Cabbage Rolls - 1 point each!

Who knew. The only thing I changed from my regular recipe, was the meat. Bison is my red ground meat of choice these days. I could not believe that these were only one point per cabbage roll! Not a traditional recipe, but hey! I haven't had any complaints so far! And we will likely have them more often, now that I know they are sooooo points friendly.

POINTS® Value: 1

Servings: 27
Ingredients
2 1/4 pound cabbage, all varieties
1 bell pepper(s)
1/2 cup ketchup
8 baby carrots

3 stalks of celery
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup chopped Maui or Vidalia onion
Bison, ground , 1 LB

1 serving Aylmer's Diced Accent Tomatoes 546 ml (I used the Red Pepper variety today)
1 serving V8 juice 1 can

finely chop bell pepper, celery, carrots and onion in food processor. Add to rice, stir in ground meat.Salt & PepperSteam large cabbage, remove leaves and form into cabbage rolls. 1/3 cup scoop per leaf....makes about 27 uniform cabbage rolls. Mix tomatoes, V8, a little hot sauce and some garlic, pour over all. Bake until tender.

HOME!

How I love to be home! The drive to Thompson is so worth the time and pain (sitting still kills my back!) because we enjoy being with the kids. The air is so thick and rich up there, that the urge to fall asleep and sleep soundly is too strong to resist...the last night we were there, Glenda and I were sawing logs, and the men were watching what they wanted on TV .... a dangerous thing to wake up to!

Of course, staying on program was impossible. So, I graciously gave in to temptation, and am going to start fresh tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, as I am also scheduled to start sewing up a few things for the cruise. Wonder if I will ever get around to that one?

A beautiful day in the neighbourhood...

It was a lovely crisp winter day today. Went out in the morning, and had lunch with "Reuben Sandwich Girl"....this time? We had Gardinay Potato and Leek soup to go with the Reuben...mmmm good! Add a Fresca, and I was in hog heaven!

Supper was three, yep, three bowls of cabbage soup. I made cabbage rolls this afternoon (I used Bison again, and it worked out to be 2 points per cabbage roll!) and after steaming the head of cabbage, the water smelled too good to just toss out, so I added the scraps of cabbage, some chicken broth, and some carrots, and leftover chopped onions. I tossed in a handful of peas just before serving for a little hit of "green"...although, I think it would be better without them....simple, plain, and oh so good! So, now? I am paying for all that cabbage! Good thing Rick is out of town, and I have 'freedom of expression'! Note to self. This is not a soup to serve to company!

Tonight...

I made mini bison meatballs. Bison has 120 calories in 1/2 cup or 100gms...a pretty good deal, with very low fat to boot. I always add finely chopped veggies to the meat, to add a little "zip" but when I am in a rush, I have been known to leave it to manage on its own, with just an egg and a few breadcrumbs. We had guests for dinner tonight, so I am very glad it turned out! The glaze on top is what really sets this apart...ketchup, brown sugar and mustard make a glossy red glaze that is sweet and tangy. A pretty good taste bang for the buck! Of course, we had mashed potatoes and creamed corn - classic comfort food!

But what is really comforting? I am always amazed at the quantity of food I can have on program! I think one of the mistakes I made while not "toting up" online, was that I underestimated the amount of food I could eat, because I sure feel a lot fuller now than I have in the last couple months. Sigh. I am such a slow learner. It feels good to be back!

6 of the 10 lbs are gone!

As of this morning. I am so relieved...it was a bit daunting to step on the scale the first morning home, and to find that I had gained a whopping ten pounds. But, with two days travelling in the car, salty restaurant food, and the odd treat here and there? How can you help it? I am sooooo glad at least this much is gone. Hopefully tomorrow will show more good news. But I sure am behind in the poundage lost column. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

As for today? I made cod fish with a cream sauce (I used 1 T flour, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1/2 cup of milk) in the oven, salad and wild rice pilaf for supper....all very much within points. I have 5.5 points to consume for a snack, so it looks like tonight will be tea and toast! Whooo hoo! That is a real treat! I love the thin sliced bread from Safeway that is only 90 calories for two slices. Crispy, nummy goodness.

We are catching up on our "company"...tonight we had one set, and tomorrow another. Then Rick is off on a trip for two days, leaving me to my own devices. I have a lot to do...from laundry to sewing to cleaning....I hope to get the food in for the week tomorrow, as the weather is milder, and it will be so much more pleasant to run the roads.

The other day, Rick brought home a menu planning pad from the dollar store. I plan on writing down the menus, and then, at the end of the week, on the computer, I will put together the menu and the grocery list for "next time". I need to find a snappy binder to keep the pages in.....all this of course, is not my idea, but from "Fixing Dinner", a show on the Food channel that offers remedial food preparation for families that apparently don't have time to eat together. Our problem, is that we have entirely too much time to eat together!