2/17 Menu Planning & Cabbage "Rolls"

Linking up with Jill and Laura for menu planning as we get back on track with staying accountable to our plans. Still working on the Saturday and lack of wanting to follow through. It gets to the end of the week and I don’t want to cook. Still working to try new meals. Last week made the cabbage rolls and they were wonderful!

Sunday: Broccoli Pepper Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
Monday: Fajitas
Tuesday: Sandwich pre-run
Wednesday: Black Bean Soup with Brazilian Cheese Bread (my changes: 3/4c skim milk 1/4c oil add 1 tsp baking powder)
Thursday: Pasta & Spinach Salad
Friday: Chickpea Spinach Curry
Saturday: ??Dinner out

Now to work on my mindless snacking! I was thrilled to find a store selling Perfect Foods Bars last and stocked up for easy grab snacks. Have you tried these? Great protein and gluten free! Between these and Pro Bars Fruition I am happy on the go. I hate wasting pre-packaged foods at home though.

Home Snacks for the week
  • Rice Cake with Almond Butter
  • Yogurt with berries
  • Veggies & Hummus
  • Pumpkin Granola
  • Fruit & Nuts

The cabbage rolls were an experiment, and my lesson- don’t turn your back on boiling cabbage. Oops, a little soggy leading to shredding and inability to roll so my solution cabbage layers. I kind of liked this, much easier and still just as tasty! I even managed to use the same pan (large soup pot) to boil cabbage, then saute veggies and finally layer and bake the “rolls”.

Cabbage Rolls
1 head cabbage
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup quinoa- cooked
½ cup TVP (rehydrated according to package)
1-2 zucchini diced
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp each chopped basil, oregano, rosemary leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
2 cups tomato sauce (1 can)
2 cups diced tomatoes (1 can)
Parmesan Cheese

Boil cabbage until tender 4-5 minutes and blanch in ice, then dry. Saute onion and garlic, add zucchini until soft. Add salt/pepper to taste. Add quinoa, TVP, tomatoes, and seasonings (and sauce if making cabbage layers like I did otherwise top with sauce). If making rolls fill each leave and layer in baking dish or layer cabbage and quinoa mix alternating. Top with Parmesan cheese if wanted.   Bake 350F for 25-30 min until bubbly and heated. Next time I might even try to make in slow cooker.

Sub in marinara for the tomato sauce and seasoning for even easier meal.

How is your weekly menu looking? Anything you want to share?

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Marathon Monday and share your week in training. And did you win the ENERGYbits® Giveaway? I still haven’t heard from the winner.

Comments

  1. jillconyersFebruary 17, 2013 at 7:46 AM

    I haven't tried the Perfect Food bars. I'll see if I can find them this weekend. Totally agree about eating prepackaged foods at home. The cabbage rolls sound delicious! And the pumpkin granola too :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2013 at 7:57 AM

    Great menu!! I'm doing a stir fry type dish too. Your soup with bread sounds yummy. What exactly is Brazilian Cheese Bread?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenFebruary 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM

      I added the link wth my changes, here it is http://afterdinnerdance.com/brazilian-cheese-bread-and-big-news/ it is kind of popover like and yummy :)

      Delete
  3. Mommy Run FastFebruary 17, 2013 at 1:44 PM

    Mmm, the cabbage rolls sound so good. My mom used to make the traditional ground beef-rice filling, but I love the sound of your version! I never want to cook by Saturday either- it's either eating out, leftovers or something super fast like breakfast for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenFebruary 18, 2013 at 8:03 AM

      Breakfast for dinner is always a great option

      Delete
  4. Angela @ Happy Fit MamaFebruary 17, 2013 at 6:11 PM

    I've never had a cabbage roll before but I've seen a few that sounded good (including yours) lately that I might try it. Friday and Saturday nights are always hard for dinner. Easy always wins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenFebruary 18, 2013 at 8:04 AM

      I haven't made cabbage rolls in years and it was a good addition to our list.

      Delete
  5. UnknownFebruary 17, 2013 at 9:32 PM

    Everything sounds delicious! I am a sucked for anything with peanut sauce :) And I am definitely going to have to check out those cabbage rolls. Yum?

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownFebruary 17, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    Everything sounds delicious! I am a sucked for anything with peanut sauce :) And I am definitely going to have to check out those cabbage rolls. Yum?

    ReplyDelete
  7. JoKnowsFebruary 21, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    Your menu sounds delicious. I have never tried making cabbage rolls, although I have often thought of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenFebruary 22, 2013 at 7:56 AM

      I always want to but they can be work, that's why I was fine with my cabbage layers instead ;)

      Delete
  8. *CaNdY FiT*February 22, 2013 at 4:08 PM

    Oh I love yogurt with berries!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GoMacro Thrive Review and Giveaway!

Image
All runners know that post marathon week(s) are filled with the fight to keep eating healthy yet indulge a little. I try to carry healthy snacks wherever I go to avoid the munchies. Needing gluten free makes finding healthy foods quick even tougher. I have my go to foods but love finding new options with such variety. I think my only complaint is the carb to protein ratio which for each bar is 3 or 4:1. I prefer a snack more along the 2:1 carb to protein ratio. To help this I add a few extra nuts to the bars when I have them for a snack, problem solved! Like all GoMacro products, Thrive are USDA-Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Gluten-Free certified, 100% Vegan, and soy-free. Thrive is currently available to purchase online and will become available to Whole Foods this month! GoMacro is offering 30% off to all my readers with code Thrive30 for online purchases Here The Thrive Bars come in 6 flavors: Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Blueberry
Read more

A few Races...

Image
Stillwater half was my final pre-marathon race. The weather was a mess, hot humid and gross! I ran with the 1:40 pacer to keep a nice pace and actually held myself back the first haf but yikes then we turned to the road and no shade and it all faded! I struggled to keep the "easy" pace as did everyone around me. I was happy to finish just 45 secs behind the pacer 1:40:45 and not too far off my goal of 1:38. That heat was brutal... Photo credit Stillwater Gazette Grandmas Marathon  For those who don't follow me on IG  @marathonmom28  here is the short version... I started great, on pace to PR then I became hypothermic (yes in June) and once the rain started it was painful (thank you Raynaud's). I finally walked off the course between mile 19-20 where Matt met me with dry clothes and a warm car. Grandmas this is strike 3, I think I am done!  I spent the car ride home thinking of next races and wondering if I could jump back in, (dumb I know). As we drove
Read more

Turkey Day 5K

Image
We have run this "race" many times, through name and sponsor changes, course changes and nasty weather. This year I went into it with hopes of a PR considering the perfect weather, but I failed to think about the massive amounts of people who would decide to run now that it wouldn't be too cold. I'm not sure the exact numbers but there had to be well over 5000 people, many who had no clue how to line up for a race. I lost track of the extreme numbers of walkers, kids, strollers and dogs I passed after it took almost 10 minutes to cross the start line! I spent much of my time weaving and trying not to trip over dog leashes or people stopping in mid course. I pleased to hit Mile 1 with a 7:40, still 1 minute over where I hoped but I figured much slower given the conditions. I finally found a guy to follow who making a path through the course and was able to hold that pace with a little trail running through the downtown parks. I didn't care since it was Nove
Read more