Marinated Eye of Round, Glazed Brussels Sprouts,and Baked Potato

Tonight was one of those nights where I wasn't really thinking much about what I was going to do for dinner. I had nothing at all planned. However, hubby has been somewhat deprived lately, being how I have only sporadically been cooking an actual meal during the evenings. Summer is so busy and full of running! We tend to eat out, which I hate because it hits the pocket book hard as well as the gut. Or, we basically fend for ourselves, which means sandwiches with processed lunch meat and processed soups. I don't like getting into that mold every night, because overall I would like us to have some kind of control over our meals by using fresh/frozen foods rather than relying on the convenience of processed foods, which contain so much more sodium, preservatives and other junk that I am trying my best to limit for us.

So, I pulled out a few recipes and inspected them to do a quick inventory of what I had on hand. Before I did anything, tho, I scrubbed a couple of potatoes and threw them in the oven at 425 degrees so they could be cooking while I got the other stuff together.

I dug through the freezer, knowing we had a few other meats in there besides the chicken that we mostly eat. I found a package of some eye of round. The defrost was relatively quick, and I found a great marinade to use which ended up tasting very delicious. I only marinated for about 30 minutes, too, so it works in a pinch if you need to throw something together fast and don't have 8+ hours to marinade.

I decided before anything else that we would be having brussels sprouts. I knew we had a bag of frozen brussels, and determined that, altho they are not my favorite, we would use them because they are exceedingly healthy and it's not something we can really eat when the kids are around. However, I did indeed find a recipe that may actually work in enticing the kiddos to try these miniature cabbage-like vegetables. And while the recipe did turn out very well, I am not actually convinced that the kids will bite.

You may be skeptical of the ingredients for the brussels glaze. I was. It turned out great, so give it a try.

For those of you with cholesterol problems, brussels sprouts are your friend! They contain over 15% of the RDA of fiber. I also heard the other day that brussels sprouts contain more Vitamin C than an orange! Isn't that crazy? I never would have thought that. Of course, they also contain a slew of other vitamins that are important to our health as well. Just a few more things Brussels sprouts can aid in are inflammation and digestion. They help protect against cardiovascular problems as well as many cancers. They contain many antioxidants. Immunity health, eye health, bone and blood cell health - all can be aided by eating brussels sprouts on a regular basis.

So, dinner tonight was:

Marinated Eye of Round Steak
Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Baked Potato
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Marinated Eye of Round
(4 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

Whisk all ingredients in a glass bowl and let steak marinade for at least 30 minutes. When ready to cook, place about 1/3 of the marinade in a skillet and heat. Add meat and cook about 4-6 minutes on one side. Turn and cook on other side for about 3 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.

Glazed Brussels Sprouts
(6 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces walnuts
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the Brussels sprouts. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until sprouts are tender. Drain.(if you have a steamer, steaming is better to conserve the most nutrients)
   
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Cover, and cook on High 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the walnuts are warm.
   
3. Pour over the cooked Brussels sprouts, add the walnuts and toss
4. Serving after step 3 is optional. However, I like to put mine in a shallow dish and broil the brussels for about 4 minutes or so, so they have a nice roasted look and flavor to them.

Stay tuned on whether I can get my kids to eat this!!