Recipe: Moroccan CousCous with Beef

Original recipe makes 8 servings

2 pounds of beef steak or roast

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

 1 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

 1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

 2 zucchinis and/or yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 3/4 inch pieces

 1/2 cup golden raisins

 1 teaspoon kosher salt

 grated zest of one orange

 1 (14.5 ounce) can low sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups of beef broth

 1/2 cup orange juice

 1 1/2 cups couscous

 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Optional: turnip, carrots, and potatoes

Cut the beef into bite sized cubes. Place a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil. Brown the beef with crushed garlic cloves. Then add 2 cups of beef broth. Turn heat down to simmer after the broth boils.  Simmer for 2 hours.

After two hours, in another pan stir in the cumin, ginger, cloves, cayenne, cardamom, coriander, and allspice; gently toast until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in oil and onion, cook until softened. Add to beef. Add in optional potatoes, carrots, and turnip. Stir in the bell pepper, and zucchini; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins, salt, zest, and garbanzos.

Pour 1 ½ cups of beef broth and orange juice into a third pan; turn heat to high and bring to a boil. When the mixture is boiling, stir in the couscous and remove from heat; cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and fold in chopped mint.

Calories: 430 for 1 cup

7 Push-Up Mistakes You're Probably Making

By Tony Horton

There's a lot more to push-ups than getting on all fours and moving up and down. And knowing the proper technique is important: It'll reduce your risk of injury, improve core strength, and burn more calories. Make note of these common mistakes, then visit pushupsforcharity.com to see how doing push-ups can also help veterans nationwide.

The problem: Your butt rises
Push-ups are a great ab exercise, but this is a clear indication that you're not engaging your core.
The fix: Engage your glute muscles by squeezing the cheeks together. This will helplower your butt and raise your lower back.

The problem: Your back looks more like a hammock and less like a board
Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
The fix: Raise your low back toward the ceiling while simultaneously tilting your pelvic bones in the direction of your upper body.

The problem: Improper arm placement
Lots of people place their hands too far forward, which puts strain on the shoulder joints, making it difficult to comfortably engage the buttocks, low back, and abdominal area.
The fix: Your arms need to be straight up and down like a pillar holding up a building, allowing the bones in both arms to better support the weight of your body.

The problem: Poor head alignment
This happens when the chin and jaw are too close to your chest during the exercise.
The fix: Try to imagine a grapefruit-size space between your chin and upper chest, which will align your spine and relieve pressure from your neck muscles.

The problem: Dead legs
Most people think that their legs are just along for the ride. Not true.
The fix: To achieve more muscle recruitment and better alignment during a push-up, it's important to push the backs of your knees toward the ceiling and your heels toward the floor, while flexing your quadriceps ever so slightly.

The problem: You're holding your breath
This one is obvious, but quite often the most overlooked. It's difficult to do anything well while holding your breath.
The fix: Don't force it—just make sure you're exhaling on the way up and inhaling on the way down like you would breath naturally. No yoga-style exhales here.

The problem: You're only doing half a push-up
Far too often people don't go low enough or high enough, but you can't improve or get stronger doing a half push-up.
The fix: Try to straighten your arms at the top of every push-up and be conscious that your upper arms/triceps are at least parallel to the floor at the bottom, creating a 90-degree angle with your elbows.

For more from Tony Horton, check out tonyhortonlife.com
For more information go to Fitness