95 Days (Jennie)

Happy Tuesday! Another busy day at the office, but I was able to sneak in a walk at lunch time today which I've really missed the last few days. Unfortunately we've had a few of these marathon meetings lately that run for 6 or 7 hours a day and make it hard to get a walk in, let alone any actual work.

Here's how today went:
Breakfast
Spinach protein smoothie (spinach, vanilla protein powder, blueberries, unsweetened almond milk)

AM Snack
Banana and 4 slices turkey bacon

Lunch
Salad (romaine, red peppers, turkey, cheddar, corn, avocado, jalapenos, edamame and a little ranch).

PM Snack
Granola bar and a small handful of almonds

Dinner
Fruit (apples, peaches, kiwi, grapes and raspberries) and deconstructed galumpke...I'll explain. ;)


My husband's mother's side of the family is from Poland originally. My mother-in-law cooks galumpke, which is a traditional Polish dish, basically cabbage stuffed with ground beef and rice, in tomato sauce. It's simple but delicious, the kind of food that warms you to your core. My husband loves it, but decided one night to try a healthier (and slightly less time-consuming) version. He coined the "deconstructed galumpke" name, so all credit goes to him on that one!


Deconstructed Galumpke
1 lb ground turkey (I used 93% lean)
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
1 cup dried quinoa
1 head green cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces (1"x1" should be good)
4 cans Campbell's tomato soup
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste


Cook the quinoa according to package directions. My brand called for 1 cup dried quinoa to 2 cups water, then simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, blanch the cabbage and brown the turkey, adding the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Drain the cabbage, then add back to stock pot along with the tomato soup and 2 cans of water. Add turkey, sugar and quinoa to tomato soup and cabbage mix. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes to reduce and serve.


This is for the entire stockpot of soup:

 

Don't worry, you won't eat the entire stockpot of soup!

This makes enough to serve 4 massive portions, but more realistically 6 good-sized adult portions, about 350 calories each. The quinoa is a great replacement for the rice, it has approximately the same number of calories, but more protein and fiber than even brown rice. If you compare quinoa's protein and fiber to white rice, it looks even better. Plus it provides all essential amino acids, especially important for those that do not consume animal proteins. You can substitute reduced sodium tomato soup to cut the salt, this will trim about 3200 mg.


So here it is!

Deconstructed Galumpke... and a little fruit on the side

It's not the prettiest girl at the dance, but comfort food at its best. Hearty, healthy and delicious!

This morning's workout was Asylum Speed and Agility, along with a 2 mile walk at lunch.

Happy eating!