Broken Promises!

Wow.  I am really bad at faithfully posting!  I need to get my act together, which should be easier now that I'm on summer vacation!  My summer vacation actually started back on June 7th, but I've been taking quite a few workshops that will help me in my new position!  Come August, I will be the Primary (1-3) Gifted Teacher at my school!  I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to teach the accelerated learners at my school!  It's going to be an interesting change of pace!  I just wrapped up my sixth year of teaching and I am proud of myself for continuing to challenge myself in taking on new jobs and tasks!  I think I handled all my jobs this past year with a great deal of passion as well as dedication to maintaining focus - the success of my students.  All of my students made tremendous gains and I can't wait to see them again in August as I walk through the halls!  I may even have some of them in my resource classroom! :)  They will forever be in a special place in my heart because they were my last group of first graders! 

Now that I have that off my chest, let's get into the good stuff.  Dinner tonight was simply amazing!  I love when I'm able to just think of a recipe off the top of my head and have it turn out successfully.  Trust me, it doesn't always turn out! Ha! Tonight's dinner was Crock Pot Sweet Red Chili Beef and Broccoli, served over whole wheat egg noodles.

For some reason, I wasn't confident while I was making it, so I don't have any pictures of the work in progress. I do however have a picture of the final product....

My mom has a delicious recipe for beef tips that includes white wine, parsley, and worcestershire sauce, but The Husband and I are on a new recipe kick.  I found a few recipes online, but nothing really struck my fancy.  So, when we were grocery shopping today, I grabbed a bottle of Thai Kitchen's Sweet Red Chili Sauce and a jar of low-sodium soy sauce.  Many of the recipes that I found called for beef broth, but I wanted something that had a thicker gravy, so I also bought some jars of Fat Free Beef Gravy. 

 I used Publix Greenwise Stew Meat and browned it with diced onions and red peppers and a clove of garlic.  Of course, I added many shakes of crushed red pepper flakes as well as freshly ground black pepper.  The meat was in pretty big chunks, but I knew after being in the crock pot for 8 hours, it would fall apart and I figured why waste the time cutting the beef! :)

While the meat was browning with the onions, peppers, and garlic, I threw the other ingredients into the crock pot and gave it a stir.  I then drained the meat and poured it into the crock pot  I did add a tablespoon or two of the juices in order to give it a little bit more flavor.  I stirred it up and set the crock pot on low for 8 hours.  Wow does it make your house smell amazing!

After the 8 hours was up, I boiled some water and cooked the egg noodles.  I also steamed some broccoli to serve on top of it.  Such a tasty combination!  While plating it, I added a few shakes of sesame seeds to make it look pretty! :) In addition to our beef, broccoli, and egg noodles, I also made The Husband and I both salads.  We eat a lot of veggies over here!

Here's the recipe!

Crock Pot Sweet Red Chili Beef and Broccoli
1 lb stew beef (I used Publix Greenwise meat because it doesn't have added hormones)
1 1/2 jars of Fat Free Beef Gravy
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 sweet red pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic (next time I will add way more, probably 3-4 cloves)
2 TBSP Thai Kitchen's Sweet Red Chili Sauce
2 TBSP Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
lots of black pepper
dash of salt
a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes 
sesame seeds

egg noodles
broccoli
salad with veggies

1.Add oil to pan and let it get hot.  Add stew meat, diced onions, peppers, and garlic.  Brown the meat, stirring occasionally to ensure that it's browning evenly.  
2. In your crock pot (spray with pam), add 1 1/2 jars of fat free beef gravy, sweet red chili sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt.  Stir it so the flavors get to know each other!
3. Drain the beef, onions, and peppers (leave about 2 tbps of the juices).
4. Add the beef, onions, and peppers to the crock pot, in addition to the juices.  Stir it around - don't be shy! :)
5. Turn crock pot on low for 8 hours. 
6. After 8 hours, boil up some egg noodles, steam broccoli, and make a salad!
7. Pour bee and gravy over egg noodles and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Then add your broccoli florets.  
8. Enjoy! :)

Hopefully I'll be back on Tuesday with a new recipe for chicken tortilla wraps!

Enjoy your week everyone! 

Lots of Love,
Lauren