St Patty's Cabbage Rolls

I know this post is late but, better late than never, right?  I made this recipe for St. Patrick's Day.  As you know, I love finding recipes that normally contain meat and switching them to vegetarian/vegan friendly recipes.  This year I decided to give cabbage rolls a try. 

These are super simple and made from mostly packaged things.  In a way this is truly a thaw and dump recipe. 

Vegetarian Low Carb Cabbage Rolls

1 head cabbage (20-25 good sized leaves)
2 bags meatless crumbles (I used Quorn)
2 bags cauliflower rice
2 T minced garlic
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1 large onion, diced

Pasta sauce recipe
4 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 T Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Thaw meatless crumbles and cauliflower rice
2. Sauté mushrooms, onions, and garlic
3. Mix together, set aside to cool
4. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil
5. Separate cabbage leaves, place 3-5 leaves at a time in boiling water for approximately 4 minutes
6. Set aside to cool
7. preheat oven to 350
8. Place tomatoes and paste in blender.  Blend until smooth
9. Put in medium pot add seasoning and simmer for 15-30 minutes
10. Place 2-3 ladles of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
11. Place cabbage leaf on the cutting board so it forms a cup.  Place a scoop of veggie meat, cauliflower combination in the leaf and roll like a burrito. Put each roll seam side down on sauce{follow link for burrito rolling directions HERE}
12. After all the rolls are done, ladle more sauce on top, cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and sauce is bubbly. 

Frozen Soup

You probably know that dinners in my house aren't your average dinners.  They're a bit odd.  They're quick, don't take much time or work, and are scheduled about a month in advance.

Sometimes I run into problems with my planned dinner.  I sometimes don't want it, or I don't have enough time to make it.  Occasionally, we'll be running late for whatever reason and I know the kids won't be able to wait for the dinner I had planned so, I make something else.

This recipe I'm going to share with you is great.  I figured it out while I was dealing with wisdom tooth pain.  {one of the worst pains ever!}  I really wanted soup but, every time I try and make a soup and I don't let it simmer for at least 45 minutes it tastes like water with vegetables.  Not good. I really don't have that much time when I get home from dance or karate.  I have 20 minutes.

I figured out 2 tricks to make a quick, gluten free, vegetarian, tasty, healthy, vegetable soup.  This soup is great because you can choose any vegetables you'd like.  The first time I used peas, carrots, and fresh spinach.  The second time I used, peas, carrots, broccoli, spinach, onions, and bell peppers.

Trick #1 -- switch out your fresh vegetables for frozen.  This will cut down on cooking time.

Trick #2 -- Puree your soup!  This makes all the flavors come together.

Quick Veggie Soup

Ingredients
1 qt vegetable stock
4 bags of frozen vegetables

Directions

1. Place vegetables in a pot and cover with stock.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Place in blender {do this in batches if you need to} and puree until smooth

I make big batches of this.  It doesn't have alot of calories so you can eat a ton of it.  I also like to add chunks of veggie chicken for protein.  Beans would probably be a good addition too.

What veggies do you think would be good in this?  Do you have a quick goto dinner?

Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is coming soon!  Actually we only have 2 weeks until the big day!  This is normally about the time that people start thinking about their menus.  I'm not going to lie.  I'm not going extravagant this year.  I'm actually going a bit unusual.  

This year for dinner we are doing a vegetarian "beefless" stew, stuffing, gravy and a pumpkin pie.  I have never actually made a pumpkin pie.  Is that weird??!!?? I feel like it's weird.  Every year since 2010 we have had a pumpkin cheesecake.  Before then we would either go to my family's house for dinner or we'd buy the pie.  This year I decided to make a fat free crustless pumpkin pie.  It's not going to be completely crustless.  I'm making the crust on the side so that the kids can dunk it in the filling.  It also gives me a reason to teach Sunny how to make a pie crust.  

Here are all my recipes.  Beefless stew, stuffing and pie.  Enjoy!  

Beefless Stew

Serves: 6 to 8 (makes about 10 cups)

Ingredients

• 1½ large yellow or white onions, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 portabella mushrooms (about ½ pound), cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 1½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
• 5 cups water
• 2 pounds Sweet potatoes cut into ¾-inch pieces
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1½ cups green peas (if frozen, thaw first)
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large soup pot on high with 1 tablespoon of water. When the water begins to sputter, add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently as the edges of the onion browns slightly, and adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking.
2. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue to cook while stirring for an additional 5 minutes, adding water as needed.
3. Add the 5 cups of water, potatoes, tomato paste, dried Italian herbs, and paprika. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low boil. Stir in the rosemary and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas, and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
4. Place 2 cups of the stew (broth and vegetables) into a blender, and blend under very smooth. Stir this back into the pot to thicken the stew, and stir in the parsley. Serve with a few twists of ground black pepper and, if you like, add a small sprig of rosemary as garnish.

{The stew recipe was taken from: Straight Up Food}

Stuffing

Approx. 18 slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread, cubed
1 cup of onions, diced
2 cups of celery, sliced small
1 T poultry seasoning
1 T ground sage
1/2 cup egg substitute or egg whites
1 cup veggie broth


Directions

1. Saute onions and celery until soft (if you're using regular non-vegetarian sausage you want to cook it too at this point)
2. Place all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together (use your hands, it works the best. Don't be afraid to get messy!)
3. Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil. 
4. Put into a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes
5. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup egg substitute (equal to 2 eggs)
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Fat Free evaporated milk

Directions

1. Spray pan or dish with nonstick spray
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl.  
3. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs and pumpkin.  Add in dry ingredients.  
4. Gradually stir in fat free evaporated milk.
5. Pour into pan/dish and bake according to list below

Baking Times

9-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 55 to 60 minutes
10-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

8-inch-round cake pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
9-inch-round cake pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

8-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
8-inch-square glass baking dish: 325º F; 55 to 60 minutes

9-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

11 x 7-inch glass baking dish: 325º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

13 x 9-inch baking pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish: 325° F; bake for 40 to 45 minutes


Cooking for a crowd?  You can make a bigger crustless pie in a 13 x 9 dish!

13 x 9 Pie
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 cup egg subsitute (equal to 4 eggs)
1 (29-oz.) can pumpkin
2 (12-oz.) cans fat free evaporated milk


Baking Times
13 x 9-inch baking pan: 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish: 325° F; bake for 60 to 65 minutes



Do you make "unusual" dishes for Thanksgiving?  What are they?  Tell me below!

Quick Meal Conundrum

The girls' last day of school was June 4th.  They have been on summer break for 2 weeks.  I use the term break loosely.

My summers aren't what some people would consider busy.  The girls dance 2 days a week (but that will probably change soon due to competition team practices starting next month), and I have my clients.  Even when we don't have to be anywhere, I normally prefer not to be in the house.  The girls and I spend atleast 2 hours a day at the pool and/or beach.  The only days that we don't go are the on the days they dance.

I prefer to make quick meals in the summer, all the time.  Between clients, my own gym time, and errands, I never get home much before the girls during the school year.  When I can, I like for them to eat before going to their activities so we don't have to rush to eat before bed.  And in the summer after I get home from dealing with clients we always head to the beach or the pool.  I never want to come home and stand in the kitchen for very long.   And honestly I think my kids prefer the quick meals.  

No matter what your reason, I think it's always a good idea to have 5-10 good dinners that only take 10-20 minutes in your arsenal of recipes.  

My old stand-bys are sandwiches, soup, cereal, and eggs.  But, you can only have those so many times before you get bored of them.  I've put together a group of websites that have a TON of meatless, vegetarian quick dinners.



Links
Martha Stewart -- Almost 100 meatless quick meals. Pastas, soups, sandwiches, and a ton of other recipes

Cooking Light -- These all look delish!  Mexican, Asian, and many countries in between.  I'm definatley trying the vegetable maki.

Buzzfeed -- Vegan recipes in under 30 minutes.  The cheese steak is my favorite.

Greatist -- Breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes in under 12 minutes.

Martha Stewart -- Vegetarian and vegan recipes that are quick

Amuse Your Bouche -- 50 recipes in under 20 minutes.  A great mix of vegetarian and vegan recipes.  The bell pepper pizza is going on my list of recipes to try.

Do you have any tried and true quick meals? Do you and/or your kids prefer quick meals or ones that take a bit longer?

Dance Mom Survival Guide

2 of my daughters dance.

And if any of your kids dance then you know, recital time is here.  Recitals mean many things, makeup, hair, costumes, finding things for your kids to do backstage.  I've put together a simple recital guide.  Let's start from the top down.

Hair
I suck at hair. I'm horrible at it.  One of the best tips I recently received was to wet your daughter's hair before putting it in a ponytail.  I personally don't like the doughnut bun makers but, many people swear by them.  Pack extra hair supplies for backstage

Make-up
Unless you are told to buy a certain brand, I suggest getting it at the dollar store.  I get the girls' there.  They have  lipstick, eye shadow, blush, everything.  It's especially a great idea if you're only going to use it for recitals.  Make sure to pack extra for backstage, especially lipstick.

Costumes
Invest in a garment bag,  They make actually sell them at the dollar store too.  Put all your costumes on hangers and then put all the accessories (hair pieces, tights, etc) in a bag with the class labeled on it.  If you child has multiple dances a nude camisole leotard is a good idea.  This way they don't have to get completely naked when they change costumes.  

Shoes
Make sure they are clean.  I normally throw the ballet shoes in the washer.  (My girls' are canvas.  Do NOT do this with leather ballet shoes.)  Double check before you leave the house they have have 2 of each of their shoes.  We dump out dance bags and repack them before we leave.

I think that's everything to do with hair, makeup and costumes.  Your studio should give you a list of necessary supplies but, if I forgot anything let me know in the comments!

Now onto backstage stuff.  These tips will make the backstage moms SUPER happy.  I know that it would make me happy if all parents did this.  

Pack your kid some snacks and something to do.  Does your child have food allergies?  Let the backstage mom know!  Kids share snacks.  

Snack tips:

• Nothing sticky
• Nothing gooey
• Nothing messy
• Nothing greasy,  
• No colored drinks.  

Sunny and Mo have pretzels, crackers and water.  I don't pack chips (greasy fingers + expensive costumes = NO GOOD), or fruit snacks (if someone sits on it, it'll stick to their butt and be really hard to get off), or juice (juice = stains).  It's only 3ish hours.  If they can't survive on water and a couple snacks for that long then there's something wrong.  

Some other good options would be:

• Rice cakes
• Pumpkin seeds
• Popcorn (unbuttered)
• Hard granola bars

My best piece of advice if you're a backstage mom?  Chill out.  Clear your mind of anything that might bother or upset you.  The dressing rooms of recitals are loud, crazy, chaotic, and hectic.  I like to do my workout in the morning before the show and forget about everything that is weighing on my mind.

The most important thing tho?  Let your kids know that you're proud of them, let them know how well they did (even if they messed up), and show that you are their biggest supporter.  They will be nervous and possibly scared.  Before her first dance she told me that she wanted to go home and she didn't want to be there anymore.  Reassure them that everything will be okay.  

I FINALLY FOUND IT!!!

This is a ZeroBar.  What's a ZeroBar you ask?  It's a fat free, gluten free protein bar.  

I found out about this company from a Facebook folower.  ZeroBar graciously sent me a few bars to test out for y'all.  I'm not going to lie.  I was a bit skeptical about whether or not these were actually going to taste good.  But they are amazing.  The only flavor they have out right now is Cherry Brownie.  {Don't worry though, they have more flavors in the works}  It actually tastes like cherries and chocolate.  

They website says that they made this  for athletes who "want to burn fat, not eat it."  It's also great for the athlete that CAN'T eat fat.  Actually it's great for ANYONE who doesn't want to eat fat.  This bar is great for keeping in your gym bag or your car, your desk or your purse.  It makes a great after workout {or middle of the day} snack!  It would also be great as a midnight munchies snack.  It has a great mix of protein and carbs.  It will keep you fuller longer than many munchies will.  

I let my girls taste these and now they keep bugging me for them. They love them.  Do you have kids?  Do they play sports?  Give them a ZeroBar before or after practice.  Unlike most bars, the amount of protein in these is at an acceptable level for children.  {.95 grams per kilogram of bodyweight a day is reccomended.  So, an 80 lb child needs 34 grams of protein a day.}   The protein will aid in muscle recovery for them, just like it does for adults.  And carbs are the most important energy source.  It will help them fuel/refuel.  

Want to find out more about ZeroBar?  Want to get some for yourself?  Check them out and tell them you heard about them on The Fit Beach Babe!

Website: http://www.zerobar.us/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zerobarus

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/zerobarus

Thanksgiving Menu 2014

I was watching The Chew yesterday and Carla Hall said something that I agree with 1000%  "Thanksgiving is about food memories!"  and it really is.  I have a ton of food memories from Thanksgiving when I was a child and now, as an adult, my Thanksgiving menu is based on mine.  Recipe Redux this month is about redoing favorite food memories in a healthier way.  And since Thanksgiving is only a few days away I decided I'd share with you all of my Thanksgiving recipes.  

Honestly, what is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?  I'm betting most of you named a side dish and the ones that didn't, you named a dessert.  In my opinion, no one loves Thanksgiving for the turkey.  I haven't had a turkey on my Thanksgiving table in over 2 years.  Last year I made meatloaf and the years before that I made fish.  But really, the stars of my Thanksgiving are the sides.  This year I decided to ditch the main dish all together and JUST make sides.

The  Grain Foods Foundation emailed me this infographic which proves my point.
  

One of my favorite sides growing up was my mom's stuffing {me and 89% of the people}.  {side note:  My favorite was the stuffing that came out of the bird.  YUM!}  My mom's stuffing wasn't super complex or fancy.  And honestly that was what made it so good.  She used to saute the vegetables in copious amounts of butter, she used chicken stock that was high in sodium, white bread, and whole eggs.  Here is my lightened up, remake.

Mom's Updated Healthy Stuffing

Ingredients

Approx. 18 slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread, cubed
1 cup of onions, diced

2 cups of celery, sliced small

1 T poultry seasoning

1 T ground sage

1/2 cup egg substitute or egg whites

1 cup veggie broth 

Directions

1. Saute onions and celery until soft (if you're using regular non-vegetarian sausage you want to cook it too at this point)
2. Place all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together (use your hands, it works the best.  Don't be afraid to get messy!)
3. Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil. 
4. Put into a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes
5. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

I usually triple this recipe.  Kaylee could eat 1 whole pan by herself.  She LOVES stuffing!  I actually make my own whole wheat fat free bread to use for the stuffing. This year I might add some kale or spinach to one batch of it.  

What else is going to be on my table?

For breakfast I'm going to do a pumpkin bread pudding.  I normally don't make a special breakfast but, I'm feeling nice this year.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
15 oz can pumpkin
.5-1 cup brown sugar
3 cups skim milk (or almond milk)
.75 cup egg substitute
1 t cinnamon
.5 t ground nutmeg (or cloves if you'd prefer
1 t vanilla extract
12 slices of whole wheat, or cinnamon raisin bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (if you're using homemade bread it's about 6 cups)

Directions

1. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  
2. In a separate bowl whisk together everything except bread.  
3. Put bread in baking dish and let sit for 30 minutes (you can let it soak overnight if you'd prefer.  It actually tastes better that way)
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes until a knife come out clean.  
5. Serve with warm sugar-free maple syrup.

Let's get back to dinner!  I normally have both mashed white and sweet potatoes on the table.  I have found a perfect recipe for gravy.  For veggies we have green beans with mushrooms and onions, broccoli, and rolls.   Normally I buy frozen rolls but, since I have discovered my soy intolerance I am going to have to make rolls.  

Mashed Potatoes (or Mashed Sweet Potatoes)

2 potatoes per person 

Fat Free Cream cheese

Skim Milk

Directions

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes.  Place in a pot and cover with water.
2. Boil for about 20 minutes or until tender. (Sweet potatoes take a bit longer)
3. Drain, place back into pot and mash.
4. Add milk and cream cheese and stir until creamy and smooth.

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Onions
16 oz frozen green beans
16-24 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bag pearl onions

Directions

1. Saute mushrooms until soft, set aside
2. Cook green beans according to package directions.  Boil pearl onions with the green beans.
3. Toss everything together.

Gravy
There are 2 ways to do your gravy.  They are both super simple and easy.  The mushrooms and onions are optional but, I like it.  I feel like they replace the giblets that my mom used to put in her gravy.
For both recipes
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1-2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, either minced, or sliced

Directions

1. Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic until the vegetables are soft, and the onion is translucent

#1
Ingredients
Vegetable broth
Cornstarch 
Water

Directions

1. Bring desired amount of broth to a boil
2. In a separate bowl mix together 1 T cornstarch and 1 T water per cup of broth
3. Whisk cornstarch slurry into broth, bring back to a boil and simmer until thickened.  If it isn't as thick as you'd like it then mix together another tablespoon cornstarch with a tablespoon water and whisk in.  
4. Mix in mushroom, onion mixture

#2

Ingredients

Lipton Mushroom Onion Soup Mix

Directions

1. Follow directions on box.
2. Add in mushrooms and onions

Herb Dinner Rolls

2.5 - 3 cups flour (I combine whole wheat and white)

.75 cup water

.25 cup skim milk

1 T sugar

1 package (2.25 t) yeast

1-2 T herbs of your choice (I normally use garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, and sometimes dill) 

Directions

1. Heat milk and water between 105 and 110 degrees 
2. Add sugar and yeast.  Let sit for 5 minutes
3. In a separate bowl add 2.5 cups flour and herbs
4. Add water mixture to the flour mixture and stir together.
5. Place in a cool dark place to rise for 45-60 minutes
6. Put dough on a floured cutting board, or a stand mixer after it's risen.
7. If dough is still sticky add more flour until it's no longer sticky and knead for about 5-7 minutes until dough forms a smooth ball.
8. Divide dough into 4 sections, then divide into 4 more sections.  
9. For regular rolls, evenly spread dough balls on a greased cookie sheet.  For cloverleaf rolls divide each of the 16 balls into 3 again.  Place 3 pieces into 16 greased muffin tin.
10. Let them rise again for another 20 minutes  
11. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-20 minutes until the outside is brown and the inside is flaky.   

And lastly, dessert!  I found this recipe when I was doing a photo series for Food Holidays.  October 21st is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day.  I made this and it was a major hit in our house so, it became the Thanksgiving dessert.  After I became sick I stopped using a crust and switched everything to fat free.  It's adapted from Paula Deen's Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Fat Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
3 (8 oz) packages fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15 oz) can pureed pumpkin
egg substitute (or egg whites) equivalent to 3 eggs
.25 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1.5 cups sugar (you can do half white and half brown for a more pie-like taste)
.5 t cinnamon
.125 t cloves
2 T flour
1 t vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add all the other ingredients, stir until combined
3. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan, and bake for 1 hour.  
4. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes.  
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours until cold.

You can also prepare your cheesecake in a bain marie (water bath.) 

1. Line springform pan with tin foil.  
2. Pour in cheesecake batter.
3. Place springform pan in a roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan so it comes about halfway up the springform.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 70-75 minutes.
5. Remove from water bath, and cool on rack until barely warm
6. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

That's it!  That's my menu!  What's on yours?  Anything exciting?  What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

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