I’ve declared this month NO DONUT DECEMBER — even baked donuts! Leading up to the holidays, junk food, sweets, treats, parties, and get-togethers galore swamp people’s schedules. And with my recent IT band *issue*, I know I can’t undo too much damage by way of exercise. At least for now. 🙁
Saturday night is my work holiday party. Next Wednesday I planned a happy hour for my staff. Next Thursday is the hospital CEO’s shin-dig at her home. And…that’s just the next 7 days. As much as I love being social, it can often come with some struggles when it comes to calories and over-indulging.
It’s therefore a wee ironic that no one wants to talk about healthy recipes this time of year. The blog…it’s like a ghost town. No traffic, few comments, no emails. But, I won’t give up hope. Healthy dinners are never out the window in my kitchen and I know I’m not alone. At least I think I’m not alone 😉 Waiting until the new year to eat healthy is not a good plan (most of us have been there…most of us don’t learn). The next few weeks could surely set back your weight loss or health goals by weeks, and possibly even months. #notworthit
It’s tough, I know. I mean, I have a Pinterest board with Christmas Baking List pinned and planned. I have about 20 holiday tins that will, undoubtedly, all be filled with goodies…to share. And sample, too, of course. I mean, who doesn’t love holiday sweets? It’s one of the things I love most about this time of year (and consequently, you will be seeing some sugar around here in the coming weeks!).
I think what people love about the holidays and the goodies is how comforting it all can be. There’s something about gingerbread and garland that makes you feel like you’re receiving a big warm hug all December long. I mean…that’s special.
Luckily, comfort comes from a lot of places.
By way of food, roasts and the crock pot come to mind. I ran across this recipe and as a lover of all things containing balsamic vinegar, I knew I had to try it. I swapped out the traditional (and ohhhh so yummy, but high in fat) chuck roast for a round roast which is much, much leaner – less than 10% fat. With a low and slow cooking time, this comfort food is very kind to the waistline…a very important thing, especially this time of year when temptation lurks around every corner.
- 3 lbs lean, boneless beef roast (round, sirloin, etc.)
- Garlic powder, to taste
- ½ tsp salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh sage leaves or a sprinkle of dry rubbed sage
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup dry red wine
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 (15 oz) can low-sodium beef broth
- Sprinkle beef with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a large skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil until rippling and hot. Add the beef and sear on both sides until well-browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer roast to the crock pot.
- On top of the beef, add the sliced onion, carrots, and potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and turn the crock pot to low. Cook roast for 8-10 hours.
- Remove roast and "shred" the meat using 2 forks into large pieces; return to crock pot to keep hot and moist. Serve with vegetables.
I play with my new hockey team tonight — outdoors! 😀 Glad it’s not going to be too, too cold. Ease my lungs into huffing and puffing in the Michigan chill!
Be well,
You are such a rockstar! Have fun with your new hockey team!
Definitely not just your blog! I think people are still exhausted for thanksgiving cooking!at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
Also, this post couldn’t have come at a better time. I just found out I’ve gained weight since my last PP appt. and here I had convinced myself that since I’m breastfeeding the weight would just fall off. Not the case, guess I’ll have to eat right and exercise. This pot roast sounds delish!
Hi Nicole! This looks great. I am super behind in reading and commenting on every blog I follow, but I wanted to say this looks great and I can’t wait to look back through your last few weeks. I’ve been busy getting married, honeymooning, then Thanksgivinging, and now I am finally trying to get back into a regular routine.
I miss the “Results” section of your recipes. I always found that really useful!
Thank you for this, it looks delicious and I am going to try it this week. I really appreciate the tip on the leaner cut of meat because I don’t always know which cuts are best. I find that cooking fatty meats in the crock pot can be yucky because they just stew in all that fat. Thanks again.
Neither of us in my house has been very good about the healthy eating lately–we’re both very stressed and it’s super cold here, so we both just want to hunker down and eat junk food! Working on it, though!