Beef Stir-Fry Success!

I don't usually post pictures of my food.  Mainly because I don't cook much food myself, and what I do "cook" (or throw together) is typically not attractive.  But, last night I whipped up some beef stir-fry that not only looked pretty but was also quite tasty!

Blackberry picture (not as pretty as real-life.)

I had bought a pack of three top round steaks last week and eaten all but one.  I find that when I try to eat less calories than usual, in order to lose weight, I tend to eat more meat than I normally would.  I know the meat/protein intake is there because it's replacing carbs I'd be eating, but I'm not convinced that it's the healthiest way to be dieting.  I worry I'm eating too much cholesterol and fat when I do this, and in general eating too many "heavy" foods.  So, instead of just having a steak and a side-dish of some sort, I decided to chop up my steak and make stir fry.  This became even easier when I found a bag of frozen stir-fry-ready veggies waiting for me in my freezer. 

I didn't follow a recipe.  I sliced my steak into thin strips and set them aside.  Then I put some sesame oil into a frying pan (I don't have a wok) and added some garlic powder, pepper and soy sauce and set my stove on HI.  I thought I had some hoisin sauce hiding in my fridge, but I couldn't find any. (As I said, I don't cook much, but my brother does. Very often. So, I tend to find my ingredients--that I've carefully preserved for months, sometimes years--go missing because Brian's had a culinary inspiration.  Fortunately, that's also why I was able to find garlic power and sesame oil in my cupboard. :)) 

I put the veggies in the pan (mostly broccoli, but also mushrooms, onion, water chestnuts, carrots, snap peas, and a red pepper bit.) and stirred them up with the oil-mixture.  I kept them going until they were almost hot and ready to eat, then I added in the strips of steak.  At the last minute, I took about a tablespoon of peanut putter and added that in too for a little more flavor....The steak was already cooked, though it was still pretty rare, so I didn't leave it in the pan too long.  Once everything was well mixed, I took it off the heat and put it in a bowl. It was delicious! 

It was also really filling.  I only used one steak (about the size the palm of my hand) and I had enough stir-fry for dinner last night and lunch today.  So, I feel like I'm getting a few extra nutrients than if I'd had a steak with a side of veggies, as I usually do.  I was proud that I had made something that was healthy, yummy and not terrible to look at.  Maybe this will not be my last food-picture post. ;)

Happy Friday!