Slow Cooking Thursday - Beef, Peppers, Provolone Sandwich

Good morning my friends :)

Another Thursday, another week that just flew right by, and here we are for another Cooking Thursday.

As you may have noticed in the title, I named it Slow Cooking Thursday because it's coming to that time of the year. Cooler temperatures, the need for filling comforting foods, and for me usually the time when my slow cooker starts working almost daily.

You know that when I first started this feature 6 years ago, it was named Slow Cooking Thursday and it was always meant to be about that, but then I decided to also name it Cooking Thursday to allow for the sharing of all types of recipes and not just those related to crockpots.

Please don't feel that you need to post a slow cooking recipe today, but if you do have one you think we would enjoy, I would love to see it :)

Anyway, enough babbling, on to today's recipe......

Beef, Banana Peppers and Provolone Sandwich

2lb rump roast
1 jar of banana peppers
salt and pepper
garlic powder
sandwich buns


Rub salt and pepper all over the roast, sprinkle on some garlic powder and pop it into your slow cooker.

Dump the contents of the banana peppers jar into the pot, and yes I mean everything, the peppers and the juice etc. Close the lid and cook on low for 8 hours.

I cranked it up to HIGH the last 2 hours just because, I don't know why but it worked great.

When ready to eat, shred the beef. Slather on some mayonnaise on the two halves of the sandwich buns, put a big mound of the meat filling on one half, put a slice of provolone cheese on top and then take the other half, and dip it into the gravy in the crockpot, then plop on top and you're done.

A little prepping

Grocery shopping is tiring.  Wait, actually grocery shopping is fun, it's the putting away of the groceries that is tiring.

Honestly it takes me just as long to get everything put away, as it did to buy them.

But usually, I take a little longer, because I prep a lot of things as I go.

For instance, if I buy big bags of chicken thighs or legs, I split them up into ziploc freezer bags according to meals, so that later I'm not face with the task of trying to separate just a few pieces for that night's meal.

I also take all my vegetables and fruit and separate them according to my needs.  That is, whatever I will be using withing the week goes into the veggie tray in the fridge, the rest either gets frozen right away or divided and cut up into ziploc baggies.

Remember on Monday in my Happy Homemaker Monday I mentioned how I make soup bags for the freezer?  Let me show what I was referring to.

I love radishes in soup, they remind me of my greatgrandma, because she always included them in her veggie soup.



I had two little baggies of radishes, so I washed them well, cut off the ends, then cut them in half and divided them among 4 ziploc bags.

I will usually add whatever other vegetable I have on hand, except for onions and potatoes which I will do the day I make the soup.

In this batch, I have radishes, carrots, leeks and cabbage.  It may not look like much, but for making a pot of soup for our family of 4, it is more than enough.

I just take all the air out of the bags, lay them down and flatten them a bit and pop them in my deep freezer.

For soup, I just remove one bag, place it in a pot, fill it halfway with water, add in a slice onion, a potato or two depending on the size, some salt and pepper, garlic and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Boil it all up, and when done I use my immersion blender to puree, check the seasoning and drizzle on a little more olive oil before serving.

Filling, yummy and a very inexpensive meal paired with a sandwich :)

You can see the soup baggies on the bottom above.

Anytime I find pizzas, especially the Totino's ones which my kids love for lunch....or chicken strips or whatever on sale, I buy a few extra to stock the freezer.

I also have my fish and extra meats in there.



Like I said yesterday, milk is so expensive around here so when I find it cheaper or on sale at Fry's or Safeway, I buy a few extra gallons and keep them in my freezer.  To use it up, when I see that the one in the fridge is getting low, I take one out of the freezer and place it in my sink to defrost.

I've never had milk go bad on me this way.  So far.

Also keep extra bread and cheese.  Last time I was at Fry's I picked up a few extra loaves for, I think it was 89c a loaf.

Even though I make my own bread at home, I like having extra in the freezer because I do make my own breadcrumbs as well.



In the top baskets I keep a bunch of things.  Extra ham, pepperoni, raspberries, berries...VODKA lol

And the right basket is usually lunch items and desserts.  I have pumpkin cake slices in two baggies in there, if we get a craving sometime in the future, we just pull them out, let them sit on the counter for a few minutes and enjoy cake :)

I'll usually have banana bread, muffins, cupcakes etc too.

Between Fry's and the Base Commissary yesterday, I did grocery shopping for a full month, for $400.

My cabinets, my fridge and my deep freezer are full.

I plan on slashing that bill even further.  Luckily for me, I cook everything from scratch and already buy a lot of fruit and veggies, but I would like to buy even less of prepackaged stuff.

It was a tiring day, but I did get a lot accomplished.  By the time dinner rolled around, I could have just said "let's go out to eat, I'm too tired to cook", but that would have been such a waste of money and for no reason whatsoever.

So I threw together a quick delicious Portuguese meal.  Chicken with mushrooms and peas and served it over some pasta. :)

In this day and age, a little prepping goes a long way.

You can't just go into grocery shopping unprepared, or fly by the seat of your pants.  Well, I should I CAN'T do it that way, far be it from me to say how others should or shouldn't manage their own homes :)

Nothing wasted

Fresh flowers....I bought these tonight, it's not something I do often because I always find them to be expensive, but it was a little treat for me.

I'm so tired, and I'm thinking that as soon as this post is written, I will log off, shut down my laptop and head to bed.

It's been a busy day, as it always is on payday for us.

Errands to run, bills to pay, shopping and the usual housework, cooking, laundry etc.

I don't think I would change it for anything in this world though.  As tired as I may seem at the end of the long day, I always manage to look back and smile at how productive it was and everything that I accomplished.

Not nearly everything that I had in mind to do, but, a good portion was done, and that is what matters.

We went out to a quick dinner tonight at one of our favorite places, Ono's Hawaiian Barbecue.  So good!!

Then took a quick run by Fry's for some of their sale items.  I've noticed that not everything is cheaper than the base commissary, but there are a few things that are worth picking up there, especially when you do the Buy One, Get one Free.

And the price of their milk is way cheaper than the commissary.  Goodness, we're paying almost 4 dollars a gallon there.

Was able to stock my deep freezer with bread, milk and berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, all of which were on sale with the Buy one, get one free).

I also find that eggs are cheaper at Fry's and since we go through a lot of those, it's worth getting them there.

Still have grocery shopping to do tomorrow, but don't need too many things.

In preparation for the grocery shopping, I always clear out my fridge, give it a good cleaning and go through what is still good and what needs to be thrown out or used right away.



Since I had a couple of veggies that were close to expiring, I made a huge pot of soup.  Potatoes, onions, half a zucchini, carrots, celery and I threw in a can of kidney beans as well.

Hearty, filling soup.

I let it cool down just a smidge then filled mason jars with the soup, and placed them in the fridge.  It will make for a quick yummy lunch during the week.

I don't like wasting, so to throw out the veggies when I restock the fridge tomorrow, would just be a waste of money. 

And now my sweet friends, I'm going to head to bed.  I'm actually excited, I received a Sleep One Air Adjustable Pillow this afternoon, to review.  I have major issues with my right shoulder, matter of fact I find it very hard to sleep on my right side because it hurts and then makes my neck hurt and it's just a pain.

This pillow is supposed to be wonderful for neck and shoulder pain, so we'll see how it goes :)

Have a wonderful night and thank you for taking the time to visit me here in my little corner, I do appreciate your visits and your comments :)

Hugs,

Happy Homemaker Monday #39

Good Morning everyone, hope you had a fantastic weekend and have an even better week ahead.

We are on Fall break so no schooling for us, just a week to relax and take it easy :) 

Feel free to use :)

The Weather:::
68 degrees.  We have finally cooled down and it's feeling wonderful outside.  Matter of fact, I stepped out yesterday morning to take out the trash and actually felt a little cold in my shorts.  Ha!   Bring it on, I'm ready for some coolness around here.

Right now I am:
I am enjoying a cup of Caramel Drizzle coffee, checking my email, trying to read from my Kindle at the same time, and chatting with hubby before he leaves for work.  AND, I'm sitting in my pj's and have on a sweater.  That is like major folks....earth shattering stuff right there.

Thinking:
About what I need to get done today.  It's payday for us military people, so I have bills that need taking care of, grocery shopping etc. 
Also thinking that I want to just sit and read my current book and I will have to find some time today to do it.

On my reading pile:::
Dropped Almost Amish...did not enjoy it.  I don't know what it is lately, but some books are just not doing it for me.  Much as I love everything Amish and especially Amish fiction, if it's not about the Amish directly, I tend to get bored.

On my tv:::
This may seem like a lot, but this is for the whole week......

My Portuguese soaps (Doce Tentacao, Louco Amor, Tempo de Viver)
Copper (have two episodes to catch up on)
Warehouse 13 (have two episodes to catch up on)
The Paradise Episode 3
Wartime Farm Episode 5 

On the menu for this week:::
Next two weeks are ALL about Portuguese food, which I love and thankfully so does my family :)  Save for a meal or two which I already had planned ahead.

Monday - Carne a Jardineira (Beef Stew)
Tuesday - Frango com cogumelos e ervilhas (Chicken with mushrooms and peas)
Wednesday - Slow Cooker Ham and White Beans (NOT Portuguese lol)
Thursday - Swedish Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday - Massinha com fiambre, bacon e cogumelos (Ham, Bacon and Mushroom pasta)
Saturday - Costoletas panadas no forno, pure batata e cenoura (Oven breaded pork chops, mashed potatos and carrots)
Sunday - Sopa de Feijao (Bean Soup)

On my to do list:::
Put away clean laundry
Sweep and Mop floors
Finish grocery list
Check coupons and sales ads

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Haven't had a chance to crochet the past few days, so my granny square blanket is on hold. 

Homemaking Tips:::
This is something I do.  I buy veggies in bulk, especially if they're on sale.  When I get home from grocery shopping, I put away the ones I need for cooking during the week, and the rest I cut into chunks for soup.  I make a bunch of ziploc baggies with a variety of veggies, like carrot, leeks, cabbage, celery, watercress or spinach etc.  During the week or on the weekend, if I am in the mood for soup, I  pull out a baggie from the freezer, then just add water to a pot, add the veggies, cut up a potato or 2 and an onion and I'm good to go.

Looking around the house:::
It's dark, save for a few lamps on.  It's quiet and aside from my keyboard keys tapping away as I type this, the only other sounds are my pugs snoring on the couch and the fish tank in the corner.
Need to pick up the living room a bit, it's not very messy even though we just had a weekend.  There are a few dishes in the sink that didn't fit in the washer last night, so I need to get those taken care of.

From the camera:::

On my prayer list:::
So many people.  I find myself praying for people I don't even know.  If I'm on a website, or visiting blogs and I see that someone needs prayer, I immediately send one up for them.


Bible verse, Devotional:::
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Exercising

Oh boy!

Weight has always been an issue with me. I've never been overweight, but I've never been happy with my weight either. There's always been these 10 pounds that have haunted me since having my children.

I struggle.

I want nothing more than to wake up one day, look at myself in the mirror and just be happy with how I look.

I want to be able to eat without constantly worrying about the calories, or thinking with every bite that I'm packing on the pounds.  I just want to eat without the guilt and it's something I've never been able to do.

To say that it's tiring, is pointless. And I'm more than ready to really get serious about this.

I can't diet though, forget it, and I am finding out that counting calories (though it's worked before), is not really doing it for me this time around.  I'm miserable folks.

So I've made a decision.  I will watch what I eat in the sense that I will not overdo it, I will limit my intake of junk food, eat more fruits and veggies and I will exercise at least 3 times a week.

I've had to tell myself that it's either I diet and hate every step of it, OR, I eat what I want but I compromise by exercising and taking care of my body.

Best part about this, is that I have the best family on earth.  They love me, they support me and they are all ready to jump right in on this journey.

So we're exercising together.  My husband already does it during the week and I'll do mine at home, but every weekend we are hitting the Base track, as a family.

My boy brings his bike along

Needless to say, crochet is never too far from this mama....my little bag holds bottled water and the camera of course :)

It's not easy, I start running those laps and I want to quit so badly, because my legs hurt and my chest is on fire and I feel like I'm going to hack up a lung....but I close my eyes, I breathe constantly and I pray through it.  Today, I was able to do 2 whole laps without stopping and walking at.  That is HUGE for me.

Miss Jasmine doesn't much care for exercise, but she's a good sport and she gets out there with us and does her best.  After today though, she has told me that she is starting to enjoy it and can't wait to go back next weekend.  (she's such a goofball, the minute she sees the camera she makes faces for me lol)

My two boy loves.  I just love seeing them together, they run laps and talk and laugh, and cheer each other on.

My love, my support, my biggest cheerleader.  I couldn't do this without him :)

My other little cheerleader, he sees me struggling and runs out to run with me :)

And when we've done laps he breaks out his bike and flies around the track for fun

I don't know how to even begin to explain to you all, just how important it is to have a family that is willing to exercise together, to push each other through this and to know that we are not alone.

And the thing is, exercising does not have to be boring, it can be so much fun if you do it together.

So wish me luck.  I'm determined to make this work and I know I can do it.

Because one thing is for sure, I love cooking, I love food and I can't stop being who I am.  I wouldn't be able to make it away from a kitchen with delicious food on the stove....so I compromise.

It won't be easy, I'm sure there will be days that I will want to scream NO, or say "forget it".  But I can't, I have to and I WILL make this work.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll be working my little butt off.....

Monday - Zumba
Tuesday - 30 Day Shred
Friday - Aerobics
Sunday - Track

I.can't.wait!