Let Me See Your Cabbage Roll!

I am officially a little old Polish grandma. Title conferred when I got sick of the tongs and just reached into the pot of boiling water for the next cabbage leaf. I think we have nine cabbage rolls -- and Paleo apple crisp baking up RIGHT NOW! 

Look at this deliciousness. 

3 apples
2 C pecans, chopped with 
1 C raisins
handful of cranberries (they were frozen)
cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled over (probably 1 tea and 1/2 tea, respectively)
coconut oil sprinkled over (probably 1 T)

Bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft.

We served with (coconut) milk and honey poured over. Next time I'm going to pour the honey over the mixture before baking. 

And here are the cabbage rolls:

They're actually pretty easy once you get your technique down. I boil the cabbage and remove three leaves, stuff them, go back and remove three more, etc.

The mixture is 1 package ground pork (about a pound), 1 package ground turkey (about a pound) and 1 1/2 C cauliflower rice (just pulse it in the food processor, or grate it). Salt and pepper to taste. It should have onion in it, but I always forget to cook the onion with the meat when I brown it ahead of time! 

2 cans tomato sauce, 2 cans of water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 hours on low. 

It was a really good dinner! I left the cabbage rolls cooking while I went to Zumba (probably not good, but the house was still standing when I got back -- Chico watched it...). It smelled so good! 

I also cooked a spaghetti squash in the microwave and cooked some chicken -- if you're in the kitchen, might as well get a bunch of stuff done at the same time. Dinner tomorrow will be this: Chicken Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie. I just need to zoodle the noodles and crack some eggs! 

Throw-Up Soup?

So my husband keeps sending me recipes from Civilized Caveman, and they all promise that I'll have the ingredients or that they'll be easy, and he's mostly right. Tonight for dinner, I made Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli Soup. It's basically onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, and chicken broth. Pretty simple. Then you use the immersion blender to made it creamy. His picture looks kind of like squash, kind of orange and harmless. My reality - whether I didn't have enough tomatoes or I had too much broccoli - was a kind of brown lumpy mess. Which I gave a creative and possibly off-putting name to. Don't get me wrong; it tasted good! But I wouldn't use it to impress my mother-in-law with my plating skills!!! 

We had some leftover chicken breast, so I diced that up and threw it in, and that was a great addition. Steve thought it tasted garlicky, and I thought it just tasted like the sun-dried tomatoes. 

I also made Acorn Squash with Pecans and Cranberries. Her recipe says walnuts, but they look like pecans to me!! Is that a thing people have trouble telling apart?? Anything, this time, mine DOES look like the picture (well, with inferior lighting). I also used coconut oil instead of butter and that worked out just fine. The filling is the best part! This would be a GREAT side dish for Thanksgiving!! 

Party Time!

Tomorrow night is Zumba-ween at the gym! YAY! Two hours of costumes, food, and Zumba! I made the laziest gluten free pumpkin cake ever - one box of gluten free spice cake mix, one can of pumpkin. Combine. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes! Now I'm debating whether to make the cream cheese frosting or just buy a tub of Cool Whip and call it good! Hey, I'll sprinkle it with sugar...

I also made Paleo banana bread for Steve. Recipe here. I love all the options! Can't have nuts? Here, sub this out! So we bought coconut butter specifically to make this dish. Guess what. It's not 85 degrees, so it solidifies into hard coconut oil and some kind of creamy colored but also hard coconut part. I warmed it in the microwave, stuck a spoon in it, and coconut oil went EVERYWHERE. And then a bag of roasted tomatoes fell in the bowl while I was trying to find the Baking Soda that I SWEAR Steve hid from me (and why can't you just use Coke instead?!). But eventually all the ingredients were in the bowl and it might even look like the picture. It smells good, but I'm afraid to taste it because if it's not good, I might hurl the whole pan out the window.

Here's the thing about cooking - when you get some familiar recipes that you're used to doing, you can do it on autopilot and whip up your favorite whatever relatively quickly. Homemade! Delicious! Lots of dishes! But everyone's happy.

When learning a new style of cooking - whether it's low-fat, no-sugar, gluten-free, or Paleo - suddenly all your kitchen habits have to be double-checked and probably changed. Suddenly you're melting coconut butter in the microwave and trying to scrub the resulting mess out of your VERY FAVORITE half-marathon t-shirt!!!! Which is not just a wardrobe choice, but a symbol of everything you've accomplished. AND NOW IT MIGHT BE STAINED!!!! 

So hang in there - even experienced bakers drop an egg or two (and the floor is still a little slippery three months later...)

Also, I'm wearing my Hot Topic R2D2 dress tomorrow night. I might get some glow sticks or a star headband or something to make it more fun, if I have time tomorrow, but we want to go to an Apple Butter Festival! 

Upcoming kitchen feats: 

Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce (drooling already)

Chicken Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

(yum!)


And here's a picture of Chico, and also an advertisement for any kids who want to come rake my leaves and make $20.

Chilly? Try Some Chili!

Here is my traditional chili recipe, stolen from Steve's aunt and uncle and modified:

1.  BROWN  1 1/2 - 2 LBS OF QUALITY HAMBURGER (90 %LEAN) - we use ground turkey
      LIGHTLY SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE WHILE BROWNING
      DRAIN GREASE WHEN BROWNED
2.ADD:
      ONE MEDIUM CHOPPED ONION -( 1/2-3/4 INCH PIECES)
      ONE MEDIUM CHOPPED GREEN PEPPER (!/2- 3/4 INCH PIECES)
      TWO 14 1/2 OZ. CANS OF DICED TOMATOES (DEL MONTE IS GOOD)
      TWO 14 1/2 OZ. CANS OF DICED TOMATOES AND GREEN CHILIES 
      TWO STALKS OF CELERY SLICED
      TWO MEDIUM SIZED CARROTS SLICED 
We use THREE cans of tomatoes and ONE can of tomatoes and chilies- depends how spicy you like it
      TWO 15 1/2 OZ CANS OF DARK RED KIDNEY BEANS DRAINED (HANOVER)
      1 TEASPOON GARLIC SALT
      1 TABLE SPOON CHILI POWDER
      1/4 TEASPOON SUGAR
3. SIMMER ABOUT 2 HOURS STIRRING OCCASIONALLY 

This time, we subbed a sweet potato for the beans (beans are a no-no on Whole 30). 

EVERYONE loves this recipe, and you can customize it to how hot you like your chili. You can serve with chips and sour cream and grated cheddar cheese (the way I like it!) or just plain like a soup (the way Steve likes it). 

We actually made this yesterday for dinner tonight, because the flavor gets better the second day. OR you can make it in the crock pot (about 6-8 hours on low). 

We've also been making Chai tea lattes -- they are so simple and they taste the same as Starbucks!!! Just heat up 1 C milk (of any kind - we've used coconut and cow, and you can't tell the difference) - or 1/2 C milk and 1/2 C water. Steep two Chai tea bags for 6 minutes. Remove tea bags and add 1 Tablespoon honey and if you want, a sprinkle of pumpkin spice or cinnamon. You will probably want to double it, because this makes only a mug full - not 20 ounces or anything crazy!

My favorite color ... is PINK

So I went to the PINK store to buy a workout shirt because we're planning to make a Zumba video. Which would be awesome. So there's this sweatshirt, and it was cold today, and it's (faux) FUR-LINED!!! And there's a little dog on the front...I was in love. I told myself if it was less than $50, I'd buy it.

NINETY-EIGHT dollars. For a sweatshirt. 

I asked them where I could go to sell a kidney to afford it, and they didn't know, so I left with my $25 (sleeves cut off!) workout shirt. Sigh. 

Such cute stuff.

So much money. 

So here's my question: Do people REALLY wear anything in that store to work out?! I mean, our instructor does, but that's her job. I don't think I can afford to get the yoga pants sweaty. I would only wear them at home, and never ever ever sit down on the couch in them, in case it wore them out. Actually, no, maybe I would only wear them sitting on the couch ... as long as the dog was in his cage, because I wouldn't want to get hair on them. 

I tried on two sports bras, too, but I couldn't jump in them without giving myself back problems or losing all support -- both an issue I'd like to avoid at the gym! I'll stick with my $5 WalMart sports bra that squishes everything sufficiently so I don't concuss myself!  

So, if you'd like to donate $1 or $5 toward my faux-fur fantasy, please feel free...but when the time comes, I might spend it on something more sensible, like FIVE sweatshirts from another store and an iron-on dog patch to make them cute!

Veggie Lasagn-YEAH!

I have a lasagna in the oven right now that I really, really, really hope isn't bubbling over. (I put a pan under it just in case.) I might have packed it with too much cheesy goodness.

I used zucchini for noodles, and just sliced them into circles (it's easier than lengthwise, and I'm hungry!). Then I layered tomato sauce, zucchini, cottage cheese (lighter than ricotta, but you can use ricotta if you like it), Italian seasoning, chicken, mozarella, repeat! I made two layers and topped with zucchini and cheese (no more sauce, not enough room in the Pyrex!) 

Here's what the first layer looked like. 

And the finished product (after I took out two slices. Oops).

Yum! Cheesy goodness :) 

If you've missed me, we were in sunny Florida (where I want to stay -- please sent me a check for $696,000 so I can buy that condo on the water with the pool). What I like about Florida: they "get" gluten-free. They have grilled fish with potatoes and veggies everywhere so you can feel like you're indulging but not gain any weight. It's fun to exercise on the beach. There are bike lanes everywhere! (There are also lizards everywhere, which is exciting on vacation but I probably wouldn't like it in my house.) They have awesome "freeze your own ice cream right in front of you" at Sub Zero -- awesome!! 

What I don't like about Florida: we stepped on some kind of evil sand burr when we were rushing to get back to the car in the rain. There were jellyfish one day. My back is sunburned in a weird pattern. We had to leave!

Totally worth it!


  

Veg Out!

We are in Florida, and once again, vacation spots do SO much better with food allergies, etc., because they want tourists to be happy! Not that everything is gluten free, but it seems like there are more choices. We went to Sub Zero last night, where they freeze your ice cream in front of you (AWESOME!) and they had a coconut milk base as well as many other options. I highly recommend the experience.

Today, we ate dinner at "Veg," a vegetarian and seafood eatery. I need to stop eating so quickly and stop to take pictures first! Here's the sweet potato volcano Steve got (pic from their website). It's rice, then a mushroom, then spinach, then sweet potatoes (and maybe more). Very good! I got the Vegetable Stack, which had marinara sauce over eggplant, squash, zucchini, onions, mushroom, and rice. So good! 

It's nice to find things that we would make at home (although ours would probably have chicken in it -- and their is MUCH prettier!). I gotta say, though, the people eating there were a little annoying. I hope we don't sound like that! I agreed with what they were saying, but the tone!

Example: "Well, my daughter's school has Papa John's night once a month, where they encourage parents to buy coupons for pizza to raise money. I guess it's better than McDonald's, but they don't need that much white flour."

I mean, I agree -- but what's your fundraising alternative? People like pizza! 

Example: "Do you have anything that's Paleo? My friend is encouraging me to try new things, and she said I should ask for Paleo." 

Oh dear. If you don't know what it is, you aren't doing it right. Also, alcohol is not Paleo. Ever.

Example: "Is this rice going to be cold? I don't like cold rice. And I don't like IPAs because they taste skunky, but this one is ok" (WHY DID SHE ORDER IT?!) "And I never order scallops because they're always rubbery and never taste good" (I BET HER FRIEND WAS THRILLED WITH THE ANALYSIS OF HER PLATE!) Ok, she was just a bad person!  

Other than that, the weather is great and there are horrible jellyfish everywhere. Always something! 

MO' Cowbell Race Report

In which, "flat and fast" means "a big-ass hill at mile 10 that makes you want to lay down and die." 

We've been watching the forecasted temperature for Sunday morning drop every day this week! It finally said 38 (BRR!!). Luckily, it ended up being around 48 for the start -- not too bad. 

We got up at 5 and drove to St Charles, and there was an accident on the highway, so we had to drive all around these access roads - we just followed the car in front of us. NOT what you want to be worrying about on race day! By the time we got there, the exit was backed up for at least 2 miles, so we crawled to the first stop light, and ended up following the line of cars to park. We were probably a half mile from the start. 

Then we waited in line for the Porta-potties and checked Steve's extra clothes at the bag check. 

Me and My Beloved Cowbell before We Said Goodbye

At 7:20, they play "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, from the SNL skit that inspired the run (MO' Cowbell -- it's in Missouri, get it???). Everyone is supposed to ring their cowbell, then throw it in the bins before the start, then pick them up afterward -- we forgot to pick ours up!! 

Overall, it is a pretty flat and fast course, and at mile 5, you run through a farm (on gravel, but it's a short distance) through the "High Five Zone." It goes through some nice neighborhoods that have ponds and fountains and water features, so there's stuff to look at. There were a LOT of people running, especially since the full and half start out together and the full marathon keeps going straight at mile 12 while the half turns. Usually I end up alone for a little while, at the back of the pack, but I was in a bunch of people the whole time. 

My time for the half was 2:33:29 and Steve ran the full in 3:37:37. I thought that was pretty good! PRs for both of us (since it was his first full, his was guaranteed!) His legs were very tight afterward, so he had them stretched at the medical tent and got some ice. Meanwhile, when I was done, I went to the car, changed, moved it closer for when he finished, and then went back to the Start/Finish line to wait for him! My legs are a little tired now too! 

Here's a breakdown of my half marathon times, since people said they liked seeing my 5k improvement:

Evansville YMCA half - first ever, and still the best in terms of on-course support and amenities: 2:52
Springfield Lincoln Half Marathon - 2:45:25
B3 Carlyle Lake Half - DNF. I ran over 12 miles and then got dizzy because it was HOT. 2:50 according to my watch, so my time would've been over 3 hours.
Nashville Tom Gupton Classic - 2:36:25
PA Grand Canyon Half - very hilly! 2:42:54
And today! MO' Cowbell 2:33:29

I would like to break 2:30 next year. I think I would have done it if there hadn't been a hill!!! 

Ok, I Give Up - It's Fall

Summer's not over until baseball season is - right?! 

Wrong. Pumpkin everything is here, leaves are falling, and it's supposed to be in the FORTIES for our half-marathon on Sunday! 

Brr!!!! Fifties I'll take. Forties?! That's practically cold enough to snow! 

I am super excited (or nervous). Whatever. It's supposed to be flat and fast, so I want to do well! Packet pick up tomorrow, and then RACE DAY.

But I HATE tapering. I can feel the ability to run leaving my body! I feel like I've gained 10 pounds, and I only skipped one workout so far! 

I made carrot-apple-raisin salad for lunch today, because it's orange :) and it was delicious with my pepperoni tortilla roll! There's a chili fest today and tomorrow that we normally go to, but chili + running long distances = disaster. 

Time for some fall recipes. I'm looking forward to trying these pork recipes soon:

Pork Apple Meatloaf 

Pork Stuffed Baked Apples