21DSD Day 5: Cooking for guests

This post is a day late because yesterday was a hectic day of getting work done, tidying the house, and cooking up a storm of real food deliciousness for a lovely company of friends we were expecting at night. Trying to get my little guy to cooperate with my busy schedule was a bit troublesome, but little Michelle came to the rescue and occupied his time with her witty humor and kickass cooking chops! If Sheldon Cooper taught us anything about collectables is that Mint in the Box is serious business and a toy should never be taken out. I might have also been lazy about unpacking it. :)

At some point, I had to employ more babysitting help to make sure I could get everything done in time. And still, I was finishing things up soon after our guests arrived. I have no idea how mothers of multiple kids do it?

Since I didn't have time to sit down for a meal, I ate while feeding J salmon and veggies with fish broth. I re-heated a big enough portion for us to share.

As I was prepping dinner, I did snack on some jerky, steamed carrot, and half an avocado to keep my energy up. I opened the 8oz-size bag of Original Jerky Chews you can find on the homepage, and munched on that without guilt. Original is only 100% grass-fed beef, salt, and vinegar -- all ingredients are 21DSD compliant. In fact, Mild and Spicy are good, too!

For dinner, I made Nom Nom Paleo's Oven-Braised Beef Stew. My favorite for special occasions and it's always a crowd pleaser. It's tough to screw up. I omitted a couple ingredients I didn't have, like celery stalk, shallots, and canned tomatoes (used Rao's Marinara sauce I had stored in the fridge from another recipe), and it still came out delicious. Added sides like cauliflower rice and pickled cabbage veggie dish (per my grandma's recipe that my mom tackled couple days ago and shared with us -- involves a long step-process that seems daunting to take-on for a busy bee like me). But if I ever do, I'll make sure to share it! Oh, and I did have some vino, which surprisingly didn't bring on sugar cravings. I'm feeling good.

Happy weekend!