It's my lucky day.

It was another beautiful day, the kids spent almost 2 hours outside. During that time I got my whole house picked up, vacuumed and wiped down....and it stayed that way for longer than 5 minutes. Ah yes, summer do hurry!

In their down time, the girls painted a little sun catcher thingy I picked up at the $ store. They loved it...and did a great job.

Nice job girls! I hope the next time I am there they have something the boys will like to do.

I can't believe these shirts even almost still fit LOL.

It must be my lucky day....times 3. I found these in the washer, the color differences between the three coins was so cool I had to take a couple pictures. Nerd alert LOL.

I wonder why the middle one is so purple...the new shiny one on the right looks so off, almost like it is fake.

Lunch today...a new one for us from my BFF's blog :) "Skinny" Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions.

You will need...

Ingredients:

 For The Beef:
3 to 4 lb lean beef round roast, trimmed

1 tbsp minced garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dry)

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry)

1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 to 3 (14.5 oz) cans Swanson's low-sodium beef broth

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
10 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks

 For the Caramelized Onions (makes about 1 cup):
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

 For the Peppers (makes about 2 cups):
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
* We added fresh sliced mushrooms too

 For the Sandwich:

Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone or Mozzarella Slices 

whole wheat baguette or rolls, cut into 2 oz pieces...we just used low cal slider buns



Directions:



In a small bowl mix garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
Rub the spice mixture onto all sides of the roast, then place in the slow cooker.

Pour the broth into the side of the roast until it just cover the meat. If the broth doesn't cover the roast you can add water and top with onions. Add the Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth.

Cover and cook on low until the meat flakes apart easily with a fork, about 9 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your roast.

An hour before the meat is done, prepare the onions and peppers. In a large nonstick skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook until golden, stirring often, reducing heat as needed if the onions are burning or browning too quickly, about 30 to 35 minutes. Add 1 tbsp to the pan if it becomes too dry. The onions should turn golden and the flavor should be sweet. Transfer to a serving bowl, then add the peppers (and mushrooms) to the skillet and cook stirring often until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the meat from the slow cooker to a cutting board and shred with a fork or slice with a knife. Strain the broth through a fine sieve then place in a gravy separator to remove any fat. Pour 1/4 cup broth into each small ramekin.

Preheat the oven to broil. Split the bread open and top with 2 ounces of beef. Top with onions, peppers and cheese and broil until the cheese melts. Place on a plate with broth for dipping. 

Nutrition based on: 2 oz whole wheat baguette, 2 oz cooked beef round, 1/4 cup beef broth, 1 slice cheese, onions & peppers. 308 calories and 9 grams of fat per sandwich.

It was really good...our meat got a touch dry, next time we will not go the full 12 hours...maybe start checking it around the 10 hour mark.

I made some yummy, and pretty much "Skinny" bread today. Banana strawberry cream cheese bread!

It does have that "healthy" kind of taste...but it was really good. My taste testers gave it two thumbs up...and one little drama queen even threw in a "this is so good I wish my mouth was bigger" LOL. But feel free to junk it up if you want to ;) I kinda just winged this one, I used:

4 mashed bananas
1 cup of chopped strawberries
4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temp
2 TBsp coconut oil
1 egg 1 egg white
2 cups of flour (I used white whole wheat)
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup plain non fat yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

 Directions:
Preheat over to 325...spray 2 9X5 bread pans.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese, coconut oil, egg and egg white. Also add the brown sugar, vanilla, bananas, yogurt and applesauce.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and flaxseed.

Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the cream cheese mixture. Blend at a low speed until combined.

Stir the chopped strawberries in by hand.

Evenly fill the two bread pans. Bake for about 45 mins...or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let it cool before slicing. Each loaf should get 11 slices, at 107 calories and 3 grams of fat each.