Turkey Meatballs Two Ways

Turkey Meatballs Two Ways... To expand further on my hectic October, let me just tell you that I am in plan ahead mode right now. This weekend's grocery trip was all about strategy and making the most of the 4 days I am home this week to be healthful in my eating habits before a fun filled wedding weekend in the desert. I figured that Turkey meatballs would be the perfect way to do some time saving for dinner prep later in the week, as well as the perfect solution for lunch. I will say I think by the end of this week I may be Turkey meatball'd out for some time, but that's OK!

On Sunday I decided to make two dozen turkey meatballs, half of which would be Italian style and half of which would have an Asian influence. I'd save 8 of each for dinner on Monday & Wednesday (that means 4 each for the roomie and me) - then the additional 8 meatballs (4 of each kind) were split among my 4 lunches this week:

Italian Turkey Meatballs (from this Turkey Meatball Soup Post):
Makes a dozen slightly larger than a golf ball

• 1/2lb ground turkey breast
• 1/2lb ground turkey thigh
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use panko)
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• large palmful of chopped fresh parsley
• salt & pepper

Add the bread crumbs to the beaten egg and let sit until it turns into a paste - a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, give it a big squishy mix with your hands. On a nonstick baking sheet lay out your meatballs (I also recommend doing this near the sink where you can occasionally run your hands under water to help keep the meatball forming process from getting too stuck on your fingers).

Pop them in the oven at 350-375 for about 30 minutes.

Italian Meatball Mix

Italian Meatballs Pre Bake

I'll be serving up these bad boys with Dream Fields pasta in Rao's marinara sauce with sauteed kale for a super quick dinner between a haircut and packing on Wednesday night.

Asian Turkey Meatballs:
Makes a dozen slightly larger than a golf ball
1/2lb ground turkey breast
1/2lb ground turkey thigh
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use panko)
1 egg beaten
2-3 cloves of garlic minced (I used a garlic press)
Tablespoon (guessing) of grated ginger
Large palmful of chopped green onion
Dash of soy sauce
Tablespoon (guessing) of Hoisin
*Note you can use any Asian sauce/seasonings the soy sauce & Hoisin were just what I had on hand. You could also use fresh chopped mint or cilantro for herbs, or Sriracha/chili flakes for some heat!

Use the exact same process with the bread crumbs and egg, then add the other ingredients, give it a mix and cook similarly to the Italian Meatballs. 350-375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Ginger!!!

Asian Meatball Mix

I used the Asian inspired meatballs last night to make a brown rice bowl with sauteed kale, teriyaki mushrooms and the meatballs. Inspired by this Pinterst recipe that I've been mulling over for a while.

Asian Meatballs in the container, kale, soyaki sauce, brown rice, green onion, mushrooms!

Sauteed Mushrooms in Soyaki sauce, Meatballs added in to steam & heat!

Brown Rice Bowls

To continue with my meatball overdrive I portioned out two a day to pack with the rest of my lunch this week, which consists of grilled red and yellow bell peppers, grilled zucchini, and grilled broclini. So lots of veggies. Lots of Turkey Meatballs. So far so good, all has been Dahlish... but I am sort of starting to count down the minutes until Thursday night when I can stop eating turkey with every meal.

Lunch Veggies Pre Chop Pre Grill

Grillin Indoors

Finishing off in the oven

Monday - Thursday Lunch!

Planning Dinner

Planning Dinner... I've gotten a lot of comments over the 2+ years with this blog from friends and family who either say "I'm just like you I plan everything on Sunday" OR more commonly "Wow you plan down to that level of detail on SUNDAY?".  Whichever statement  you identify with more, I hope you find this post interesting in some regard.

I'm a type A Planner which I am sure is evident by now, so I like getting things buttoned up at the end of the weekend for a big week ahead. I'm not married (though I do have one of those roommates who is also your significant other aka a second mouth to feed), and I don't have kids - so although my weekly responsibilities are most likely at an all time minimum compared to my life ahead, I still have lots going on. For starters I have a full time job that takes up more time than a full time job (woo hoo coconut water!), I am a devoted yogi and currently on this "Fall" Challenge in which I need to attend 21 classes in the 31 days of October, I'm a regular attendant of out of state weddings (Including two awesome ones this month, back to back weekends on opposite sides of the country - woo hoo to being a MOH!). Needless to say I've got stuff going on all week and I like to feel prepared because it takes the anxiety away (sort of) later in the week when I at least know I have time carved out to squeeze in a healthful homemade meal.

So without further ado (and further comments on my busy personal life) here are some examples of weekly meal plans as of late. I try to cook at home 3- 4 nights a week & I try to center the meal around a protein and make sure there are at least two sides usually either 2 veggies or a veggie and starch. You can see there are a lot of redundant staples and then a few new ones in there! Also note that as the week progresses and taste buds start screaming the meals get tweaked.

Week 1:
Night 1 - Chorizo & White Fish Stew
Night 2: Roasted Chicken with Brocolini and Sweet Potatoes
Night 3 : Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs with Brussels Sprouts and Corn on the Cob

Week 2:
Night 1: Old Bay Cod with Kale and Roasted Potatoes
Night 2: BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken with Green Beans & Sweet Potatoes
Night 3: Bunless Turkey Burgers with Baked Beans & Asparagus
Night 4: Grilled Italian Sausages with Sauteed Bell Peppers, Onions, and Broccolini

Week 3:
Night 1: Grilled Steak with Roasted Cauliflower & Asparagus
Night 2: BBQ Ribs with Green Beans
Night 3: Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry with Brown Rice
Night 4: Bell Pepper Tacos

Week 4:
Night 1 - Salmon & Broccoli 
Night 2: Cauliflower Pizza with Prosciutto & Arugula Salad
Night 3 : Slow Cooker Mexican Style Shredded Chicken with Black Beans, Kale and Avocado

Some of these links are to these exact dinners, some of these links are to similar ones. Hopefully you all find this helpful or interesting and are inspired to come up with some Dahlicious weekly menus yourself (or copy mine!)

Sunday Suppers: Chili, Chicken Soup & Lasagna

Sunday Suppers: Chili, Chicken Soup & Lasagna... I have to say, I don't actually have this love affair with Fall that the rest of the world seems to have. You know, the one full of pumpkin spice everything, heavier clothes, and chillier neighborhood strolls. I really love warm weather so this foray into a season where laying out at the pool is no longer in the cards is really not my favorite. That being said, what I do love about this time of year, is that I feel good about staying in on a Sunday and cooking up a storm. Normally if it's lovely outside I want to be in the sun catching every ray there is - but as the leaves change and air gets crisp I find myself feeling more confined to the great indoors, AKA the kitchen.

So this Sunday, while it did end up being a sunny afternoon, was a bit cooler than weekends past and I took it as my first chance to get my heavy pots simmering with fall delights.

I made a Chili for Sunday Supper, a Chicken and Veggie Soup for lunch this week, and a Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna for some friends who just welcomed a new baby. There were a lot of things happening at once in the kitchen which is a feeling I happen to love, the challenge of swapping this pot to that burner, determining the exact timing to chop this and add that, and of course the occasional break for a quick mid-cooking clean up.

The Chili:
1 lb ground chuck
2 brats
1 can diced tomatoes (I used some that had green chili's in them)
1 can rinsed drained corn
1 can rinsed drained black beans
1 can rinsed drained kidney beans
1 package of your favorite chili seasoning

Over medium/high heat brown your ground beef and sausage in a large pot. I squeezed the sausage out of the casing this time so that it was ground into the beef. Once browned add all of the other ingredients - bring to a simmer and then let it go for a couple hours to enhance the flavors.

The Chicken Soup:
My mom's classic chicken noodle without the noodles, my favorite go to. I've come accustomed to doing the chicken breasts in my slow cooker so they are perfectly shreddy. It's really almost a stoup.

1 yellow onion diced
2-3 large carrots diced
5 or so celery stalks diced
1 can diced seasoned tomatoes (garlic, basil, etc)
1 bag spinach (or kale)
28oz chicken stock
salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaves
2 large chicken breasts

See instructions here.

Lasagna:
This is also a classic, I really didn't do anything special but it was super simple and I think (and hope) it turned out quite Dahlish for those eating it - sadly not me!

12 lasagna noodles
1 jar tomato sauce - or homemade
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 box of frozen chopped spinach - or similar quantity of freshly sauteed at home
salt & pepper

Boil the lasagna noodles per the instructions, about 10 minutes (I used the kind with pretty little ruffled edges). Once done cooking drain them in a strainer and rinse with cold water.

If you do use frozen spinach, thaw per the instructions on the package and remove as much of the water as possible.

In a large bowl mix the spinach, ricotta, parm, mozz, salt and pepper until you have an evenly distributed paste.

Add a light layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Then take 1 lasagna noodle and spread a spoonful of the ricotta/spinach mix down the center. Roll it up and add it to the pan. Finish the rest of the dozen lasagna rolls, add the rest of the sauce to the top (letting the cut ruffled edges show) and finish it off with a sprinkle of cheese. This is easy to pop in the fridge or freezer for later - baking should take about 20-30 minutes if right out of the fridge at about 350 degrees.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Pizza Crust... So how many of you out there have tried this Pinterest inspired recipe? I've seen it floating around the internet for months and I've heard mixed reviews. I knew someone who tried it sometime back and said it was mush, and then I've read reviews that rave about the simplicity.

My best friend recently tried it at home and per her review I decided to give it a go. There are a lot of versions of this recipe out there, but I used her guidelines and I'm happy to say it turned out quite well. If you think about it, its basically a GIANT cheese crisp, you know like the Parmesan ones that you get atop a Caesar salad occasionally? I'd say that overall it was pretty easy and pretty yummy... however I definitely finished the meal feeling like I'd consumer a lot of cheese and a lot of sodium. So be warned, it might be a better side dish!

What I used:

• 1 head of cauliflower grated = 2.5 cups
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella
• 2-3 spoonfuls grated Parmesan
• 1 egg, whisked
• Toppings: Pizza Sauce, Prosciutto, Mozz

How To:
Cut the cauliflower head into a couple of large hunks after removing the green leafy bits on the bottom. Use a grater to turn the cauliflower essentially into "rice". Beware this part is a little messy depending on your grater so just lay down some paper towels to catch the pieces that might fly off the cutting board. Measure out approximately 2.5 cups, place it in a microwave safe bowl and pop it in the microwave for 8 minutes. Then let it cool for about 5 minutes outside of the microwave.

Note I hate my grater

While the cauli is cookin', measure out 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, a couple spoonfuls of grated Parmesan, and whisk up 1 egg.
                                                 

Once the cauli is done cooking and has cooled a few minutes, dump all of those ingredients into a big bowl, give it a mix and form it into a "dough" ball. It will be a bit slimy/squishy of course.

Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and plop down your cauli dough ball. Use your hands to press it out into the shape and thickness you desire. I'd say mine was about a 1/4 inch thick and about 9 inches in diameter.

Pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees, the edges will get golden brown and the center will be bubbling. Remove the "crust" from the oven and add your toppings, I put a few large spoonfuls of pizza sauce and spread it around, then I added 4 thin slices of  prosciutto and put it back in the oven for about 10 minutes. With a few minutes remaining I sprinkled some extra mozz on the top to melt... probably unnecessary to be honest.

Side Salad: Arugula, Avocado, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice

When it was ready to come out I sliced it into quarters and served it up with a light salad of arugula, avocado, olive oil, and lemon juice.

The bottom even looks like pizza crust!

It was very easy and pretty Dahlicious however, I'd suggest doing a topping that was less salty seeing as the mozz and parm in the crust already have that going. Perhaps some veggies? Hope this inspires a few of you to give it a try & report back on how it worked for ya! Have a great weekend!

Indian Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice

Indian Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice... Life has been pretty crazy the last few weeks, filled with excitiment and travel, and all the opportunities to stuff your face that generally come along with weekends out of town.

I've been home and recovering from a weekend in LaLa land visiting my family for 3 jam packed days of eating, a Bachelorette weekend in the swanky Hamptons town of Montauk where food and drinks were aplenty, and topped it all off with a leisurely long weekend spent in the Windy City and at "the lake" munching on summer snacks and every type of BBQ'd meat you can think of. So my recovery has been to basically eat smaller portions and reduce the carb intake. Usually if I can swing that for a week or two I'm back at fighting weight. Before I get to the main meal of the post I'll fill you in on what I ate earlier this week...

Yummy pool time bagel and lox indulgence over LDW!

More poolside treats on the healthful side

Nothing like a Family Dinner Al Fresco in the Summer!

My landlord and roomie was out of town on Monday & Tuesday nights this week so I enjoyed a protein packed chicken and black bean tortilla soup on Monday and then the most boring, but kind of simplistically perfect, tofu and broccoli soup on Tuesday. It was really stinkin easy and if you occasionally just crave simplicity this might be up your alley. I pretty much made soup in about 10 minutes with chicken stock (or bouillon & water), a handful of broccoli florets, a block of tofu diced, a handful of wheat noddles, cilantro, lime, and a dash of soy sauce. I let the broth come to a boil,, added the noodles and broccoli to cook for about 3 minutes then added the other contents and let it simmer for a minute or two before serving hot.

Without the carbs I would have been starving... so they had to be added!

Simple soup

Now for the main event...

What I used:
2 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 yellow onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 package of Indian Butter Chicken seasoning paste
1 cup water
1/2 stick butter
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 head cauliflower

First I sauteed the veggies until golden brown, I removed them, melted the butter and then added the rest of the contents listed above (minus the cauliflower) and let it simmer until the chicken was cooked through about 15 minutes. Before serving I added the sauteed veggies back in the mix.

Simmering away

For the Cauliflower Rice, I used a whole head of cauliflower and basically just chopped it all up with a large knife until it was in rice sized pieces. You could also do this in the food processor. Once I had my "rice" I laid it on a baking sheet with a tiny olive oil, salt and pepper, and popped it in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes just to get it cooked through with a slight crunch.

Post roasting, it was evenly spread out before I gave it a toss after cooking

I served the Indian Butter Chicken atop this low carb "rice" option and it was Dahlish!

YUM!

Pork & Zucchini Faux Pho

Pork & Zucchini Faux Pho.... Are you a lover of Pho? Of Udon & Ramen? Do steaming bowls of wonton soup and slippery noodles just really send you over the deep end? Well, me too. Total weakness right here, Asian soups.

But sometimes I have the craving on a Tuesday night when I'm trying to be "good" and go the low carb route and so for that, we have the spiralizer. Yep it's back. I finally whisked the thing out from deep in the appliance cabinet and brought it back to life after a few month hiatus.

This wasn't a meal I was planning actually but had a lot to do with what I grabbed last weekend. We stopped at a local farmers market where one farmer was selling the most gorgeous orangey yellow squash and plump zucchini and I grabbed a few for the week, taken with their beauty. Fast forward a few hours to my normal trek to Mariano's for the rest of the week's groceries and in the Natural & Organic section I found my long lost pal the Happy Pho kit. I swear they got rid of it for a while and since this seemed like a lucky find I picked up a box of the stuff just to have on hand.

As the week carried on and I found myself with a pork chop, zucchini & squash and as I thought of what to make, Pho came to mind. So on Tuesday I put my pork chop in a Ziploc bag with some teriyaki marinade to amp up the flavor for Wednesday. I also had some time Tuesday night to do my spirazling which also went in a bag in the fridge until I was ready to use it.

On Wednesday it made for a pretty easy time of throwing it together. I simply followed the directions on the kit, boil 4 cups of stock with the seasoning packet provided. Dump in your extras (noodles, protein, additional veggies) and let it simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot.

While the stock was boiling I sliced my pork chop into thin pieces and got them nice and crispy in a hot pan, they only take a couple minutes to cook on each side and right before tossing them in my boiling soup I added a small spoonful of Hoisin sauce, just for some extra flavor. I tossed them right in with my veggie "noodles" and broth and let the flavors meld for a few minutes. Sadly I didn't have any other fresh herbs on hand and I was fresh out of limes, but a big squeeze of  lemon juice did the trick.

Simmering broth & seasoning

Right after adding the Hoisin

This meal, minus the prepping of the veggies, took about 10 minutes. The longest part is waiting for the 4 cups to boil. This meal is great, I've mentioned Happy Pho on here before but I think last time I used the mushroom pack but this time I went for Zesty Ginger which was fabulous and the ingredients include: Organic Star Anise, organic saigon cinnamon, ginger, black cardamon, and spring onion. Dahlish! Enjoy!

Let it simmer a few minutes

The good stuff, pre ladling the broth atop

Ingredients you can feel good about