Lean Crock Pot Roast Idea and a Cool Contest

I was shopping for my Sunday dinner, thinking about what I wanted to make, and had an idea. I thought about my beef stew recipe, and how the flank steak just fell apart like pot roast. Since roasts are so fatty, I thought I would try a pot roast with flank steak, which is super lean, and only one point for each ounce, cooked.

I cut up onions, potatoes, and mushrooms, and lined the bottom of the crock pot with half of the onions. I put the trimmed flank steak on top, and put baby carrots and the rest of the cut up veggies on top. I added one can of golden mushroom soup, which is like 80 calories a serving, and 1/2 packet of onion soup mix, and about 2 T Ranch seasoning mix. I also added about 3-4 cans of water. However, for seasoning, you could do whatever you wanted.

I turned the crock pot on low for 8 hours and it turned out great! Since the meat is so lean, it does need a bit of the gravy on top, but the meat just falls apart. Great lean option for a nice comfort-food dinner.
(Sorry about the blurry photo, I turned the flash off to get the right color.)

Contest:

I entered the Mary Lou's Weigh Platform Giveaway!

Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Decided to look into my recipe archives and post another favorite! I love Beef Stroganoff. This recipe is is one of my favorites- it doesn't taste low calorie/fat at all! And it is sooo easy.

4 (HUGE) Servings/5 pts ea.

4 T Onion Soup Mix
2 sm. onions, chopped
2 10 oz. packages sliced mushrooms
1 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed and chopped
1 1/2 C fat-free sour cream
2 t. cornstarch

Spray medium/large skillet with nonstick spray. Brown steak and remove from pan. Spray pan again with nonstick spray. Saute onions and mushrooms until soft.
Add meat to vegetables, and stir in the onion soup mix. Heat till bubbly, then add sour cream a little at a time, until meat is done.
If sauce is too thin, add corn starch and stir till it reaches your desired consistancy.

Serve over whole wheat/high fiber pasta. (Will need to add points)

Awesome Beef Stew

I wanted to make something in my crockpot this week, so I looked through one of my recipe books, Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly. I found a recipe called Best Everyday Stew by Elizabeth L. Richards and it turned out amazing! The only thing I did differently was add mushrooms. Using flank steak was a brilliant idea because it is leaner than stew meat, and it falls apart to have a sort of pot roast feel in this recipe. Tons of meat in each serving. I also added a bit more garlic.
My husband loved it!

8 Servings/5 Pts. ea.
Serving Size: 1 1/3 C


2 1/4 lbs. flank steak
8 small red potatoes, chopped into 1" pieces
10 baby carrots
sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large clove garlic, chopped or more if you like
1 med-lg onion, chopped
1 C peas
3 ribs celery, cut into 1" pieces
3 C cabbage, chopped
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1-2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
1.2 t dried marjoram
1 T dried parsely
2 C water
4 cubes or t. beef buillon
2-3 T Cornstarch or Flour mixed into 1/4 C water

Trim flank steak of fat. Cut into 1 1/2 chunks. Brown slowly in large skillet. Chop potatoes and other veggies. Combine all ingredients in large slow-cooker. Cover. Cook on high for one hour, then turn to low and cook for 9 more hours. About an hour before it's done, mix cornstarch or flour with water till smooth, and pour into crockpot. Stir and recover.

(Note: I didn't have time for 10 hours cooking, so I cooked it on high for 2 hours, and then turned to low for 6 hours and it came out perfectly.

French Dip Sandwiches

I made these last night for dinner, and thought of taking a picture when I was half done with mine. Didn't think anyone would want to see that. :)
The trick to making these lower calorie is the roll. At Trader Joes they have a par-baked panini roll that is only 2 pts. It's not huge, but with plenty of meat, it makes a great sandwich.

Flank or Sirloin Steak (cooked, trimmed of visible fat, is 1 pt. per oz.)
1 Onion Soup mix
1 au jus gravy mix
2 C water
1 Baking Bag

Put steak in baking bag. Mix water, soup mix, and gravy mix together. Pour over the steak. Close the baking bag, and poke some holes in the top. Bake at 325 till done to your liking. You might want to use a meat thermometer, because I have a tendency to overcook mine.
Once the meat is done, slice thin across the grain. I measure out 3 or 4 oz. and put it on the roll. You can add light mayo or cheese if you would like, but I like mine plain. Pour the liquid out of the baking bag into your dipping containers and there you have it. My husband and I love this recipe!