It's Fluffy Friday Lazy Cooks - CJ's Pot Roast

Welcome to Fluffy Friday and another fabulous recipe from CJ Ellisson.

Today’s installment will be referred to in the history annals as “C.J. Used to Hate Pot Roast”.

Perhaps it’s my Jewish background of overcooked meats served by my depression-area grandmother… or eating at friend’s houses and smiling through the dry, stringy meats, I don’t know. But, I can tell you the grayish colored over-cooked meats have never been my favorite. Don’t even get me started on the salt-tastic dish of cornbeef *shudder*.

All of this changed when I discovered the most magical thing stored in a glass jar: Bubbie Jeanne’s Brisket Magic. It truly is maigic and it’s gluten free—that’s what sold me on trying it. Don’t ask me exactly what cut of meat a brisket is, I have no freakin’ idea. I went to the store and bought a cut that said it was good for a pot roast.

Directions:

Brown pot roast on the stove on all sides (trim off extra fat)

Place in slow cocker with jar of sauce, add a cup of water

Cook on low for six hours or so, high for 4 1/2. (this is gauged by the weight of your roast, so read the package)

If you are home at the ¾ point of cooking, toss in some potatoes and carrots. If not, get some Bob Evans mashed potatoes from the supermarket and some fresh veggies on the side.

This stuff is like magic! You could put that sauce on any vegetable and my kids will eat it. Not the over-cooked, mushy veggies of our family’s past, but tender ones that still have some vitamins left in them.

This was such a hit I sent my husband back to the store weeks later to buy more. Since he is the crappiest searcher in the world, he couldn’t find it and I almost cried. I forgot to write the name down and I was in a panic.

Thankfully, when I went back immediately, the burly man stocking shelves understood what I was looking for and said it was an “in and out” product, meaning they would never carry it again. He led me to the remaining five jars, which I quickly bought every one (screw you, my lazy neighbors! You missed out! Bahahaha….).

But in honor of this segment today (and to make sure I can find it again), I did some research. Here is the website for Bubbie Jeannes, and here are the stores you can buy it at if you are lucky enough to live in the Mid-Atlantic region (if not try the website. I plan to order from them direct or Wholefoods because these stores are all too far away from me):

BRADLEY FOOD & BEVERAGE


6904 ARLINGTON ROAD
BETHESDA, MD 20814


http://bradleyfood.com/



BROAD BRANCH MARKET


5608 BROAD BRANCH ROAD NW
WASHINGTON DC


http://www.broadbranchmarket.com/



BUTHER'S BLOCK


302 HARRY S. TRUMAN PARKWAY
ANNAPOLIS, MD 21401


http://www.thebutchersblock.net/



CHEVY CHASE SUPERMARKET


8531 CONNECTICUT AVENUE
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
301-656-5133


http://www.chevychasesupermarket.com/



DAVID'S NATURAL MARKET


5430 LYNX LANE
COLUMBIA, MD

 
WWW.DAVIDSNATURALMARKET.COM'S 



EDDIE'S OF ROLAND PARK


5113 ROLAND AVENUE
BALTIMORE, MD 21210


6213 NORTH CHARLES STREET
BALTIMORE, MD 21212
http://www.eddiesofrolandpark.com/



GOURMET AGAIN


3713 Old Court Road
Pikesville, MD 21208-3902
(410) 484-9393


http://gourmetagain.com/



GRAUL'S MARKET


12200 Tullamore Road
Lutherville, MD 21093


http://graulsmarket.com/default.aspx



GRAUL'S MARKET


7713 Bellona Avenue 
Towson, MD 21204


http://graulsmarket.com/default.aspx



GRAUL'S MARKET


1388 Cape St. Claire Road
Annapolis, MD 21409


http://graulsmarket.com/default.aspx



GROSVENOR MARKET


10401 Grosvenor Pl # 2
Rockville, MD 20852-4646
(301) 493-6217


http://www.grosvenormarket.com/



ROOTS MARKET


5805 Clarksville Square Drive
 Clarksville, MD 21029




WHOLE FOODS MARKETS  
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/


I sincerely hope you enjoy it! Please comment if you’ve tried this product or if you have based on this post and what you thought of it.

Toodles!

SMALL STEPS

Today I’m welcoming Jess Macallan to our Fluffy Friday. Isn't she adorable? I’m thrilled because she has some fantastic suggestions for making small changes in our lives. Seriously, these I can handle. Take it away, Jess.

I’m excited to be here today! Boone was nice enough to let me geek out *cough* I mean chat about healthy ideas for those of us chained to our computers most days of the week. I’m a yoga teacher and nutrition student, but haven’t always had a good grasp on my health. I’ve had to get smart about what I eat and how I move and would love to share my small steps with you.

I’ll start with food because writers need the right kind of fuel to keep those creative juices going. I eat a lot of small meals throughout the day otherwise my blood sugar tanks and my family runs to the bunker. It’s not pretty. My go-to snacks are:

·         Apple slices with a tablespoon of peanut butter. You get a serving of fruit and healthy fats. (Yes, the right kind of fats can be good for you!)

·         Kale chips. I make my own with a little olive oil and sea salt. You get a serving of veggies, more healthy fats and sea salt contains trace minerals our bodies need.

·         Turkey rolls. I’m a big fan of keeping things simple, so I’ll wrap julienned veggies in a slice of turkey, or turn it into a lettuce wrap. The carbohydrates from the veggies and the protein from the turkey are just what your creative brain needs to churn out your best work.

·         Homemade trail mix. Add nuts like almonds and cashews, dried fruit, whole wheat pretzels and chocolate chips (dark chocolate if you can find it). If you’re counting calories, put your portions in Ziploc bags or small Tupperware containers so you can grab and go without worrying about blowing your calorie budget.

Movement is another matter. I’m content to sit at my computer while my elliptical gathers dust. Lots of dust. But as a yoga teacher, I know better. Plus, my back and shoulders start protesting quickly. We don’t all have access to a gym, nor do we need special equipment to keep our bodies health. Here are a few ideas to get you moving:

·         Use commercial breaks to your advantage. Those few minutes are perfect for time on the treadmill or a little yoga. Go to Yoga Journal to search for poses that best fit your body’s needs (i.e. bad back, carpel tunnel, neck problems, etc.)

·         Take a dance break. If you listen to music while you write, get up and dance to a few songs. You might even shake and shimmy a few great ideas loose. *winks*

·         Walk with your characters. A 30 minute walk is the perfect time to chat with your characters, work through a plot hole, or brainstorm your next best seller.

·         Enlist help. One of my favorite websites to jump start your way to health is Spark People. They offer eating plans, exercise and nutrition info, challenges, and so much more. Best of all, it’s free!

Writers have the incredible self-discipline to produce novels. If you channel some of that self-discipline for your health, it will be easily within your grasp. The main thing to remember is that small changes can have a BIG impact. Create 1 or 2 new habits a week and see where it takes you. Dancing and apple slices anyone?

As a writer, what’s your biggest health challenge?

Thanks so much for letting me stop by to chat! I hope you’ll connect with me on | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | JessMacallan |

Get your copy of STONE COLD SEDUCTION at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books On Board | Powell's | BAM | Diesel

About STONE COLD SEDUCTION

“Elle. It’s just Elle.”

When a regular night of Robin Hood-ery results in the manifestation of some, um, unusual paranormal abilities, perfume-maker Elleodora Fredricks realizes the normal world she lives in isn’t quite… normal. And neither is she, thanks to her father, king of the shadow elves. Not only is he evil incarnate and the reason Elle moonlights as a burglar—someone has to take care of all his victims—he’s stolen her memories.

And only reading her fate can fix that.

Good thing she’s got a trio of hotties willing to help her find said fate. Saving her oracle BFF’s fiancée, falling in love with the gargoyle, and making up for breaking the phoenix’s heart ought to be a piece of cake for the princess of the shadow elves.

If only the king didn’t want his daughter dead…

About Jess Macallan

Jess lives in the Inland Northwest with her husband and three children. She thrives on creative chaos. Curiosity drives her to try new things as often as possible. When not writing or chasing trouble, she teaches yoga, reads, runs a mini farm, watches MMA and gardens. The only things she takes seriously are chocolate, tea and world domination. But mostly chocolate.

Fluffy Friday Lazy Cooks

Boone: Welcome back to Fluffy Friday. Thanks for joining CJ and I for a spectacular new feature we plan on doing together: Lazy Cooks.

CJ: Yup, you read that right. We might invite other bloggers in to share, too.

Boone: We’ll see, we're kind of lazy.

CJ: I love to eat...

Boone: Dude!

CJ: And I try to eat healthy, most of the time

Boone: Uh, yeah, right. Me, too.

CJ: But with this current writing gig, two kids, a house to manage, a small company to run, and a husband who eats like two men… well, let’s just say their aren’t enough hours in the day.

Boone: OMG, I have a writing gig, two kids, and a husband. No small business but I do have a fish.

CJ: Fish? Those are work. Change the water… feed them… Hey, what happened to the puppies? Hope you didn’t get too hungry and they wound up in a stew pot! Just kidding folks, we’re not that lazy or hungry.

Boone: Puppy stew. *taps chin in contemplation* Intriging.

CJ: I don’t know about you, but I hate scrambling at the last minute—I often wind up grabbing solid hunks of meat out of the freezer wondering how long it will take to defrost them in the microwave.

Boone: I hear ya. I really hate trying to base a whole meal around stale popcorn.

C.J.: LOL! Sounds like a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special ;-)

Okay, the next time you’re feeling lazy, try this one on for size, it’s my latest Lazy Cooker discovery, and I think I’ll be making it again real soon:

Pork a la Marinara

Ingredients:

Two defrosted Tenderloins (because they were frozen together)

1 jar of good marinara sauce (not Prego or some other crap, spend two bucks more if you can afford it and buy a fancy jar)

Directions:

Place pork in slow cooker, add marinara sauce to it and about ½ to one cup or so of water.

Cook on low for six hours or so, until meat is done.

** Note, to set this up when you are out of the house, try getting a timer for your slow cooker if it doesn’t have one installed. No, the meat will not go bad sitting in the cooker for a few hours, relax. Heck, you’re cooking it for a long time, everything will die, it will be safe to eat (unless you are in a tropical climate, but if you are why are you using a slow cooker? Make them eat a salad with meat on it and tell them to shut up or they can cook).

Serving Suggestions: Side veggies and pasta. We had pasta left over so I put some sauce on and heated it up in the microwave. Yes, you can save leftover pasta. Nothing gets thrown out at our house unless it’s gone bad. Toss the leftover patsa will olive oil while it’s still hot and it won’t stick together in a big messy lump in the ziplock bag in the fridge.

Bam! You’re done.

Boone: This sounds so good I'm actually getting up to go dig through my freezer and find a hunk of frozen meat. Thanks for an amazing meal, CJ!!!