Sunday's Recipe: Pot Roast Stew and Surving the Winter Blues

I hope you have had a great weekend. I am continuing on with some comfort food since we have been dealing with brutal winter lately. I wanted to do a beef stew, so i found a great version that scales back on some calories and fat and uses fresh veggies.

Pot Roast Stew by Bobby Deen
This is a healthier spin on Paula Deen's version. I made this a bit easier by buying already diced up Angus stew meat. But otherwise followed the same steps. You could make this in a crockpot as well. *If you don't want to use parsnips, use potatoes instead*

I thought it would be good to quickly talk about ways to survive the winter blues. I tend to find myself a little down in these cold winter months. But there are a few things to do that can help.

•  Most importantly be sure to exercise and eat right. For me, with it being dark so much, I do find it a struggle to motivate myself to exercise, but creating a consistent routine will help make this a habit. Find a work out buddy for support.
• When it is cold, it is soooooo easy to eat heavy, comforting foods that are loaded with fat and calories. Again, put a little extra effort into eating clean and making it a habit.
•  Stay social. Don't lock yourself up and hibernate. Don't shut your friends and family out. Surround yourself with people you can trust and enjoy being around.
• Plan something to look forward to. A weekend getaway, your summer vacation, a spa day. Anything fun and enjoyable that is written down in the books. This will keep your motivation up and lift your mood.
• Take Vitamin D. See my blog post on that. Since we aren't getting sun, this is going to help some.
• Don't over commit yourself. Don't sign up for extra work and responsibilities. Only do what you can and make sure you have a work/life balance. Over stressing yourself, will only make things difficult for you. 

There are a lot more things, but these are just to name a few. Try to stay up and happy!

And Stay Active Too,

~Mandi