Menu Sunday

Oops.  Auto-posted before I could write an intro.  Oh well.

Herbed Turkey & Spinach Meatballs w/ Roasted Tomatoes & Red Pepper Sauce
inspired by Skinny Taste

My husband claims he is not a Meatball Guy.  Which is highly unfortunate given the fact that, as my father's daughter, I am very much a Meatball Gal.  E's ball-o-meat hesitancy makes little to no sense given the fact that the man ate meat ragu for 82% of the meals we enjoyed in Italy and really, what is ragu if not a mushed up meatball?  PLUS, he likes the Asian Turkey Meatballs.  So... basically... Liar, Liar Pants on Fire. 

Suspicion: Confirmed. Evs was down to party with these here meatballs.  And he happily trotted off to work this morning clutching the leftovers. Success! 

Ingredients

- 1 lb. lean ground turkey breast

- 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, dethawed and squeeze of all excess water

- 1 large egg, beaten

- less than 1/4 c. bread crumbs or panko
- 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan {I omitted for HAKU and didn't really miss it}

- fresh herbs, chopped {I used basil & sage from our garden - about 10 and 5 leaves, respectively}

- 1/2 t. kosher salt

- 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

- 1 T. EVOO

- 4 c. roasted red pepper sauce

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes {y'all know I love the little yellow sunbursts!}

- Pasta, cooked al dente {I used Tinkyada brown rice elbow macaroni... the Tinkyada brand comes highly recommended from my GF Product Guru and it did not disappoint! Even E was raving about the texture & taste!} 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine first eight ingredients {through ground pepper} together in a mixing bowl with your hands.  Form meat mixture into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  {Should make around two dozen meatballs.} Bake on the middle oven rack.  Drizzle EVOO atop cherry tomatoes in a baking dish and roast on the top oven rack with the meatballs.  Pull meatballs out after 15 minutes; leave tomatoes in for 5-10 minutes longer. 

Meanwhile, place roasted red pepper sauce in a large pot and heat on Medium until bubbling.  When the meatballs are finished in the oven, set them into the sauce in a single layer {tongs are helpful here}.  Turn the heat up slightly and allow the sauce to bubble over the meatballs while the tomatoes finish roasting.  

Divide pasta, tomatoes, and meatballs into bowls and spoon sauce on top.  Serves 4-6, depending on your desired ball-to-pasta ratio. {HAKU-Friendly = I had about a 1/3c. of pasta + half pint of tomatoes + 5 meatballs}

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

via The Eat Clean Diet Kitchen Table

Huge thanks to Mrs. Cup for providing me with the recipe for my very first GF, DF, and processed-sugar-free baking endeavor -- and for managing my expectations on these suckers!  Do not expect a delicious, cakey, bakery-type muffin... These are more like portable oatmeal cups.  Toasted with a dab of honey or all-natural peanut butter {or both!}, they're perfect for my morning commute. Modifications:  I used lite coconut milk, honey, and 2.5 c. of blueberries {as that was the amount in the bag I purchased}. 

Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders w/ Honey Mustard Sauce

modified from Can You Stay for Dinner?

{That's a particularly shitty iPhone photo, there, sorry 'bout that.} Super delicious - I love the texture!  Modifications: I let the tenders soak in a bath of lite coconut milk and a few good dashes of garam masala for about 30 minutes... skipped the flour and egg and went straight to the {GF} breadcrumbs and shredded coconut {unsweetened}.  My breadcrumb to coconut ratio was heavily skewed on the coconut side of things.  I made the dipping sauce out of 1 part honey and 1 part spicy whole grain mustard.

Roasted Chickpea, Macadamia Nut, Mango & Avocado Salad...

inspired by Healthy, Happy Life

...with Mustard Dill Tilapia

Woah, Nelly!  So much Summertime packed into this simple, simple, simple meal!  Modifications: I used a spring mix and decreased the amount of fresh greens to 3 c. since I have to take it easy on the raw veggies.  I roasted a can of chickpeas {drained, rinsed, duh} with the macadamia nuts {EVOO, kosher salt, pepper... 20 minutes at 400 degrees}.  Dressing was equal parts champagne pear vinegar and Annie's lite honey mustard dressing. Tilapia bathed overnight in the fridge in a Mustard Dill Marinade from Whole Foods {purchased right by the fish counter}... baked at 400 for 15 minutes.

Steak with Balsamic Tomatoes & Red Onions + Quinoa Rice Blend

courtesy of Skinny Taste

This is a recipe that calls for the Big Guns... specifically: your best balsamic vinegar... you know, the one you bought in Napa that you stroke like a small, mewing kitten and often huff like that emo kid in 7th grade who was always swiping spray paint from Michaels. {What?  Just me?}  Anyhoover, this one's another good-un! And a Big Thumbs Up for Near East's new Quinoa Blend Roasted Red Pepper & Basil box-o-yumminess!  Modifications: None... except I used more balsamic. So crazy like that.