Weekend Recap

This weekend I did absolutely as little as possible. This won't be the most exciting post.

I did, however, accomplish something completely unheard of in Katie-land. I ate out only ONCE this weekend (because I had to). I tried a new recipe. I ran 7 (total) miles. And walked who knows how many more.... New Year's goals are totally on track!!

Friday: worked, came home, ran 3 miles, collapsed on couch, played on iPad, watched DVR, ate dinner four-year-old style (pigs in a blanket, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and a pudding cup). The equivalent of a perfect Friday to me. 

Saturday: Drove to High Point to meet my mom and neighbor for adventures at FurnitureLand South, where we walked who knows how many miles - they have over one million square feet of 'showroom space', I saw the world's largest dresser (correction: world's largest '18th century Highboy' replica), and everyone bought the furniture they came there to buy (well not for me, I didn't buy anything. I was just there for moral support). Again, came home and ate a repeat of the 4 year old's dinner and collapsed on the couch.

Sunday: Woke up at 8 AM (too early.), watched bad Lifetime movies, fell asleep again, woke up again, ran 4 miles, watched more bad TV, made Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. Ate it. Acquired horrible headache. Passed out.

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The week ahead:

Continuing to make good progress on my New Year's goals.

• I am on track for my half-marathon training plan (Pilates tonight)
• I have been flossing every day! Confession: not last night, my head hurt too badly and I just quick-brushed my teeth before passing out.
• I am trying a new tofu recipe this week (but adding horseradish) and making a sesame rice and bean sprout, asparagus, mushroom saute to go with. 

All New Year's goals go on hold this weekend... Well, I will still be exercising (walking, maybe a run or two, and perhaps dancing!) and flossing and hopefully eating decently... But I am going to Washington DC this weekend to visit two dear friends!!! I can't wait! I have some cute new outfits to show off wear. It has been about 3 years since I have been to DC (for a very brief appearance) and it is one of my favorite cities. Oh yeah, I am taking Amtrak again... should be fun! The train I am on has wifi. Thank goodness.

I am looking forward to going to the International Spy Museum, the Newseum, trying new restaurants, and last but not least seeing Keena and Christine!!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Being a good little Polish girl, Golumpki (gwumpki) is one of my favorite Polish meals, but I don't get it often. Who wants to actually stuff cabbage? Bring on a casserole.

Last night's dinner: Stuffed Cabbage Casserole courtesy of SkinnyTaste.com

The only actual ingredient substitution I made from the original recipe was to use turkey instead of ground beef. Other modifications: I didn't use olive oil, and used half of the cheese. I only had sweet and spicy Hungarian paprika (read: cayenne), so I used half of what the recipe called for and it gave it a nice kick! I also cut my dish in to 8 pieces, rather than 10. Because I used the turkey and cut the olive oil, the nutritional facts are still great!

Katie's Version of Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 93/7 Ground Turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped>
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 + 1/3 cup water, divided
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 9").

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add 1/4 c. water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.

In a large pot or pan, add the cabbage and 1/3 c. water. Cook over medium heat (steaming the cabbage with lid on) until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 - 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.

Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Recipe serves 8 (hearty servings)! 275 calories, 29 g carbs, 8 g fat, 22 g protein, 7 g fiber, 655 g sodium

This. Was. Delicious. Took a while to put together, but the end result was so worth it. It was also relatively inexpensive... Cabbage is so cheap to cook with. You really get the bang for your buck with this casserole. Try this, tonight! What is your favorite healthy casserole recipe? Please share!!

Giveaway - Vapor4Life

Welcome to my first blog giveaway! I hope to do more of these... I received a request from Vapor4Life a while back to review one of their products, and they were happy to provide me one for myself, and one to give to a lucky reader! Unfortunately, between finishing school and the holidays - it has taken me far to long to get to this post. For that, I apologize!

You are probably asking... what is Vapor4Life?

Vapor4Life sells electronic cigarettes, which are a smoking alternative that produce a water vapor instead of smoke. Therefore, it has no ash, bad smell, or even a flame because it’s battery operated. An e-cigarette is essentially a battery powered alternative to smoking. 

While I am not a smoker, I know many people who occasionally smoke cigarettes (ahem, while drinking, ahem).. and I personally own a Hookah, and do not smoke frequently; however, it is a nice way to relax. 

All you have to do is charge the e-cigarette with the provided charger, insert the flavor (+nicotine, if you so desire) cartridge in to the end. The cigarette automatically turns on when you take a puff and off when you have finished the puff. 

The cartridges are available in a variety of flavors and nicotine strengths, ranging from nicotine-free (recommended to users who do not want any nicotine or have reduced their nicotine level down but still want to experience the hand-to-mouth simulation while enjoying the flavors) to 36 mg (recommended for users who smoke multiple packs of "full flavor" cigarettes per day).

My favorite is to enjoy a fruity flavor cartridge with a glass of wine... which reminds me: summer, oh how I miss you! While I do enjoy sitting down to smoke hookah, this is a much more efficient way of doing a similar activity. You still get the flavor and the water vapor, and can choose your level of nicotine.

Because these are smoke-free cigarettes, using water vapor, they are safe to smoke inside and won't leave any of the stinky cigarette mess behind.

I opted to giveaway a nicotine free electronic cigarette starter kit on my blog. This is great to have if you are an occasional smoker, or are trying to quit the habit and like the routine of smoking. I have tried my e-cigarette a few times, indoors, with no issues. The flavors taste delicious! From Peach Cobbler to Pineapple to Vanilla to Clove.. there are so many flavors to choose from.

This starter kit includes 2 e-cigarettes, the wall charger, and 5 flavor cartridges (all nicotine-free): melon, pineapple, watermelon, green apple, and banana.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment here of your favorite flavor of the 5 provided!! A second entry will be provided if you like Pieces of Cake on Facebook and leave a comment doing so. This giveaway will close on Sunday at 9PM and the winner will be posted then.