Category: Recipes

Posted in Recipes

Nana’s Ever Tender Pot Roast

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Marrying my husband was a sweet deal! Getting his mom as a mother-in-law, made the deal that much sweeter. She’s a lovely woman of God and has taken me in like a daughter. In a world where so many women don’t get along with their mother-in-laws, I’m so grateful to have the healthy relationship that we do.


Besides having a giant, generous heart, she also makes the most amazing roast I’ve ever tasted.

Growing up, I requested roast beef every year for my birthday. And it was yummy! But my mother-in-law makes it like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It is, no joke, tender every single time she makes it. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It melts in my mouth and I typically eat so much that they have to roll me away from the dinner table. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

So are you ready for her secrets? If you like beef, you’re going to love this recipe!

Secret #1 Always use CHUCK ROAST. She typically gets hers at Sam’s Club. She’s tried different roasts from our freezer and they never turn out the same. Stick with a chuck roast.

Secret #2  Season and sear the meat before baking. It’s a simple step that locks in all the flavor and makes a huge difference in the end result. Searing is just the simple process of browning either side of the roast on the stove top. I usually do it in the same pot I use to put it in the oven.

Secret #3  Don’t skimp on the beef bouillon. I don’t know the science of it but the more bouillon, the more flavorful and tender. Yumm!

Ok, here’s the recipe.

Nana’s Ever Tender Pot Roast

Prep Time: 30 minCook Time: 3-4 hoursTotal Time: 3.5 – 4.5 hours

Ingredients:

  • 5lb Chuck Roast
  • 4 cups water
  • 6-8 beef bouillon cubes
  • 5-6 medium russet potatoes
  • 1lb bag baby carrots
  • beef seasonings (I use onion powder, garlic powder, Montreal Steak seasoning and salt and pepper)

Put It Together:

  1. Thaw roast. (I’ve tried this without thawing and it just doesn’t turn out as tender. It’s worth it to let a frozen roast thaw in the fridge a couple nights ahead of time.)
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350.
  3. Season, tenderize and sear roast. I sprinkle my seasoning all over one side, pound it with my meat tenderizer and then flip it and repeat. Then I put it in an 8 qt pot on the stove top and sear both sides.
  4. Add 1 cup water and 6-8 bouillon cubes.
  5. Cover with lid or tin foil and put in oven.
  6. Let cook for 2 hours. Peel and chop potatoes into chunks while roast is baking.
  7. Add potatoes and carrots to pot along with another 3 cups of water. Sometimes I’ll season my potatoes and carrots with salt and pepper at this point. Put lid back on and place back in the oven.
  8. Cook for another 1 – 1.5 hours allowing the roast, potatoes and carrots to become tender. Don’t be afraid to leave it in a little longer until the meat is tender.
  9. You’ll know it’s done when that beautiful hunk of meat tears apart effortlessly with a fork. Taste testing at this point is an absolute must. 🙂
  10. Serve with the remaining beef juice poured over top. My mother-in-law loves adding butter to her potatoes too. Yum!

Let me know how your roast turns out!

Posted in Recipes

Mom’s Beef Stroganoff

Posted on by 3toddlermom

As a kid, this yummy recipe was a simple staple in my house. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare so it’s great for a busy night.

When I graduated college, my crafty mom made me this cute little recipe scrapbook with some of our favorite dinners, desserts and appetizers. It’s one of my all time favorite gifts that I constantly use….although most of the recipes are locked in my brain at this point. What a great Mom she is 😁

I use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken but both taste good.

Happy cooking!

Posted in Recipes

Roasted Sweet Potato & Corn Power Bowl

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Day 2 of no sweets, meats, and dairy. Powering through.

Tonight I made a super filling, protein packed plant-based rice bowl. You’re going to eat this and say “What?! This is totally vegan with no added sugar but plenty of protein!?” And to you I’ll say, “yes, yes it is.” 🙂

I started with a sweet potato, peeled it and diced it and tossed it with some olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Tossed that on a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 425 for 20 – 30 minutes. (Remember, I’m bad at keeping track of how long things are in the oven.) You’ll want the potatoes to be soft on the inside but have a nice crustiness to the outside. Yum!

Then add some corn (left over from the Very Veggie Soup I made yesterday) to the pan and let it roast another 10 minutes.

While this is in the oven, I threw some garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas) in a pan with the liquid and the same seasonings I used on the sweet potatoes. I let these simmer til most of the liquid was gone and the beans had softened.

I also cooked up some instant brown rice in the meantime. I added some salt and lime to the water to spice it up a bit.

Then I put it all in a bowl making it look as cute as possible (knowing full well I was going to mix it all together to eat it in a few short minutes). Hey – it’s fun to have good looking presentation even if it’s just for you! I put a dollop of hummus on top and dug in. Yum!

I made a mini one for Princess too because she will try anything!

ROASTED SWEET POTATO & CORN POWER BOWL

Ingredients:

  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 c corn
  • 1/2 c brown rice, cooked
  • 1/2 c garbanzo beans
  • 2 t chili powder
  • 2 t cumin
  • 2 t onion powder
  • 2 t garlic powder
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed
  • dash of salt
  • 1/8 c hummus

Put it all together:

  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Peel and dice sweet potato. Toss in olive oil, 1 t chili powder, 1 t cumin, 1 t onion powder, and 1 t garlic powder.
  3. Spread seasoned sweet potato on baking sheet and put in oven for 20-30 minutes (until sweet potato is soft inside and brown on outside)
  4. Cook rice according to package, adding lime and a dash of salt.
  5. Cook garbanzo beans in pan with liquid and remaining spices until liquid is nearly gone.
  6. Add corn to sweet potato mixture and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
  7. Arrange all ingredients in a bowl as fancy as you’d like.
  8. Add a dollop of hummus on top and dig in!

Enjoy this filling, plant-based power bowl!

Posted in Recipes

Very Veggie Soup

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Day One of my fasting – no sweets and no meat, dairy….. I called it a Daniel Fast but I’m not sure that I’m actually following that to a T. I read in the Bible that Daniel technically only ate vegetables and drank water. And I’m definitely not being that regimented. So we’ll just say I’m cutting sweets and meat and dairy this week.

I am not cutting coffee….with creamer. So that is a slight cheat but it’s still a challenge.

Tonight I made a veggie soup for dinner and it turned out warm and filling and delicious. Something about cooking veggies just makes them feel heartier!

I used to follow recipes very closely, measuring out every ingredient but now I just throw things in a pot and hope it turns out! Ha! Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t but that’s how I learn. I actually measured out my ingredients tonight so I could share this recipe with you. I need to get better at that! I always want to share my recipes with friends and I’m usually like “well put it in the oven at a hot temperature til it’s done.” Ha! I’ll try to be more specific in this blog. 🙂

I started with a 32 oz. box of vegetable stock. (All my ingredients tonight are from Aldi so it makes shopping super simple.)

I added a teaspoon of onion powder and a teaspoon of garlic powder and some salt and pepper to taste.

Then I started chopping veggies. One of my first jobs in college was in a grocery store deli. We made all kinds of salads and desserts and sliced deli meats and cheeses for customers, fried chicken, broasted potatoes….the typical delicious deli menu. Our specialty was turkey and dressing. I think it’s something special to our area because my husband had never heard of it and thinks it so weird. It’s turkey and dressing all mushed together and eaten on a bun. My dad calls it bread on bread. It’s amazing! Anyway, on my first day I literally chopped celery for 3 straight hours. It was a little much but I LOVE chopping veggies now. I got pretty quick at it with all that practice.

I did a 1/4 – 1/2 cup of onion first to let it simmer the longest in the broth. I like onions to add flavor but I don’t want to really notice they are there. They should be soft, not crunchy.

Then I added 1 cup of carrots. I like leaving them in circles because I love getting a big chunk of carrot in my spoon.

Then 1 cup of celery. Big pieces again. Yum.

I peeled and chopped up two russet potatoes equaling about 2 cups.

I added one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes.

1/2 cup of corn. I used canned corn but frozen or fresh would be way tastier. I just didn’t prepare last summer. My mother-in-law freezes fresh corn every year and it’s a delicious treat in the winter. It’s one of my goals for this summer!

I brought this to a boil and then turned the heat down to low to let it all simmer and let the flavors all mesh together. Yum! I added a little Italian seasoning too.

After simmering for 30 minutes, I added 3/4 cup of canned green beans and 1/2 cup canned peas. If using frozen beans and peas, I’d add them at the beginning.

I let the whole thing simmer another 15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes were tender and able to be cut easily with a wooden spoon.

Then I dished it up and enjoyed! I added a little Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. It adds a little kick and some delicious flavor. It definitely changes the flavor but in a great way! I left it out of the regular pot because my kids aren’t big fans.

This soup is pretty chunky in the end which is exactly how my husband likes it! You can always add more broth or less veggies if you like it soupier. Happy soup making!

VERY VEGGIE SOUP

Prep Time: 15 minCook Time: 45 minTotal Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c onion
  • 1 c carrots diced
  • 1 c celery diced
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 c corn
  • 1/2 c peas
  • 3/4 c green beans
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 t onion powder
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Put it all together:

  1. Pour veggie broth in pot with onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper over high heat.
  2. Chop onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes and add to broth.
  3. Add diced tomatoes and corn and bring to a boil.
  4. Cover and let simmer (little bubbles in broth) for 30 minutes.
  5. Add green beans and peas and let simmer 15 additional minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft.
  6. Dish up into over-sized mugs or bowls and allow the yumminess to warm your tummy! Top off with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.

Hope you enjoy this warm and hearty plant-based soup!