Cowgirl Medley

Do you wonder if eating clean is more than you can handle during this time in your life?  Today was a busy afternoon here.  Our grocery shopping for the week took place at 2:30 today.  The kids had their annual check-ups before we headed to the grocery store.  As much as I really appreciate our PCP and her office, taking two kids to the doctor for very thorough physicals and overall wellness exams can be a bit draining.  We grabbed a snack afterwards and headed to Wegmans.  The "plan" was for both kids to go to W-Kids.  They usually really enjoy the child-watch program at our grocery store!  But first everyone had to go to the bathroom, then detour to get their free cookie and look at a few grocery store sights... finally we made it to W-Kids!  Shoes off, form completed, Nathan beaming in the doorway.  Where is Kylee??  Sitting on the bench with arms folded and looking like Miss Attitude.  She had decided that she was not in the mood for W-Kids... and Nathan did not want to go without her.  Oh boy, now I unexpectedly had TWO kids that were going to tackle the big store and my long, primarily mental, a-few-things-jotted-down list alongside of me.  I started to feel stressed at that moment and became a bit snappy in the produce department!  But then we all rallied in Nature's Marketplace and made it through the rest of the way without incident. And then we were home and it was *suddenly* time to make dinner.  Oh great, right??  Here is what I put together for dinner this evening.  This is not some gourmet recipe.  This is eating clean when you are short on time, imagination and coordinating ingredients!  My daughter Kylee LOVES "Cowboy Beans" and this is a different twist on that original.  

Cowgirl Medley

Begin to brown 1 pound of 95% lean ground beef (or use ground turkey)

Dice one red bell pepper and one vidalia onion and add to the beef

Sprinkle in some seasoning such as a bit of sea salt and pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper, some cumin, paprika and coriander plus a tiny sprinkle of ground cloves

Continue to brown everything until it is all well-browned and aromatic

Drain and rinse a can of pinto beans 

 

Drain and rinse a can of dark red kidney beans

Add beans to your skillet and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  You may want to add 1/4 cup of water if things are looking dry.  Keep a close eye on this!

Create a bed of baby spinach in your bowl.  Add a scoop of "Cowgirl Medley".  The spinach may sound like an odd idea but it is really quite good!  

The kids balked at the idea of the spinach bed with this medley on top.  So they had just the medley in their bowls with a side of raw green beans.  Nathan made me laugh while I was plating my own food.  He saw the steam rising and ran to get his fire truck!  He began to sound the alarm and dove in for a "rescue" of my spinach and managed to snag a few bites!  That kid does enjoy raw spinach!