Healthy Meatballs

My daughters LOVE meatballs like nobody's business.  They will order spaghetti and meatballs when ever they can (at least my youngest does.)  I found this recipe on a Ideal Protein Facebook group (Janeva Eickhoff's Ideal Protein recipes).  I want to make them for my youngest but not tell her that they are healthy and see what she thinks.  Only after  she goes for seconds will I inform her of the cauliflower content.  Bahahahahah - its a mother's dream come true!! 

Janeva's original recipe was for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and they were fantastic. These are the larger size meatball.   I used the largest size Pampered Chef scoop to make these.  It made 14 meatballs.  On IP that's 7 per serving.  I could only eat 4-5 before I was stuffed!  I used Greek yogurt to cool them down a little.  The buffalo sauce was at the top end of my heat tolerance index.  To make these, just replace the marinara in the recipe below with Franks Buffalo wing sauce and you're good to go.

I also made them for spaghetti so I am putting that recipe out here.  For these, I used the smallest Pampered Chef scoop.  It made a whopping 32 meatballs 

I served them with a homemade marinara and whole wheat pasta.  You could easily use zoodles with this for a Phase 1 friendly dish.

Healthy Meatballs (adapted from Janeva Eickhoff)
Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
2 C. cauliflower florets
½ C. grated zucchini
½ C. chopped green onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 ¼  tsp. sea salt
1/3 C. egg whites ( I used 1 whole egg in place of the egg whites)
Olive oil cooking spray

Homemade marinara
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 T parsley
1 T stevia
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix all marinara ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until needed for meatballs
3.  Place cauliflower, green onions and zucchini in a food processor and pulse to a riced consistency.
4.  In a large bowl combine chicken, riced veggie mixture, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and egg whites.  Mix together gently.  Do not over mix.
5.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.  Scoop meat mixture (about 2 T. for large  meatballs, or 1 T for smaller ones) and gently roll portions between palms to form a smooth ball.  Place on olive oil sprayed baking sheet.
6.  Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.  Remove meatballs from oven.
7.  Pour some of the marinara sauce in a bowl and transfer meatballs to the bowl; toss to coat. Let the meatballs sit in the sauce while you raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
8.  Drain the moisture and wipe the grease from the baking sheet.  Apply a fresh coat of olive oil cooking spray.
9.  When oven has reached 450 degrees, give meatballs another toss in the bowl, transfer meatballs and sauce to the baking sheet and bake on the top rack of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

10.  When finished cooking, toss in the remaining marinara and serve over pasta or zoodles

Whey Protein Blueberry Muffins

I was out perusing the interwebs for recipes that use liquid whey.  I have usually about a quart of whey left over from making yogurt and I always hate throwing it out, but never knew what to do with it.

Search success!!! I found this blueberry muffin recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.  They had a list of several things that you could make with whey, and some ideas for using it as a substitute.  Turns out you can generally use whey in place of buttermilk in recipes.  So much fun!!  I plan on checking some of the others out, but for now, enjoy the muffins

Here is the recipe for you convenience.

Liquid Whey Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain (not Greek) yogurt; or 1 1/4 cups liquid whey*
cinnamon-sugar or coarse white sparkling sugar for topping, optional

*The liquid drained from plain yogurt when you make thick, Greek-style yogurt.

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard muffin pan; or line with paper baking cups, and grease the paper cups.

2) Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the blueberries.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, vegetable oil, and buttermilk or whey.

4) Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just to combine.

5) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them nearly full. A slightly heaped muffin scoop of batter is the right amount.

6) Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with coarse sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

7) Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8) Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes (or when they're cool enough to handle) transfer them to a rack to cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Store leftovers loosely wrapped at room temperature.


Yield: 12 muffins.

Wildtree: Cauliflower Scampi

I'm always looking for side dishes. And for me if they use vegetables that's even better..  While I find that I like veg a whole way lot more than I ever used to, I still get stuck in a rut more often with them than anything else.

I had a head of cauliflower that I needed to use up and I didn't really know what to do with it.  We were having garlic something for dinner that night so i thought instead of doing the standard Cauliflower mash, I try something different.  Something new.  :)  And that's how Cauliflower Scampi was born

Yummmm

Cauliflower Scampi
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 T Wildtree roasted garlic grapeseed oil
2 T Wildtree Scampi blend

Directions
Toss all ingredients together.  Put in a roasting pan and roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

That's it.  That's all there is too it.  I like tasty.  I like easy.  Tasty and easy together is a Win-Win in the kitchen as far as I'm concerned

Enjoy!

Going off script - lamb stew

So I posted about my freezer meal workshop and signing up with Wildtree last time.   I'm still working my way through the meals we made at the workshop.  I pulled out the lamb this weekend.  It was marinating in Greek spices, lemon juice and grapeseed oil.  It was supposed to be for kabobs.  But it got chilly over the weekend and we hadn't gotten the grill out yet.  I didn't really feel kabobs either.  So I went off script and made lamb stew.  I used the lamb, chopped some carrots, parsnips and turnips.  I wanted potatoes but didn't want the carb dose so I subbed in the turnips and hoped they would be a good substitute.  I also added a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste and about 2 c of unsalted chicken stock.  Stirred it up, turned the crock pot on high for 4 hours and waited to see what would emerge.

Look at that scrumptiosness!  It was fabulous!  The lamb was so tender that you could cut it with a spoon.  Maybe that's how lamb is supposed to be.  I haven't had it in a while, but I don't remember it being that soft.  The Greek seasoning from Wildtree was a nice light but balanced flavor.  Really, really good.  Definitely a keeper!!

Greek Stew
2 lb lamb or beef, cut in about 1" cubes
2 tsp Wildtree Natural Grapeseed oil
2 tsp Wildtree Opa! Greek seasoning blend
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice.

5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 medium turnips, peeled and diced
2 c chicken or beef stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste

Mix first 4 ingredients in a gallon sized ziploc bag.  Allow to marinate at least 4 hours.  This can also be placed in the freezer and thawed out when you want to make the stew.

Add meat with marinade and rest of ingredients to a crock pot.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir it all up to combine  Sprinkle more Opa! Greek seasoning over the mixture in the crock pot if desired (I added about 1 T more)   Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hrs.  I cooked on high so can vouch for that method).

About a half hour before its done mix cornstarch with water and add to the stew to thicken to desired thickness.  I like my stews thick and hearty so I added about 2-3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with maybe 1/4 c water.  But that is up to you and the consistency you like in your stews.

Once its done cooking, let it cool a bit then eat up.  You could serve this with a nice crusty bread, over rice (or cauliflower rice for even more veg) or just straight up in a bowl like we had it.

Enjoy!!

Do you Wildtree?

Do you even know what Wildtree is?

Wildtree is a company that sells organic spice blends, oils and also mixes and marinades,  I recently found out about them at a freezer meal workshop.  The workshop was put on by my IP coach, Lindsay.  We made 10 meals (enough to feed 5-6 people each) in about an hour.  With only about 1-2 hours of pre-workshop prep, thats not bad.

There they are - all 10 of them.  It will actually be about 20 for the hubs and I since we'd only eat half at a time most of the time.  

While these took a lot of the stress out of menu planning, these were really good meals too.  And fairly economical.

So I signed up ...now Im a Wildtree Rep too :)

My starter kit came today and I used some of the products to make dinner tonight

One of the meals we made in freezer meal workshop was a herb marinaded white fish.  I used swai fillets and we added grape seed oil and a lemon rosemary spice blend.  In my starter kit I got Zesty lemon grape seed oil so I used that on the roasted asparagus and also to pan fry the fish.

It was delicious!!!

If you want more information about Wildtree check out my website: www.mywildtree.com/MaureenVieth

Peanut Butter Cups from Team Beach Body

Sweets are my downfall.  In more ways than 1.   Its what I tend to crave and if I overindulge its what will make me sicker than a dog!  So when I can find a recipe that curbs my sweet tooth and is at least marginally more healthy, I'm all about that.

I was out perusing the Team Beach Body website and looking at recipes when I found this one for peanut butter cups.  Secret ingredient: pumpkin.  You read that right.  Pumpkin.  So a little veg hidden in the sweet treat.  I was skeptical but willing to try them.  I am SO glad I did!

I did change a couple of things, mostly in the prep.  I used PB2 (hazelnut and chocolate mixed) instead of natural peanut butter.  I used the same  amounts and that is reflected in the recipe below and nutrition information.

I also used my Pampered Chef tart shaper to make the cups out of the pumpkin mixture with a little plastic wrap over the pan.  This worked great to make a "cup" that I filled with PB2 and covered with chocolate.

Here they are filled with PB2

 

And here they are after being in the freezer for about an hour

Here is the original recipe from TBB: Peanut Buter Cups

Here's is my slightly modified version

Ingredients:
¼ cup dark chocolate morsels
2 scoops Chocolate Shakeology (or protein whey powder)
1 Tbsp. flax meal
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 TBSP Chocolate PB2
2 TBSP Hazelnut PB2
2 TBSP water

 Preparation:

1. Mix PB2 with 2 TBSP of water and set aside
2. Prepare twelve mini muffin cups by lining with muffin papers.
3. Place morsels in microwave-safe container. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds; stir; microwave for an additional 30 to 45 seconds or until just melted. Do not overcook. Set aside.
4. Place Shakeology,flax meal, and pumpkin in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a dough.
5. Divide dough into 12 small balls; place each ball in a muffin cup. Press dough down into a flat disk with a depression in the middle. (I covered my mini muffin pan with plastic wrap and used a tart shaper to make spread the dough around).  Place ½ tsp. prepared PB2 in each depression.
6. Drizzle 1/2 tsp melted morsels evenly over each peanut butter cup; spread to create a thin chocolate layer on top.
7. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until chocolate hardens.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 63
Fat: 2
Carbs: 7 (net: 5)
Fiber: 2
Protein: 4

Slow Cooker Cassoulet from 12Tomatoes

I like casseroles and crock pot meals for their simplicity.  When I made cassoulet (a french peasant dish) in a cooking class it was kind of a lot of work.  This version is much, much simpler and very tasty.  Since I've never had cassoulet in France, I can not attest to its authenticity, but it was really good none-the-less.



You can find the original recipe here on the 12Tomatoes website.

I copied it below with the changes I made (mostly adding more meat :) )

Slow Cooker Cassoulet

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 6 sweet Italian sausage links, skins pierced all over with a fork
• 1 pound lean boneless pork tenderloin roast, fat trimmed, cubed
• 2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans (or your choice white beans), drained
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned on all sides, then cut into small rounds and transfer to slow cooker.
2. Add chopped onion to skillet and sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until toasted.
3. Transfer to slow cooker and season with salt, pepper. Add bay leaf, rosemary and thyme.
4. Place cubed pork in slow cooker and pour in tomatoes and beans.
5. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese.
7. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information from MyFitnessPal

Calories: 433

Fat: 18

Carbs: 28 (net: 22)

Fiber: 6

Protein: 39

Healthy Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup from SkinnyTaste

Here is another great soup recipe from SkinnyTaste.com.  I've been really happy with everything I've tried from both the blog and Gina's cook book.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Doesn't that look good!


Give it a try.  Its pretty tasty:

Power Muffins

I joined a Challenge group through work.  Its an accountability group for diet &
exercise.  A friend of mine is coordinating it.  (Kate is a Beach Body coach so
if any of you are looking for someone to help you in your journey, I got
contacts ;) )

One of the ladies in the group loves to bake and she shared this original recipe
of hers with us.  Raina gave me permission to share it here.

These are incredibly delicious!  The only change I made was to use chocolate PB2
(powdered peanut butter).  I actually used the Hy-Vee brand in the Hy Vee health
market.  Its much lower calorie and fat than regular peanut butter but tastes
pretty darn good - especially the chocolate version:)

This recipe made regular sized 14 muffins.  Serving is 1 muffin.   

Power Muffins
 2c Hodgson Mill whole wheat insta-bake
1c vanilla almond milk 
1/2c stevia
1/2 c PB2 and 1/4 c water (or 1/2 c all natural peanut butter)
2 eggs
1/2tsp vanilla
1/4c chia seeds
1/4c ground flax seed
1/2c chopped nuts (I used pecans)
3/4c whole rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened dark chocolate chips.

Mix everything together.  Bake at 325 for between 12-15 minutes for mini muffins (~20 min for regular sized muffins).

SO GOOD!

Nutrition information from MyFitnessPal.com 
     (this is for the PB2 version.  For real PB, its showing 210 cal)
Amount Per Serving
calories 166
Total Fat 7 g
    Saturated Fat 2 g
    Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
    Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 30 mg
Sodium 155 mg
Potassium 68 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23 g
    Dietary Fiber 6 g
    Sugars 3 g


Protein 6 g

Oatmeal Recipes from HungryGirl.com

Breakfast on Maintenance just keeps getting better and better ... today's awesomeness is brought to you from Lisa over at HungryGirl.com

A question was asked of The Hungry Girl of how to have a satisfying breakfast that won't kill you on calories (and isn't all egg whites and vegetables).  The answer was : oatmeal.  But Oatmeal made in a whole new way.

The ingredients include twice as much liquid as normally used and it is cooked for twice as long so it get super thick and super creamy.

There are 2 recipes on Lisa's blog : Carnival and Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal

Since the Carnival oatmeal involved caramel, peanuts and chocolate chips I thought I'd try that one first.

Since the prep time is kinda long I made it the night before and reheated it at work.  That way it can be used as a weekday breakfast.  It heated up really well.  And the portion size is HUGE!!

Here's my bowl ...

Now that I've tried this one I'm going to try the Blueberry Muffin version on the same blog post.

Here's the recipe for your reference.
Oversized Carnival Oatmeal

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 no-calorie sweetener packet
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 cup mashed extra-ripe banana (about 1/2 large banana)
1 1/2 tsp. fat-free, low-fat, or light caramel dip
1 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. chopped peanuts

Directions:
In a nonstick pot, combine oats, sweetener, cinnamon, salt, and Almond Breeze. Mix in 1 cup water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.

Add banana and mix well. Cook and stir until thick and creamy, 2 - 5 minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl and let slightly cool and thicken. Top with remaining ingredients, and enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

Chocolate Mint muffins from BeachBody

Muffins are a wonderful food ... especially healthy muffins.  My BB coach, Kate, shared this recipe on Facebook and I thought "I have to make these"....you had me at chocolate!

Here is a link to the BeachBody.com recipe: chocolate mint muffins 

Now before you turn your nose up you should try these.  I have had other treats that used beans as a base (a delicious brownie torte comes to mind from Healthy Girl Bakery here in my town).  It was amazing!  While these are so much better than a regular muffin I still try to view them as a treat.  Because, well you know, chocolate.  And mint.  I could probably eat the whole batch if I didn't limit myself somehow.

Here is the recipe for reference

Ingredients:
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
3 large eggs
½ cup raw honey
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
½ tsp. pure peppermint extract

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers or coating with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Place chickpeas, eggs, honey, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil, and extract in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth.
4. Place batter in a medium bowl.
5. Divide batter among 12 prepared muffin cups.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely and enjoy!

Nutrition Info from BeachBody.com (including portionology for some fitness programs)

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

I love nachos, especially all dripping with cheese.  Since I really trying to watch my carbs, the chips are not so good but the internet to the rescue!!!   I found this recipe for mini bell pepper chicken nachos  - it uses mini bell peppers instead of chips.  They are fantastic!!

I found the recipe on Facebook but am linking to the original poster of it.

Here is my pan of them hot from the oven

and my plateful.  You get about a quarter of the pan.  

To cut down on fat (or make it Phase 1 friendly) use GO Veggie soy cheese - cheddar or cheddar - pepper jack shreds.

Or use a mix of cheddar and Monterrey jack if you dare

Snacking just got a while lot better!

Minestrone Soup

During the winter I love soup.  I make a big batch and freeze half.  I'm so glad I did because this past week we got another batch of cold weather and I thawed out my minestrone and lunch was done for the week

Try it for yourself.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

½ lb sweet Italian sausage

1 c. diced  Onion

1 cloved minced garlic

1 c. carrots, diced

1 tsp basil

¼ tsp oregano

2 small zucchinis, diced

1 – 1 lb can Italian tomatoes (diced or stewed)

20 oz beef  stock

1 – 1lb can red or white kidney beans

½ c. rice or barley

½ c. red wine

1 Tbsp oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown sausage in oil in a large kettle or stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, carrot and basil.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, tomatoes, broth, and oregano.

Bring to boil then simmer for 1 hour. 

Add beans with liquid, rice/barley and wine.  Simmer another 20 minutes or until grain is cooked (note barley will take 30-40  minutes to cook to desired firmness)

Serve with grated parmesan.

Enjoy!

Maple Dijon Chicken

I went in for my monthly check in with my coach last week.  Lindsay was running behind (or I was earlier than usual) and I heard Dusty, another coach, talking about some recipes.  This is one that she mentioned and I grabbed a copy and made it that night for dinner.  It was really good.  Pair it up with some roasted asparagus (and roasted potatoes on phase 4) and you've got a winner of a chicken dinner.

Dijon Chicken

½ c Dijon mustard

¼ c maple syrup (Phase 4, or use 1/4 c WF pancake syrup for Phase 1)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 chicken breasts

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Pat chicken dry.  Lay in a baking dish and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix mustard, syrup and vinegar together and pour over chicken

Top with more pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme if desired

Bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes.

Super Simple Chicken and Zoodles with a lemon pepper vinaigrette

Sometimes you just want dinner to be easy.  But easy and on plan don't always go together, unless you plan ahead a little bit.

My planning for tonight was two step.

First, our grocery store had rotisserie chickens on special, buy 2 for a special price.  SO I bought 2.  We had one for dinner over the weekend and the other I picked the meat off to have for lunches or whatever through out the week.

Step 2, when I make zoodles I make a lot  ... I mean like 3 or 4 zucchinis worth.  That way I get my veg and can save some for lunches later in the week.

So 2 of the elements of tonight's dinner were already well in hand.  All I needed was some sauce/spice to go with it and I would be set.  I made up a batch of a lemon vinaigrette I learned how to make in my first cooking class and drizzled it over the chicken and zoodles after I'd warmed them in the microwave (make sure to drain/pat dry the zoodles after you warm them because they will still release a bit of water when they are rewarmed)

Here's the recipe from Against all grain I use for zoodles.

Here is the vinaigrette recipe.  This is the same one I used for this sauteed asparagus and pasta dish from a while back.  I included the original (balsamic) version since I'm going to be back in Maintenance in a week or so (after my January reset).  The balsamic version is for Phase 4 only.  The Apple cider vinegar version is Phase 1 friendly

Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
1/4 shallot, diced

To make the Phase 4 version: use 2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp red wine vinegar
To make the Phase 1 version : use 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients.  Drizzle about 1  to 1.5 TBSP over chicken and zoodles.

Kung Pao Chicken with Zoodles from SkinnyTaste

I love Chinese food.  Even better when I can make it at home.  Even better than that when its a healthy version.

I love SkinnyTaste.com for this reason.  So far I have loved every dish I've made from the website and cookbook.  This Kung Pao chicken was a bit of a stretch because I am kind of sensitive when it comes to spicy food.  Ironic that I married a man who loves Indian food and thinks most things I make are mild (even when I'm choking because my face is on fire:)  So I thought  - OK I'l try kung pao chicken,  That's kinda spicy right, so the hubs ought to like it ... and it was spicy and he did like it.  It was just on the edge of what I can eat but boy was it good.  And now I have another recipe that uses zoodles ... I love me some zoodles.  I feel like I'm eating pasta but its zucchini :)  Win win in my book!

This is a Phase 4 recipe.  I'm not sure I could make it Phase 1 and still have it taste as good so I left it alone.  I may try some swaps (splenda for sugar is easy, its the Balsamic I'm worried about ...maybe apple cider vinegar.  And possibly a thin cauliflower puree to replace the cornstarch to thicken the sauce).  If I get to trying that I'll update this post or make a new one with the Phase 1 recipe on it.  For now just look forward to it when you hit maintenance!

Here is the kung pao with zoodles as eaten for dinner tonight

Here's a link to the recipe: kung pao chicken with zoodles

Stuffed Pepper Soup from SkinnyTaste

In the winter I'm very into soups.  I love the warmness that you get from them.  They just feel like a comfort food when its so cold outside.

I've also been thinking about trying stuffed peppers, because I've never made them (although my hubs says I have so maybe its better to say I don't remember ever making them :) )

And lo and behold but this stuffed pepper soup recipe popped up in my Facebook news feed from SkinnyTaste.  I've tried several of Gina's recipes, from both her website and cookbook and I've been extremely happy with both how easy most of them were, the taste and the healthy aspects.  You really can eat healthy and enjoy it - especially with others out there first leading the way and sharing what they know!!

The only change I made was to replace the brown rice with cauliflower rice and to use diced tomatoes with chilies to give it a little bit of zip.   The brown rice is fine for Phase 4, but the cauli-rice makes this friendly for all phases.

Stuffed Pepper Soup adapted from www.SkinnyTaste.com

Ingredients:

• 3 cauliflower rice  (or 3 c cooked brown rice for Phase 4)
• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes 
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt.Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic.Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked cauliflower rice.

Makes about 9 1/2 cups.

Nutrition Facts from MyFitnessPal.com

Servings 6.0

Amount Per Serving

calories 218

Total Fat 6 g           

Saturated Fat 3 g     

Monounsaturated Fat 2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 67 mg  

Sodium 1114 mg     

Potassium 940 mg  

Total Carbohydrate 15 g     

Dietary Fiber 2 g    

Sugars 9 g               

Protein 24 g

Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls

I'm not a chef.  I'm an engineer.  And a recipe hound.  I don't make up very many recipes - only about 3 of the ones on the blog are ones I've created myself.  I'm OK with that.  Because I find the search for new recipes just as exciting as making them up myself.   And the heavy lifting has already been done.  It just comes down to is it something I want to make versus how do I combine flavors and textures to make an appealing dish.  I like being a recipe hound ... its a catchy name.  Maybe I'll rename my blog someday if I can figure out how without blowing links up all across the internet.

Enough about me.  On to the food.
I've been hearing about cabbage rolls for a long time.  Now that I'm much more experimental in the food department I thought it was high time I tried them.  I found this crock pot recipe (that is also paleo and totally Phase 1 friendly - mind the restricted tomatoes) and thought I'd give it a whirl.
Oh my head, am I glad I did!!!
While the directions (listed below) took a little time (especially boiling the cabbage to start with) these really are pretty easy to make.  And with both crockpot and oven directions, you have options
These smelled fabulous while they cooked and the taste did not disappoint! Now since I've never had cabbage rolls of any kind before I really don't have a basis for comparison, but these were really good (even the hubs thought so :) )And it makes 12 rolls (a serving is 2) so there is plenty to feed an army (or be lunch for a few days to make a busy week go a little easier).
From a Phase 1 standpoint each serving is about 5-6 oz of protein and only about 1/8 c vegetable.

Ingredients for Paleo Cabbage Rolls from www.StupidEasyPaleo.com

serves 6
1 large head of green cabbage
1 pound (454 g) grassfed ground beef
1 pound (454 g) lean ground pork1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 white onion, diced finely
1-1/2 cups of riced or grated cauliflower
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 oz (235 mL) crushed tomatoes
4 oz (118 mL) tomato sauce

Directions for Paleo Cabbage Rolls

1. Rice or grate the cauliflower using box grater or food processor.  Save 1-1/2 cups for this recipe and the rest for something else. It’s tasty fried up in this side dish.

2. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. To prepare the cabbage for rolling, you’ll lightly boil it whole and peel the leaves off a few at a time. Cut the core out of the cabbage and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the leaves soften, you can peel them off with a spoon. Take care not to rip them in half. The whole process usually takes about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can throw the whole cabbage in and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. The outermost leaves will become very soft but still usable. In either case, peel as many of the leaves off as you can and let cool a bit.

4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or your fat of choice. Add the onion and grated cauliflower and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the cauliflower is softened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

5. Combine the onion and cauliflower with the meat, and mix by hand to incorporate all the ingredients.

6. Roll the golumbki by holding a cabbage leaf, concave side up with the stem toward you, and placing a large spoonful of the meat mixture at the stem end. Then roll forward, fold the sides in and end with the seam down.

7. Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in a bowl. Put ~1 cup in the bottom of the crockpot (or casserole dish). Lay the golumbki in with the seam side down. Cover with the remaining tomato mixture once the crock is full.

8. For a crockpot, cook on low for 5 hours. If using the oven, cover the top of the dish with foil and bake for 90 minutes at 350°F (175°C).

Nutrition Information via MyFitnessPal.com

calories 312

Total Fat 12 g   

Saturated Fat 6 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Total Carbohydrate 7 g

  Dietary Fiber 2 g

Protein 30 g      

Mashed Cauliflower

I like having things that feel "normal".  It keeps me aware that I'm not "on a diet", I'm living a healthy lifestyle.  That being said, I love mashed potatoes.  I could eat pounds of them.  And now that I've found a fantastic meatloaf recipe, I want meatloaf and mash for dinner.  A lot !  :)

So how do I get a good substitute for mashed potatoes and still stay Phase 1 friendly?  Mashed Cauliflower (or turnips, or a combination of the two - I'll have to try that and report back)

I've tried making mashed cauliflower before and the results were less than appetizing, but this mashed cauliflower recipe from Andover Diet Center is amazing!   Its creamy and fluffy like regular mashed potatoes, but its so much better for you.  I think there are 2 keys to its success - the milk (remember you get 1 oz of milk a day) and using the food processor to whip the snot out of them,

I made it with garlic powder and Butter Buds in addition to sea salt and pepper, and let me tell ya I could have eaten a lot more than my 2 c. :)  I don't say that very often about cauliflower, but I am learning the error of my ways with respect to this veg.  It has a lot of potential!

Roasted Chicken Galantine

So its January and I haven't blogged for a while.  Trip to Italy, holidays all that stuff kinda got in the way.  I will say that this is the first year in a great many that I haven't had "Lose Weight" or "Get Healthy" as a New Years Resolution.  "Stay Healthy" maybe, but not "Get".    Its kind of a nice feeling.

That being said I am doing a reset and doing Phase 1 again for the month of January.  The coaches at the clinic where I go have said its a good idea, especially if you got off track during the holidays.  Which I did.  I didn't' gain any weight (which is probably a first) but I did not lose the weight I gained in Italy or over Thanksgiving.  So I think a reset is a good idea.  Plus the fudge and Oreo ball diet says maybe its a good idea too.  I'm really not sure how I didn't gain weight, but I'll take it!!!

To start it off I made a Chicken Galantine - that's a de-boned chicken stuffed with spinach and onion and mushrooms and garlic. Totally phase 1 friendly and not all that hard to pull off - it looks really impressive too!!

I will state up front that I went to a cooking class (2 actually) that showed us how to de-bone a chicken.  In one of the classes we actually performed.  Its not too difficult really and this is a great YouTube video that shows exactly what we learned in class.  If you don't want to de-bone it just make the stuffing and stuff it.  Cooking times will be different though.

So start with a 2.5-3 lb whole chicken, thawed and ready to go.  De-bone or not, its up to you, although its super nice to just slice it up and have chicken meat surrounding the stuffing.  Go ahead give it a whirl.  No one will know how you did. (Maybe now is a good time to admit my first solo attempt at de-boning a chicken, I cut the wrong side for the first cut and so ended up with 2 halves of a deboned chicken.  I just snuggled the pieces up real close then stuffed and trussed.  It still tasted the same and next time I hope I'll remember which side goes first  :)

The other cool thing is if you want to attempt your own chicken stock, just throw all the bones in a crock pot with water (8 cups), carrots (2-3, peeled and rough chopped), onion (quartered), celery (2 stalks, rough chopped), a couple of bay leaves and some salt and pepper.  Cook for 6 hours on High and voila - chicken broth.  Here's my broth, about 2 qts worth.  It tastes pretty good too :)

For the stuffing you need an onion (diced), a couple cloves of garlic (also diced), a 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed free of liquid, and a package of baby 'bello mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed and sliced.  If you aren't in Phase 1, I'd add some fresh mozzarella or ricotta cheese to it as well  :)  And if you want to attempt to make your own cheese here is a simple ricotta recipe - its easier than you think.  Go on, be adventurous!!

Saute the mushrooms for a few minutes over medium heat (add about 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan too)  then add the the onions and some salt and pepper and cook til everything looks pretty done (maybe 5-8 minutes).  So long as the onions don't caramelize this is still Phase 1 friendly.  Add the spinach and garlic and mix it around.  Let it hang out another 5 minutes.  If you are adding the cheese do it now stir around for a minute or two then remove from heat.

If you haven't de-boned the chicken yet do that now ... its OK I'll wait.

Now stuff your bird ... again the video shows exactly what we did to stuff and truss it up so do all those things.

Here is my little chicky all stuffed and ready to go in the oven

Bake at 375 for about an hour and a half.  It should have an internal temp of 165 degrees.

This chicken is the finest I've ever tried.  We even rewarmed it (in the oven, not once but twice) and it was still juicy and tender and delicious.

To rewarm it, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes till its all warmed up again.

Enjoy