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Bison and Root Vegetable Crock Pot

Root vegetables like parsnips, rutabagas and beets are often overlooked. Instead, we go for carrots, onions and sweet potatoes.  Why? Familiarity and taste. Depending on where you do your grocery shopping, you might need to rummage around the produce section to find certain root vegetables. Also, many root vegetables have an earthy flavor and may not be as sweet as carrots or sweet potatoes. But if you’re trying to manage your weight, eating earthy root vegetables is a good thing. They won’t leave a sweet and sugary taste in your mouth, which makes you want to eat more high carbohydrate foods. This Bison and Root Vegetable Crock Pot Recipe is high in protein and antioxidants, low in fat and full of flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 pounds bison stew meat, cubed

5 parsnips, chopped

5 golden beets, chopped

3 red potatoes, chopped

3 yellow potatoes, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

10 white and brown mushroom, chopped or left whole

1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, crushed

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tablespoon ground rosemary

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Directions

Chop all vegetables and place in crock pot. Add cubed stew meat and cover with crushed tomatoes, herbs and spices. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

 

 

 

 

Vegetables in the crock pot.

Bison stew meat from Catnip Hollow Bison in Mount Horeb. Thanks, Mark Koeppl. 

Everybody in the pool and covered with herbs and spices.

Served and ready to eat.

Bison and Root Vegetable Crock Pot2019-11-19T10:38:43-06:00

Get Stronger Legs with the Compact Leg Sled

For years I have wanted a quality leg press machine that wasn’t too expensive and didn’t have a big footprint. It had to be solidly built and not a flimsy throw-away piece of exercise equipment. Most importantly, it had to be safe and ergonomically correct to protect the knees and the back. Looks like I found it!  My new compact leg sled is cost effective and doesn’t take up much space. It’s sturdy, like what you expect at a fitness club.  The pressing action is smooth due to the nylon rollers, while the firm seat and backrest are comfortable. There is no compression of the spine as with most inverted leg press machines or hack squats. Lastly, it’s easy to get in and out of the sled.  Watch my 4 minute video and learn how to get stronger legs.

Get Stronger Legs with the Compact Leg Sled2019-11-17T21:56:45-06:00

Mom’s Chili con Carne

Snow is falling outside and the temperatures are dropping, so it’s time to heat things up with my Mom’s Chili con Carne recipe. It’s perfect on a chilly day. Get it? Chilly. Chili. Okay, enough of the puns. As you might know, I am a fan of one-pot meals. You cut stuff up, throw it in a pot, get things brown, lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and walk away. Plus the clean up is easy since it’s just one pot. You can also prepare chili in a crock pot. Unlike baking, this is a forgiving recipe. It’s hard to make a mistake. Depending on what ingredients you have in the refrigerator or the pantry, you can make any number of adjustments. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium-size bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground coriander 

1 tbsp Mexican oregano

2 tbsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1 pound lean ground bison, beef or turkey

1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce or puree

1 can (10 oz) red kidney and/or black and/or red beans, drained and rinsed

½-1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

1 bay leaf

ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup black olives
(optional)

2 scallions, white part thinly sliced; green tops thinly sliced (optional cooked or as garnish)

Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add onions, garlic and meat. Cook until meat is brown stirring occasionally. Add peppers and sauté for a couple minutes. Stir in chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, corn, black olives and green onions.  Add bay leaf. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour.

Ground bison has been browned with onions and garlic in vegetable oil.

Everybody is in the pool. After adding the remaining ingredients, the pot is covered with a lid and simmers until read to eat.

Mom’s Chili con Carne2019-11-06T12:27:58-06:00

Kyle’s Quiche with Broccoli

My oldest son, Kyle, has recently gotten into cooking. And with as much food as my three boys eat, it’s extremely helpful. So why quiche? Egg recipes are a popular dish around my house since we have 15 laying chickens. You might be asking, How did it turn out? Was it edible? As a matter of fact, it was one of the best quiches I ever ate. Kyle knocked this one out of the park. Check out the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup organic broccoli crowns, cut into bite size pieces
6 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 cup sliced mushroom
1 Roma tomato cut into wedges
1 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
*salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Then add broccoli crowns, mushrooms, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, ham, mustard and thyme. Mix thoroughly. Pour into 8 inch baking dish. Lay tomato wedges on top of quiche and sprinkle with paprika. Place in oven and cook uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until set. Quiche should be slightly brown on top.

Kyle’s Quiche with Broccoli2019-08-26T11:08:49-05:00

How to Perform Assisted Dips on a Wall-Mounted Dip/Knee Raise Station

Is it your goal to do bodyweight dips, but you can’t do it yet? Then get some assistance with exercise/resistance bands. Start with the thickest gauge (most assistance) and work your way to the thinnest gauge (least assistance), and you’ll be doing bodyweight dips in no time. Watch my 2-minute video!

How to Perform Assisted Dips on a Wall-Mounted Dip/Knee Raise Station2019-08-06T11:12:06-05:00

Homemade Red Cabbage Slaw

Summer is a great time to eat fresh fruits and veggies from the garden. Sometimes we just pick them off the stem or out of the ground and Munch! Crunch! Heather picked a beautiful, large red cabbage the other day and found a tasty and easy-to-prepare Red Cabbage Slaw recipe on AllRecipes.com. Makes for a great side dish or condiment. If you have a “garden” recipe that you’d like me to share, let me know.

Ingredients
1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped (we used half of one large red cabbage)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup mayonnaise (we used 1/4 cup mayo and some plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon milk, or more as needed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine cabbage, carrot, mayonnaise, cranberries, walnuts, milk, cider vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.

Homemade Red Cabbage Slaw2019-08-05T12:14:17-05:00

Why You Should Stop Going to the Gym

Are you working to develop real functional strength? Trying to recover from injuries or prevent new ones? Looking to add variety to your fitness program? Then stop going to the gym. I did . . . and it worked. Watch my video and see why you might want to hang up your workout gloves and weightlifting belt.

Why You Should Stop Going to the Gym2019-07-24T11:58:35-05:00

Support Wisconsin Public Television’s 44th Auction

How would you like to support Wisconsin Public Television and get a great deal on Personal Training with yours truly? Then be sure to check out the Wisconsin Public Television Online Auction. I have donated a 5 session training package. It can be redeemed as face-to-face workouts, webcam workouts or phone consultations. This year, the WPT Auction will be conducted entirely online from May 1-14 with new items being added daily. So check back often!

Support Wisconsin Public Television’s 44th Auction2019-04-23T09:20:19-05:00

Apple Strudel Recipe

Heather did it again. She took an Apple Strudel dessert recipe from License to Cook Wisconsin Style and made it healthier. And guess what? It turned out great! Here’s the adapted version. Enjoy!

Dough:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups flour
(original recipe called for 1/2 cup butter, which we omitted.)

Filling:
4 cups pared, diced apples
3/4 cup brown sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup white sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, browned (we toasted them in a toaster oven)

Directions:
Mix egg yolks and water. Gradually add flour until dough can be kneaded. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. (The original recipe for the dough called for 2 tablespoons of butter, which we left out. So we had to add a little extra water.) Place dough in covered bowl in a warm place for about one hour. Allowing dough to set makes it roll out easily.

Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and toss together.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out as thin as possible to a square/rectangular shape. Spread the filling. Roll up loosely, jellyroll fashion. Brush with soft butter. Place on a greased baking sheet or into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Apple Strudel Recipe2019-03-17T07:19:10-05:00
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