Days 30, 31, and 32

OK. We fell off the wagon a little this weekend. Not a lot, just a little bit. Not to make excuses, but it wasn't entirely our fault. I'll admit, I started it. I was so incredibly exhausted on Friday night! I cooked some supper, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. I staggered into the sunroom to tell Dennis "Time for bed." and left the kitchen a slight mess.

During the night, we lost power. This presents some problems for the average NH resident, mainly because no power = no water, and no heat. We decided the house was freezing and went out for breakfast. When we got home, the power was still out. By the time it finally came on I had about 35 minutes to shower and get myself out the door for my work commitment. I left Dennis with a job. Clean the kitchen, and bathrooms. After I left - you guessed it - power went out again. This put a little bit of a strain on our cleaning plans... water is more important than you may think!

Anyways, we ended up getting the cleaning done on Sunday. No problem. While I was at orchestra rehearsal, Dennis was supposed to grocery shop. Well, apparently our grocery store closes early on Sundays. He could have gone to another one, and spent an extra $40, but he wisely picked up a salad for me to take to work on Monday and came home.

Long story longer, I had to grocery shop after work today. Blah. I hate doing that.

Bright side? I made a great dinner! (Forgot to take a picture... I'll take a picture of the leftovers!!)

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy - source, Cooking Light

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions - omit salt and fat. Drain.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add steak and saute 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan, cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.

Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan and cook until warmed thoroughly, about 1-2 minutes.

Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.

Yields 4 servings.

Calories: 344, Fat 12.5g, Protein 273g, Carb 28.7g, Fiber 1.7g, Cholesterol 95mg, Iron, 4.3mg, Sodium 538mg

It was delicious! A new favorite!

How did your weekend shake out? Did you let your house get away from you a bit? Did you get back on the wagon like me? :)