Revamped Turkey Meatballs for Baby

Now that our little one is eating finger foods, I wanted to try and give her some of my turkey meatballs.  However, I wanted to sneak some extra veggies in there for her!  I only had carrots on hand, so I threw a few peeled and cut into chunks into my mini chopper until they were a grated consistency and tossed them in!  Because of the water content of the carrots, I did not need to add any extra liquid to the meatballs. 

They came out fantastic!! My husband said he likes this version even better than the original, and I'm proud to say my little one is loving them as well!!  My daughter is 11 months old, and broken into small pieces, these are the perfect finger food for her.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey ( I always use Shady Brook Farms and throw in a package so between 1-1.2 pounds usually, I have used both 99% lean and 93% lean and the 93% meatballs definitely come out more moist, but it depends on my mood and any sales going on!)
1/4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (I've done both but prefer grated)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

 Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. 

2)  Place carrots into mini chop and process on high, until into small grated pieces. 

3) Mix all ingredients together with hands and shape into 2 inch meatballs. 

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

*This recipe typically makes about 15-18 meatballs 

Skinny Taste Turkey Meatball Spinach Tortellini Soup

Yum!! Another fast, easy and delicious recipe from Skinny Taste!!  This soup was so easy to make, my husband and I switched off half way through the recipe so I could go feed our little one and put her to bed. He had absolutely no problems finishing it perfectly.

I used Gina's original recipe for the body of the soup, but my own Turkey Meatball recipe for the mini meatballs themselves.  This recipe made enough for 6-8 meals in our house. 

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 pound ground turkey ( I always use Shady Brook Farms and throw in a package so between 1-1.2 pounds usually, I have used both 99% lean and 93% lean and the 93% meatballs definitely come out more moist, but it depends on my mood and any sales going on!)
1/4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (I've done both but prefer grated)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Remainder of soup:
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (32 oz) cartons reduced sodium chicken broth (as always, I used College Inn)
9 oz refrigerated spinach cheese tortellini (Buitoni)
fresh ground black pepper
3 cups loosely packed baby spinach

 

Directions:

1) Mix all meatball ingredients and shape into mini meatballs.  I made about 25 meatballs in my batch.

2) In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the celery, onion and carrot. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.  Add garlic for the last 30-60 seconds.

3) Add the chicken broth, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

4) Once boiling, season with black pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and gently drop in the meatballs. Cook about 5-6 minutes.

5) Add the tortellini and simmer until cooked according to package directions, about 7 minutes.

6) Once cooked, add the baby spinach. Stir to wilt spinach and combine.

7)  Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Serve and ENJOY!!

Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash

I swear I had tried every way to roast spaghetti squash in the past and failed. I tried roasting it whole, halved, high temp, low temp, long and short cooking times and it never worked!! It was always a disaster and I can't even tell you how many of them I threw away and how frustrating it was!

I recently stumbled upon a recipe on Pinterest and figured I would give it one more try and, low and behold, it worked! I have tried this multiple times with perfect results each and every time :-)
Huge thank you to The Roasted Root for this easy, fool proof recipe!  Even my little one loves spaghetti squash so it is great to finally be able to grab and make it whenever I catch it on sale!

 

Ingredients:

Spaghetti squash 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

 

Directions:
 

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Cut off the ends, then halve it length-wise.

3) Scoop out the seeds.

4) Brush olive oil on the flesh, sprinkle both halves with salt and fresh ground pepper.

5) Place halves, cut side down on baking sheet.

6) Roast for 50 minutes, or until the skin is easily pierced with a fork.

7) Scrape out the insides with a fork, into spaghetti strands.

8) Serve with your favorite sauce, and/or Turkey Meatballs and ENJOY!!