Day 35, 36 AND 37

I have fallen behind on my blogging! Who knew that the start of school would throw me off so much? Instead of sitting down to write when the kids go to bed, I find myself packing lunch, ironing clothes, etc. to prepare for the next day. Even so, I am still 100% strong on my diet and am looking forward to day 40 on Friday.

I will highlight a meal that we had last night that I have told some of you about before: Cabbage Rolls. It's one of my favorites and almost everyone agreed. Jake cried through most of dinner because he didn't want to eat it. I had flashbacks of me as a kid doing the same thing when my mom made cabbage rolls (do you, jen?) Seriously, when my mom made them I hated how they smelled, looked and even more how they tasted. But this recipe I love and we did extend some grace to my little guy who wasn't so fond of them:)

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small apple, finely diced
2 cups diced fresh spinach
1/2 red onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
10 or so cabbage leaves
Sauce:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. dried basil
black pepper to taste

Directions:
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil
-While you are waiting for the water to boil, do the following:
-In a medium size bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside
-Remove the core from the head of cabbage and separate cabbage leaves
-In a large bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients (from the beef to the pepper)
-Place the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, into the boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes or until soft
-Remove with tongs and lay flat


-Depending on the size of your cabbage leave, place approximately 1/4 cup of filling on the bottom edge of each leaf. Fold in the 2 outside edges of the cabbage leaf and roll up the filling.


-Place each cabbage roll seam side down in your crockpot (it's okay to layer them)


-Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
-Enjoy!