Here's the Beef

One step outdoors, and I was sure: it is DEFINITELY September. The first cool day of the year is always a shock to me. I hate cold weather.

The only antidote to chilly weather is, well, chili. Or beef stew. For those of us vigilantly watching carb intake, the idea of making beef stew seems like the impossible dream. It is, after all, mostly potatoes.

Remedy: Skip the potatoes. Replace them with button mushrooms. Believe me, it tastes much better, and you'll wonder why you ever used potatoes in the first place. Oh, and the nutritional value of mushrooms vs. potatoes ... do I really have to expound on that?

We made slow-cooker beef stew last week and froze half of it to eat this weekend.

Obviously, you can use any recipe. Here's what we did:

McCormick's slow cooker beef stew seasoning packet (high in sodium, so don't add much salt)
1 pound of any lean cut of beef, cut into pieces and pounded out with a meat tenderizer
5 cups of carrots, celery, onions, button mushrooms, and any vegetable you like
A crock-pot with some water in it (figure it out. This isn't brain surgery.)
salt and pepper to taste (did I mention the seasoning packet is pretty salty?)

The stew was full of flavor and devoid of guilt.

This post is full of ingredients and devoid of updates.

So, let's get down to business. How is the shred going? Just fine, thank you. My arms, back, legs, and muscles I never knew existed, are sore. I think I have a sprained earlobe muscle from listening to Jillian's merciless reminders that "You don't get to have a 20-minute workout and take a break!" In addition to the shred, I am (supposedly) doing strength training at the gym 4 or 5 times a week.

I said "supposedly" because I have to admit that the past week was not my best. I was sick Monday, and my birthday was Wednesday. I am back on track now, though.

Last night, I ran through an amazing legs routine at the gym. I am up to 90 pounds on the leg press, 50 pounds on leg extensions, and 40 pounds on the ... lying on stomach, backwards leg curl thingy. I never can remember what it's called, but it is killer on glutes. I do a circuit of 12 reps on each machine, 3 times. As recommended by this month's "Shape" magazine, I move immediately from one to the next, with no rest until the set is finished.

Then I went home and spent 30 minutes on the shred. No, scratch that. I caved before it was completely finished.

I hope it pays off. Tomorrow is my 2nd weigh-in.