UN-rolled cabbage casserole

My mom makes killer stuffed cabbage rolls.  I mean they are just fantastic.  A flavorful meat mixture wrapped in delicate cabbage leaves and simmered for hours in a yummy tomato sauce.  YUM!  I've used her recipe a couple of times, and while the end result was quite delicious, the time and energy it took to get there was more than I wanted to spend.  See in the original recipe, you have to core and boil the cabbage, then let it cool enough to take apart all of the leaves individually, then roll about a bajillion little rolls, then let it simmer for longer than I want to wait.  I'm a little lazy by nature and frankly folks, this is all a little too much work for me.  I usually only have about 15-20 minutes in the kitchen by myself before a three year old is trying to "help" me or asking for a snack and a 10 month old is down around my ankles or dumping the dog's water bowl all over himself.  I require meals that are get in and get out, if you know what I mean.

Enter the un-stuffed cabbage casserole.  It's all the flavor of a cabbage roll without the boiling of the cabbage and the work of rolling.  The original recipe also called for rice.  I'm certainly not against rice, but I'm trying to get more veggies in our diet, so I substituted cauliflower instead.  I know you're probably thinking that doesn't sound too appetizing but really it is.  If you chop the cauliflower into tiny bits that resemble rice, you can hardly tell the difference. If you prefer rice instead, by all means, use rice.  You might want to add only a 1/2 cup raw rice and maybe add more liquid ingredients.  Basically, you'll have to play around with it. 

My husband and I love this dish, while my three year old still isn't sure of it.  I've made this twice now and the first time she wouldn't even touch it.  The second time she took a couple of bites, so we're making progress.  She's not a big fan of ground meat.  Crazy girl.  :)  So here's the recipe.  Hope you like it.

Un-rolled Cabbage Casserole

1.5 lbs ground beef or a mixture of ground beef and sausage (grass fed is best)
1 small head of green cabbage
1 cup cauliflower (chopped very small to resemble rice)
1/2- 1 c diced onion depending on how oniony you like your food
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups strained or crushed tomatoes (divided)
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic or 1/4 t. garlic powder
sea salt (1 t. divided) and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Core and chop up a small head of cabbage into bite sized pieces and place in the bottom of a deep 9x13 casserole dish.  Sprinkle with a 1/4 t. salt and drizzle about 1 c. tomato product over the cabbage as well.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine meat, cauliflower, onion, 2 c diced tomatoes, 1/2 t salt, garlic, and spices.  Mix well with hands.  Crumble meat mixture in an even layer over the cabbage.  Drizzle remaining 1 cup of tomato product over top.  Sprinkle 1/4 t salt and a generous amount of pepper on top.  Bake covered for 50 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes.  Make sure meat mixture is no longer pink before serving.

Note:If your meat is not very lean, I would recommend draining off some of the grease that will accumulate on the sides.  If you use lean grass fed beef, you shouldn't have much problem.

What we ate: Jan 22-Feb 4

I skipped a couple of weeks with the "What we ate" series so here I am trying to play catch up.  Honestly I don't remember exactly what was on the menu the last couple of weeks but here are some pictures that I have taken of our food.  This was made with all real food, no processed ingredients except for the pastas which have very few ingredients.  Hope you get some good ideas from this.  What was on your dinner plate?  I LOVE getting ideas from you so please share!

 Homemade chicken nuggets and mac and cheese made with quinoa pasta.  

 Broiled halibut, roasted cabbage and roasted butternut squash.  An extremely easy and fast meal.

 Huge batch of chili that lasted several days.

 Basil pesto chicken, buttered carrots and roasted broccoli.  So quick. Literally just spoon some pesto on top of chicken and pop in oven for 20-30 minutes.  Done.

 Chili mac:  leftover chili on top of rice pasta.

 

Chili cheese fries.  Homemade french fries (yum) with leftover chili and cheddar cheese.  Looks unhealthy but it's really not...all real food!  Fries were cooked in coconut oil.

 Pork chops, roasted brussel sprouts and buttered carrots

 Chicken parmeasan bake made with homemade sprouted bread croutons.  Extremely easy, fast and tasty.  Served with a salad.

 Philly cheesesteak bowl

Letter of the Week: N

Bailey has been so independent in her crafting lately.  She wants to do everything her way and without my help.  I'm certainly ok with that, but I'm having to make the projects a little more simple so she can do it all herself.  Sometimes she doesn't like my "plans" either so they get scrapped for something else she comes up with.  I think I've created a monster!

 

Noodle N

Simple craft just involved gluing noodles onto the letter N.  Anything that involved glue is a hit with a 3 year old though.

Nest

I thought this one was hilarious but it was all her ideas.  I had gotten a package in the mail and this weird packing material was in it.  Bailey thought we could make a nest out of it.  She cut it up and put some cotton balls in it to look like eggs.  Then she put her robot bird on top of the eggs to keep them warm.  We fed the bird birdseed and worms and waited for the eggs to hatch.

DIY picture display

This is a terrible title for this post, but I have no idea what to call this particular thing.  If any of you brilliant people out there are more creative than me in naming things, help me out and comment on what I can name it.  hehe  Anyway, on to the post.  Sorry for rambling.  :)

 

This was a present for my dad and step mom for Christmas.  I love to give gifts, especially handmade gifts, but it's difficult to buy for someone that you feel like has everything.  One thing they do both love though is pictures of family.  Their house is full of pictures of their kids and especially grandkids.  I thought this was a unique way to display some of their pictures and an easy way to update with new pictures.  Just take it off of the clothespin and clip on another one in its place.  Here's what I did.


First I found a piece of wood.  We have LOTS of scrap wood lying around because my hubby likes to build a lot and we have done our share of updates in the house over the last 6 years. 

 

 Next I painted it.  I should have primed it first but I didn't.  I'm lazy like that, but by all means, prime yours first.  I used paint that I had leftover from another project too.  This particular paint was called Navajo white.

 

After it was thoroughly dry, I added vinyl lettering to the wood.  Easy peasy.  You can cut your own if you have a fancy machine or buy it at a craft store like Michaels, JoAnns, Hancocks, or Hobby Lobby.  (not pictured)




Next I mod-modged strips of card stock onto the fronts of tiny clothespins.  I don't have a picture of this step but you can see what it looks like on the close up picture below.



Then I took the fronts off of the clothespins, nailed the backs onto the bottom of the wood using tiny pin head nails and put the front back onto the clothespin.

  That's it!  Super easy and pretty cute I think.  You can add a picture hanger on the back so it can hang on a wall or you could put it on a shelf or mantle like I have it displayed.  You could also distress it to give it a little more character but I liked mine the way it was.  This makes a great Grandparent gift, housewarming gift, or just something to add a little charm to your house as well. 

Kale chips

This is not an original recipe by any means.  Kale chips has definitely made an appearance on just about every healthy blog out there I think.  Some of you though that read my blog may have never heard of this before, so I thought I would include it.  Dark leafy greens are EXTREMELY good for you, and especially kale.  If you want a snack full of nutrition, try some kale.  Here's what web md has to say about it.

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.

Not only is kale extremely healthy for you, I happen to like it.  My favorite ways to eat it are in soups like my kale and white bean soup or these kale chips.  Kale is pretty inexpensive so it can't hurt to give it a try.  Who knows?  You may like it.

Kale chips

1 bunch kale (organic is best)
2 T olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry kale thoroughly.  Chop or tear into bite sized pieces.  Place in single layer on cookie sheet.  You may have to use two.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crispy.  Watch carefully and DO NOT burn.  They will get bitter if you do.  Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Bowl

I am such a sucker for a cheesesteak sandwich.  It's hard for me to resist it on any menu.  I absolutely love steak but then when you add those deliciously grilled thinly sliced peppers, onions, and mushrooms topped with melty gooey cheese.  Come on...forget about it.  This could easily be made into a sandwich by just putting it on a hoagie bun, but I couldn't find sprouted buns, so we just had the filling.  It did not disappoint.  The trick is to slice the steak as thin as you possibly can and don't cook it too long or it will get too tough.  The best part about this meal is that it came together in about 15 minutes.  We served ours with a big salad for a complete meal. 


Philly Cheesesteak Bowl
serves 2-3

1/2 lb. grass-fed steak sliced thinly (skirt, sirloin, or ribeye would all work well)
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
1 onion thinly sliced
4 oz. mushrooms sliced
2 T. butter (grassfed best)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T. hot sauce
2 oz. cheese (provolone or mozzarella work well)
salt and pepper

Heat oven to broil.  Season steak liberally with salt and pepper. In a oven safe skillet (I used cast iron), melt butter and then add Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  Add onions, peppers, and mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until veggies are crisp tender. Add steak and stir fry until steak is done.  Top with cheese and put under broiler until cheese is melted.  You may add more salt and pepper if desired.

Adapted from Health-Bent

What we ate: Jan 16-22

Total spent at Whole Foods:  $167  Again, all organic produce, wild caught shrimp, grass fed/pastured poultry, meat, dairy and eggs.

Average cost per person per meal:  $2.74  One meal we ate at my grandparents.  One meal my dad also ate with us.  The math was confusing this time but I think I got it right.

Breakfasts:  eggs, fruit smoothies, soaked whole wheat banana bread, sprouted 7 grain toast with grassfed butter

Lunches:  leftovers, take and bake Whole Foods pizza (not healthy), fruit, cottage cheese, peanut butter and bananas

Snacks:  cottage cheese, blueberries, apples, oranges, bananas, carrot sticks, peanut butter, cheese slices

Dinners
Monday:
Garlic butter shrimp, sweet potato fries, greens, and orange slices.  Ken and I love shrimp.  Bailey took one bite and refused the rest.  What's wrong with that girl?!  lol  She ate everything else though.

Tuesday:  Dinner at Grandparents' house.  My grandma made homemade chicken and dumplings.  They were delish as always!  She's a great cook.


Wednesday:
Pinto beans with bacon, boiled cabbage, leftover chicken and dumplings, and corn cakes.  My daddy was in town so he joined us for dinner.  This was plain old country cookin'.  Mmmm Mmmm good!  I soaked the beans for 24 hours with some baking soda to help with digestion and make them healthier.

Thursday:
Roasted whole chicken in the crockpot, roasted acorn squash and buttered peas.  This meal was a total disappointment.  I came in from a playdate and the house smelled fantastic liked delicious rotisserie chicken.  I guess I turned it on too early because it was WAY overcooked.  It turned to mush in my mouth.  Ick!  I choked it down, but surprisingly enough Bailey ate the entire meal and loved it.  Weird girl I tell ya. 

 Friday:
Spaghetti with side salad.   The spaghetti was rice pasta.  I used grassfed ground beef and the sauce was homemade.  I used organic jarred strained tomatoes and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and basil.  Simple and satisfying.

 Saturday:
Naked taco bowls:  Leftover pinto beans and chicken, romaine lettuce, spinach, salsa, sour cream, and raw goat cheese.   This was lunch.  I thought it was pretty so I took a picture.  :)

 Paninis and sweet potato fries:  (fancy grilled cheese) Sprouted 7 grain bread, raw goat cheddar cheese, spinach, bacon, and pesto.  Yum!  I love almost any kind of melted sandwich.  The sweet potato fries were a hit with the whole family.  Even Eli loved them.  They were baked in coconut oil.

 Sunday:
BBQ Meatloaf, roasted broccoli and roasted parsnips.  I totally did not feel like cooking and I had to drag myself into the kitchen but surprisingly this meal came together in minutes and the oven did the rest.  It was a meal we all enjoyed.  This was our first time ever eating parsnips and we liked them.