Matador Ranch

The second part of our trip last we went to Matador Ranch – which is about two hours from the border of Oklahoma.  This ranch was founded in 1882 by five Scotsman who bought 1.5 MILLION acres of land.  In the 1950’s,  Fred C. Koch, co-founder of what has now become Koch Industries, Inc., formed Matador Cattle Company.   The ranch has award-winning livestock, including Akaushi (Japanese Red) cattle, which is known for its quality marbling and taste, and Hereford-Angus cows, which are prized for their breeding traits and resilience.  In 2008 they built a state of the art lodge that has guest rooms for visitors.  I thought it was interesting because I used one of the bathrooms in one of the guest rooms and on the mirror it had a little note that said “please ask the front desk for rags to clean your guns and boots – don’t use the guest towels.”

This cattle ranch relies heavily on their horses – the ranch manager who was with us actually called the horses “athletes.”  We couldn’t get very close to the cows – they startle easily and wherever we were, they were on the opposite side of the pen!

It was really hot that afternoon – about 100 degrees.  The cows didn’t seem to mind though!  They had each other and their water source, so they were happy.  I haven’t finished reading all the comments about the growth hormones from yesterday’s post, but one thing that struck me about both the Feed Center and the Ranch is that these people TRULY care about what they do and how they take care of the animals.  While this is a business and the end result is that these cattle will be slaughtered to feed us, the time, at least at the two centers we visited, the cows spend at the ranch and feed yard they are well taken care of.  That being said, I am glad I didn’t have to see the final step in their journey.  I’ll just pick it up at my grocery store, thank you very much.

I have to give a HUGE thank you to these lovely ladies who put all this together.  From travel, logistics, making sure we were at the right place at the right time – sadly, I cannot for the life of me remember the girl in the blonde hair – and I am usually so good with names!  In order . . . Shelley, Meredith, Brittnee (Karli help me out with her name) Nikki and Karli.

And here’s me, hanging with cows!  I was sporting spf 30, but my neck still ended up getting burned – gah!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel for our nice dinner (where I had a coffee crusted filet!) . . . that will be on tomorrows post!

Speaking of beef, look for this cut of beef next time you are at the store.  Tony isn’t the biggest fan of red meat anymore, so this package works perfect for me – each one weighs about 3-4 ounces and is super flavorful – just a bit of salt and pepper to kick it up a notch.  Not bad that each steak costs just under $1.25!  This is also a very lean cut of beef.

I ended up making a breakfast hash with diced potato, egg white and a seared steak.  On the side – the best fruit ever – raspberries, blackberries and watermelon.  I love summer fruit!

It was rainy out so I went to the gym.  I follow a woman named #bitesizedfitness and she had a contest a couple weeks ago to have her train you – um, 1500 people entered and I didn’t win.  However, she is providing workout routines so yesterday I did upper body and then had time to walk 2.2 miles.  Holy cow am I a bit sore today, but I have to get back into the strength training.

Lunch was more leftover Greek yogurt, although I forgot my veggies at home.  On the side – more fruit!

It was still crappy when I got home from work, so grilling was out the door and I ended up making my spring time risotto with bay scallops.   I may have gone a bit crazy with the chopped parsley!

The Matador Ranch gave us a nice swag bag as we were leaving.  I think Tony is just happy to have a manly coffee cup in the house again!

Time to meet another one of the women I met last week.  Here is a small world.  We were actually at the same event in October, but for some reason or another didn’t connect there.  We happened to be sitting next to each other at the first dinner, and she lived in Oak Park for 10 years AND we went to the same college at the same time.  She, however graduated, I did not.  Not only is she a Registered Dietician, she’s also a Certified Diabetes Educator – when I told her I was diabetic she shouted “I love diabetes!”  Ha!  She considers herself “The Guild-Free RD” – “because food shouldn’t make you feel bad.”  I couldn’t agree more!  It was nice to meet you Melissa!   You can check out Melissa Joy’s Website Here.

Alright, time to get my shit together for the day – its another icky day out – so I’ll be hitting up the gym again today – today is legs!   Make it a great day!

Disclaimer: This trip was provided to me free from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to review for the blog. All opinions are my own.