tops off and lay them out to dry on a towel.

Once they are dry I put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put them in the freezer. I keep them in the freezer for a few hours until they are good and hard. By freezing them seperately they won't stick together when you put them in a Ziplock freezer bag. Put them in a freezer bag and back into the freezer. Now you can enjoy them for weeks! I use them in my morning protein shakes, smoothies, or when I have that sweet craving....

 

And now for the Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.

 

Makes 1 serving @ 175 calories

 

2 cups spinach

1 hard boiled egg

1-2 slices (chopped) red onion 

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Mandarin Orange Mustard Dressing by Snow's Citrus of Placer County

 

Its Farmer's Market season so don't be affraid to purchase fresh fruits in large quantities. All it takes is a little preparation and you can enjoy the fresh taste for weeks without worry they will go bad before you can eat them. Eating healthy takes a little bit of time but its well worth the effort.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the High Desert of Nevada!

The hubby and I moved one year ago to the high desert of Nevada. We previously lived in Northern California in the green oak tree covered rolling foothills. Now we live in sage brush and sand. Everyday is a new adventure as we navigate through all the changes in our lives. One of the obvious changes we noticed moving here was the elevation. We went from 150 feet above sea level to 4200 feet above sea level. Big difference in terms of cooking/baking and our fitness. My goal for this blog is to track our fitness and wellbeing journey while inspiring others to do the same. It is never to late to work on your health and fitness. Enjoy!