Food

Frustrated. That’s about the only word to describe how I feel when it comes to nutrition research and what we’re supposed to be eating in a healthy diet. And when I say “diet”, I’m talking about our day-to-day food intake. Not some crazy fad diet to help a person fit in size 0 jeans. (If you really want that, try the flu.)

I want to make healthy food choices. I think the vast majority of people feel the same way. I don’t always make those good choices. Occasionally I’ll grab lunch at the drive-through and lately I’ve been on a Dr. Pepper kick.

But a lot of the time? I’m thinking about health when I think about food, because what we put in our bodies has a direct impact on how we feel, how our bodies perform and our long-term quality of life (and short-term, as well).

My family has been raising beef cattle for many generations, providing a great source of protein for people who don’t have the resources to raise their own. Did you know there are 29 lean cuts of beef? Total fat content falls between a skinless chicken breast and a skinless chicken thigh. Cattle ranching is my passion; it always will be.

But I also have many friends who are in the business of raising plant protein – dry peas, lentils and chickpeas. Those legumes are stocked in my kitchen cupboards too. It seems there is a misconception that people who are meat eaters never, ever have something good to say about plants or eat vegetarian dishes.

I love beef. And pork. (Bacon!) But I also eat plants, vegetables and fruit. And chocolate cake.

It seems like one day we’re being told that all meat is bad. In a week, some red meat is okay, but only if we eat it on Tuesdays. Three months down the road, we’re only supposed to eat fish, no chips, with an extra serving of leafy greens and mineral water. And then it’s absolutely no grains of any kind unless it was grown 4,000 years ago.

So what is the best practice for choosing what to eat? These are guidelines I try to follow:

• Eat in moderation. Just because it’s good for me doesn’t mean overeating is justified. Likewise, eating sugar or fries on occasion is okay.
• Balance. Both animal protein and plant protein are good choices.
• Read the research, but always think for myself. This goes for just about everything in life.
• Go to the source. Questions about how a cow is raised? Find a rancher to talk to. Wondering about the slaughtering process? Visit a butcher. Even for those who live in cities, the internet age has put these types of things within reach.

No one is an expert on food as a whole, and I would highly advise no one view what the media reports as expert. While I have a great understanding of how beef is produced, I don’t know much about pomegranates and salmon.

We’re all in search of information on food; let’s help each other out.

* This post was written for Blog Action Day, a day each year where bloggers around the world write about the same issue (this year it is food) to help raise awareness and fuel discussions. Today is also World Food Day.

I didn’t post a recipe round-up last week, because the dish I made was…miserable. In theory, it should have been okay. In practice, it tasted like cardboard and styrofoam had made babies.

But this week, motivation sprouted up like dandelions. I have a whole slate of recipes I want to test and share with you. Last night, I made my first motivational dandelion – Cowboy Beans – and they were uh-mazing! (Anytime a recipe has “Cowboy” in the title, I automatically put it in the pile to try. It’s a thing.)

Here’s the real recipe for “Cowboy Beans”:
1 pound ground beef
1 can baked beans
1 can kidney beans
2 cups chopped onion
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vinegar
Brown and drain meat. Mix all of the ingredients together in a crock-pot. Cook on high for 1-2 hours or until thoroughly heated.

Now, because I have a penchant for taking all my recipes off-roading here’s the version of “Cowboy Beans” I had last night. (I even modify the new recipes I try which is why it can be a 50/50 shot of eating something awesome at my table.)

“Red’s Cowboy Beans”
All the ingredients were the same except I substituted garbanzo beans for kidney beans, added 6 stalks of chopped celery, sauteed the onions with the ground beef, and splashed some liquid smoke in for good measure. I had them in the crock-pot for about an hour and a half, and it wasn’t quite long enough. I guess I was hungry.

Serve over cornbread. Or over cardboard, because I think this dish could even make that edible. Or, be a real cowboy (or cowgirl!), and eat ‘em straight up!

I have been existing on canned soup and pop-tarts this week. I know. I know… It’s just been one of those weeks where normal things like sleeping and cooking have disappeared from my life.

Just because I haven’t had time to whip up something delicious made with beef doesn’t mean the rest of the world has been going beef-less. (Hooray!)

Cowboy Beef and Black Bean Chili
Jen at Purple Poke has a fabulous looking recipe that I can’t wait to try. Well, obviously I have been waiting, but as soon as life gives me time to try, then I’m gonna. She just started a section on her blog where she’s going to share her recipe adventures as she cooks her way through the Healthy Beef Cookbook. Who doesn’t love chili made with beef, beer, and black beans?

Shredded Beef Tacos
I question the person who actually needs a recipe for beef tacos as they seem mighty straight forward to me, but still…the photo of these Shredded Beef Tacos look really good. And it has nutrition information. The good news? 39 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. The bad news? 738mg of sodium. Eek.

The 25 Best Burgers in the U.S.
I stumbled across this slide show of the 25 best burgers in the U.S. earlier this week. Everything from In-and-Out burgers to several restaurants in New York City that are famous for their burger offerings. I’ve never had any of them, but honestly? I’m a little partial to my own burgers made with beef I helped care for. Or maybe it’s just that I’m partial to lounging while eating my burgers instead of sitting in uncomfortable restaurant chairs!