Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I'm not going to discuss my lack of posts. We'll hold off on that discussion for another day. Since many of you have wondered what's been on Patti's plate lately, I'll share one dish. I've posted a variation of it before. It's another slow cooker recipe that is low in calories. It is practically calorie free except for the pork meatballs. I only used one half of a pound of meat for this huge pot of soup and it lasted for three days. I even ate it for breakfast twice. I made it with one onion, a whole head of cabbage, the meatballs, chicken stock and a bag of sauerkraut. It sounds like a strange recipe, but it is an easy variation of a stuffed cabbage dish that Tony's family made on Christmas. I like it and it is a low calorie comfort food. (And we all can use some comfort now and then.)

Surprise!

I love coming home to a surprise meal. This morning I put two chicken breasts into the crock pot. Then, I cleaned out the refrigerator; zucchini, onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, celery, and scallions. They all went into the slow cooker. I added a few seasonings, chicken broth and set it on low. By the time I came home from work, the house smelled like I had a secret chef cooking in my kitchen. All I needed to do was skin and remove the bones from the chicken and toss the chicken pieces back in the pot. It didn't even need rice or pasta! By the way, the picture is before cooking and seasonings.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I know I'm not as regular in my posts as I was a few months ago. I'm not sure how to motivate myself again. I lost my momentum; (not omentum, Dr. Oz) , and I can't seem to get it back. I eat really well for a few days, and then spoil any chance for real weight loss by eating a big fattening meal. That works to maintain my weight, but it doesn't allow me to go down another size. Last night was a fattening night. I took what could have been a perfect low fat chicken meal and dipped it in a pool of my high calorie, homemade, delicious chicken tikka masala sauce.  I love food!

 

Ironing

You may be wondering why I have a photograph of freshly ironed sheets on my blog today. I started my day by cooking a fresh pot of cabbage soup. I'm not exactly on "the" cabbage soup diet, but I definitely am eating a lot of cabbage soup these days. Since I posted a picture of it a few days ago, I didn't want to get too boring by posting a picture every time it lands on Patti's plate. (Or bowl) So.....I decided to post a picture of what I can do with my new found time when I am not obsessing about food. Today, among other things, I washed and ironed my  sheets.  zzzzzzzz

Roasted Zucchini

Will I ever be thin? I keep trying to come up with new ways to make vegetables. Some of you thin people reading this may not understand. Food just does not take up that much of your time. You eat a little bit of something healthy for dinner and move on. You are busy with other more important things in your life. "Eaters", on the other hand, obsess about their food. Even when we are on a diet. I guess that's the problem.
Tonight I made chicken and salad, but I added thinly sliced zucchini because I could use my mandolin. (The photo was taken before roasting) I keep trying to make cooking healthy foods more exciting. When I didn't care about the calorie count, my cooking was much more fun and creative.  Obviously I need to replace my food obsession. Tony is able to replace his with music. I guess I need to give this some more thought.

Carrots

I have been doing so well the last four days. I made a new snack that was not only good for me, but more satisfying than a potato chip. Granted, maybe it didn't have quite the crunchiness of a chip, but it tasted great and didn't leave me with that feeling that I had to have a lot more.
(Bet you can eat just one!) Actually, it really was good.
I thinly sliced a few carrots with my mandoline. In a bowl, I put about 1/2 tsp each of sea salt, chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon. I put them together  in a large plastic bag. After a good shake I placed them on a large parchment lined baking pan. Then, they went into a 350• oven for 20 minutes. They don't require a bit of oil. It's a great snack to eat right before dinner. It curbs your appetite while adding more fiber.

Cabbage Soup

Remember the old cabbage soup diet? There were a few reasons people used to use it to lose weight. Cabbage is low in calories, full of fiber, and high in nutrients. It's easy to get full eating it. Well the best part about cabbage soup to me, is that it's delicious. I made it tonight for dinner. It was so easy, and so good, I will share the recipe. I was hoping to have it for the week to use as a snack, but Tony liked it so much, there's not much left. Thinly slice 1/2 of a sweet white onion. Sauté it on medium heat in a little bit of olive oil. When it starts to brown add one grated carrot, and one chopped garlic clove. Season with coarse black pepper.  While it is cooking, shred an entire head of green cabbage. (I do it with the slicer blade of my food processor.) Add the cabbage to the pot. Then, I add a box of chicken broth. (I use the green Kirkland organic.) Add a little kosher salt and one tablespoon of brown sugar.  Bring it to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour. Add about 1/2 box more chicken broth as it cooks down.  You can eat an almost limitless amount of this soup and still lose weight.