I don’t think my parents lived in constant fear of a catastrophe that would exterminate all grocery stores and hold us hostage in our home. But, they certainly stocked the kitchen pantry and basement deep freezer as if Armageddon could come at any moment. There was a never ending supply of canned, boxed and frozen goods ready for turning into a meal at our house. Or a meal for ten. Maybe even twenty.

I’m pretty sure it’s that aspect of my upbringing that makes the current state of my freezer so satisfying to me. Because it’s packed to the gills with seventy pounds of local, grass-fed beef.

Sheer joy.

About a month ago, one of my radio station co-workers asked me if I was interested in going in on a cow with her. It was being raised in Hugo, Minnesota, about a thirty minute drive from my Minneapolis home. It would be butchered just down the street. We’d pick it up and be set for the winter. Or until the apocalypse.

Naturally, I agreed right away. The last time Jay and I spent time with Alexis and her husband Angel, we went to a hip pizza place. This time, we met them on the farm for what we later dubbed “our meat date.”

Leo Lutz is the man behind this sign. He showed us where his cows live, just steps from where they are processed into beef to eat. There’s no massive truck hauling the cows to slaughter. There are no terrified cattle being brutally pushed and prodded into an assembly line of death. There aren’t hundreds of slaughterhouse workers forced to work faster and faster with no personal investment in the quality of their product.

There’s Leo. A man who raises cows and butchers two at a time.

Each cow is shot with a .22 right where it’s standing. There isn’t a panicked moment for that bovine before it dies and Leo says the lack of terror means the cow’s meat isn’t tough or bitter. The cow bleeds out where it falls to the earth. It is skinned and quartered just steps away.

And the split sides of beef hang in this cooler until they are butchered into steaks, roasts and ground beef.

The meat is wrapped in butcher’s paper, stamped by cut and labeled with the customer’s name. The ground beef in these packages comes from one cow, not hundreds of animals ground together in a massive vat and shrink wrapped.

Leo’s business practices are transparent and his property is open to anyone who wants to stop by. He even invited us to come back on slaughtering day. He isn’t a flashy man. He isn’t a hippie. He’s just a good man who does his work the right way.

Grass-fed beef, you say? Steaks? Locally raised? From a small farm and a one man operation? Ha, some scoff. Sure, if you want to pay and arm and a leg for it. But how can any normal, working class, American family just trying to make ends meet afford your fancy beef?

First, I’d argue that the food we put in the bodies of our families is worth investing in above all. More important than cable TV. More important than the latest video games. More important than new clothes. I could go on…but I think we’re all on the same page.

But I don’t even need to make that argument because the beef we bought from Leo cost a whopping $2.85 a pound. No matter the cut. I just checked an ad for the local big box grocer and found that on sale their store brand ground beef cost $3.49 a pound. A boneless round tip steak is going for $4.49 a pound. The cheapest cuts of corn-fed, industrially produced, grocery store beef can’t compare in cost to buying a nutritionally superior, ethically produced, grass-fed product directly from the farmer. And you can bet those factor farming feedlot operations won’t let you stop by to see what they’re up to at any given moment.

Now…just in case the end of the world does come…do I need a generator to make sure all that beef stays frozen?

Some people make New Year’s resolutions regarding weight loss, finances or their career path. This year, my resolutions are all about groceries. First, I’m not buying any meat until our freezers are empty of what we have. Second, I’m ditching as many packaged snacks as I can and baking more instead. I’ve made these muffins at least a half a dozen times in the past couple of weeks and I love that I can control the sugar content, my kids aren’t constantly throwing individual plastic wrappers in the trash and it’s WAY less expensive than packages snacks from the store. Plus, my house smells like a bakery and the moving meditation of baking helps slow down the pace of my day. I shared my go-to recipe on Minnesota Live this week – Blueberry Lemon Muffins – but feel free to swap out the flavors. Instead of a cup of blueberries and lemon zest/juice, I’ve used a cup of grated apple and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I’ve also left the fruit out all together and added dark chocolate chips (not surprisingly, my 5 year old Franklin likes those the best). I think raspberry/white chocolate is up next. This recipe makes 18 of the blueberry lemon or apple cinnamon muffins, but only about 15 of the chocolate chip ones as the fruit takes up more real estate in the batter. No mixer, just a couple of bowls, a whisk and a wooden spoon and you’re good to go.

Blueberry-Lemon Snacking Muffins

Gather:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup avocado oil

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Cook:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk the rest of the ingredients (except the blueberries). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix until no flour is visible. Fold in the blueberries. Line 18 standard muffin cups with paper or silicone liners and spray with avocado oil spray. Divide batter into cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans and set on cooling racks. Enjoy!

The “meat pie” is a dish that’s everywhere in England – even massive stadiums. Last weekend, I zipped across the pond to cover one of three NFL games this season being played in North London at Tottenham-Hotspur stadium. Am I a sports reporter? Absolutely not. My job was to show viewers what Minnesotans who traveled to the game were experiencing and connect with Vikings fans from all over the world who showed up to cheer on their team. Not a bad assignment, to say the least.

The locals say that when it comes to stadium food – the Meat Pie reigns supreme. I got my paws on a chicken tinga version – basically chicken, onions and beans in a spicy red sauce baked into a flaky crust. It was tasty as all heck. Upon my return, I decided that my favorite version of a meat pie – the Chicken Pot Pie – needed to be on the Reimers family dinner menu immediately.

I grew up eating chicken pot pie this way – baked into a large pie pan and served in slices. My mom made it for us all the time in the fall and winter and it’s deceptively easy, totally impressive and most importantly – incredibly delicious. I made it this week on Minnesota Live and then served it for dinner.

A few pro tips before we get to the recipe:

• You can make this totally from scratch or use shortcuts as you see fit
• Homemade bone broth is great here – or use a box or jar version. My favorites are Kettle & Fire, Epic, Bonafide Provisions and Taking Stock Foods
• You can also sub the cooked chicken thighs for rotisserie chicken, although your pie won’t be quite as flavorful
• Homemade pie crust is wonderful but a store bought version is just fine too – my mom swears by the brand Pappy’s in the freezer section
• Feel free to make the filling ahead, refrigerate, then roll out the dough, fill the pie and bake later in the day
• You can also freeze the pie unbaked (and without the egg wash or heavy cream) and bake it straight from the freezer – it will just take a little longer to cook

Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Gather:

1 tsp olive oil

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

salt and pepper

homemade or store bought pie crust (enough for a top and bottom crust in a 9 inch pie plate)

1 tsp heavy cream or 1 beaten egg (to brush on the top of the crust)

Cook:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper or your favorite poultry seasoning blend (I love this one from Here’s the Deal Spice Co.). Cook the chicken thighs for about 5 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Take the chicken thighs out of the pan and set aside. Add the butter, carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the same pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the vegetables and stir to coat – cooking for about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, chop the chicken into 1 inch pieces. To the pan, add the heavy cream, thyme, parsley, chicken and peas. Stir over low heat to combine and continue to thicken. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the pie crust. Place the bottom crust in a 9 inch pie plate. Add the filling, then top with the second crust. Crimp the edges, cut a few slits in the center of the top crust to let steam escape and use a pastry brush to coat the top with a thin layer of heavy cream or beaten egg.

Set the pie plate on a rimmed sheet pan (to keep your oven clean!) and bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. You can use a pie shield or tinfoil to cover the edges to prevent them from browning too quickly. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

There are several things that make a morning great for me. Not being woken up by a tiny person yelling at me is one. This is a rarity at this point in my life. Getting everyone out the door without tears. This one did not happen today but can generally be achieved a few days a week. And prepping a dinner that’s either ready to pop in the oven or simmering away in the slow cooker. This action makes “Morning Elizabeth” feel very accomplished and “Evening Elizabeth” feel very relieved. All positive emotions.

Last week on Minnesota Live, I shared one of my go-to recipes to prep in the morning and then bake after work – Stuffed Sweet Peppers. My version is really simple, takes just about 20 minutes to prepare and then bakes away and smells delicious. It’s also one of those comforting, hearty dishes that’s relatively inexpensive and leaves a person feeling satisfied but not weighed down after dinner. Here’s how I make them:

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Gather this:

1 lb ground beef or pork

2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 small yellow onion $ 3 large garlic cloves – all minced by hand or in a food processor

1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp Italian Sausage Seasoning

1 cup jasmine rice cooked according to package instructions, replacing the water with chicken broth or adding 1 tbsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon

3 sweet peppers (red, orange and or/yellow) 15 ounces marinara, either store bought or homemade

flat leaf Italian parsley, grated Parmesan & red pepper flakes for garnish

Do this:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the ground meat and break up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. After about 4 minutes, add the Italian Sausage Seasoning and stir to distribute. Add the minced vegetables and cook until meat is completely browned and vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, cut the peppers in half lengthwise, removing the stem, seeds and ribs. Arrange the peppers in a 9×13 pan, cut side up. Pour the meat mixture and the rice in a large bowl and stir to combine. Fill each pepper half with the filling, mounding it on top and don’t worry if some falls over the sides. Pour the marinara over all of the peppers and then bake, uncovered, for about 25-30 minutes – until the peppers are tender but not mushy.

You can also assemble this ahead of time and put in the fridge, baking when you’re ready. The peppers will take closer to 40 minutes in the oven if coming straight out of the fridge. Garnish with parsley, parmesan & red pepper flakes.

My mom is from Texas and I’ve mentioned that Jay’s mom was Mexican so we are all about the Tex-Mex cuisine in this household. I would never turn down a taco and basically any combination of beans, cheese and rice equals a satisfying meal. And if you’re a Minnesotan, you know that anything baked in a 9×13 pan is a comforting dinner.

This week on Minnesota Live, I shared my ground beef & bean enchilada recipe. I made these last week and my 7 year old asked for leftovers for breakfast the next day so I figured they were worthy of a television appearance. And amazingly, these come together so fast that you can make them from scratch on a weeknight, no problem.

I told the team at Minnesota Live that I fully support shortcuts here (canned refried beans, jarred enchilada sauce and even a packet of taco seasoning) with one exception: you must grate your own cheese. I like to use a raw cheddar from Organic Valley. The pre-grated stuff has anti-clumping ingredients in it that I’m not interested it. Get out your box grater and take 30 seconds to grate your cheese off the block – you won’t be sorry!

One more ingredient note – I’ve been loving the almond flour tortillas from Siete Foods – I think they give you an almost corn/flour hybrid tortilla texture. A package of 8 of them works perfectly for this recipe but you can also use whatever tortilla you prefer! Hope you love them for dinner and even breakfast the next day.

Ground Beef & Bean Enchiladas

Gather this:

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 tsp olive or avocado oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 can refried beans (I use Amy’s Organic Refried Black Beans)

1 package Siete almond flour tortillas (8 count) or your preferred tortilla

8 ounces enchilada sauce (I like Frontera or Siete)

8 ounce block medium white cheddar

cilantro, avocado, sour cream, hot sauce for serving

Do this:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. When almost completely browned, add your taco seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. Mix together and simmer over medium low heat until sauce is thick. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. In the meantime, spoon a thin layer of enchilada sauce into a 9×13 pan, just so it coats the bottom. Lay out all of the tortillas on the counter and spread refried beans on them. You will split the entire can among the 8 tortillas. Divide the taco meat mixture among the tortillas, spooning it on top of the beans. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of cheese over the meat on each tortilla as well. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down in the pan. Place six across, arranged so the ends are touching one side of the pan. Place the two remaining tortilla roll ups lengthwise, end to end. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas (if you’re using Siete – you’ll have some extra. One Frontera package will be the right amount for the whole dish.) Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the entire dish and bake for 25-30 minutes – until the cheese is melting and the tortillas are browned. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes or so. Serve with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and/or hot sauce!

The impetus for so much of my gardening/composting/chicken raising journey began with one simple principle: reduce waste. Throwing out food just crushes me. And unfortunately, I still do it. I’ll find things buried in the fridge that I forgot about or reach into a bag of produce only to find it’s mushy and moldy. Composting (either in your yard or through a city program) is a great way to prevent food from going in the trash and backyard chickens are some of the best food waste digesters out there. But even better? Do what people have been doing for hundreds of years: use up what you have with recipes that are perfectly suited to ingredients that may seem “past their prime.”

On Wednesday’s episode of Minnesota Live, I shared my favorite ways to use up bread. These are less recipes and more methods – as you can switch out ingredients based on what you like and adjust quantities to reflect the amount of bread you have. If you start making your own bread (my favorite no-knead instructions are from Bread in Five and my sourdough guru is Amanda Paa of Heartbeet Kitchen) you’ll definitely want to make use of these (delicious) strategies as you’ll have a ridiculous emotional attachment to the loaves you pull out of the oven.

Use Up Bread Idea #1: Panzanella Salad

Method: Cut your bread (can be fresh or a few days old) into 1.5 to 2 inch chunks. Any country loaf, sourdough, ciabatta, baguette, etcetera will work great for this. In a large skillet, warm some butter and/or olive oil over medium heat. You want the fat to coat the bread pieces but not soak them. Start with less – add more if the bread pieces look dry. Add the bread to the skillet, toss in the oil or butter and season with salt and pepper. Toast over medium heat until the bread is crisp and browned on the edges. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad. **These croutons are great to use atop any green salad or plopped in the center of soup too!** Slice grape tomatoes in half, chop up some cucumber into about 1 inch chunks, drain some kalamata olives, crumble up some feta & chop some herbs (parsley, dill, basil would all be wonderful). In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together (including the bread). In a jar, make a simple vinaigrette: I use a ratio of 2/3 olive oil to 1/3 red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, put a lid on the jar and shake to combine. Dress the salad to your liking and toss to combine. Serve right away – this can also sit for a bit as well.

Method: Tear bread into chunks and put in your food processor. Blitz until bread is a bread crumb consistency. Drizzle some oil and/or butter in a skillet – add the bread crumbs and toast over medium heat until toasted and crisp. Use in salads, meatballs, meatloaves, on top of pasta – basically anywhere you’d use packaged breadcrumbs.

Use Up Bread Idea #3: Baked French Toast

Method: This is a fabulous way to use up enriched breads like brioche or croissants. Cut the bread into 1.5 to 2 inch chunks. Butter a casserole dish that’s large enough to fit the quantity of bread you have. Spread the bread in the dish in an even layer. Now for the milk/egg mixture ratio: I’ve found that 1 cup milk to 1 egg works beautifully. For this dish, I had about four cups of bread cubes and I mixed 2 cups of milk with two eggs, a pinch of salt and about 1/2 tsp of vanilla. A dash of cinnamon or nutmeg is also delicious. Whisk together – then pour over the bread. Nestle some berries of your choosing in with the bread and, if you’d like, dot with 1/2 tsp drops of cream cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes – until the custard is set and the tops of the bread peeking out are toasted and crisp. Serve with maple syrup.

A jar of marinara sauce is the ultimate meal starter. Toss some pasta in it and you have a simple dinner. Brown some ground pork or beef, add seasonings and simmer with your marinara and a meat sauce is born. Layer into lasagna, pour into my all time favorite pot of soup, use as pizza sauce, simmer meatballs in it…you get the idea. I’ve been making this marinara for years – I love that the carrots provide sweetness without adding sugar and the flexibility of using any type of canned or jarred tomato that happens to be on sale. The sauce freezes beautifully as well.

Simple Marinara Sauce

Gather this:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 28 ounce cans tomatoes (can be whole, diced, crushed or any combination)

1 parmesan rind

2 bay leaves

Do this:

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery & garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the tomatoes, parmesan rind and bay leaves and stir.

Simmer, partially covered for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove the rind and bay leaves and blend sauce using an immersion blender in the pot or transfer to a blender carefully. Serve or save!