Stuffed Cabbage Casserole (the healthy version)

 

      Mike LOVES cabbage. I had never had cabbage until I met him. (I guess my parents didn't like it??) The first time I had cabbage his mom had fried it. It was delicious. Then, we tried stuffed cabbage that, once again, his mom had made. Again, very good. We don't have it very often, but when I came across this recipe on Skinnytaste I immediately thought it was something that I would do for him. While also, ultimately, keeping it healthy for me. ;)

     The recipe didn't seem that difficult, however, it definitely took some time. In fact, after rereading the recipe, Mike ended up having to make this one. We wouldn't have eaten until 8 o'clock if I did it.

My schedule is awful these days. Mike works nights, I work days,

and I have an hour drive home from work every day. So, on the days Mike

goes into work, I hit up the gym when he heads into work. On the days Mike doesn't

work, I hit up the gym on my way home from school. This leaves little time

for meal preparation. Luckily, I have an awesome man who doesn't mind cooking

and is actually really good at it. Is that how you wanted me to say 

that, babe?

     The casserole turned out really good. I even made the comment to Mike that it was one of the first things that we made that actually looked like the picture!! What an accomplishment!! It tasted good, too. I have to admit it isn't my favorite cabbage recipe (or maybe that's just because someone else didn't make it) but it was definitely good. And it makes a ton!! Plenty of leftovers, for sure. 

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole (the healthy version)

INGREDIENTS:

     1 lb. 95% lean ground beef

     2 tsp. olive oil, divided

     1 large onion, diced

     1 tbsp minced garlic

     1/2 tsp. dried thyme

     1 tsp. paprika

     salt and pepper, to taste

     1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped

     1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

     1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

     1/4 cup water

     2 cups brown rice, cooked

     2 cups low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray. 

     Brown ground beef in a skillet, remove and set aside. In the same pan, add 1tsp olive oil and diced onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Then, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Pour in water. Simmer about 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

     Cut cabbage in half and cut out the core. Roughly chop into 1 inch pieces. Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the cabbage. Cook over medium heat until cabbage is wilted and half cooked turning frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When meat mixture has cooked and thickened, stir in brown rice. Add half the meat mixture to the casserole dish, then top with half the cabbage. Then layer again. 

     Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes or until casserole is starting to bubble. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

     

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rice and BBQ Chicken Burritos

     I know what you're thinking....what a stretch!! Well, it's that kind of night here in the O'Neil household. We really didn't know what we were going to do until my ride home from school. When Mike got off work this morning (that's right, he works night shift I work day shift. What a marriage!!) he said he was going to put some chicken in the crock pot with BBQ sauce. Truthfully, I was exhausted and on my hour long drive to work so I could care less what we were having for dinner.

     On the way home I started thinking about what Mike thought we were going to do with the BBQ chicken. We usually do BBQ Chicken sandwiches but we have been trying to eat a little healthier. (Don't mind the peanut butter cookies in the last post. Those were from Christmas.) Plus, we don't have any rolls and I hate stopping on the way home. Something popped in my head about wraps, but I had one for lunch. Then...ding, ding, ding!!! I called Mike to make sure we had everything I needed, which is only 2 additional ingredients, and then planned my attack!

     This was so easy, especially because when you get home the chicken is already done. All you have to do is shred it!! And you can really use whatever rice you want, but all we had was Rice-A-Roni. Yes, we're aware that isn't really the healthiest choice but...that's what happens when it's what you have in your pantry and you're broke because they have now decided to take even more taxes out of our paychecks. :)

Ok, so here it is. Sooo easy!!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rice and BBQ Chicken Burritos (whew that was a long title)
INGREDIENTS:
     1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
     1 thing (brainfart) of your favorite BBQ sauce (We used some kind of Heinz something? Sale!!)
     1 pkg Four Cheese Rice-A-Roni
     flour tortillas (use whole wheat and make it even healthier)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put chicken and BBQ sauce in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. Shred in slow cooker and leave cooking until rice is done.
2. Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on the package.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Put a healthy spoonful of rice onto tortilla. Then, put an even healthier few spoonfuls of BBQ chicken on top of the rice. Fold/roll the tortilla into a burrito.
5. Place in a baking dish and bake for 15ish minutes until burrito is a little crispy. (Can you tell when I make up my own recipes??)
6. Enjoy!!

So many things you could do to this, too. Add cheese. Do some kind of white beans instead of rice. Add french fries. Don't judge me. Whatever you usually do with BBQ chicken, put it in the wrap!