Marriage Saving Meatballs

by Allison on March 9, 2010

Spaghetti in my house is a debateable subject. My mom always made spaghetti with a meat sauce – brown ground beef, add tomato sauce, serve over spaghetti. That’s how I know it. Easy. Simple.

But then I got married. A pasta-loving girl married a pasta-disliking guy. We’ve been together almost 7 years, and I still wonder how someone can dislike pasta. It’s a mystery to me.

But there is one form of pasta he does like: spaghetti with meatballs. Not meat sauce.

The things we do for love. I’ve also switched from skim milk to 1% milk, deciding neither of these (meat sauce and skim) were that important to me.

No worries – he’s learning to love vegetables. It’s about compromise, right?

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Meatballs always seemed like a complicated mystery to me. Turns out, they’re just as simple as browning ground beef!

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The secret to amazing meatballs is this (not) secret ingredient: crushed red pepper flakes. It’s a magic spice.

 

Marriage Saving Meatballs

 

 

Ingredients

  • 1 egg*
  • 1/2 C instant oats
  • 1/4 C milk
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound lean ground beef*

*preferably organic

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400*. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
  2. Combine egg, oats, milk and spices.
  3. Add beef, and gently mix until combined – try to handle the meat as little as possible – overmixing will result in tough meatballs.
  4. Make 20 uniform meatballs, about 1.5” in diameter. Place on baking sheet, not touching. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until no longer pink inside.

 

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Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, of course! :)

 

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Do you an your significant other disagree on how a food should be cooked?

 

Up next on Eat Clean Live Green: A Surprising Way to Deal With Stress!

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Real Food in the Real World

by Allison on March 8, 2010

Have you ever had one of those days where you just have so much going on, that healthy eating falls low on the list?

That was my morning today. I had a seminar at lunch to go to, and no time to pack a lunch to bring. I knew there would be lunch provided, but I was expecting it to be some form of soggy wet mayo-filled, cheese and meat-like substance on white bread, with chips on the side. Not exactly real food.

I was trying to figure out how long the seminar would be – did I have time to buy something afterwards, or would I be absolutely starving?

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Imagine my surprise when lunch included Mediterranean wraps (with spinach, peppers, hummus and falafel) and a mixed green salad (with strawberries, almonds, goat cheese and a vinaigrette)!

A healthy (and ethical eating) lunch victory! Not to mention, it was delicious :)

I lucked out today, definitely. A real food lunch, without any effort by me – and it was free! But what’s a girl to do when the next time one of those on the run days comes along?

Turns out, there’s lots of Real Food In The Real World. You just have to look for it! Here are some of my go-to on-the-run, but still healthy, meals:

Subway: Veggie Sandwich on Wheat, lots of veggies. I heard a rumour you can even find black beans at some Subway’s!

 

Jugo Juice: I love their smoothies! They’re made without any fillers, so it’s just fruit + juice. The Mediterranean Veggie Wrap is awesome too.

 

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Extreme Pita: Lots of options! Try the Market Fresh Veggie (I add the Pepita Mole sauce – tastes just like the Fiesta Mexicana – you won’t miss the chicken!) or the Falafel. Have some pita chips with hummus or Tzatziki on the side :)

 

Do you have a go-to Real Food In The Real World meal?

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{giveaway} Prairie Naturals Protein Powder

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Easy Breakfast Scramble
 

Ingredients

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It will change your life
Are you ready?
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