If you follow us on Facebook, you saw some of us cattlewomen joined the Idaho Beef Council in Boise for the FitOne Expo benefiting St. Lukes last week. We stepped off the ranch and into the city to interact with consumers. It was such a great event and we had fun sharing beef samples with the public. Did you know there are 29 lean cuts of beef that fit into a healthy diet? And lean beef is one of the most flavorful and efficient ways to meet the daily value for essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins.

The recipe shared by the Idaho Beef Council is one many of us have used to cook for our own families. It uses an economical cut of beef like the chuck or shoulder roast, and it’s a slow cooker recipe. That makes it easy so you can fix it and forget it. Start it in the morning before work and come home to a great smelling and tasting dinner.

We had so many compliments on the wonderful flavor and tenderness of the dish. From high school football players to small children, parents, grandparents and people of all ages stopped by to grab a sample. The recipe uses simple ingredients people have in their pantries. In addition, there are four additional variations so you can add some other ingredients to give you different flavors. See the complete recipe below.

 Four Way Shredded Beef (A Beef Checkoff Recipe)

• 1 beef Shoulder Roast, Arm Chuck Roast Boneless or Blade Chuck Roast Boneless (2 to 2-1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOUR-WAY SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF

Not only do we love eating beef in our own homes, but we enjoy sharing recipes so others can provide nutrient rich beef for their own families. Would love to hear if you try this recipe and how you add other ingredients or spices to make it your own!

September and cooler weather brings changes to our ranch (and many ranches in Idaho). It is the time of the year that we go out to our public Lands grazing range and bring our calves, who were born in February, home to wean from their moms. Our cows and calves spend the summer months out on the range grazing. They are healthy and physically fit as they wander the mountains all summer.

The mornings start early, saddling horses after a warm cup of coffee. We have friends, hired help and range partners that come to ride for the three days it takes to bring our cows and calves to corrals where they can be sorted. Mornings are chilly, but we were fortunate to have days of sunshine.

The riders split up and ride to different areas to bring the cows down off the mountain into our temporary corrals. Riders come back to cow camp for lunch then head out again and ride until late in the day.

On the final day, we gather all the cows and calves in pasture near cow camp, while trucks arrive and the sorting begins.

Cows are sent back to the range and calves are sent home to grass or to feedlots.
The calves are sorted by steers (male) and heifers (female). We also have cows/calves from other ranchers, so cattle or sorted out by brand to go to each owner’s ranch.

Our cows get a break from nursing as they are already pregnant with next year’s calf. Our cows will come home and usually find their own way back to the ranch as the day’s are shorter and colder. Once they are home, we will bring them in and do pregnancy checks on them to verify that they are pregnant.

We source verify and are verified natural producers so our calves get EID (electronic identification tags. They are also vaccinated on arrival to the ranch. They are turned out to pasture before they are sold in the fall. We were blessed this year with late summer rain and lots of grass for the cows to eat on the range.

While the cows are at range, there is continued activity at the ranch during summer months. We grow our own feed, alfalfa and oats for the winter months. This year the late summer rains blessed us with lots of grass on the range for the cows to eat, but delayed our cuttiing and baling of hay. It is important to get hay up so that we have regrowth in the fall when the cows and calves do come home.

Weaning time is always excited for Idaho ranchers as we get to see how the calves have grown and how the cows are doing as mommas. We’re always looking at what we can do to change and improve our cattle herds and the beef we produce for our tables and yours.

~ Lyndella

Lyndella and her husband, Stephen, own and operate Challis Creek Cattle. They are first generations ranchers, who began their dream of owning cattle more than 20 years ago after working in other industries. They run their cow-calf operation on both public and private lands, and are committed to improving the land and the animals in their care.

Today was an exciting day because it was the showmanship show.  This show is about how good you show your steer.  I was excited and a little worried about this show because I really wanted to do good.

Since I was the youngest, I was in the very last class of the day.  When we got back to the fair after the morning feeding, we watched some of the older kids show their steers so I could know what the judge liked and how to show my steer.  The judge that we had liked steers that stood still and so I was worried that Charlie wouldn’t stand good at all.

To get Charlie ready for the show, we got him wet and scrubbed him with dish soap.  Charlie acted a little better than the day before when we washed him so I thought maybe he’d act a little better for this show than he did in the quality show.  Next we put him in our chute and brushed him and blew his hair.  For most shows, you fit the steer, but for the show at our fair, it is only about showmanship so you just wash them and blow them.

When we were done with Charlie, it was almost time for me to show so we walked him to where we wait and walked him around a little to get his energy out but it didn’t really work.  He was acting a little bit better than yesterday but he still wouldn’t stand very still.

I was third in line to walk into the show ring.  We walked to the front so we could stand in a line so the judge could ask us questions and feel the fat on our steers.  The judge asked me what my steer’s name was, how much he weighed, and what I feed him.  He also talked to me more than just asked questions.  I like this judge better than the judge yesterday because I could understand what he said.  Then we walked around in a circle and stopped to give the judge a head to tail view.  When I stop my steer, I have to hold his head up and scratch his belly or his brisket because this calms him down and feels good to him.  Then I have to set his feet us square and keep looking at the judge.

Charlie let me set him up good at first but then he wouldn’t stand very still so I had to keep walking him in a circle to get him to stay where he was supposed to.  I didn’t think I was going to place very high because Charlie wouldn’t stand good at all.  It was very hot in the afternoon but even though I was very, very sweaty and very, very hot, I kept smiling and looking at the judge and acting like I wasn’t hot at all.  When the judge got the microphone, he said that I was the best showman out in the ring, but Charlie wouldn’t stand still but I still got third place and a blue ribbon.  I felt really good, happy, and excited.  After I walked out of the show ring with Charlie, the announcer asked for the third place winner to come pick up her trophy.  When I heard this, I felt really, really, really happy!  I’ve never won a trophy before and I had no idea I was going to win one.  Yay!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the show was over, I walked around the fair with my family to get an after-show treat and I picked a smoothie.  We also got donuts that were so good.

We ran into Idaho’s Lt. Governor, Brad Little.  My mom knows him so I got to take a picture with him.

To end my day at the fair, we got to watch a entertainer and he picked out kids from the audience to play instruments so my sisters and I did.  It was super fun!

This was the best day of the fair yet because I got third place.  I love the Twin Falls County Fair!

With Labor Day quickly approaching, we thought we’d share another beef recipe. And rest assured, Idaho’s ranching and cattle feeding families are always working hard to bring you healthy and delicious beef for you to enjoy!

Here is a quick and easy carne asada recipe. We love how simple it is and lets the wonderful taste of beef shine through. Cumin gives it a smoky flavor and who can argue with the combo of garlic and lime?!

This is really versatile too and can be used with any cut for grilling. Slice it thin and serve over rice or in a homemade tortilla.

Wishing you a Happy and Safe Labor Day Weekend!

There are two life lessons my parents started teaching me at a very young age. The first was how not to throw like a girl; the second was to evaluate the facts and come to a decision on my own. That lesson of open-mindedness has allowed me, on several occasions, to be an informed rather than ignorant participant in discussions. This has come in handy working for an industry with so much opposition to the way cattle are raised and the nutrition of beef.

Spending my days advocating for the beef community, it’s easy to know our facts. Cattle producers are the original stewards of the environment. Beef is an excellent source of ten essential nutrients.

However, I have a cousin who lives a vegan lifestyle, and encourages the rest of us to do the same. I frequently get emails from her on the latest science supporting veganism, but rather than rolling my eyes and moving them directly into the trash folder, I often take the time to read them. As an advocate, I need to know what the other side is saying. As a human being, I’m curious. I read testimonials. I watched The China Study. And a year and a half ago I decided to take it to the next level. I felt I needed to give myself a bit more credibility in the discussion, to combat the “but you’ve never tried it” argument. And that is when I dubbed ‘Meatless March.’

Already unable to eat dairy products, I eliminated all animal protein from my diet. I became a vegan—at least as far as food consumption goes. I replaced my scrambled eggs and fresh fruit breakfast for vegan protein powder mixed with almond milk. I bought the Forks over Knives cookbook and traded in my extra lean ground beef for quinoa and lettuce. For a full month, I tracked calories and recommended daily values, while I ate my way through fruits and vegetables, trying to find ways to replace the protein and nutrients I was avoiding from meat with raw alternatives.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend of mine who fancies himself a triathlete. He made a comment about how “meat is gross,” and I promptly started in on what he would certainly call a rampage about all the health benefits of beef, especially for athletes. Phosphorus, which builds strong bones. Riboflavin, which converts food into fuel. Iron allows the body to use oxygen appropriately. And 48 percent of the daily value of protein comes from just three ounces of beef. Let’s not forget protein preserves and builds muscle. All of these seem pretty important for someone who is planning to swim 1.5 kilometers, bike 40, and run 10 in the Spudman Triathlon.

Of course, his response to my education was, “They pay you to say that.”  And I replied by telling him of my Meatless March experiment and outlined for him exactly what it did to my body.

The first couple of days I had to remind myself I wasn’t eating animal proteins. I loaded extra vegetables on my spinach salad and ate my way through a few handfuls of mixed nuts. By the end of the first week, I was craving the nutrients I was lacking. A tablespoon of peanut butter was certainly no substitute for steak. During the next two weeks, I noticed definite physical changes. The pink in my cheeks was replaced with pallor, and I developed alarming dark circles under my eyes. I was sleeping poorly, was irritable, cranky and exhausted.  Workout recovery time lengthened and stamina decreased, and by the end of the fourth week I had gained seven pounds.

Yes, I do get to spend my days promoting cattle production and beef consumption, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t believe in it. I may have cousins and friends who choose not to eat meat, but I know they would feel a lot better if they did. Incorporating beef as a regular part of your diet provides you with better energy for an active lifestyle. It also reduces your risk of injury by strengthening bones and building muscle, and helps protect cells from damage.  Beef supports nervous system development, improves brain function, and helps maintain a healthy immune system. Workouts are more effective when fueled by a higher-protein diet. Beef makes a difference!

For more nutritional information about beef, check out these Beef Nutrition facts or check out this pdf ProteinsAreNotCreatedEqual.

I’ve always been fascinated about nutrition, specifically the relationship between what you put into your body and what you get out of it, and this experiment illustrated to me that while fruits and vegetables taste great and are good for you, they simply aren’t enough. Beans and broccoli and almonds just can’t provide the nutrients beef can for the same caloric intake, and your body—regardless of your physical activity—needs those nutrients to function properly at optimal levels. That’s what Meatless March taught me.  Beef fuels me.

~ Britany