I said in my last post that I love meals that are nourishing and comforting for my family, but quick and easy for me!
On days when I'm busy or maybe out of the house and need something healthy that I can
throw together quick...
This Beef Skillet fits the bill!
This recipe is in one of my super cute cookbooks called Goodness Gracious.
You'll notice there's a post-it on this recipe. I like to leave notes for myself in my cookbooks. Notes like: Needs longer cooking time, or Used butter instead of shortening.
This note says, Made on 10-12-15 with onions but no carrots. Make again! Yummy!
So... The recipe doesn't call for onions but I always like onions with beef...
(Also... Nothing personal against carrots! Haha... I just don't use them in this recipe.)
Brown up a pound of beef with the onions:
Once browned, drain and return to the skillet, adding vegetables and 1 cup of uncooked pasta.
The vegetables are not drained because the liquid is needed for the noodles to cook in.
Add your spices at this time, too. I used a few shakes of crushed red pepper, but the recipe calls for chili powder. You could omit this altogether if you'd rather.
Cover and bring to a simmer:
While it was simmering, (about 15-20 minutes) I got out some yummy onion and poppy seed buns...
Wrapped them up and set the table:
When you're setting your table, remember to make it beautiful!
Use real plates (even if they don't match), fresh flowers from your yard or the grocery store, and open the blinds! Turn on the lights!
As you can see, there's nothing expensive, unattainable, or fancy here. When I set my table I just move all clutter out of the way and use what I have on hand to make it look as inviting as I can.
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Once the cooking time was complete, I tasted it to make sure the pasta was done and that it was seasoned well. One of the best tips I've ever received about home cooking is to always taste what you're making before serving it!
The final touch is a cup of shredded cheese,
sprinkled over the top:
Ta-Da! See?! Quick and easy!
The cheese melted nicely into the meat as we were eating it:
Here's a close-up of the recipe if you'd like it:
The main reason why I'm posting simple recipes with photos to go with them is because when I was a new wife I would have found something like this extremely helpful! I must be a visual learner because when I was in my early twenties, alone in my kitchen, I struggled to follow the instructions of a picture-less recipe (as most are in cookbooks). I would wonder if I was doing it right. I would have loved photos of the process that I could compare my work to!
I would absolutely love to hear from you in my comments about if this is helpful to you and if you try any of the recipes I post.
I'd love to post more recipes in the future! But for now, a beef and vegetable skillet with just biscuits or buns is a perfectly acceptable meal after a busy day!
It's warm, nourishing, homemade, and simple!
Thanks so much for reading!
~ Courtney
It's fun reading your recipe posts too! Everything looks yummy! What is your approach if a child does not care for the meal, or for example, doesn't care for the tomatoes in one dish? My cousin said she will not make separate meals for her children, but she is willing to separate things out if needed (i.e. take out tomatoes). It's a hard balance to try to eat healthy things and accommodate food preferences! Do you have any tips?
ReplyDeleteOh yes, we have run into this issue, too! I made the mistake once, years ago, of making a bowl of instant oatmeal for the toddler at the time, so that Micah and I could enjoy the chili I had made. I say "mistake" because this incident stuck in the child's mind and whenever I would make anything that they didn't like, they would flip out and scream for oatmeal. I realized through that poor parenting choice, that if I continued making multiple meals for different family members that I would be teaching entitlement, teaching that they never had to try new things and learn to like them, teaching that mom's a lowly servant that they can yank around, etc.. AND it would add unnecessary extra work for me... So... I make one meal that is for all of us to eat. I don't force food into my kids mouths, and I don't make them finish their plate, but if they choose to not eat then they don't get dessert or a bedtime snack. There have been times through the years when I have tucked a child into bed with a hungry tummy. It makes me feel bad but I've learned that it won't kill them. It was their choice. A plate of a warm, nourishing supper was available to them. The only accommodating that I do is to make sure that what I make isn't too spicy. Little kids really do have a hard time with spicy things. Other than that I see no reason why they can't learn to eat something with vegetables in it, or chunks in it, etc... Honestly, this is one of the reasons why I always like to have a dessert on hand! I use it as bribery! Micah and I tell the kids that if they finish their supper they can have dessert! I've watched my kids gobble up a meal they claim they don't like when there's a chocolate cake sitting on the kitchen island temping them! Then, once their plates are empty, we say, "See?! You can do it! You really can eat something you don't like! It didn't kill you!" Haha...
DeleteAnother easy recipe, yum! Bet the kids love this. Ben sometimes doesn't like certain things in my recipes, but just eats around them. I try to accommodate with recipes we all like, but I never make different meals. If Ben doesn't like what we are having he is always welcome to make himself a ham and cheese sandwich. As he gets older he has gotten better at trying things.
ReplyDeleteWell that's a good idea! Just let them make a sandwich! I guess I would be ok with that since it doesn't involve more work for me! Yes, they do get better at eating well-rounded meals and trying new things as they get older!
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