ashleyd /

Easy Turkey Meatballs

Lindsey Janeiro, RDN, CLC is the blogger and dietitian behind Nutrition to Fit . Whether she’s consulting with brands, developing recipes, writing on her blog, or providing nutrition and breastfeeding support to clients, she is on a mission to help people live and eat with less stress and more fun. She lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband where they’ve been having the time of their lives adjusting to parenthood with their seven-month-old daughter. Lindsey can be followed on social media at @nutritiontofit.

Ashley tells me she has a bunch of busy ladies here, so I have a feeling I’m not alone in my need for fast, easy, tasty weeknight dinners, right? Let’s get cooking!

These turkey meatballs are a longtime favorite of mine. They’ve always been easy, but I’ve recently made it even easier by simplifying it to five total ingredients, including spices. Better yet? As long as you and your loved ones eat turkey, everyone is good to go whether they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole30, or just want to eat food that tastes good. Because seriously – whether you’re a new mom, a seasoned mom, or a busy professional, no one can keep up with everyone’s food allergies and preferences!

Dinner can come together in about thirty minutes with this meal. Start boiling the water for your pasta, or spiralize zucchini if making zoodles. Combine the turkey meatball ingredients, roll into meatballs, and get into the oven. Boil your pasta. Nutritional bonus: sauté extra diced vegetables to add to the sauce (i.e. onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots). When everything is done, toss the pasta, veggies, and meatballs in a skillet with sauce. Done!

If you’re busy (who isn’t), or are expecting a little one of your own, I recommend making a double or triple batch of the meatballs. Just freeze after they cool from baking, and they reheat beautifully! When you want a quick protein with dinner, just thaw them (overnight in the fridge, in the microwave, or in a covered pan with a little water) and add your favorite sauce. Before I had my baby girl this past November, I made a triple batch and froze them all. They were one of my favorite foods to eat in a pinch! Even if breastfeeding hunger struck at a random hour, I could just thaw a meatball with some sauce and top with a little mozzarella for a super satisfying, protein-packed snack.

If you try these meatballs be sure to share on Instagram and tag Ashley (@healthyhappier) and I (@nutritiontofit) so we can see your dinner creations!

Easy Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 2-pound package lean ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup ground flax seed
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2-3 teaspoons garlic powder or garlic salt (use more if you’re a garlic fiend like me!)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray or brush with olive oil.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  3. Roll into 14 meatballs and place on baking sheet.
  4. Spray the tops of meatballs with nonstick spray or lightly brush with olive oil to help with browning.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
  6. Serve immediately with your favorite pasta or sauce.
  7. If freezing, allow to cool then store in a freezer-safe resealable bag or airtight container for 2-3 months.
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ashleyd /

Grain and Sugar Free Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Hello! I am so thrilled to help fill in for Ashley as she takes care of her new baby girl! I remember how wonderful (and sleep deprived) those first moments were … so I am wishing her the best as she recovers and enjoys all of those baby cuddles.

My name is Laury, and I started a blog in 2009 called The Fitness Dish. After the birth of my second child I took a few years off from blogging to focus on my family and my business … but now I am back! My blog has a new name and a new look, and I am so excited to be connecting with this community again!

I am a power yoga instructor, sports nutritionist, personal trainer, and mom who teaches people how to create healthier habits in all areas of wellness. On my blog, you will find recipes for low-sugar meals, DIY beauty & skincare, wellness tips, as well as some yoga & fitness sprinkled in.  It is basically all of my passions poured into one place.

Ashley said you guys needed more breakfast ideas, so I am going to share one of my FAVORITE freezer-friendly muffin recipes with you today.

I created this a few years ago for my son when he was doing baby-led weaning, and I was nursing (and ravenous).

Many of my friends and family make this still today, and love it!

These muffins have NO added sugar, so they are best enjoyed warm, topped with some grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil on top.

You can certainly add some Grade-B maple syrup (I would suggest about 1/4 cup) of you think you or those you’re serving it to would love a tad more sweetness.

If you are doing a program like The Whole 30, these are compliant (just use coconut oil instead of butter).

Adding more healthy fats in place of the added sugar for flavor was key for me in reducing overall sugar in my diet. It is satiating and keeps my belly full and taste buds happy!

I am lucky to have a flexible job, working from home and teaching yoga at the studio several hours per week.

However, there is a lot of running around and chaos that happens daily.

Mornings are full with work outside the home, afternoons I am with my 3-year-old son and 75-pound high-energy puppy (all while trying to sneak in computer work for my home-business during nap-time if it happens).

Once my husband is home from the office I am usually running off to teach yoga classes.

A flexible job where you can be home a few hours during the day has its perks, for which I am grateful, but it also presents its own set of challenges.

Having food prepped for easy grab and go is crucial for us to stay on our healthy eating game.

Picking one day to make a bunch of things ahead for breakfast and lunches (as well as planning my dinner menu) has been super helpful.

These grain and sugar-free blueberry muffins have been a staple in that rotation!

 

 

GRAIN-FREE BLUEBERRY MUFFIN RECIPE

makes 12 muffins

ingredients:

  • 1-2 ripe plantains (2 cups, pureed)
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk (I like this brand: guar gum and BPA-free; you can also use raw grass-fed whole milk)
  • 3 TBSP coconut oil, melted
  • 5 eggs (pastured and soy-free a plus!)
  • 1 cup frozen organic blueberries, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the plantains skin lengthwise with a sharp knife to remove the peel (make sure they are ripe, or they will be very hard and a regular blender won’t handle them). Puree plantain in blender or food processor. Meanwhile, sift dry ingredients in a bowl (you can just add them to a bowl and whisk them together). Add half of the blueberries and milk to the blender and quickly blend. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla to a bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer and start mixing. Add plantain/blueberry mixture and scrape down sides until just combined. Alternate dry ingredients and eggs and make sure it is combining, but try not to over-mix. Add remaining blueberries hand stir in. Pour batter into parchment muffins liners in muffin tins. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Please let us know if you try them.

If you have the time and want to pop over to my blog to say hi … I’d love to “meet” you!

Thanks for reading!

XO

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Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

As promised friends, I have a some wonderful guest posts lined up for you guys while Bo and I are focused on Baby Girl Diamond. Since you guys have asked for more recipes, these posts are all easy, healthy, delicious recipes that you can recreate at home! Today’s first guest post is from a Katie, a friend and fellow blogger who, until last month, lived just down the block from me in Brooklyn. 

Hi My Healthy, Happier Life readers!  My name is Katie. I am a 27-year-old New York native who recently moved to the Philly area. Since 2012 I’ve been sharing my love of running, exercise, healthy living and, of course, food on my blog, Hungry Runner. I am a marathoner and former personal trainer and on Hungry Runner my goal is to help others find the fun in exercise and happiness in living healthy. And for my fellow runners, I also to love share my training strategies, injury-prevention tips, nutrition advice and everything else I learn about running through this crazy, fun journey! 

Compared to our old apartment in Brooklyn, Mark and I have probably like 6 times the amount of counter space in our new apartment’s kitchen.

I’m not exaggerating either. In the Brooklyn apartment, we had lots of space in our kitchen, but the countertop was monopolized by the stove and the sink. Between those two things we had a tiny little space where the coffee pot and soda stream sat and that was it. Food prep was confined to the kitchen table, which wasn’t the worst thing, but it also wasn’t ideal.

Now we have counter space on either side of our stove and a ginormous island.

It’s glorious.

Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

One of the reason it’s glorious is because compared to when we lived in Brooklyn, I’m now way more excited to cook and try new recipes more often. In fact, I have a goal to try at least one new recipe every week.

These buffalo chicken meatballs are the first result of that goal.

I found the recipe on Pinterest (groundbreaking, I know) and it’s by Natalie from lifemadesimplebakes.com.

One of the reasons decided on buffalo chicken meatballs was because we already had most of the ingredients needed to make them. That’s always a plus. Another reason is because the title of the recipe on Natalie’s page includes the words “30 minutes.” If there’s one thing you all should know about me it’s that I like food that’s ready fast.

Even if Bobby Flay custom designed the world’s number one, most fabulous kitchen for me, I’m not spending more than an hour (and that would be pushing it) there preparing a meal. It’s just not happening.

In other words, this recipe is nice and easy to work with, and that’s the way I like it!

Mark and I ended up modifying it a little bit and in the end we were certainly satisfied with the end result. So without further ado, here’s what you need to know to make your own buffalo chicken meatballs.

Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 small carrot, finley grated (I used 3-4 small baby carrots)
  • 1 small stick celery, minced
  • 2 green onions, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Buffalo sauce
  • Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Set a side a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. (I used a baking pan sprayed with coconut oil and that worked fine, the meatballs just left a little bit of residue behind, but it came off with soap right away.)

2. Add the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs and egg to a large bowl. Let the breadcrumbs soak in the egg for a few minutes, then add the carrot, celery, green onion, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix everything together using your hands or a spatula until combined

3. Using a spoon, shape one meatball at a time and then place on the baking sheet. (We made larger, more standard-sized meatballs that we served over salad with quinoa, but you can make them any size you like. These would definitely make a great appetizer as smaller sized meatballs!)

4. Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked throughout.

5. When they’re finished cooking, remove the meatballs from the oven and place them in a bowl. Add buffalo sauce (about 1/3 cup, or more if you really like buffalo sauce!) and toss to coat.

6. Serve with blue cheese, ranch or your favorite dressing.

 

 

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