Happy Wednesday! It’s still pretty hot in Houston, so I’m not quite ready to transition into my fall foods quite yet. I still feel like we have a few more opportunities to grill and enjoy some of my favorite summer foods. I do love a good fall dish, though, and I’m thinking ahead to all the fun recipes I’ll be making once October hits. If you are a fellow Texan like me, you also know that our first “cold front” probably won’t hit until the end of October.
One of my all-time favorite fall recipes is my pumpkin sausage pasta, but the caveat is that you have to use the Trader Joes fall Zucchette pasta pictured below. Those little pumpkin-shaped pastas are wonderful vessels to collect all that pumpkin goodness. If it’s cool your way already, give this one a try. I guarantee you it will be the first fall recipe I make!
The running community
But, I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here. It’s already been a busy week in our household – and it’s only the start of Wednesday. We’ve been trying to offload our old couch, move a recliner into a guest bedroom – and figure out how to donate the loveseat in Aaron’s office. Needless to say, I don’t love working from home when I’m feeling claustrophobic. However, one of our friends came over last night to help haul off the old couch – and move the loveseat, so we are making some good progress around here.
I’ve been tied to my desk all day, which is a shame because I would love to enjoy some of this nice (less humid) weather that has graced Houston. So, I’ve been turning to my Peloton in the evenings because I’ve been wrapping up kind of late. In the very recent wake of the Liza Fletcher tragedy, I feel so thankful to have a safe outlet to be able to practice and participate in one of the things that helps make me a better me. She’s been on my mind lately – she was a mom just trying to take some “her time” so she could be a better parent, a better spouse and a better teacher. And the result ended in tragedy. So, in a world that doesn’t always feel the safest – especially for women runners – I’ve really been moved by the show of solidarity from other women runners just like you – and just like me.
I’ve thought about her a lot this week, and her senseless tragedy has made me take a second look at some of my running habits that I do each and every week that might not always be the safest.
The easiest crockpot recipe: beef and broccoli
I’m here on this Wednesday to share one of the easiest crockpot recipes that you’ll make this year. It’s my beef and broccoli recipe. I had this one on repeat when we were in puppy school, and I needed something ready to go before we headed out of the house.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1-2 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast – chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup of beef bone broth
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup of coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cornstarch
- 1 bag of frozen broccoli
- Your cooked grain of choice (farro, quinoa, brown rice, etc..)
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Chop up your beef – this is my least favorite part of the whole ordeal.
- Mix your broth, soy sauce, coconut sugar, sesame oil, garlic and cornstarch together until all combined. Pour over your beef pieces.
- Set your crockpot to high and cook for 4 hours. If you have your crockpot on low, you can cook it for 6.
- During the last hour of cooking, add in you frozen broccoli.
- Serve over your cooked grain of choice.
Easy peasy and delicious. Give it a try – you won’t be disappointed.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
