Unwrapped Cabbage Rolls

This little ditty started because of two reasons. 1. I have a HUGE head of cabbage my mom gave me from her garden. 2. My gal, Andrea, posted a pic of hers on Facebook the other day and my mouth started watering! So she sent me over a pic of the recipe (which is wonderful as it stands) but y'all know me: I can't do anything according to the original recipe. The original has a small can of tomato paste added to it and was about twice the size (which is great if you want leftovers) but the hubs isn't a fan of "tomato" in the form of paste. So that got dropped ASAP.

I have to say, this totally tasted like hamburger helper (to me) but with cabbage which is 10000 times more awesome than pasta. Also, you can easily use ground turkey or chicken. I suggest adding extra cumin and maybe paprika if you do that during the browning stage. I stayed with a super lean ground sirloin (again, playing to the hubs "wants"). 

If you need a carb: add an extra cup of water and cup of brown rice when you put the tomotoes and cabbage in the pan to cook. I found this filling enough without it!

_________________

Unwrapped Cabbage Rolls

3/4-1 lb. of lean ground sirloin

1 small red onion - diced

1 tbsp. EVOO

2 tsp. garlic powder

OR 1 clove of garlic - minced

1 small head of white cabbage - chopped (about 2-3 cups-ish)

1 can diced tomatoes (I used organic and green chile flavor)

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 c. Water

In a deep frying pan, heat the EVOO and add meat, onions and garlic. Brown those puppies. 

When brown, add the can of tomatoes, more garlic (if you're into that), salt, pepper, cumin. Stir first, THEN add the cabbage and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and reduce temp to a simmer. Stir every 5 minutes to help incorporate the cabbage as it cooks down. Cook for 25-30 minutes. 

Eat that awesomeness!

__________________

SUPER SIMPLE. Clean and easy and filling and flavorful! And Alice didn't try it. BOOOOOOO! I think she would have liked it.

Challenge-Friendly: YES! Great for Cleanse and Max.

Avocado Potato Salad

With the summer season approaching and Memorial Day Weekend bringing back memories of cookouts, potato salad and outdoor grilling, I once again found myself craving several dishes that spark that nostalgia. Even though I'm not a heavy potato person anymore, potato salad was one of the first that came to mind. But, dude, I can't bring myself to buy and eat the huge jar of Miracle Whip anymore! As good as Mom's potato salad sounds, I needed a life hack to get my kicks.

Enter in Greek yogurt. We know the wonders of using it as a creamy replacement so it was just a matter of spicing it up and making it taste reminiscent enough to hit the sweet spot. And it worked for me! Even Alice has been devouring it (and now claims she likes avocado ... But we'll see about that).

While not as healthy as it possible could be, I say it's healthy enough for me to feel okay indulging in this traditional dish! Also note that I love a mustard version so adjust your mustard to your tastes. Enjoy!

______________________

Avocado Potato Salad

5 large russet potatoes - skinned, diced

1/2 red onion - diced

2 celery stalks - diced

1 avocado - chopped

1 lemon - juiced

1/2 cup bread and butter pickles - chopped

6 hard boiled eggs (yolks for dressing)

Dressing:

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1/8 c. Milk 

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

Black pepper

Yolks from eggs

Dash of sea salt

Soak the avocado in lemon juice to help keep from browning (about 45 minutes to an hour) and add juice and avocado to the bowl. Boil potatoes until soft. Boil, peel eggs and chop the whites while adding the yolks to the dressing. Combine all top ingredients in a big bowl.

In a separate bowl, add all dressing ingredients and combine well. Pour over potato bowl mixture and gently combine until everything is coated and lovely.

_________________

You can't screw up potato salad! Just add more or less of the seasonings contingent on taste. Even add a bit of the pickle juice if you need it sweeter. I love the variety from one person to the next when I try new people's versions!

Challenge Friendly: NO. But it sure beats a mayo heavy dish!

Grilled Southwest Chicken and Avo-Corn Salad

Nothing beats cooking on the grill on the middle of winter. Which in turn makes you wish for summer, sunshine, warm days, lake time and BEACH weather ... sooooo it might be a bit bittersweet! BUT grilling in Indiana in the dead of winter is just a basic, seasonal rite-of-passage us Midwesterners enjoy. And mah belly enjoyed this CHICKEN!

Spicy, still moist and totally perfectly grilled. Plus we threw the veggie mix in foil and dropped it on the grill to warm, too. Heck, if the grill is on, you might as well utilize the heat!

The original recipe came from Martha Stewart but again, I had to make some changes and updates as usually. I RAN OUT OF CAYENNE! Yep ... talk about being prepared *eye roll for my lack of planning*. SO the little dash I had was used and then I broke out the Southwest Chipotle Seasoning so I could get some spice and smoke into the flavor. The avocado salad got an upgrade with corn for some added bulk (can you tell we've been digging on corn as our single carb for this round of the Cleanse?). Yummy and the leftovers were great in salad the next day.

__________________________

Grilled Southwest Chicken and Avo-Corn Salad

2 tsp. Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small lime juiced


2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks
1 c. corn (frozen or can)
Black Pepper


In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings. Dredge chicken through to coat and place on a plate. Let sit 30 minutes before grilling.

Combine corn, onion, avocado with the leftover seasoning mix. Place in foil and sprinkle with black pepper. Fold down foil, toss lightly and ready for the grill.

Place marinated chicken on grill; 5-8 minutes each side on medium to high heat. Place veggies on top rack or lower-heat grill-side to cook along with the chicken.

Plate and SERVE.
__________________________

Yes, I added a TOUCH of BBQ sauce to my chicken ... so sue me! But dang it was good! We even convinced Alice to eat some chicken, so we are rockstars :)

Challenge-Friendly: YES.

Santa Fe Crockpot Chicken

This is by far one of my favorite throw-n-go crockpot recipes lately! I will admit I tried it on the stove top to save time one night and it was totally sub-par in comparison. There is something about letting it simmer all day that adds that extra to the flavor of the chicken. Take the 5 minutes to throw it together before you head out the door and your taste-buds will be loving you later!

I adapted this from Skinny Taste: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html?m=1

Ah how I love Skinny Taste! But I generally forgo the cheese and, even though brown rice is a perfectly acceptable option, this is going over spinach tonight so I'm not doubling up on carbs (since, yes, corn is a carb!). I think most of you know I'm pretty carb conscious when I eat at home. Now, dinner out with any of you and you might see me opt for stuff I generally don't eat everyday so don't give my cheeseburger the evil eye since I probably haven't had one in a few weeks! LOL Let's get cooking ....

________________________

Santa Fe Crockpot Chicken

2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (or 2 large tomatoes diced)
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 Red Onion - diced

14 oz. of water mixed with 2 tsp. chicken broth starter (or use 1 can low sodium chicken broth)
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2-4 cloves of Garlic - minced
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Optional: chop up peppers like jalepeno or Serrano. The original calls for cilantro which is an awesome addition if you have on hand.

Season the chicken with the onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Set aside. Mix everything else in the bottom of the crockpot. Place seasoned chicken on top (submerge a little if possible). Set in High 6 Hours or Low 10 Hours.

Shred chicken in the pot an hour before serving and crack lid so some moisture cooks out. Serve with brown rice or lettuce wraps. Warning: will be wet!

__________________________

I love this stuff! And it freezes well, makes a great salad the next day with a little hot sauce ... Simple and easy! If you need it spicier, add more cayenne or some red pepper flakes.

Challenge-Friendly: YES! Mmmmmmm

Crockpot Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was totally not feeling it today but I was motivated enough by a clean kitchen counter to make my family food for dinner! So I took the easier route and dragged the crockpot out, chopped veggies, defrosted chicken and let it go. Yummy yummy yummy! The house was smelling awesome and it tasted pretty awesome.

My quicker trick today: Tastefully Simple's Toasted Sesame Teriyaki Sauce. Now, I never just pour a full bottle of a sauce into anything anymore so note that a bottle of this awesomeness will last me through 4-8 meals depending. And why am I ok with using TS pre-made "stuff?" Because they use all natural ingredients and no craptastic preservatives ... So using a little of this leaves me with very few qualms!

BTW I totally preferred this over the other Sesame Crockpot Chicken I had made a few posts down. More flavor even with using just a little of the TS sauce. Plus I didn't add grains to this so that helped.

______________________________

Crockpot Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2-4 big boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Dash of Red Pepper

2 cups tri-colored peppers chopped
1/2 red onion chopped

1/8 c. Tastefully Simple Toasted Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 c. Water

1/8 c. peanuts (non-salted)
1-2 tbsp. sesame seeds

4-6 big lettuce leafs of your choice

Set the crockpot to low cook 8 hours. Chop up the veggies and place in the pot. Sprinkle the spices generously over the chicken breasts and place on top of the veggies.

Mix the teriyaki sauce with the water and pour into the pot. Sprinkle in the peanuts and sesame seeds. Cover and cook. No reason to really stir. You may need to add a touch more water towards the end to keep it moist and move everything around to keep it from sticking.

Shred the finished chicken with two forks while in the pot and mix everything together. Serve in big lettuce leafs. I added broccoli-cut cole slaw mix and rice noodles for some texture and crunch!

________________________


Yummy for sure! I made the mistake of thinking I picked up organic lettuce but instead picked up organic white cabbage ... Needless to say I dumped the stuffing out, added regular lettuce and enjoyed LOL Note to self: don't go grocery shopping for dinner essentials when you aren't having a "with it" day!! Ugh, yes next time it will be lettuce or big ole romaine or something ... Not cabbage leaves. It looks pretty but the cabbage leaves are tough.


Challenge Friendly: Yes. No rice noodles, especially on the cleanse.

Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Pasta

Omg omg omg I'm in love! This turned out sooooo much better than I expected! I think next time I might add some extra red pepper for more kick, add the shrimp in later (as I reflect in the recipe below) so to not over cook it, and definitely add more baby spinach. This was a hit with everyone but Birdie (who is slowly becoming an undeclared vegetarian boooooo).

And sorry for the craptastic pic but I wasn't planning on making this a Forktacular recipe until it turned out so freaking awesome!! And it was Awesome ... and now I want more ... like right now.

_________________________

Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Pasta

2 cups small pre-cooked/shelled shrimp, thawed

Marinade:
6 cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 red onion diced
1/8 c. EVOO
1 tsp. coriander
1 tbsp. sweet basil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. agave

2-4 servings of whole grain spaghetti or pasta of choice
1-2 cups of fresh baby spinach

Put all the marinade ingredients in the processor or blender and mix well. Pour over shrimp and let set 2-24 hours.

Remove shrimp from marinade. Place marinade, pasta and a cup of water in pan and cook until pasta is almost done. Add in shrimp and cook until done. Add spinach and cook until warmed and limp. Serve. Add Parmesan for some extra flavor.

________________________

By now, I would think y'all who read my recipe ramblings understand I like combining steps when possible; like adding the pasta directly to the marinade to cook! Not only does it save a pan and a step, but it flavors the pasta, which I love.

This time I cooked the shrimp from the beginning ... Not the best move as I overcooked the shrimp ... But it was still yummy! Next time: doing it this way AND adding more red pepper for sure!


Challenge Friendly: NO. Shrimp are bottom feeders so definitely not for Cleanse. As a healthy-eating meal, yes, this is a good alternative. A friend suggestion chicken today and I say go for it! Keep your pasta serving in check!

Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

So I found this recipe via Pinterest and The Comfort of Cooking Blog.  I am allllllll for yummy Asian dishes. I'm also allllllll for crockpot meals because I can prep that sucker and not have to worry about trying to create dinner out of thin air at 5pm when the kids are starving, Dave isn't home yet, and I haven't had time to do the dishes!

(Side note: I want a freaking dishwasher ASAP! I'm tired of living without one.)

Of course, I couldn't do just as the recipe told me to ... because that would mean I wasn't sticking with a "healthier" version AND I hate extra steps like making rice later so I threw everything together to cook AND I wanted to be good since I have 3 days left in my 24-Day Challenge. So I did good! And don't judge, but yes, I used raw honey ... life will go on! I couldn't justify using a whole cup like the original recipe so what I did use was my compromise.

I have to say, after making the "sauce" I am totally reminded of Asian BBQ and OMG we aren't telling Dave it's BBQ (since he hates BBQ) BUT he is going to eat the crap out of this ... I hope. I'm totally excited to dive in to this later.

________________________________

Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Shake of Sea Salt on each side and Black Pepper. I also threw Garlic Powder on the meat for good measure.

Sauce:
1/2 c. Diced Onions
1/4 c. Raw Honey
1/4 c. Liquid Aminos
1/4 c. Organic Tomato Paste (about 3 oz. so half of a little can)
3 cloves Garlic - pressed
1 tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil (or EVOO)
1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Base:
1 c. Brown Rice
1 c. water
Any frozen veggies you have left in the freezer. I used about 2 cups of Stir Fry Veggies I had sitting around and waiting to be used.
1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Throw your Base ingredients into the crockpot and sprinkle the ginger powder over it. There was no ginger in the sauce recipe so I added some to the base just because I LURVE ginger.

The seasoned chicken goes on top of the base.

Mix up the "sauce" and spoon on top of the chicken. That's it! I'm cooking on High for 4 Hours because my chicken was still partially frozen but cook it alllllll day for even better results but add extra water so it doesn't dry out.

Garnish with diced green onions.

________________________________

The verdict? Good but I should have taken the extra step of doing everything separate. Since it all cooked together, the sauce ends up mixed in with rice and veggies which is fine but it doesn't look as pretty as my predecessors. LOL The flavor is fine but slightly unexpected due to the tomato paste addition. I can't imagine it would be better with ketchup though. I think I might either cut the tomato paste to 1/8 cup and maybe up the honey to 1/3 cup. Not too shabby! Next time I will definitely do the rice and veggies right before I serve so the chicken gets the whole sauce flavor!


Challenge Friendly: YES but only for Max. You don't need the extra sugars during Cleanse. In fact, you probably don't need the extra sugars anyway ... so let's list this as a MAYBE ... only if in dire need of a dish ... and you happen to have everything you need sitting around ... LOL

Cleanse Friendly Chicken Soup

It's fall! Time for comfort foods! And, specifically, time for those foods that make you warm inside when you aren't feeling up to par. My friend is sick right now so I promised her some chicken soup. She is on the Cleanse Phase of the Advocare 24-Day Challenge, currently, so I can't just go throwing in a bunch of noodles and sodium rich chicken stock because her body would NOT respond well to the salty, carb overdose when it's trying to detox. Challenge: Make a cleanse friendly chicken soup that isn't going to make her body cry more! Yep, I can handle that!

In an effort to keep the stock natural and super low sodium, I bought plenty of veggies to throw in to help "stew" for the broth. I also picked up some fresh herbs since they are more savory and fragrant. This is a labor of love with all the rinsing, cutting and prepping so make sure you have time to be chopping all these veggies. Everything smells great so far (as it is cooking in the crockpot, currently) so I can't wait to taste it later! Let's get this list started ....


______________________________

Cleanse Friendly Chicken Soup

The "Meat:"

2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast trimmed of fat and diced - Add some Garlic Powder directly to the chicken before you put it in the pot

1 c. Wild Rice Mix (I used Lundburg Wild Rice Mix)
1 large Leek or 2 small
1/2 Sweet Onion
8 Stalks of Hearts of Celery
1 c. Baby Carrots

The Seasonings:

2 Rosemary Twigs - strip the leaves and cut up
2-4 Basil Leaves - cut up into pieces
1 Bay Leaf
4-6 Cloves of Garlic - diced/sliced
1 tsp. Majorum
2 tbsp. Natural Chicken Stock Starter
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. coriander
Black pepper

7 c. water (for a large crockpot; add more for a thinner soup)

Rinse, chop, slice, dice everything and throw in the crockpot or in a stew pot on the stove. I cooked mine on 4 Hours High in the crockpot, stirring every hour. Usually I would cook on Low for 8 hours but I was under time constraints. On the stove, set on the lowest setting and let stew away all day.

_________________________________________________

Leek Preparation

(because I had to YouTube it since I had never cooked with leeks before!)
 
Chop most of the green head off so you have mostly white showing. Chop the root off. The leek is from the onion/garlic family so it has layers inside. Slice it once longways so you have 2 long halves. take off the outermost layer (like an onion). Rinse under cold water between the layers to get out dirt that has gotten trapped (you don't have to take it apart to do this; rinse from one side first and then the other). Let sit to drain and then chop like you would celery or green onions.

YouTube Leek Prep Video

 ________________________________________________

VERY LOW SODIUM. The Natural Chicken Stock Starter I use hardly has any salt and no MSG. It was flavorful, for sure, but for those of you needing a bit more "sodium" kick, you might want to use a can of chicken stock and fill the rest with water. I, personally, was fine with the flavor and the sodium level but Dave added Frank's Red Hot ... because that's just Dave LOL

Note on majorum: Majorum makes soups thicken. If you are looking for a "clear" broth, leave out the majorum! I love thick soups so I actually added another teaspoon towards the end to help that along.


Challenge Friendly: YES! Success was mine! My friend and her family ate it like crazy.

Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

I wanted to do some meatballs tonight for pasta instead of my plain ole pan cooked ground turkey. And, of course, I hid veggies in that meaty deliciousness. ;) Birdie even saw me putting the broccoli in but promptly forgot when it came to eating them. WIN! Please note: she also stole about 6 slices of orange bell pepper off my cutting board before dinner; DOUBLE WIN!

_______________________

Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 c. Broccoli
1/4 red onion - diced fine
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
Black Pepper

1 c. Whole grain rotini
1/2 c. Tri-peppers - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2 c. Spaghetti sauce

Put the broccoli in the food processor and get it down into little pieces. I like to cut mine down, freeze them, then process so they don't juice themselves to death when processing. Add all the meatball ingredients (Turkey through black pepper) in a bowl and work the mixture like you would prep for meatloaf (really well so it compacts well).

Roll out 1" meatballs. Place directly in a big frying pan - not heated. When they are all placed, turn the heat on medium, cover and let cook about 10 minutes (no oil needed if it's a non-stick pan). You can start turning them after they've been cooking for 5 minutes. There should be lots of liquid built up in the pan from cooking them covered.

Throw in the peppers, rotini and garlic. Add about 1 cup of hot water and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through. Add the spaghetti sauce (and I sliced the meatballs in half to make sure they were cooked through at this time) and cook another few minutes while everything combines with the sauce. Dish and serve!

_______________________

You can also do carrots, cauliflower, whatever veggies you want to add to the meatballs. In the future, I also would add spinach leaves to the whole thing when I throw the sauce in to warm and cook just for extra greens. Goooooood stuff!!


Challenge friendly: YES. Max Phase only due to pasta content. Try meatballs over spaghetti squash for Cleanse Phase.

Sweet Potato Hash with Chicken

Well, I made up my Sweet Potato Hash recipe but added chicken instead of sausage this time. Didn't brown the potatoes as much as last time and it still turned out AWESOME. And yes, that is a dollop of BBQ sauce you see on top there ... because that's how I roll! This was Meal #3 out of my 4 chicken I made earlier this week.

Sweet Potato Hash

Mmmmm I LOVE roasted sweet potatoes. As "sweet" as a sweet potato is, there's something to be said for the savory flavor that erupts from combining them with garlic and spices versus butter and brown sugar.

I made this hash up to go with some grilled Spinach & Asiago Chicken Sausages (Artisan Fresh brand from Sam's Club - 140 calories per sausage).
________________________

Sweet Potato Hash

2 sweet medium sweet potatoes
1/2 an onion
1/2 cup tri-pepper mix
2+ cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning salt
1 tsp. Red Pepper
3 tbsp. EVOO

Warm a frying pan on high heat with the EVOO. Cube the potatoes into about 1/4 in. cubes (cooks faster in the pan). Throw the potatoes, garlic, and spices in the pan and stir/toss around to get them coated in oil. Turn the heat down to medium and cover, stirring every few minutes. After about 5 minutes, add the onions and peppers. Cover and cook (stirring occasionally) another 5ish more minutes until the largest potato cubes are cooked and soft.

____________________________

Don't be afraid of the garlic! It makes it more savory! Also, I threw a dash of Worcestershire at the end to flavor it up more and added Dijon mustard to the whole shebang. Mmm mmm mmm!