Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Have a Bite of...

Easy Beef Stroganoff
Yum!
It isn't exactly pretty (or more accurately, I don't have the skills to make it pretty), but it's pretty delicious! At the almost one year mark, we are branching out on solid foods for Jr. now that he is consistently interested in eating. This was the first real food he would happily eat, and it has been in our daily rotation for the past month! The two things I love about this dish are that it is a one-pot meal, and that it makes a lovely sauce without needing flour.

Easy Beef Stroganoff
adapted from Taste and Tell

2 Tbs olive oil, divided
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1.5 - 2 Tbs garlic paste
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs beef base
1 cup hot water
4 cups organic beef broth
12 oz gluten free rotini
1/2 cup sour cream

In large skillet, heat 1 Tbs olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté, flipping/stirring the mushrooms after 2 minutes, until just starting to brown. Place mushrooms in bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil, add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic paste and stir to combine. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up chunks as you go.

Add paprika, beef base, and hot water. Stir until combined, then add beef broth and rotini. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, add the sour cream, and stir until incorporated. Add the cooked mushrooms, stir, and serve! (This makes approximately six dinner servings. I usually get four lunches for myself and eight meals for Jr from one pot.)


More please!

This is Jr's favorite food* and he usually powers through it for two meals a day. Now that we've established his taste for it, I've taken to adding various steamed vegetables* just prior to serving since he doesn't like to eat them plain. So far we've had relatively good luck with green beans, peas, carrots, and corn.
*always cut into age appropriate, bite-sized pieces


May Snapshots
1) View
Berries as far as the eye can see!

2) Happy
Park + Perfect Fetching Stick = Happy Pup!

3) Balance
Am I doing this right, Mommy?

4) Wear
"Cause all the cool kids they seem to get it..."

5) Love
Doesn't everyone sneak around taking pictures of their family?
Just me? Oh, ok...

6) Everyday
He's actually starting to seek out books, with Dear Zoo being his current favorite.


7) Eat
Farm fresh berries dropped off at my door by my thoughtful Dad.

8) Project
Nursery art - finished only 9 months after moving in!

9) Habit
Nice weather means we get to spend more time in the yard!

10) Favorite
Good grief, I love him.

"The best things in life are not only free, they require less assembly."
Robert Brault