Myspace Happy New Year Comments
It's the first full week of 2009 and I loooove the fresh start mentality of the New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, now let's make some meals and live healthy! My "resolutions" or goals for this year are to live healthier, eat more vegetables, less meat and exercise more. To that end, here's my plan for this week**:
**Disclaimer: you will notice that a lot of my menu this week is pre-prepared. Cut me some slack, I'm getting back into the swing of things after a 3 or 4 week hiatus and the holidays really took it out of me this year. I will be back into making everything homemade and posting shopping lists next week, I promise!
Sunday: Homemade turkey/soy meatballs and whole wheat spaghetti with spinach side salads
Monday: Hard Times Cafe vegetarian chili
Tuesday: Chili lime chicken burgers (Trader Joe's) and leftover macaroni and cheese from the freezer with a side of broccoli
Wednesday: Vegetarian chorizo Jambalaya (cheating and using a Zattarain's mix for this but I will post my Jambalaya recipe in case anyone wants to make it themselves)
Thursday: Chicken stir fry over brown rice
Friday: takeout night
I'm not making any baby food this week since my freezer is still chock full of squash, carrots and sweet potatoes from previous attempts. Also, since my little one is getting her first toof (I can feel a raised bump in her lower gum!), she is being ultra picky and has suddenly stopped eating things she used to eat with gusto. We're keeping it simple.
I make my Turkey Meatballs from scratch using a "recipe" my mom used when I was a kid. It is not exact and you have to be OK with using your hands to mush up the meat. Here is a tried and true (by myself) real recipe if you need things measured out.
My Turkey Meatballs with added TVP
***** If I do say so myself. And I do.
1.25lb (because this is a standard package size) 93% lean ground turkey - you need a bit of fat. Don't use turkey breast.
0.75 lb Re-hydrated TVP (measure after hydration on a food scale or just eyeball it) or Soy crumbles of any kind.
1/2 small onion diced REALLY small. Don't leave big chunks! It ruins the meatball texture!
1 tbl or more if you prefer, italian seasoning. I use the pre-mixed stuff from Penzey's because it's just as good as my own mix.
1 egg (the whole egg, don't skimp here)
A splash of skim milk
1/2 cup-ish bread crumbs - add until the texture is right - they shouldn't be too sticky but they shouldn't be dry either. This is one of those things you just feel.
Put everything in a large bowl and mix up with your hands. Yes, your hands. You have to feel to make sure it's not too sticky or mushy. Add bread crumbs accordingly.
To cook: Form the meat into balls - I make mine small (1 inch diameter) because the husband likes them that way but I truly prefer them big and meaty (cook longer if you do this!). Place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and sprayed with a little EVOO or PAM. Cook at 350° for about 4 minutes and then turn them all over with tongs. Cook for 2-3 more minutes until you cut one open and it's not pink. Get them off the sheet immediately or they will overcook and be dry. Eeew.
OPTIONAL: leave the meatballs a bit pink if you plan to simmer them in your sauce, but don't just dump them in the sauce uncooked - they wont get browned at all and I find them mushy that way. Enjoy!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, now let's make some meals and live healthy! My "resolutions" or goals for this year are to live healthier, eat more vegetables, less meat and exercise more. To that end, here's my plan for this week**:
**Disclaimer: you will notice that a lot of my menu this week is pre-prepared. Cut me some slack, I'm getting back into the swing of things after a 3 or 4 week hiatus and the holidays really took it out of me this year. I will be back into making everything homemade and posting shopping lists next week, I promise!
Sunday: Homemade turkey/soy meatballs and whole wheat spaghetti with spinach side salads
Monday: Hard Times Cafe vegetarian chili
Tuesday: Chili lime chicken burgers (Trader Joe's) and leftover macaroni and cheese from the freezer with a side of broccoli
Wednesday: Vegetarian chorizo Jambalaya (cheating and using a Zattarain's mix for this but I will post my Jambalaya recipe in case anyone wants to make it themselves)
Thursday: Chicken stir fry over brown rice
Friday: takeout night
I'm not making any baby food this week since my freezer is still chock full of squash, carrots and sweet potatoes from previous attempts. Also, since my little one is getting her first toof (I can feel a raised bump in her lower gum!), she is being ultra picky and has suddenly stopped eating things she used to eat with gusto. We're keeping it simple.
I make my Turkey Meatballs from scratch using a "recipe" my mom used when I was a kid. It is not exact and you have to be OK with using your hands to mush up the meat. Here is a tried and true (by myself) real recipe if you need things measured out.
My Turkey Meatballs with added TVP
***** If I do say so myself. And I do.
1.25lb (because this is a standard package size) 93% lean ground turkey - you need a bit of fat. Don't use turkey breast.
0.75 lb Re-hydrated TVP (measure after hydration on a food scale or just eyeball it) or Soy crumbles of any kind.
1/2 small onion diced REALLY small. Don't leave big chunks! It ruins the meatball texture!
1 tbl or more if you prefer, italian seasoning. I use the pre-mixed stuff from Penzey's because it's just as good as my own mix.
1 egg (the whole egg, don't skimp here)
A splash of skim milk
1/2 cup-ish bread crumbs - add until the texture is right - they shouldn't be too sticky but they shouldn't be dry either. This is one of those things you just feel.
Put everything in a large bowl and mix up with your hands. Yes, your hands. You have to feel to make sure it's not too sticky or mushy. Add bread crumbs accordingly.
To cook: Form the meat into balls - I make mine small (1 inch diameter) because the husband likes them that way but I truly prefer them big and meaty (cook longer if you do this!). Place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and sprayed with a little EVOO or PAM. Cook at 350° for about 4 minutes and then turn them all over with tongs. Cook for 2-3 more minutes until you cut one open and it's not pink. Get them off the sheet immediately or they will overcook and be dry. Eeew.
OPTIONAL: leave the meatballs a bit pink if you plan to simmer them in your sauce, but don't just dump them in the sauce uncooked - they wont get browned at all and I find them mushy that way. Enjoy!
3 comments:
YAYY! WELCOME BACK!!!!! I kept stalking the blog to see if you were back 'online' again! :)
LOL Hi Des!!! I had a great break from everything over the holidays. It was so nice!
What is the TVP in reference to the turkey meatballs?
Thanks
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