Painted Horse Ranch & Cattle Co. - Blog

You will Improve your Health if you do this one thing....

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 12:26:16 GMT

Eat fresh, eat seasonal.

I love the summer bounty of healthy offerings in our local farmer's markets but what about Fall and the approaching winter, how do you continue to eat healthy? Easy...think seasonal. Fall is the time of year for pumpkins, acorn squash, spinach, fall lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts...the list goes on. Step out of your comfort zone and try new recipes.

I decided I would make a fresh pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year, so I made a puree from a Sugar Maple pumpkin, and it is amazing how easy it is and what a difference!

Preheat your oven to 400' get a sheet pan and line with foil. Take your sugar maple pumpkins and pull off the stems and wash exterior. Put in oven, no need to wait for it to preheat and roast 60-90 minutes until you can easily slip a knife in like butter.

Pull from oven, let cool then easily peel away the skin, scoop out seeds and you are ready to go. Simple, painless and oh so delicious. Your pumpkin can then be pureed and put into a freezer bag and freeze to use at Thanksgiving or use immediately in your favorite pie recipe.

Follow me on Instagram@realfoodwarrior for more tips, tricks, and healthy eating!
Happy Fall y'all!

What we Eat can impact our Mental Health!

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 15:06:58 GMT

We think that what we eat only effects our health but new research solidly shows that our diet can also effect our mental health. In a ground breaking book by Uma Naidoo, MD called This is Your Brain on Food, the nutritional Psychiatrist talks about the successes she has had in her own practice when patients introduce healthy eating habits in addition to clinical treatment of mental health issues and how powerful our diet really can be for both our physical health and our mental health.

Summer is here! Want take your food up a notch?

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 18:10:54 GMT

Summer is my favorite time of year to cook because there is so much fresh food available at the local farmer's markets and since I sell our grass-fed beef in two markets every week I get the pick of the crop from our local vendors.

If you don't frequent a local market you are really missing the boat. Locally-grown food is not only healthy, it is packed with flavor. Real time produce, vegetables and plants cannot be rivaled by a grocery store chain.

Wake up your food with spices and fresh grown herbs. Even if you don't have the time or space for a garden you can grow herbs easily on a deck, patio or your kitchen counter. Oregano, Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Lemon Balm, and Sage. These are just a few of my all-time favorites, easy to grow, they pack a real punch in any recipe. Reminder: The correct ratio of fresh to dried herbs in any recipe is 1 Tablespoon fresh herb replaces 1 teaspoon of dried herb.

If you are thinking about getting out of your comfort zone with spices the best place to start is here: www.thespicehouse.com They sell very high quality spices and have recipes and a blog to help you experiment with confidence. Spices should be fresh, high-quality and replaced often to experience their full impact.

Summer is the time to experiment! Get out of your comfort zone and visit your local market this weekend to discover a whole new world!
Bon apetit!
Real Food Warrior

Immune Boosting the Natural Way

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 21:22:05 GMT

Covid has made us all aware that our health is precious and not something to be taken for granted. We can all be touched by a health crisis and our immune systems are not something to be taken for granted.

Processed foods are laced with chemicals and unless we become proactive when it comes to our food choices eventually we will pay the price with diminished health.

Real Food is our best medicine, Food Rx is what I like to call a diet rich in fresh whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, low-fat, hormone-free beef, chicken and pork, nuts, legumes, fish and shellfish. There are so many ways to achieve optimum health if you know where to start.

Start by eliminating boxes. If your meal is in a box leave it on the shelf. Add a salad to all of your meals for a healthy jumpstart. Walnuts and fruit are great snacks for a healthy punch. Join me on the real food journey. Tips, tricks, recipes and more. Follow me on Instagram at #realfoodwarrior

Yours in Health!

whole food, natural health, natural healing, immune boosting foods, grass-finished beef, food that heals

Merry Christmas!

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 19:30:19 GMT

As we close out a rather tumultuous year I would like to thank all of the people that have supported our ranch in 2020 and in years past!

We are nothing without our customer's love and support so a BIG THANK YOU! from myself and my husband. I truly hope everyone has a safe, healthy holiday and a Happy New Year! We look forward to a new season filled with good tidings, prosperous crops and healthy animals! Please remember our country is great because it is free and it is fair. Stand up for democracy and the right to have all of our voices heard.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Painted Horse Ranch
Kelly and Mike

Yellowstone Got it Right!

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 19:00:46 GMT

I love the series Yellowstone with Kevin Costner because their depiction of an actual ranching operation has a lot of truth to it, drama aside, the fact that they use real ranch horses and training for their actors makes it exciting to watch!

As a rancher who loves to work cattle on horseback the series hits a high note for me.
This past episode Kevin Costner's character goes into why ranching is so hard and sometimes a futile effort; the work is hard, the weather never cooperates, the general public villainizes everything the rancher does, you can't control beef prices, the input costs continue to soar, there is death and equipment breakdowns, the list of challenges goes on.

So why do we do it? Because it is a great life! When the sun is rising or setting and your cattle are grazing happily, your horses and dogs are moving quietly to the rhythm of the herd the beauty of it all takes your breath away, nothing beats it.

We don't do it for the money, we do it for the life and it is a noble life indeed when you work hard to feed your fellow Americans. Just look at what happened recently when the shelves in America were empty. We cannot take this for granted, maybe now we won't.

There is a crisis brewing, a grave crisis for American farmers and ranchers because of real supply chain issues. Small ranchers are looking at over a year to get an animal processed even if it is just for himself, forget all of us who sell in the farmer's markets. It's a troubling problem. Consolidation in the packing industry, controlled prices by a few big buyers, excess inventory that can't get processed and we are looking at a perfect storm when it comes to getting meat into the stores.

Let's not even talk about the challenges for small and large ranchers alike. We collectively have never been the type of people that expect a bailout but we do expect fairness and the time has come to realize that an abundant food supply is not a given.

Support your farmers and ranchers, they are the important link between you and your next meal!

National Burger Month!

Sat, 23 May 2020 14:56:41 GMT

Fire up the grill and celebrate National Burger Month!
If you are looking for some great burger recipes check out my cookbook at www.kellygraywilliamsbooks.com It is packed with great burger recipes; classic burgers, burgers with a twist it's all there in four-color.

For a great twist on a classic try the Maple Bacon Beer Burger
1 lb. All Natural Ground Beef
1/4 cup beer
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns split
4 slices Cheddar Cheese
4 extra-thick slices of Maplewood smoked bacon, cut in half and cooked crisp

Combine ground beef, beer and Worcestershire in medium bowl, mix lightly and shape into thick patties

Grill to your desired doneness. Brush buns with olive oil and grill to crispy. Top each burger with cheese, top with bacon and enjoy!!!

Have fun and share your favorite creations at #BeefBurgerBrag
Post your favorite photo!

Have fun it's time to get outside and get your Grill on!

Does Your Horse Suffer from being herd-bound?

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 15:30:09 GMT

If you have ever experienced this problem with your horse; herd-bound or barn sour you know how difficult, dangerous and annoying this problem can be. The biggest issue is this isn't the only problem associated with a horse that exhibits these behaviors, it also impacts overall behavior and performance.

What motivates this behavior anyway? A herd-bound horse is a horse that wants to go somewhere else to get comfort. It could be back to the herd, back to the barn, out of a pasture through a gate or even back to the trailer. What you may not realize is this behavior could be motivating other problems that you don't even think are linked to being herd-bound like; not doing a straight run-down, loping circles with the shoulder dropped. These are just a few but being a herd animal exacerbates the tendency to be herd-bound.

The solution? Make it work for you. We begin by making the escapist behavior uncomfortable. Determine the behavior you want and make that the comfortable place for the horse to be. One method is to use pressure and release. When the horse wants to head in the wrong direction, create pressure by circling, loping, anything that makes that place uncomfortable and hard work. Then move in the direction you want to go and as soon as the horse does what you ask release the pressure. Repetition will teach your horse to think of the place you want them to be as comfortable and the negative behavior becomes uncomfortable.

When you first begin a conversation with your horse they are going to ask you if what you are doing is okay. Depending on if the horse is really broke or green determines how long that conversation is going to be. The bottomline is you have to be the one who says it's okay. You have to be the leader.

Ultimately you want your horse to follow your feel. It may take some work and dedication to accomplish this but consistent training will help you beat that herd-bound behavior. Ultimately your place should become the safe place.

Time and patience will get you there!
Happy Riding from the ranch!

Is Meat Really the Villain?

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 14:14:02 GMT

It seems a day does not go by without someone spouting a malicious diatribe against all things beef. What is really getting cattle ranchers like myself in an uproar is that most of the rhetoric is simply FALSE!

Be very careful what you wish for because a good majority of the farmers and ranchers in this country are 60 years old or older and they are getting very tired of being the punching bags for a society that is set on destroying the American way of life. The business of raising food does not make us rich. It is a hard life but the reward at the end of the day is knowing that we are feeding our brothers and sisters. A honest days work and our love of the land and stewardship of it is what motivates us, but if we are continually blamed for problems that we are not really creating the day will come when we will all just throw up our hands.

It is not easy to be a farmer or rancher in this country even when things are going well, it is becoming impossible in a world that is set to place unwarranted blame on a small sector of the population that is responsible for feeding all of us. 2% of the population is responsible for feeding the other 98%. What is going to happen when you destroy us? We will be fine but I doubt the 98% will be.

My point is look beyond the hype that is motivated to sell a viewing audience on their own agenda. Get your own answers and if you can't find them ask us! Don't stand by and soak up all the misinformation like a sponge. After a while a wet sponge really stinks. Be strong and choose your own path.

In honor of beef and the cattle ranching way of life get my new book, Beef, Burgers & Bones on my website: www.kellygraywilliamsbooks.com

Meat Alternatives vs. Ground Beef

Sun, 28 Jul 2019 14:11:21 GMT

When the second largest burger chain in the U.S., Burger King, begins serving a variation of it's iconic Whopper with a plant-based version we all stand up and take notice.

So What does this mean. Do we all get into an uproar? or do we look at the facts?

Americans still love beef. Americans consume about 50 billion burgers a year, with the typical American eating three burgers a week. In 2018, ground beef made up 40 percent of dollar sales and half of last year's pound sales. This all confirms that beef is still what consumers love to buy and eat.

The plant-based alternatives do fit a niche and are an important alternative for many reasons. The trend is growing but it is important to note that it still only represents a fraction of the amount of pounds sold, approximately 0.1 percent.

We all want to know what we are eating. When you eat beef you are...eating 1 thing, beef. When you are eating plant-based alternatives you are eating dozens of ingredients so it is important for consumers to understand what exactly they are eating.

As far as sustainability, the cattle industry has grown in leaps and bounds. Today we are able to produce the same amount of beef with one-third fewer cattle than we did in 1977.

Beef is what's for dinner. For ideas check out my new cookbook; Beef, Burgers & Bones.
You can purchase a copy on my website: www.kellygraywilliamsbooks.com