You are my Sunshine - Cabbage Rolls

I woke up with determination today to clean my whole house. And I mean CLEAN. But I must have been delusional that I would be able to do it all with my munchkin needing me (although my hubby did watch her most of the day so I could get some work done, but I still needed to take breaks with her). By late afternoon my husband needed to go out to do some jobs outside, and I wanted to make cabbage rolls for supper... So the entire time I sang to her just to keep her happy in her chair. Now I've got "you are my sunshine" stuck in my head, but hey! Supper got in the oven, so my mission is accomplished! 

I looked through cookbooks and couldn't really find a recipe I liked the looks of, so I pulled parts of each together then just winged it. Here's how it goes: 

Ingredients: 

1 head of sour cabbage 

2 cups brown rice + 3.5 cups water (makes about 4+ cups of rice) 

1 onion diced finely 

Salt and pepper (1 tsp each...or to taste) 

2 lb extra lean ground beef (I had a pack with a little less than that) 

2-3 eggs

680 ml tomato sauce (largest no name brand can) 

1/2 of tomato sauce can of water 

3 tablespoons sugar (this will add 1 pointsplus for 2-3 rolls. Splenda would work to make it 0) 

2 tablespoons vinegar 

Instructions:

Soak cabbage in cool water for a few hours. I started it in the morning, then dumped the water and added new water in the afternoon. Then a few hours later I rinsed it.

Make your rice as directed on the package. If you want it to be simply filing use brown rice of some sort. I used short grain from superstore that comes in a small yellow no name bag. 2 cups of rice make more than the 4 cups you need, but honestly it would be ok if you added it all. I saved my extra for a leftover meal for later. 

Sauté onion in a pan. When they are clear, put them to the side and brown your ground beef in the pan as well as the salt and pepper. If you continue to stir the meat it will cook up in smaller pieces, rather than large clumps (which usually happens when I'm making taco meat for some reason... I always get distracted making other toppings I think). Mix the onions in with the meat and set aside to cool. While it cools, separate your cabbage into leaf "cups" and set aside. 

Mix tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar in a bowl. (Note: when we ate them, hubby and I agreed the sauce needed some salt to get rid of the bitterness of the tomatoes). Put a bit of the mixture in the bottom your pan to prevent sticking. Since it is usually just my husband and I for supper, I decided to divide the recipe into 4 small pans and freeze 3 of them for later. I love freezer cooking/batch cooking so when I have a chance I try to divide recipes by 4 or 2. This helps us waste less and not have leftovers for a week! 

Next, place some of the meat mixture in a cabbage cup. Fold,  much like you would fold a burrito (see pictures below). Also, sometimes the cabbage cups have very hard ends (where they connected to the core) so make sure to trim those off as much as possible, as they make it hard to fold and they aren't pleasant to eat. 

Place finished rolls in pan and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and bake 350 F for 45 minutes. 

I served these with pork, so I ended up only eating 1 because they are so filling. I think they would be a great meal by themselves with a salad (pictured). Enjoy!

 

Doing a favor - zucchini cake pancakes (no sugar, no sweetener, no gluten)

Yesterday my mother-in-law came for some snuggle time with my daughter and brought with her a zucchini and asked if I would make a cake, since she didn't have some of the supplies. So I grabbed a random recipe and got cooking. While it was baking my house started to fill with the wonderful scent that is zucchini cake. Knowing it would eat up (no pun intended) my weekly points if i started having "just one piece" I started looking for an alternative. I had heard of savory potato pancakes, savory zucchini pancakes and paleo banana pancakes, but I could not find anything like zucchini cake.  So I started mixing. 

I started with a base of 2 eggs like many banana and zucchini pancake recipes I looked at had. Then I added 1/4 tsp allspice and 1 1/2 - 2 tsp of cocoa an beat that together. 

 

Next I added in 1/2 a mashed banana (I just mashed it with my hands before I added it to the mixture) and 1 cup zucchini. I heated a frying pan, sprayed it with oil and divided it into 4 pancakes about the size of my palm. I was careful to really let them cook fully before flipping to avoid breakage. They don't look that pretty but they tasted good. I am going to play with my recipe a bit and see if I can get it to be a bit less eggy and might also try baking them in a silicon baking tray. I will post updates, but for now I'm full so I won't make anymore! 

* if counting points I would personally only count the eggs (4 pp). 

Time saving - overnight slow cooker oatmeal with quinoa

I'm always looking for ways to save time but still eat healthy. That's why I tend to use my slow cooker lots! I haven't had a chance to use it much lately since we have been on the go (camping in non-electric sites) so it was nice to be able to get back in the groove of using this appliance. 

I have done slow cooker overnight steel cut oats a few times, and from the research I did the best general rule is this: 1 cup of oats to 4 cups of liquid, cook on high for 2 hours then turn on "keep warm" and go to bed. If you keep cooking it on low or high it tends to burn. And thanks to my mommy brain, I found out today that if you turn it off instead of "keep warm" it still works, you just have to heat a portion in the microwave when you get up. 

I have been hungry lately... Like hungry hippo hungry... So I've been looking at ways to feel fuller, especially in the mornings since my daughter gets me up quite early most days, plus nursing tends to make me ravenous after not eating for that many hours. Eggs are usually my go-to but I was getting sick of those so I thought I'd revisit 

oatmeal again. My cousin had mentioned quinoa prepared as a hot cereal, and this intrigued me since I knew that quinoa is a complete protein. So in searching google, I found this recipe to try and pretty much stuck to it, so I won't retype it here, but just tell you the changes or adaptations I tried and leave you with the link to the original recipe: 

http://mindfulnutritionforlife.com/2012/01/crockpot-quinoa-oatmeal-oh-yum/

1. I left out the coconut oil and sweetener. I don't doubt the health benefits of the oil, but adding either of these ingredients makes it difficult to count points (I would actually have to have a specific portion rather than taking only what I need). If I feel like adding them I would add what I wanted to a portion I was eating. 

2. I used my cooking instructions: 2 hours on high, then "keep warm" or off for the night. DON'T open it until you are ready to eat. Stir in the morning and reheat if needed. refrigerate leftovers and reheat as needed. This makes a great "dessert" when you want something warm and sweet. Add fat free cool whip if you are feeling rebellious ;) 

3. Adaptations I have tried: 

- the first time I made it I had Saskatoon berries in the fridge needing to be used. I used extra vanilla in place of the cinnamon in the recipe. Turned out good, but it made me remember I really don't care for cooked saskatoons :/ oops! 

- the second time I made it I used apples. Next time I'd add more cinnamon, but I like a lot of cinnamon. This one was much better, but I do love apple pie so that's probably why I liked this the best. 

- next I would like to try a zucchini bread inspired recipe... I will edit this post if I ever try it! Or maybe banana bread... Oh the possibilities...

One last little note: there is debate in the weight watcher community if steel cut oats count on simply filling. Technically they don't which I think is bogus. I track it as hot cereal (listed as a power food). Also, to make it truly simply filling, you will have to use soy milk or fat free milk, but since I can't have either, I tend to look the other way when I use almond milk in recipes. It is just how I work the plan for my individual situation, which I think ultimately everyone does. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

Mommy time - burnt omelette

I'm a bit new to this mommy gig (almost 4 months... where has the time gone) so my intentions to, say, make breakfast get interrupted and I'm getting used to that. Yesterday morning was one of those days! I started my bell peppers and ham in a non stick pan and once they were cooked I added 3 scrambled eggs. Then my daughter needed me and before I knew it my omelette was burning! Oh well. I ate it because a) I hate wasting good food (ESP my yummy Hutterite eggs) and b) I had a clingy baby. It would work out to be 7-8 pp depending on how much ham and free on simply filling. 

Today I had to switch to pointsplus since we were eating out for two meals. I made a batch of black bean mango salad and portioned it out for the next few days, especially for tomorrow when we go to visit my brother and his girlfriend at the lake. I will report back how that goes! 

Berry picking - egg salad sandwich and cucumber tomato salad

We headed out this morning to catch the tail end of the Saskatoon berry season. Yummy, and 0 points :) 

We decided to grab a quick lunch before heading to the city for groceries. In retrospect I would have added an extra egg and pack a more filling snack than an apple (I spent 4 wp on an emergency granola bar I had in my purse). The sandwich has 2 eggs, 2 slices of light bread, and 1 tbsp miracle whip (1 wp). The salad had Greek seasoning, balsamic vinegar, mini cucumbers and grape tomatoes. 

 

Back at it - list of ideas

Let's just get this out of the way: I have been on vacation from weight watchers for the past two weeks. Not proud, but I am admitting it and moving forward. We are doing a big Costco shop today then more groceries on Wednesday to fill our very empty fridge. 

While camping I decided to make a list of Simply Filling meals I can make that don't contain dairy (boo! I really miss yogurt!) that hubby and I will be making for our suppers. I find if I have that figured out, lunches can be leftovers or something simple, and breakfasts are pretty simple too. 

So here is my list so far! 

Simply filling meal ideas 

- Pasta with tomato sauce and lean meat 

- taco salad 

- hamburgers on lite bread 

- jambalaya (no sausage) 

- frittata with shredded potato as base 

- certain soups 

- stew

- chili 

- cabbage rolls 

- French toast (ww bread) 

- stir fry 

- souvlaki 

- roast beef 

- turkey 

- shepherds pie 

- meatloaf 

Back in cell service - breakfast bush pies

We are back from the lake for laundry and a visit with friends, but I wanted to make a quick post before we went out of cell range on our way back. 

I will admit I've fallen off the wagon. I really didn't plan good enough before we left and I fell into the "only one marshmallow" trap. I decided not to worry about it and just eat as healthy as I can until I can prepare my own food. 

But, I do have a yummy simply filling breakfast for over the fire! It happened early in the week when I had more resolve. 

Ingredients: 

Pam spray OR oil

Weight watchers bread 

Fat free deli ham

Eggs

Optional: fat free cheese (not pictured) 

Tools: 

Campfire 

Bush pie iron (this is the name locally, but I've heard they go by various names)

Spray both sides of iron with oil or Pam. Place a piece of bread on each side. 

Notice I pressed the bread down a bit for the egg, and I put that part on the bottom. Both of these steps will help keep your egg from spilling out. Place ham and bread over this bottom layer and close the iron. 

Cook over the campfire, making sure to flip so both sides get golden brown. 

Yum. I had 2! Simply filling, and would work out to be approximately 5-6 pp (1-2 oz of meat). I can't have cheese (dairy), otherwise I would have added a fat free cheese slice! 

Back to the lake! Better post before I'm out if range! 

Rainy day - black bean salad

We woke up to a rainy morning, that turned into a rainy day. My daughter and I have done lots of  cuddling on the couch today, enjoying the excuse to relax before our baptism tomorrow. My husband (formerly a professional cook before becoming a teacher) is planning the menu for our BBQ tomorrow, so we will be having a trial run of some of his food tonight (I'll save those recipes for tomorrow). For lunch I had a bit of time to fiddle while my hubby and daughter were napping, so I decided to try out a recipe passed on to me by my cousin and his wife-to-be. I made it as written, except was too lazy to run out in the rain to the garden to get green onions, so I omitted those. I should have used some red onion, but I was already eating it when I realized this. I put half of the recipe on top of some lettuce and added some leftover corn I cut off the cob (I think I'd add the corn to the recipe, as it was a great addition!). All free on Simply Filling (depending on your oil intake of course! It was a great light lunch and I have saved the other half for another day! 

* note: since I'm nursing, I am allowed 3 tsp of oil among other healthy guidelines that are different.

Second day on Simply Filling - corn on the cob

Second day of simply filling and I'm feeling great! My husband and I had running around to do in the city, so we ended up having to stop for lunch in the city, thus my entry from Tim Horton's. Of course it wasn't enough to keep me full, and thus the entry of my leftovers.

When we got home from the city and I had my "second lunch" neither of us were very inspired to make supper. All hubby would contribute was that he didn't want fish like I had planned (more on my meal planning in a later post). Usually we build our meal around our meat, but tonight we started with corn on the cob that needed to be eaten, then I added roasted carrots with roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning (our favorite). I also had chicken defrosted in the fridge, so that seemed like a logical choice to have as a "go with anything" type of protein. I grilled it in a frying pan with a bit of lemon pepper seasoning and Epicure's Lemon Dilly Dip Mix. I drizzled oil instead of  butter on my corn, which  was ok... But next time I think I will just do plain. 

 

Getting started - Jambalaya

I have always been a curvy woman, and one that loves food. After the birth of my daughter I was looking for a place to compile my recipes and thoughts about motherhood and nutrition /weightloss. I realized that I was sharing the same posts in a few different groups I was (am) a part of, and realized it would be easier to write in a blog and share with those who want to read it. So here it goes... 

I have decided recently to follow weight watchers Simply Filling technique. Although it is a bit more complicated, a simple explanation is eating healthy food (from the "Power Foods" list) until satisfied, while getting in the weight watchers healthy guidelines. Read more about it here. This week I will be sharing what I have gathered for recipes, and will do my best to link you to any original recipes I have modified. 

I had gone out for supper the previous week with some good friends to a new restaurant in Saskatoon called Bon Temps. I ordered the jambalaya and it was fabulous. As I was reminiscing about how good it was on our way home, I realized it would be fairly easy to make this into a simply filling meal! I searched until I found a recipe that had items I pretty much had on hand. Here is the original recipe I worked off of : slow-cooker-jambalaya

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
1 onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1-3 cups bell pepper (I had some to use up, so I had closer to 3 cups. Also, I like red/orange/yellow more than green, but any combination would work!)
3- 4 cups tomato sauce (1 large and one regular no name brand cans)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp each or oregano, dried parsley, Cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 lb frozen shrimp, tails removed
Salt and cornstarch (optional)

Instructions:
Sauté chicken until browned, then add vegetables and cook until tender. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and spices. Simmer on low for a few hours, stirring once in a while (my slow cooker was dirty, otherwise I would have used that!). Near the end, add shrimp. I also used a tsp of cornstarch to thicken the sauce a little, but tomato paste would also work. Salt to taste.

Pictured, I served over brown rice, but whole wheat pasta would also be tasty! My recipe made 10 cups at 3 pp each, or free on simply filling.