I really liked how my ragu turned out, considering I just threw stuff in the pot and kept my fingers crossed!  I started out with 3 strips of bacon, chopped, until the fat rendered a bit, about 5 minutes.  Then I threw in container of sliced mushrooms, and cooked those down for about 7 minutes.  Then I added a rounded tablespoon of minced garlic and 1/2 small can of tomato paste and scraped all the bits on the bottom of the pan, just a few minutes until the tomato paste became fragrant.  Then I added two cans of whole peeled tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, cracked pepper and salt. 

Once the tomatoes were starting to soften, I added the ground veal.  Now, I don’t like chunky sauces (huge chunks of tomatoes) so I mistakenly pureed everything at the end.  Next time I will puree everything, THEN add the ground veal.  But it was still good!

Even Hannah liked the sauce! But I didn't tell her there was mushrooms and veal in it! :D
Even Hannah liked the sauce! But I didn't tell her there was mushrooms and veal in it! 😀

I decided I needed a textured noodle for this sauce and picked this up:

I really like this brand
I really like this brand
So good! Dinner comes in at 555 calories, 14 fat and 65 carbs
So good! Dinner comes in at 555 calories, 14 fat and 65 carbs

My plate is 1 cup of pasta, 1/2 cup of sauce, 1 ounce of Italian bread with a pat of butter and garlic salt, and a glass of wine. 😀 

Veal Ragu ala Biz

  • 3 slices bacon, chopped
  • One 8 ounce package sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 can tomato paste
  • Two 28 ounce canned peeled whole tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
not only do I like the taste of this wine - I love the name! :D
not only do I like the taste of this wine - I love the name! 😀

So after dinner I took Ed on a walk – it was still in the upper 50’s when I took him for a walk!  The only problem with the weather getting nicer is the kids driving golf carts and mini-bikes.  I’ll never forget when we moved out here when Hannah was in 4th grade, and as I am walking her to the bus stop, all these kids were riding their mom’s in their golf carts while the mom’s juggled drinking out of a coffee mug!  

Love the blue sky!!!!
Love the blue sky!!!!

And I also got some more blog loot!  Shannon at Tri to Cook  sent me quinoa!   She couldn’t stand the price of my quinoa where I live (um, $11.95 a pound!) and sent me two packages from Whole Foods along with a cute note and HOT SAUCE!  Shannon – it is spicy, but flavorful spicy, which I absolutely love!  I’ll have to toggle between this and Tabasco for a while.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Can't wait to use the quinoa!!
Can't wait to use the quinoa!!

So by the time I got back from Ed’s walk, we had the Office to watch and then Hell’s Kitchen.  Who else watches Hell’s Kitchen?  I just think its funny that the two weakest people in my opinion (Ben and Andrea) are both so confident they are going to win!  Anyone can cook, but not everyone can run a restaurant.  I’ve worked in high end restaurants for about 10 of my 41 years, and if you can’t make it in the kitchen during service, you have no business being there.

Stats for the Day:

  • 1476 calories
  • 44 fat
  • 154 carbs
  • 12 fiber (still need to work on that!)
  • 97 protein
  • 35 minute elliptical before work
  • Day 16 of 30 shred – done!
  • 10 minutes treadmill cool down after shred
  • 30 minute walk with Ed after dinner
  • = 95 minutes of exercise today!

Tomorrow is Friday already!  This week went by fast.  Off to get ready for bed – see you tomorrow!