Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

Deconstructed is such a Food Network term. I love it.
I had some leftover raw cabbage, tomato sauce, and ground turkey. Enter: cabbage rolls. Meat and sauce rolled up and cooked in a cabbage leaf.  But made in one stove top pot, with zero effort!
...and, cheese. Because...YES.

Recipe
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
2 cups roughly chopped/sliced raw green cabbage
1/2 cup brown rice
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup white wine
1 cup tomato pasta sauce (any variety)
1 cup cooked, browned, and seasoned ground turkey
2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Boil the water, add the wine and tomato sauce. Pour in the rice and cabbage.  Stir, and simmer on medium until rice is tender. About 3/4 of the way through the rice cooking process, add in the cooked ground turkey.

...I mean...could that be any easier? That's it!

Plate and top with a bit of grated Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Voila!

All the cabbage roll flavor, in an easy and quick one pot meal!

Best Chambray Shirt Ever!

My mediocre Old Navy chambray shirt was a little ill-fitting and stiff, and I found myself always trying it on, and then deciding not to wear it.

I needed a new one!

Enter:  Nordstrom Halogen Chambray Shirt

Halogen Long Sleeve Chambray Shirt - Nordstrom

You guys.

Worth every penny of the $68.
And I totally don't spend that much on tops.

But technically, it is two tops in one (ha!), since you can wear it buttoned up as a shirt, or open as a cardigan over a top or dress.

And this shirt is SOOO SOFT!!  Like buttah'! Oooh, it is so comfy!
Way less of that arm movement restrictiveness that usually comes with button down shirts.
...am I the only one who feels claustrophobic in dress shirts?! Thank god my office is super business casual! ;)  In fact I am wearing this to work today!

And it is the perfect chambray color!
Or, they have a darker medium chambray blue, too.
PLUS, it also comes in eight OTHER colors!! Like mint! and white!
Oh, the possibilities!

Truly. the best.  Go buy one!


Do you have a favorite Chambray shirt brand??

No, this is not sponsored by Nordstrom or the Halogen brand. I WISH!!  I just loove this top! :)

Healthy Shamrock (Mint) Shake

So, apparently the McDonald's seasonal Shamrock Shake is a pretty big deal. And you know me, I'm all: "I gotta have it!!" with most limited edition or seasonal items!  But, ...McDonald's.  So, no.
BUT, we can make it ourselves at home! And year round, too!

To make a more authentic shake, it'd just be a vanilla milkshake, so vanilla ice cream and milk, with something green, and mint extract added to it.

For an even healthier version, we are going to use my One Ingredient Healthy Ice Cream recipe of: frozen bananas. When frozen bananas are blended they turn into a creamy soft serve, which is the perfect ice cream replacement for this shake.  We will blend the frozen bananas with some milk (soy, almond, coconut, or dairy all work fine), add some sweetener, mint extract, and a few spinach leaves for a green hue. Stay with me. It's delicious and refreshing! I promise.

This is a perfect St Patrick's Day treat that you don't have to feel guilty about, and that won't make you feel sick afterwards. Win. Win!

Recipe
Adapted from:Chocolate Covered Katie & Shugary Sweets


Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas (I peel and break into pieces, then freeze in a zip top plastic bag)
1/2 - 1 cup milk (I used almond milk) (Depending on how thick you want the shake, and how large your bananas are.)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Small handful of spinach or kale leaves Maybe 6 spinach leaves
1/8 tsp peppermint extract (Don't over do it. You need just the smallest pour) (or use real mint leaves)

Directions:

Blend the bananas and milk in a blender for a couple minutes until smooth. Start with 1/2 cup of the milk, and add more if your blender gets stuck, and/or if the mixture is too thick. 
Add remaining ingredients and blend until mixed and as green as you like.

Pour into a glass and feel festive.

15 Naturally Green Festive Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

I try to avoid food coloring these days, and green is an especially easy color to find naturally in foods!
So, what better way to get ready for St. Patrick's Day, than to Round Up some Naturally Green Festive Recipes for St. Patrick's Day!

#1. Always guacamole.

Gimme Some Oven

And how about a cucumber margarita?!

You could make zucchini fritters in the original form or a healthier version.

Spinach Pancakes (You can't taste the spinach!)

Spabettie

Broccoli & Cheese Pizza

Peas & Crayons

Green Mac & Cheese

Weelicious

Avocado Deviled Eggs (So pretty!)

This Mama Cooks

Pistachio Spinach Hummus

The Sweet Escape

Pistachio-Crusted Asparagus with Feta

Joy The Baker

Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with Broccoli Pesto

With Style & Grace

Matcha Green Tea White Chocolate Brownies

Bake Something

Matcha Green Tea Roll Cake

Humble Bean

Green Vanilla Cupcakes

Homeketeers

Pistachio-Crusted Cheesecake (How gorgeous is this?!)

My Mother's Apron Strings

Hope you make something (naturally) green and festive for St Patrick's Day!!

PB&J Smoothie

I love a good peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich!
This smoothie has the same flavors, which is really nostalgic and satisfying.

Have I told you how much I love my new Vitamix? I love the Vitamix blender!!!!
It blends seeds and greens into a perfectly smooth drink, and it is awesome for making your own nut butters and hummus, too!

PB&J Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk (or any milk)
2 heaping Tablespoons peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1 cup frozen strawberries (you can use fresh instead, just add ice, too)

Optional add ins (these add additional nutrients and bulk the smoothie up into a meal):
1 banana (I used a sliced frozen banana)
1 large handful spinach leaves (you can't even taste them! I love adding greens to a smoothie)
2 Tablespoons hemp seeds (these are like chia seeds, and have tons of nutritional value! Read more HERE)

Recipe:
Add all ingredients to blender.  I do the milk first at the bottom, then everything else on top.
Blend, blend, blend!

For another smoothie idea, check out my Green Smoothie!