21 Day Fix - Day 8

Here we are at the start of week two. We have both had success and it feels good. Having said that, life sure tries to get in the way of good intentions. Do you ever find that?

I have been watching my oldest daughter have issues at school. She is a strong minded, spirited child, yet she allows one girl to boss her around at school. While watching her play for a bit after school, there was yet another in issue. It's just starting to wear me down. I am tapping out. Obviously I will keep working on this, but man, it's a real esteem deflater. We talked about the issue for the entire drive home. It was exhausting and by the time we arrived home I just wanted a glass of wine! haha! One yellow....The wine is worth one yellow. I still had it to substitute. I made the choice and went for it. Just one.

Next came time to make dinner. I was quickly running out of time. I ended up taking yesterday's soup and giving it a quick puree for a fresh look for tonight's dinner. One red, 2 greens and one yellow.

Then while the kids were getting ready for bed it was time to make lunches. Three of them! That was a lot of chopping! But its done, and there are three healthy, balanced lunches and snacks that will be heading out the door tomorrow. Now I can relax;-)

I have realized that its actually hard to make lunches without absentmindedly snacking while you prepare! Honestly, I didn't even really realize that I do it. I love a system that actually draws my attention to my weaknesses. Makes it so much easier to be aware and make changes. 

Today was challenging but also exciting.

The exciting part about today was that my challenge group officially started. I have these amazing ladies that are joining me for accountability while they do the 21 day fix with me. It's amazing. They are all off to a great start and I love the meal sharing that has started to happen already.

I am so proud of each of them.

Change is hard.

Not making excuses is hard.

Starting is hard.

Taking the first few steps to a lifestyle change is amazing!

21 Days = New habits

I can't wait to see what the next three weeks bring!!

Asian Stuffed Napa Cabbage Rolls

These Asian style cabbage rolls are a great twist on stuffed cabbage. They are light and healthy, yet still a filling “one-pot” meal perfect for busy weeknights.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons Nakano rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili or chili-garlic sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste
• leaves from 1 large head of Napa cabbage
• 
  

 Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare your filling by gently combining uncooked beef (or turkey), shredded carrots, cooked rice (or quinoa), garlic, ginger, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili sauce and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.

To make your leaves easy to roll, use a rolling pin to flatten to make leaves more pliable. If you find that your leaves are on the smaller side, use two to roll, overlapping both ends to make one big leaf.

Spoon your filling to each leaf. Carefully roll each leaf tightly and place side by side in a large baking dish. Pour 1 cup of water over stuffed cabbage rolls and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until completely cooked through.

Serve with juices from baking dish and additional chili sauce.