Crockpot Lovin'

I finally broke down and bought a crock pot. It's sorta like a crack pipe in that once you get a hit, you will never be able to go back (not that I would know). Tonight I made beef stew which can be VERY fattening and overly indulgent. Instead of throwing anything and everything into the pot, I was careful to trim the fat off the meat and buy products with no fat! You can make a SHIT ton of stuff with a crock pot but it might not always be the best for you. There is a website called Skinny Crock Pot that has a ton of recipes that are lighter and but still filling. I will be using this later in the week for more food.
I got brave with this recipe and added cinnamon. I would have never thought to put cinnamon in with beef, carrots, potatoes, and peas but something told me to do it. I don't know, I'm not going to stop genius. I am happy I listened to that little voice because OMFG is it amazing.

Ingredients

1to 1.5 lbs of beef chuck
6 red potatoes quartered
1 can of sweet peas
5 large carrots, peeled, chopped
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
3/4 of a box of non fat, low sodium beef broth

Directions

Layer with potatoes and veggies on the bottom followed by meat and beef broth. Cook for 7-8 hours on high depending on what kind of crock pot you have. Serve in about 1.5 cups per person.

Enjoy!

On the running front: I am doing well and signed up for my first 5k on Thanksgiving. I'm so pumped. I can't wait. I'm running 4 days a week. I'm going to start a new stage in run your butt off this week. I'm pretty pumped. Wish me luck!!