Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

I can't believe I haven't posted this easy recipe before because it's one of our super easy go-to meals when we're in a pinch. 

Here's a peak at my finished product. Don't mind the poor quality of these photos from my phone - my camera battery was charging. They are way more tasty than the photos make them look.

 

Start with 1 pound of lean {grass fed if possible} ground beef

Brown the meat, then drain it

Stir in the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. That's it!

Post simmering

 

 I used a tortilla (heated for 30 seconds in the microwave) and it was delish! We've also used sandwich rounds and regular bread too - it works with whatever your preference is. 

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tsp yellow mustard

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp brown sugar

Dash powdered onion

Dash powdered garlic

Dash parsley

Pepper to taste

Brown meat. Once the meat is browned, drain it, then  put it back in your skillet and stir in all ingredients and let it all simmer for 30 minutes. It'll thicken up a bit as it simmers. That's really it. It's also dairy free which is important for my diet these days.

We've had many gray days lately and a huge cool down yesterday equipped with snow flurries! It's looking like a spring week ahead in the 50's and 60's, so we can't complain. 

I'm still enjoying our budding trees and watching the growth each day. I may be a nerd, but it's very fascinating. 

Today's Nature Pinspiration:

(source)

Girls Night

I was so thankful to see some friends this weekend. Since moving each year for the past few years, it had been a few years since I had seen some of these girls! They are dear friends from elementary school, high school, and college. We did some shopping and caught up on life happenings - it was wonderful.


Check out my bargain stash from the Forever 21 Accessories store at the Mall of America:

Hair clips: $1.50

Earrings: $2.80

Necklace: $2.80

We also enjoyed dinner at French Meadow Bakery and Cafe in Minneapolis. 

I was able to get a dairy free meal and even a dairy free piece of turtle chocolate cake. I just learned they were the first bakery in the country to be certified organic which is pretty cool. They have great food and lots of vegan, gluten free and vegetarian options.

It was SO great to catch up with these girls.

I also got to feel Maggie's baby Hudson kick which I loved! It always amazes me there's really a little human in there. 


I haven't mentioned it yet, but I got really sick last weekend. We're thinking it may have been food poisoning, but it was awful, and I was unable to keep anything (food or liquids) down. I got really weak. It took about 5 days to really get back to my normal self, so I was so glad I had regained my energy for some mall walking with the girls. 


Now we're enjoying a rainy (and stormy) quiet Sunday at home before the work week starts. 

I also just noticed today that one of our trees is sprouting flower buds! I can't wait to see how it looks when it blossoms. 

Today's friend Pinspiration:

(source)

I hope your weekend has been a restful one!

A Downtown Morning

I love to people watch. Downtowns are great too as some people are rushing to get to work, some are on the phone appearing to already have started their work day on the bus. Some look confident, some seem hectic. Some are rushing their kids to childcare, others are on their morning run. I got to enjoy it all from my comfy chair at Caribou this morning.

I rushed by this coffee shop window many times and today, was able to sit and enjoy a cup of {amazing} fruity oolong iced tea and watch the world {ok.. Minneapolis...} rush by outside the window. 

It's the same thing I dream of doing in Paris someday - sitting at a coffee shop watching the world go by outside the window. 

After a little bit, it started raining. I was thoroughly entertained by seeing who walked calmly under their umbrella and who looked ridiculous trying to keep dry without an umbrella. I was one of those unfortunate souls without an umbrella looking ridiculous trying to stay dry too. 

It was beautiful though, I hope I continue to make time to sit and watch the world go by - it's very inspiring. 

Today's {tea} Pinspiration:

(source)

My Favorite Dairy Free Products So Far

Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar 
I was SO excited to find this chocolate bar without dairy! Soy milk saved my day with this one. I love dark chocolate. 

 Plus, I feel closer to the Ghirardelli brand since we visited Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco about a year and a half ago...

Archer Farms Black Pepper & Sea Salt Chips
These are awesome. I was so sad to learn that one of my all-time favorite chips - salt and vinegar - have milk! At least the ones I've seen so far. These salt and pepper ones are dairy free and very tasty.



Almond Milk
It's great and has calcium (which can be lacking in a dairy free diet). I can bake my own goods using this as milk. I've mostly had this milk with cereal but it's good and has been growing me - it's thicker than the skim or 1% milk I was used to, but seems to be alright!

So Delicious Yogurt
Of course I love the chocolate yogurt (with a hint of coconut = awesome), but also enjoyed the vanilla and blueberry flavors I've tried so far! Coconut milk is an awesome substitute for dairy milk.




So Delicious Ice Cream
This has grown on me and I think the coconut milk base makes it taste more fresh now to me than dairy ice cream. I've only tried this chocolate one, but I'm curious to try other flavors.



Kettlecorn
I have been loving this "kettle korn"(I feel awkward writing korn...) lately and it's dairy free too. Most at the grocery store have butter, so I'm thankful for this option. I like that it's slightly sweet and slightly salty at the same time too.



Tortilla wraps
I've been having fun with these - adding walnuts, crasins, hot sauce, mustard, or different salad dressings. I like the Archer Farms Whole Wheat Tortillas (dairy free).

Amy's frozen meals 
I like that she makes dairy and gluten free options! Super easy and tasty.





Soup
I like soups for an easy lunch too - I just have to scour the ingredients to be sure dairy isn't hiding in there somewhere. 

 

Market Pantry Oreos 
Who would have thought oreos don't have dairy in the filling? Not healthy by any means, but it's nice that both Nick and I can share a snack that's dairy free.

Back to Nature Peanut Butter Cookies
So I obviously have a sweet tooth... these cookies are awesome and dairy free too.



Thomas Bagel Thins
These are one of the few breads I've found without dairy. I like them toasted with peanut butter and jelly.

Larabar
The ingredients in these still amazes me. Obviously no dairy or weird ingredients lurking around in these tasty bars.



Rice Thins
These have grown on me too. Slightly salty and good when I need to get a quick yet filling snack.



Rice cakes
I like these lightly salted rice cakes - another easy snack when I need something quick and filling. Good when I need to take medicine with food too.



This is just a snippet as I learn what I can eat dairy free. Of course, fruits and veggies are game too! At restaurants, I've been doing mostly salads since it's easier to have dairy free options with salads. At some point when I get more comfortable with what all is dairy free, I may branch out when I'm out to eat, but at least wanted to share/document what I've found so far! 


As you can probably tell, my cooking and baking has slowed WAY down since our move to MN, and even more with my diet change. SO many of my go-to recipes have cheese or milk or both (which is probably why I had so many more IBS symptoms eating them). I'll get back at it and start having fun in the kitchen again soon. I've started a dairy free board on Pinterest with recipes and dairy free ideas there too.

I like to leave posts with a little Pinterest encouragement lately - here's what I'm liking today.

(source)

Sleep {or Lack Thereof}

First thing's first. I have to introduce you to our new friend, Owlie. 

Does he melt your heart or what?! It was really love at first sight for me when I saw him weeks back at Pier 1. I picked him up this weekend, as he (along with all Easter stuff!) is 25% off now, and I finally own my little Owlie for $5.21. So excited. I like to think he's reminding me to keep my eyes on The Prize - he's such an encouraging friend.

 _ _ _

On a fibro follow up, I saw a rheumatologist this week - my first time seeing one. His first question was "And why are you here today?" and he asked why my doctor sent me to him. "Because we haven't gotten my symptoms under control", I tell him. Ugh. He did give me tips - nothing new really - but reminded me to look at aquatic therapy and urged the importance of a sleep study with the amount fatigue is impacting me. A sleep study doesn't work out right now with the insurance change we're going through - I also learned how crazy expensive they are. It was good to see what he had to say at least.  

On the fatigue/sleep note though, I talked with one of my very best friends last week and she lovingly and thoughtfully helped me think through how hugely fatigue is impacting my life. I'm living at basically half capacity because I have to rest so often and am just always tired. My sleep doesn't make me feel rested which makes me that much more tired the rest of the day, and the day after that, and after that, etc. I pretty much haven't felt rested for more than a few days at a time in {lots of} years. That can somewhat surprisingly lead to increased pain and lots of other symptoms I deal with.

She told me about an over the counter sleep aid which made me excited about the fact that something may be able to give me restful sleep and not in prescription form. I checked with my pharmacist and she suggested these Melatonin pills (I found them at Target) as the side effects are less than other sleep aids and are still ok with my other medications.

I've taken them the past two nights and get this: I woke up refreshed both mornings. It took me a few minutes to realize the usual pain throughout my head (like it's being squeezed from all sides) was gone and I actually didn't feel so bad. I still had shoulder and neck pain, but I'll take any relief from symptoms I can get. It was lovely. It didn't last the entire day for me as the fatigue came back later in the day, but if you experience extreme fatigue or difficulty getting restful sleep, you may want to ask your pharmacist or doctor about it. It doesn't look like it's suggested to take long term, but worth checking out.

I snapped a photo in the natural daylight after an interview last week too. It feels like one of those attorney photos or something. Not sure why, but it feels official and I kind of like it.

We enjoyed more and more green growth on our walk last week too. It's wonderful.

Here's some Pinspiration for the day:

Source