Plan Ahead Meals

Since starting the healthy journey portion of the blog, I have been trying to make sure that everything is super tasty and super simple. Two of my personal favorite meals to make up ahead of time are: Chicken Chili and Turkey meatballs with spaghetti. They both come in extremely low in calories and are very healthy. Packed with vegatables and lots of fiber, you truly can't go wrong. The chicken chili is a slightly modified version of her majesty Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa). I have tweaked it ever so slightly .
The turkey meatballs are a recipe that I actually crafted myself and the recipe will follow.

CHICKEN CHILI

This recipe can be found at: www.foodnetwork.com
I modified the ingredients to make it my own by using orange and yellow peppers & adding a teaspoon of cinnamon for more depth of flavor.











TURKEY MEATBALLS

1 pound of 99% Lean ground turkey
2 hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 8oz. package of Baby Bella mushrooms sliced
1 medium yellow onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 egg white
1/4-1/2 cup of dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup of your favorite marinara sauce

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Sautee the onions and mushrooms in a large pan until onions are translucent and mushrooms have browned. Add salt and pepper to taste and to bring out the moisture. Add Italian seasoning and garlic and continue for 1 minute or until fragrant.
-Allow mixture to cool.
-Once mixture has cooled slightly puree in a mini food processor or with a food chopper until well blended and all large pieces have been well mixed.
-In a large mixing bowl combine ground turkey and turkey Italian sausages(casings removed), the mushroom/onion mixture, Worcestershire sauce, egg white, and breadcrumbs, and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
-Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray
-With a medium ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop out a portion at a time slightly smaller than a golf ball.
-Place the meatballs on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink inside. The sausage will not turn completely white as the ground turkey, so to be cautious I always go for the 30 minute cook time when dealing with poultry.
-Once cook time is complete, remove from oven and top each ball with the marinara and put back in oven for 3-5 minutes just to allow the sauce to set. Very similar to the ketchup on top of a meatloaf.
-Serve with your favorite pasta & sauce, or if having for a quick lunch, grab a whole wheat roll or hot dog bun and make a meatball sub.
-This recipe makes 24 medium meatballs and I use 3 as a serving size. Freeze the leftovers and use for another meal.

These are very easy meals to plan ahead and to make up in just a couple of hours for both. Once the initial cooking process is finished you have meals for at least a week. Both dishes freeze beautifully and are handy to have around for a snack or complete meal.

Happy Eating!