Asian-style Ground Beef and Cabbage

As all of you must know by now, I am a fan of one-dish meals.  I just tried a new recipe for my lunch, and it is definitely a winner.  As usual, I used the original recipe for inspiration, then substituted with what I had on hand.  I cut the meat way down, used regular cabbage instead of napa, and simplified the way I served it.  Since I had some leftover rice that needed to be used up, I served it over rice. Way more delicious than I expected!  From start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes to fix.

Asian-Style Ground Beef and Cabbage

Adapted from Popular Paleo

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 5-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 8-oz can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/4 Cup tamari or soy sauce**, more or less to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper

Crumble ground beef and add to hot skillet, stirring frequently.  When meat is about half cooked, add ginger, water chestnuts, bamboo sprouts and garlic.  Continue to cook until meat is browned.   Add sesame seeds and tamari or soy sauce, using more or less to taste.  While the meat is cooking, cook the cabbage in another skillet until wilted down and crisp tender.  When both the meat and cabbage are done, add together and mix well.*  Even though I only used 1/4 the meat called for in the original recipe, I thought it was a good balance between meat and vegetables - any more would have been too much.

*The original recipe called for keeping the cabbage and meat mixture separate, then putting the cabbage on the serving platter, adding the meat mixture on top of it, and garnishing with chopped scallions and some sesame seeds.  Since I was just cooking for myself, I chose to keep it simple.  

**If gluten-free, don't use soy sauce.

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Save Time and Money by Menu Planning

One of the most effective ways of saving money and cutting down on mealtime stress is to menu plan.  I know that some of you are shuddering at the very thought, but stick with me.  There are many different ways to menu plan, and it is important to find one that works best for you.  There are also web-based services that will do the planning for you at a reasonable cost.  (I will be adding links to some of these at the bottom of the post.)  I prefer to do my own planning, and will share what works for me.

A few of the many different ways include planning all three meals, lunch and dinner, or just dinner; planning for a week, bi-weekly or monthly; assigning themes to each day of the week such as Mondays are Mexican, Tuesdays are soup, Wednesdays are chicken, Thursdays are pizza, etc.; making a list of meals that you want to fix in the next week and not assigning them to any particular day; and whatever other method that may work for you.  One of the crucial elements that they all have in common is making sure that you have all the ingredients on hand to fix all the meals (obviously that may not apply to a monthly plan, but you would need to have a specific grocery plan to cover the month).

Start simply and stay flexible!  Kayte has just started menu-planning, so I am going to share her experience with you.  She is planning only the main meal for a week, since breakfasts tend to stay the same.  Lunches are leftovers or something simple for her and her toddler, and her husband and older son are at work or school all day.  The first thing we did was to print off a form (a simple Excel spreadsheet) and note what days had something scheduled that would affect cooking.  In her case, that is the two days that she works (on those days, her husband fixes whatever he wants).  On Saturdays, they plan an “Eating Out” meal, knowing that often that gets switched to Sunday.  This left only 4 meals to plan for the week.

The next thing we did was to make a list of what she had in her refrigerator, freezer and pantry, making a special note of what needed to be used soon.  (We kept that list to use for the next menu-planning session, marking off what was going to be used this week.)  Kayte’s comments after the first week of using the meal plan were that it was great not having to try to figure out what was for dinner every afternoon – just look at the list posted on the fridge.  It also eliminated daily grocery store runs. Her 10-year-old son also has a habit of asking repeatedly what was for dinner as soon as he gets home from school, and a few days into the week, he asked and then immediately said, “Oh wait, I can go look on the refrigerator.”

I usually plan for a week in advance, looking at sale ads and what I have on hand, and plan only my dinners.  I eat my main meal in the middle of the day, and eat very light in evening, mostly eating leftovers or sometimes just a bowl of cereal or yogurt and fruit.  (I will confess that I sometimes have a big bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine for supper.)  Since I cook only for myself, I am free to eat pretty much whatever is handy.  However, this last month I have been doing a Whole 30, which takes much more planning, so I planned out lunches and dinners for an entire month. (The meals in red are new recipes.)

Another thing you can do that makes it easier to come up with meals for your plan is to make a list of what meals you cook often and/or what your family really likes.  Make a special note of quick and easy (including slow cooker) meals for the days you have limited time to cook.  Here is a list of some quick and easy suggestions to get you started:

1. Burritos (tortilla wrapped around any combination of beans, meat, cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce or cabbage, sour cream or feta cheese, etc.)  A side of fruit is a bonus.
2. Soup and a good bread (homemade or store bought)
3. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich
4. Anything in a slow cooker that can be left to cook while you do other things
5. Fried rice (leftover cooked rice, any kind of veggies and/or cooked meat, stir fry everything and add a scrambled egg (optional) and some soy sauce)
6. Repurposed leftovers (or pull out all the leftovers and let each person build their own plate)
7. Baked potato bar (potatoes baked in slow cooker plus toppings in separate bowls for everyone to make their own)
8. Salad bar (greens, leftover cooked chicken, shredded cheese, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, chopped or cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, craisins, chopped apple, etc. in separate bowls for everyone to make their own)

A few months ago, I sat down with my daughter-in-law who was very skeptical about the benefits of menu-planning.  We started by making a list of everything she already had on hand, brainstormed potential lunches and dinners for her family (her, her husband, and three sons ranging in age from 2 to 8).  After planning the next week’s meals, all she had to buy to prepare them was one can of tomato sauce.  Needless to say, she was sold!  After a few weeks of planning, she told me that their grocery spending was 1/3 less than before she started.

There are several reasons it saves money.  You aren't wasting food or buying unnecessary items because you have a plan for everything you buy.  Your refrigerator is not overstuffed, with forgotten leftovers turning green and fuzzy because they are out of sight.  You are eliminating emergency runs to the grocery store where, if you are like me, you always pick up a few things that aren't on the list.

Keep it simple to start with.  There are lots of blog posts with information on how to do it, and, as I mentioned earlier, plans you can pay for to have someone else do it for you.  I am including a few links below, but know that there are plenty more out there.  I have not used any of the paid services, but I follow blogs that have comments very pleased with those services.

Good Cheap Eats - Planning easy economical meals
Money Saving Mom - Free printables, links to many other money-saving tips
Life As Mom  - Some free meal plans
eMeals - Meal plans sent to you (for a fee)
Plan to Eat - Meal plans done for you (for a fee)
Once a Month Mom - A variety of different freezer meals (free) and/or membership (fee).

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Welcome to our Cubbard!

Welcome to our blog.  This is written by a team of three people with a variety of life experiences and viewpoints.  We will be blogging about a range of subjects, heavy on healthy eating and cooking, and budgeting.  The subjects and opinions we write about are what works for us and are in no way a mandate for or a judgment of what you are doing or should do.  We welcome disagreements and other viewpoints as long as they are presented respectfully and politely.  Our lives are a work in progress and our opinions may change over time.

I will start out by introducing myself (the other two will follow with their introductions on separate posts).

Name: Mary

Family:  I am single, the mother of six grown children and grandmother of 14.  I will be a great-grandmother in January.  I live with one dog, two cats and six chickens (chickens are outside only).  I am currently living on the outskirts of a good-sized city in South Carolina and have the advantage of lots of stores such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Earthfare, and a large Asian market in addition to the normal grocery store options.

Grandbabies #13 & #14

Background: I grew up as the second child of eight, living on a farm in Wyoming where we grew and preserved the majority of our food.  I milked cows (by hand) before and after school, gathered eggs, plucked and processed chickens for the freezer, and spent many a summer day weeding the garden, picking produce and shucking corn, snapping green beans, etc. and helping my mother  can and later freeze all the veggies we needed to get through the winter.  Mom baked most of her own bread when I was small, and we considered store-bought bread a real treat.  Money was always tight, but we never went hungry or without shoes or clothes (lots of hand-me-downs).  I got married and left home right after graduating from high school.  My husband joined the army and we spent 3 years in Germany, then in various places in the US. We had four children together, one girl and three boys. We were later divorced and I remarried, and we had two children, one girl and one boy.  My second husband died 12 years ago after an extended illness.  I have had a lot of titles - stay-at-home mom, silk screen technician, production manager, business owner, home health CNA, real estate agent, closing coordinator for a national builder, and administrative assistant in a civil engineering company.  Money was always scarce and it was difficult to feed six kids and 2 parents a reasonably healthy diet.  I learned to do the best I could with what I had, and not agonize over what better things I should be doing.

Food: I practice menu planning, cooking (and eating) real, whole food. I do best when I plan out my meals at least a week in advance, being sure to plan for leftovers. I am currently halfway through my second Whole 30, a diet and metabolism reset program.  I did it once before about a year ago, and was very pleased with the results.  Unfortunately, over time I slipped back into some less than perfect eating patterns so need another reset.

Greatest food challenge: Cooking for one and not wasting leftovers.  I don't like to eat the same thing over and over, so I cut recipes in half where possible, freeze individual portions for later meals, plan on using leftovers for lunches, and when I still have leftovers I don't want, I pass them along to someone I know with a limited food budget (he is very appreciative!)

Favorite quote:  "Eat anything you want as long as you make it yourself." - Michael Pollan, from his book Cooked

Hobbies & interests: I like to read and am fairly involved in my church.  I sit on the Board of a non-profit called Maia Moms, an organization that helps single moms get onto a path out of poverty and despair.  I am retired and am enjoying spending time with my grandchildren, something I didn't have time to do when I was working.

A favorite recipe: Carnitas (or pulled pork) made in the slow cooker.  Super easy and delicious.  It can be served several different ways - in a tortilla as a taco, in a bun as a sandwich, or as the filling for enchiladas or taquitos.  Be sure and save the broth and use as a base for soup or rice. Here is the link to the original recipe (and be sure and read the comments as they often have lots of great additional ideas).

Photo courtesy of www.100daysofrealfood.com/

That about wraps up what I have to share about who I am (and may be more than some of you want to know!).  I am looking forward to continuing to chat with you over the upcoming weeks.  We also have a Facebook page and will post there anytime a new post goes up.  Feel free to chat with us there, also.

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