Happy March Everyone! Pi Day – March 14th – was a fantastic day! I made my mom’s chicken pot pie recipe, a new chicken pot pie recipe and homemade cherry pie filling with the scraps leftover from the pot pies. We had a fantastic time!
So soon it will be summer – some day – once we get past this winter and these 50 mph winds here in Missouri. Bathing suit season and all. Every year I go back to work I end up gaining 10 pounds. I’m not sure if it is the classroom that I stay in or the teacher lounge goodies… but it happens. As a result, I have been back on the Lose It! App and lost most of the weight already. In addition, I’ve been researching more scrumptious recipes to try and make lower in calories.
I have to say that Flavcity is my new favorite for ideas. All of the recipes have been fabulous and I’m able to tweak them to make them my own without changing too much flavor or texture. Here is our new favorite so far with my take on the recipe. I buy a lot of groceries in bulk at Costco for the time and money… so my meats will be different because I get them in bulk there. You can always switch out the meat for whatever is closest to you (whether that be a local meat market…. or your deep freezer that is already packed with beef or venison).
Kids and hubby all LOVED this one and I have to make double batches now! Feel free to just use part of the recipe – you could use the meatballs for meatball sandwiches, or the vegetable “noodles” for another side dish.
Ingredients
- Meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground turkey, or ground beef, or ground pork or a mix
- 2 Tb. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tb. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- Pasta:
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. broccoli florets, bite size (or use frozen and chop later like I do)
- 1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. zucchini noodles, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 lemon zested
- 1 Tb. fresh Italian parsley
- 1 Tb. grated Parmesan cheese
- Sauce:
- 26 ounces of your favorite pasta sauce
Instructions
- Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment for easy cleanup.
- Meatballs: In a great big bowl, mix the ground meat, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian parsley, thyme, oregano, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. This mixes well with your hands.
- Using a large scoop, or your hands, scoop a golf ball size ball of meat. Round the meat with your hands and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until the sheet is full. You would have about 20 meatballs. They don't expand in the oven.
- Bake meatballs for 30 minutes.
- Noodles: In a large 12" skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. If the broccoli is still frozen that is okay. Just put the lid on and cook it until it is thawed. If the broccoli is not frozen, add it to the skillet with the onion, pepper, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cook 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Stir once in a while.
- Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute. Add the zucchini noodles and stir constantly. Just hot enough to cook - about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook or they will turn soggy. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the lemon zest, Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese.
- Heat up the pasta sauce in the microwave or a pot on the stove until almost bubbly.
- Ladle the zucchini noodle medley onto your plate. Top with 3 meatballs and a scoop of pasta sauce. Top with extra Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe slightly adapted from: https://www.flavcity.com/low-fat-meal-prep
