The better things in life...

This afternoon, I went out to the beef unit to see all the new babies. Let me tell you, they are too cute! There is no better study break than going out and looking at cows!

One of the babies... They were enjoying the sunshine and nice weather.  This evening, they were all out playing and running around. 

Mama and baby...

Dinner Time!!

Curiosity...

My favorite ground beef recipe...

Being a college student, I am always trying to find quick and easy recipes, that take only a few ingredients and are healthy. My Nanni introduced me to this recipe and it is all of the above! I like it because I can make it on a Sunday evening and it will last me the entire week.

Dinner In A Dish:
1 pound of ground hamburger meat (I buy the leaner hamburger meat from Walmart - 97/3)
1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 can of green beans (drained)
1 can of corn (drained)
Baby carrots
1 can of diced tomatoes (un-drained)
Onion, coarsely chopped
Worcestershire sauce

Layer in 9x13 glass baking dish in the order given, with the ground hamburger on bottom. Sprinkle desired amount or Worcestershire sauce on top and sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 69-90 mins or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
I like to eat this dish with cornbread.

I mentioned earlier in this post that this dish was healthy. Not only does it combine an abundance of vegetables but the lean ground beef also has some nutritional benefits. Beef supplies a whole bundle of nutrients like protein, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, iron and niacin in a calorie conscious package. A 3 oz. serving of lean beef (95% or less fat) contributes less than 10% of the calories in a 2,000-calorie diet while providing more than 10% of the daily value for these nutrients. There are 29 lean cuts of beef that can be found in your grocery store. For more information about Beef go to BEEF It's what's for dinner. You can also find a wallet size list of the 29 lean cuts of beef  HERE to assist you in the grocery store.

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday... (a.k.a. the post with fewer words)

It's calving time at the beef unit! Katie (labmate) and I saw these cuties while we were working on a project the other morning. In the top photo you can see the ear tags that are used for identification purposes. The top number on the ear tag is the sire (the father), the middle is the calf's unique ID, and the bottom number is the dam (the mother). Each calf's ear tag is unique and there are no two that are alike.

 

You might be wondering why the heck we put those tags on calves...here is the answer: The ear tag is important for record keeping to keep track of the health of each calf, their birthweight, sex, and any other vital information! They also help cattleman keep track of each calf by displaying the dam ID on the tag. This would be useful if the cow and her calf got separated for some reason, they could easily be matched back up.