Monday, February 27, 2012

Cave Dude Beef Stew

I have been living like a cave-dude for 65 days now, and as of this morning I have lost 30 pounds.
YAY!!!!!!!!!
It has to be said that I am quite a large girl to begin with, so there is a lot to lose.
I am thrilled with my way of life.
I have slept better, feel better, have so much more energy, and my joints don't hurt at night.
It has not been difficult to live this way at all.
Sure in the beginning when your body detoxes itself from the sugar and the carbs, you get a little freaky, but I made it through.
I crave different things now that my body is processing clean foods.
It used to be I needed something sugary in the morning for breakfast. Captain Crunch, waffles with syrup, berry yogurt with bran buds, to name a few.
This morning I came down stairs and thought...I think I'll have beef stew for breakfast!
Seriously...65 days ago you could not have paid me to have beef stew for breakfast. I needed that sugar carb rush to get me going out the door.
My daughter about gagged when she saw what I was eating. She is still a hold out on our new way of eating, I think all 15 year old girls are most likely difficult to deal with, but we will break her yet.
Not only did I have beef stew for breakfast, I also had a spinach salad to boot!
Too freaky!
Here is the recipe for my Cave Dude Beef Stew.

Beef Stock


3 cups of beef stock
2 pounds of beef cubes (we used the grass fed beef)
6 celery stalks, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 box of mushrooms sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
Spices, whatever kind you enjoy in any amount you choose.
Olive oil



Saute the onions, garlic, and carrots in some olive oil till they are tender and wilty.
Remove them to a large bowl.


Saute the mushrooms and celery in olive oil till tender.
Remove them to the same bowl.


Saute the beef in small batches so they can brown evenly. It took me four batches to get mine done.
Remove to the bowl.
I then added a cup of stock to the pan turned the heat down and de glazed the pan.



I added all the meat, veggies, and stock to my crock pot and cooked on low from morning till night.
The beef was tender and juicy, the veggies soft and yummy.
It has made for several healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it too.

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your weight loss and improved health! It is funny how our tastes change when we eat this way. I just finished baking some of our grass-fed beef liver seasoned with garlic powder, Hungarian sweet paprika and coconut aminos and it's yummy. I never thought I'd even think beef liver was edible, and certainly never yummy.
    Nancy B.

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    Replies
    1. Nancy, Where do you get your coconut aminos, and what dishes do you use them with most? I am still a newbie at this and am trying to learn all that I can. I used to love fried chicken livers as a little girl, but had not even considered trying a beef liver. That will take more research and time for me, I think ;)
      Thank you for your comments!

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    2. The Coconut Aminos is a "soy-free seasoning sauce" made by Coconut Secret. I buy it at our local co-op. It's a great substitute for soy sauce, and tastes to me more like teriyaki sauce. The ingredients are just "organic coconut sap aged and blended with sun-dried, mineral-rich sea salt". I use it instead of soy sauce in recipes and love it as a steak sauce.
      An update on the liver - the leftovers were too "livery" tasting for me so my dog got a real treat! Next time I think I'll stick with my pastured chicken livers, which have a milder flavor (I'm still learning to eat liver and it hasn't been easy).
      Nancy

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    3. My favorite liver recipe is still the Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Livers from Jan's Sushi Bar blog. Even leftover and reheated they are great.
      Nancy

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  2. Thank you so much for that informantion, Nancy.
    I will look online for the coconut aminos online, because the soy sauce I have in the fridge is certainly not healthy for the way I want to live.
    You have me feeling bold, I will check with my butcher today about some chicken livers to try.
    My kids and husband will most likely run screaming from them, but I'm happy to give them a try :)
    I love Jan's Sushi Bar Blog too, she has amazing recipes.

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