Balsamic Steak and Vegetables Recipe

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Now that it is the start of summer grilling season, I am super excited!  For one thing, all of my family has summer birthdays, so it seems like we are constantly celebrating every weekend.  To keep everything simple (but still special) this week for my mom's birthday, I decided to take advantage of her awesome backyard grill and make the whole family a meal fit for a queen: Balsamic Steak & Vegetables!  It was an awesome treat and extra convenient with a one-stop shop at Smart & Final.  Everyone loved our delicious dinner, and this will definitely be a part our summer meal plan!

As an added treat, Smart & Final is having a Gas BBQ Grill Giveaway for those of you who need a new grill for the summer!  Customers are eligible to win by buying Cattleman’s Finest meat and entering the code from their receipt onto the website.  There is also a Facebook contest, where you can vote and get a coupon for (1) FREE First Street Barbecue Sauce 18-oz. with the purchase of any Cattleman’s Finest item.  So many savings!

First, I headed to Smart & Final to pick up the ingredients.  Remember all of my past posts at Smart & Final?  It is so convenient because it combines all of the savings of a warehouse store and the sizes and selection of a grocery store.  It's the best of both worlds!

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Ropa Vieja Tostada "Pizzas"

Last week, I promised that I would share one of my favorite ways to eat my Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja. It is colorful, flavorful, and fun to put together!  In fact, it would be a great dish to serve at a party, with people putting together their "pizzas" with their favorite toppings.  :)  Enjoy!

By the way, this is just my favorite way to assemble these pizzas, so feel free to add different "toppings!"  I have a few more suggestions in addition to my faves.

Ropa Vieja Tostada "Pizzas"
A Vintage Zest original

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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

For this week's original posts, I wanted to do something different!  I wanted to share some of the creations from my friends and family who have been my creative inspiration.  :)

For today's recipe, I am sharing one that my sister began making some time ago.  We love trying different restaurants, and one of our favorites is a Cuban restaurant that is a bit far away.  So when the craving hits for Ropa Vieja, we were out of luck, until we stumbled upon this recipe!  I love how easy this recipe is, and it is great year round!  Also, I will be sharing my favorite way to serve the Ropa Vieja next week, so stay tuned for that!

EDIT: Check out my Ropa Vieja Tostada "Pizzas" here!

P.S. - I Instagram-ed this picture a while back, from another time I made this.  Oh yes, it is so, so delicious.  :)

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Slightly Adapted from Food & Wine

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Soup's On!

I have a huge appetite.

When I say huge, I don't mean huge for a girl my size (5'0").  I mean huge for anyone.  I went to a Street Food Festival last summer with my dad, my significant other, my sister and my sister's significant other.  Now, it wasn't a contest to see how much we could eat, but with so many things to try, it was hard not to stop and eat everything!  It was held at the Rose Bowl, and there were tons of restaurants and food trucks serving up goodies.  See below!

I can't remember how long we were there for, but my sister dropped out first, then my guy, and then my dad.  My sister's significant other who is over 6 feet tall and a well-built guy was the only one who hung in there with me.  Now, I'm not sure who would have won, but the rest of my family made us go home to soothe their aching bellies.

Now the only way to keep my monster appetite from pushing me into roly-poly territory is to have a strategy to my meals.  In a perfect world this is how I would eat every day, but at least I have a semi-plan.  I like to start my meals with a big salad and a bowl of homemade soup.  That way I've at least filled up somewhat before I get to the main event.  So every week I like to make a big pot of soup chock full of veggies.

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