Cabbage, Beef & Cheese Casserole

Jan here, with another low-carb discovery.

This recipe was delicious!

There's just something about sauteed cabbage (NOT boiled-to-death cabbage) that is so good. Think of it in stir-fries - doesn't it add bulk and flavor at the same time? And in this dish you sautee it in butter and bacon grease...ambrosia. As the cabbage cooks in the butter or oil, it caramelizes a bit and sweetens just enough to make you come back for more.

Cabbage, Beef & Cheese Casserole

ingredients:

4 slices bacon (I like Wright's Apple Smoked Thick Cut)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 bag three-color coleslaw mix (or 1/2 head cabbage, shredded)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, thyme, oregano, and basil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large frying pan, cook and crumble the bacon (or cut it in 1/2" pieces first and then cook it,) reserving 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease. In the same pan, add the 2 Tablespoons butter to the bacon grease.

When the butter is melted, add the shredded cabbage. Add the bacon bits and cook for a couple minutes on medium heat, stirring and tossing the cabbage until it is slightly wilted and coated with the butter/bacon grease. Place the cabbage in the bottom of a greased casserole dish (I used a 9" x 9".)

In the same frying pan, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Add the onion and herbs and continue cooking until the onion is softened. Spread the ground beef mixture on top of the cabbage in the casserole dish.

*Note: The next time I make this, I'll stir the ground beef and cabbage together.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.

Cook for 15-20 minutes in a 350° oven, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

I should have taken this photo from the other angle so you could see the cabbage/bacon layer.

I served it with celery sticks and avocado. Lettuce isn't on the menu yet - not until spring. But that will be soon!

And I know you've been waiting for a couple gratuitous puppy pictures!

With a new buddy in the house, it's hard to catch Jack holding still! I had to wait until he was getting a drink to get a photo. He loves the new toy we brought home last week.

Big news for Jack - he graduated from his Basic Manners class on Saturday. He did so well on his final exam, excelling in "walking on a loose leash," "coming when called," and "paying attention to his handler." All important things for a well-mannered dog to know!

And here's Sam, Jack's new toy. Yes, at nine weeks old he's still a little goofy-looking. He's a puppy! What do you expect?

But he has potential...every once in a while, we catch him doing the classic border collie crouch and stare (at Maggie-Cat!), and he is very responsive to our voices. It's early days yet, but I think agility might be in our future...

Watch this fabulous dog who won at Westminster this year!

Have you ever seen a dog having so much fun???

Actually, I have. Thatcher and I did agility together for several months and had a blast. But as much fun as he had, I ended up quitting when I signed a new contract (training dogs takes time!) However, if Sam has the potential to do well, I might be persuaded to put the time into the sport again.

If nothing else, it will keep me active!






Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com

Pumpkin Bread for Everyone

Jan here, finally completely moved in to the new house.

We loved our old house, but it had one downside. Like most split-level floor plans, it had almost no storage space. There was a closet under the stairs and a little bit of room along the walls of the garage.

The closet under the stairs after we emptied it.
And no one named Harry ever lived here!

So before we put the house on the market, we downsized (a lot - two garage sales' worth) and then seriously decluttered every room. The stuff we wanted to keep (several book shelves and multiple boxes of books along with too many other items) ended up in a storage unit. That's the stuff we finally moved home this weekend!

Our church does this a lot. We call our team The Black Hills Community Church Moving Company, and we move folks from apartment to apartment, or from house to house, and sometimes (sadly) in a U-Haul truck as we say goodbye.

We showed up bright and early to pick up our U-Haul. We could have made the move in a few trips using various pick-up trucks and vans, but the distance and a desire to finish before noon made the decision for us. One truck. One trip.

I had hoped to take more pictures of the crew and
the moving process, but things got busy after I
took this picture!

A tradition is to provide donuts for the moving crew in the morning. I bought ours from Jerry's Cakes and Donuts, the best donut place in town.

But what about the members of the crew who are watching their carbs or are gluten-free?

I decided to dust off my baking skills after the long hiatus from my kitchen over the summer and bake something special.

My view while I cook. This makes me
want to spend more time in the kitchen!

I found a recipe for Pumpkin bread that fit what I wanted on Erin's Well-Plated blog. I don't know Erin, but I'll be visiting her blog for recipes in the future!

Go to her blog for the recipe: Paleo Pumpkin Bread from Well Plated, but come back here for my method and review!

Pumpkin Bread for Everyone

The first thing I have to say about this recipe is that it was so easy! And it turned out so well that you're going to want to try it, whether you eat gluten free/low-carb or not.

First, I gathered my ingredients.

Then I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.

Next, I put the wet ingredients in with the dry and stirred. Then I poured the batter into my prepared baking pan.

I have to say that I love using baking parchment for quick breads and brownies! You spray your baking pan, line it with parchment (folding in the corners to make it fit,) and then spray the paper. It comes out perfect every time!

I was impressed with the way this bread turned out! Moist and delicious, with a perfect blend of pumpkin and spices.

Even my son-in-law approved. :-)

And that truck-load of stuff? Now we have a bunch of boxes that need to be unpacked and a ton of stuff to put away, But it's all under one roof for the first time since this moving process began at the end of April. And THAT feels wonderful!

Jack isn't quite sure, though...

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-seven years.

Low-Carb (and gluten-free) Blueberry Muffin for One

by Jan Drexler

A few weeks ago, Missy shared a delicious recipe for Blueberry Muffins. So rich and fluffy!

In case you've overindulged on the "real" thing, I'm here today to help you with a diet version. I make this muffin much more often than the standard one. It's tasty, and doesn't pack on the carbs like a normal muffin.

I like very few blueberries in my muffin, but you
can overload yours if you want to!

I'm talking about a recipe I found in my Trim Healthy Mama cookbook. Because of copyright restrictions, I can't give you the entire recipe here, but you might want to look into purchasing the cookbook if you're interested in the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

And similar recipes can be found all over the place on cooking blogs, like Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen and My Montana Kitchen.

If you make this muffin the way the THM recipe specifies, it is dairy-free (using coconut oil instead of butter), gluten-free, and sugar-free.

It's also delicious! But don't expect a low-carb muffin to taste the same as Missy's version. The ingredients are too different. Good, but different.

The main ingredient I use in this muffin is the flour substitute. I use either Trim Healthy Mama's baking blend, or I make my own from a recipe I found on-line:

No-flour Baking Blend

1 cup oat fiber
3/4 c. coconut flour
1/2 cup golden flax meal
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Tablespoon Glucomannan or xanthan gum (a powder, in spite of its name)
2 Tablespoons collagen (I use Trim Healthy Mama's Integral Collagen)

*Glucomannan and Integral Collagen are both available from Amazon or from the Trim Healthy Mama online store.

I purchase the other ingredients at Sam's Club, or you can find them at most Walmarts and other grocery stores. If you can't find them there, try your local health food store.

Of course, you can make the muffins using only almond meal or coconut flour, but the baking blend gives my baked goods a more flour-like texture.

This recipe uses 1/4 cup of the baking blend for one muffin, so the batch of baking blend goes a long way.

What do you think? Would you try a muffin like this? Or maybe it is already your favorite stand-by. Let us know!

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Big Breakfast, Low Carb Style

Jan here, with full disclosure: we are not vegetarians at our house.

But I do love to incorporate as many veggies as possible into our meals.

That gets a little difficult this time of year when fresh veggies can be scarce. I've talked about this other winters - we live hundreds of miles from the nearest big city, so transportation becomes a problem. Add the sub-zero freezing temperatures that we often have in the winter, and fragile fresh produce is at risk. On our last trip to Walmart, the produce department was almost bare and we could tell that a shipment hadn't survived the journey to the store.

So, what do we do?

If we can't find fresh veggies, we go with frozen.

I love the zero waste and convenience frozen veggies provide. I buy fresh veggies when I am able to, but frozen is my winter-time go-to.

Another veggie that is a recent addition to our grocer's freezer case is riced cauliflower.

Have you ever seen this? It's convenience overload!

I cook a bag full of riced cauliflower at the beginning of the week, and use it with my breakfast or lunch dishes all week long.

My favorite way to use it is in a huge breakfast: eggs, bacon, and "hashbrowns"...all low carb.

Super easy -

Big Breakfast, low carb style

ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
butter or coconut oil

from here on, use your add-ins of choice:

bacon, cooked and chopped
sliced mushrooms
minced onion
minced garlic
frozen or fresh chopped kale
frozen or fresh chopped spinach
diced zucchini or yellow squash

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, saute your cauliflower and other ingredients in the butter or oil until the veggies are cooked and beginning to brown. (If you're using frozen veggies, turn the heat down and cover your skillet for a few minutes to thaw them first.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Push the "hash" to the side of the skillet, add a little more butter or oil, turn the heat up to medium, and add your eggs. You can scramble them or fry them...it doesn't matter.

When the eggs are cooked the way you like, place the "hash" and eggs on a plate. Season to your liking (I like to add some nutritional yeast on top) and enjoy!

This is a huge, filling breakfast. And did you notice that we've added no carbs?

Of course, you can substitute potatoes for the cauliflower if you want to! No rules! This is a meal to put together the way YOU like it!


What is your favorite breakfast?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Speaking of Pumpkins...

Yes, fall has finally arrived. Though, we have a slightly different take on autumn here in Texas. Instead of leaves turning, we have sustained temps below 100 and, if we're lucky, we might only have highs in the 80s. But with the rest of the country talking pumpkin this and pumpkin that, I'm ready to indulge in some fall treats, so today we're revisiting my quickie pumpkin muffin in a mug recipe from last year. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 flat tablespoon 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 2 heaping tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon vanilla OR 1 teaspoon lemon juice 
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons golden flax meal
• 1 tablespoon almond flour (if you don't have almond flour, you can use 3 tablespoons of the flax meal)
• 3/4 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 5-6 teaspoons Truvia, separated (you can use more or less, depending on your tastes. If you use another artificial sweetener, adjust according to your personal taste)
• 1 generous tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Put cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla or lemon juice (I prefer lemon juice because it gives the frosting a less intense taste and, to me, tastes more like cream cheese frosting) and 2-3 teaspoons sweetener into a small bowl.

Mix until smooth and set aside. This gives the sweetener a chance to dissolve.

Now grab yourself a nice size mug, crack the egg into it and whisk with a fork.

Then add your flax meal/almond flour, pie seasoning, baking powder, sweetener to taste (I usually use about 3 teaspoons/packets), pumpkin and coconut oil and whisk until everything is incorporated.

Place mug in microwave and cook on high for 60-70 seconds. You can also bake it in a ramekin or divide batter between two holes of a regular size muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Those methods would probably make for a prettier muffin, but since I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, I usually go for the microwave. Besides, even in the micro, it still comes out with a nice, cakey texture.

**Note: My microwave is 1100 watts, so if yours differs, you'll need to adjust the time accordingly.

Once done baking, dump your muffin(s) onto a plate...

I like to cut mine in half before topping it with the frosting.

And I love that there's an ample amount of frosting, so that no bite is without.

I love it. Blissful pumpkin satisfaction without the guilt. Whoo-hoo!

So I was just telling my husband that I saw the Christmas stuff going up at Walmart. He frowned, but I like it. I pick up a few things here and there. Can you believe October is almost here? This year seems to have flown by in a blur. Now it's time for me to slow down and savor life for a while. But that doesn't mean there's not work to do. Proposals need to be written, new stories explored. 

Ah, the joys of being a writer. :)

Gluten Free, Carb Free "Bread" - I Can't Believe It's Not Bread! product review

Several years ago I wrote articles/lessons for an on-line community/magazine called "The Homemaker's Mentor." It was a great place for homemakers to come together and learn from each other - and it was also my first writing gig (thank you, Martha!).

The Homemaker who started it all is Martha Greene, of Marmee Dear & Company. Go ahead and check out her website, but hurry back here for the rest of the story.

A quick aside - Martha, Rebekah Wilson and I wrote a book together that is available on Amazon here.

Back to the main story!

Martha's daughter, Erica, has started her own homebased business, and what a business!

I'll let Erica tell you the story in her own words from her website:

Growing up, my mother always made delicious, fresh, homemade whole wheat bread. When I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance 17 years ago, I tried many gluten-free breads, but I always found them to be crumbly and heavy on my stomach. I like to eat clean, which means the fewer ingredients on the list, the better! When I began battling Candida, I restricted my diet to only lean protein and non-starchy veggies. Longing for something tasty in my diet, I began mixing up simple ingredients I had on hand in my kitchen. When my first "BUN" came out of the oven, I was blown away! Only 5 ingredients, simply stir & bake, and I found I had a soft, chewy, light "bread" that had 16 grams of protein and only 3 net carbs and was gluten-free, grain-free, high-fiber, yeast-free, sugar-free, low carb, Paleo & Candida friendly! I quickly discovered that my simple recipe was able to make not only a "BUN" but also "SLICED BREAD" and a "SUBMARINE BUN" complete with sesame seeds on top! And then found the basic recipe could even be made into an amazing PERSONAL PIZZA CRUST! As soon as my family and friends starting tasting my new concoction, they said, "WOW! I can't believe it's not bread!"

 

Since June 2011 I've been a single mommy to 4 littles, struggling to support my family. I am excited to launch this small business and share this special recipe with others who have intolerances to gluten, grains, dairy or even those who are simply looking for a delicious "bread" loaded with protein for a low-carb food lifestyle--Can't wait for you to try.....

                          "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BREAD!"

 

                      ~ Erica

I had to try Erica's bread, so I waited (a bit impatiently!) for her to put the product on the market.

This week, I received my first two mixes:

I made the "Just-Like-White" loaf to have with our supper that night...

The directions are super simple:

Empty the contents of the package into a small bowl - I used my favorite four cup mixing bowl.

Mix in two egg whites. Erica says to use fresh egg whites for the best results. Using packaged egg whites will work, but the texture of the bread will be different.

Stir the mix and egg whites together for about 40 strokes, until the mix resembles cake batter.

Pour the batter into an oven safe 2-cup size round or square baking dish, and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, right?

When the bread is done, it will be golden brown on both top and bottom and firm to the touch.

Let the bread cool slightly, then remove it from the dish. Erica says that when it's baked, the tightly wrapped "bread" keeps in the freezer for four weeks.

But our loaf didn't make it past supper.

So, how did it taste? Absolutely delicious!

The texture was light and airy - different from most "breads" made with almond meal. And the flavor was out of this world. I ate it fresh out of the oven with a bit of butter, but it would also be delicious toasted with a smear of jam :)

Now the rest of my family likes their normal bread products. They liked this bread, but don't want to change to it full-time. But since it fits right into my THM lifestyle, it's perfect for me. It's also perfect for anyone who is looking for a grain-free, gluten-free, yeast-free, sugar-free "bread."

The mixes are a bit pricey for daily use ($4.95 each), so I promptly ordered Erica's cookbook (e-book download) from her website, and a bag of the one item I can't buy at my local store, Heather's fiber. (By the way, Erica is also a Trim Healthy Mama affiliate, so look for the THM button on her website!)

As soon as the fiber arrives, I'll be set to make this quick, delicious bread to accompany any meal I want!

So, let's chat. What is your favorite "diet" food that makes you feel like you're "cheating" when you eat it?

And by the way, stay tuned for the next installment in the Great Sourdough Experiment!

It's a good day to go vegetarian

I don't know how many of you are (or WERE) Grey's Anatomy fans, but folks got a shock when the main heartthrob of the show, played by Patrick Dempsey, was killed off. One of the most quoted lines of the show was, "it's a beautiful day to save lives." The line stuck with me because I thought it was obvious foreshadowing. I just didn't know it was foreshadowing for my diet. Ack!

Following my heart cath recently, I thought all was good. No need for stents. The doctor mentioned "one little problem" to discuss when I came in but ManO just heard no stent and I was loopy. All I remembered hearing was the nurses saying, "you can't beat genetics."

Turns out I have a 40% narrowing thanks to plaque in one of the branches of my heart arteries. I am very thankful it was found. But it wasn't what was causing my chest pain. Esophageal spasms are the culprit. But because of that coincidental pain, they found the silent time bomb just waiting to be 100%. I had time to do something about it. Ack! But PTL!

In order to keep cholesterol plaque at bay, reduce acid reflux, and lose weight, I decided it was a good day to save a life and go vegetarian. Thanks to a lot of wise counsel on Facebook, here from Kav and friends sending me cookbooks, it's easier than I expected.


I've had to withdraw from meat slowly as Kav advised. It's also really important not to go to just salads. The transition is doomed with just lettuce. You need enough protein, good fat (like olive oil or nuts), and carbs to keep you energized.You also can't go the other way.  You can gain weight as a   vegetarian because folks often still eat too much sugar and processed flour.

One of my first big experiments was for Cinco De Mayo. No day is worse for me. A day when wheat and corn products are in the forefront, everyone is having fun but me. This year was even worse. I couldn't find rice tortillas and there was the whole meat problem. But I cobbled together a solution.

Spring rolls saved the day and saved me carbs. Rice tortillas are 24 grams of carb. Spring roll wraps? SEVEN. So what began as a problem turned into a great lo-carb solution.Then the whole meat thing. That was a fairly easy solve thanks to ManO. I was just going to make spinach and cheese enchiladas with beans on the side. He suggested I add them in in order to make it seem like he got his meat. Another great solution and it let ManO feel like he had some say in the process.

It was rather ironic I used Italian marinara, Irish cheddar, Vietnamese spring roll wrappers and American veggies to celebrate a holiday that began when the Mexican Army beat the French.

I know you are wondering about the cheese. We'll see how it goes but I need to get extra calcium right now. Life is a challenge. But as I told a friend, if it came down to it, I'd rather have books than meat, books than meals. Make the meal pretty and I can survive.

AND I've lost almost ten pounds at a very safe clip so far without feeling starved.

Here's the recipe in easy steps:

Cinco de Mayo Enchiladas

1 package baby spinach
1/2 sweet onion
1 can pinto beans
1 package spring roll wrappers
1 lb or less cheddar cheese
1 cup and a half garlic spaghetti sauce or one can enchilada sauce
Cumin
Salt
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

     
Step 1: Saute onion in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Cook down spinach in onion/oil mixture until wilted.

Step 2: Rinse beans then add to veggies. Set aside.


Step 3: Following directions on spring roll wrapper package, wet the wrappers one at a time.

Step 4: Fill with two heaping spoonsful (see picture) of veggie mixture.

Step 5: Top with a sprinkling of cheese and fold/roll as directed. Save remaining cheese for topping.

Step 6: Set rolls in olive oil greased 9x13 pan.

Step 7: Brush tops of rolls with olive oil.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 until slightly browned. Remove from oven.

Step 8:  Pour enchilada sauce or combined marinara sauce, salt and cumin (to taste) over rolls. Top with cheese and put back in the oven another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. 

Step 9: Serve with a tablespoon of light sour cream and shredded lettuce.

So, have you ever tried to go vegetarian? What prompted the experience or what keeps you from going meatless? Any advice for newbies?

Give A Moose A Muffin: A Better Alternative

Julie here, I'm thrilled Mary Curry, winner of numerous writing awards including Love Inspired's Killer Voice contest, is joining us today and even more thrilled by what I learned! And be sure to keep an eye out for her debut Love Inspired Suspense coming out this fall. 

Good morning everyone. It’s been awhile since I posted here on the Yankee Belle. Thanks, Julie, for asking me to fill in today.

I have a question for you. What’s for breakfast?

That’s a problem that is making me crazy.

Do you know the children’s book If You Give a Moose a Muffin?

(You can watch it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOPFVSiB5uQ)

That’s me at breakfast. Give me a muffin and I want another one. Or a cookie. Or a donut. I need something carby with my coffee.

But carby with your coffee = weighty on the hips.  Besides, I think breakfast carbs are probably bad for you in inverse proportion to how good they taste.

So I need alternatives.

Oatmeal doesn’t work for me. Even the steel cut kind leaves me hungrier than I was before I ate. Plus I crash about an hour later.

I like Icelandic or Greek yogurts - especially Siggis because the protein grams are way higher than sugar grams. But I can’t eat it every day.

So, what’s a teacher who is going to be stuck all day, with nary a bathroom break, to do if she can’t eat muffins and donuts???

My daughter introduced me to her favorite vegan restaurant here in Brooklyn where they make all kinds of amazingly healthy meals. My favorite breakfast is what they call their Earth Cup. I feel healthy just looking at it. They serve it with an optional topping of coconut kefir (which I always get because I will eat anything coconut). Basically it’s sprouted buckwheat grouts, fresh fruit, milk (they use rice mylk because it’s vegan), and sunflower butter.

But that yummy Earth cup? It’s expensive!!! (Those 2 things cost over $20) Certainly not something I can do every day, and they’re not even open before I head to work.

I was overjoyed (Yes, really!), last week when I stumbled upon a similar recipe at a cool website called The Simple Veganista.

Have you ever had overnight soaked oats? You put everything in a cup and soak in the fridge overnight and in the morning it’s all ready for you to just add some fresh fruit or a dab of yogurt. Some recipes do call for you to cook it the night before and then chill. It makes a really nice alternative on hot summer mornings.

http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2014/02/overnight-buckwheat-steel-cut-oats.html

I love this website because of a number of recipes (Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad is AWESOME!), so I was excited to try Overnight Buckwheat Steel Cut Oats.

You can find a whole host of oatmeals like this on this site - http://gettingahealthybody.tumblr.com/post/30644434366/what-is-overnight-oats-overnight-oats-oo-is

Another cool website - Oh She Glows - has a raw version (Overnight Buckwheat Parfait) that’s mixed with chia seeds. I think the overnight raw version is closer to my beloved earth cup, minus the chia.

http://ohsheglows.com/2012/06/14/easy-overnight-buckwheat-parfait/

http://fountainavenuekitchen.com/overnight-buckwheat-groats/

The addition of sunflower butter is the best part though even though these recipes don’t include it. I love this because I have so many students with severe nut allergies this year that I can’t have anything with nuts in the classroom.

You can buy it at the store.    

Or you can make your own - really easily and cheaply! You buy plain, unsalted, SHELLED, sunflower seeds, roast them, then blend in your blender until it’s a nut butter consistency. (You can read a really enthusiastic recipe on how to make them here - http://thehealthyfoodie.com/natural-home-made-toasted-sunflower-seed-butter/)

So, what do you eat for breakfast?