Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

I got the inspiration for this recipe from Sarah W, who first tipped me off to the chili sauce/jelly combination. Since then I've experimented with different meatball concoctions and sauce spices. It's one of my husband's favorites, and so easy to make! Thanks, Sarah!

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs - yield 20 meatballs

Meatballs:
1.25 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp minced onions (dried)
pinch granulated garlic

Sauce:
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup grape jelly
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp minced onions (dried)
2 T. taco sauce

Combine meatball ingredients and shape into 1-1.5 inch balls. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. While meatballs are cooking, combine ingredients of the sauce with a whisk until smooth. Pour over meatballs after 15 minutes and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until sauce is heated through and bubbly. Alternative: you can also cook the sauce and meatballs together in a crockpot! Either way, serve over rice or noodles and enjoy!

Easy MexiCasserole

Saturday afternoon I was staring at my cabinets wondering what I could throw together before I had to leave the house. It needed to be healthy, easy and something that I could count on my husband eating the leftovers. ;-) I haven't been grocery shopping in several days so I didn't have much to work with - several cans but hardly anything fresh. Let's face it - it happens to the best of us: I resorted to my cans for a fast meal. Enjoy this Mexican themed conglomerate - we sure did! :)

Easy MexiCasserole - serves 6-8

2 cans lowfat turkey chili
1 can 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
3 cups instant brown rice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 T. taco sauce (plus more for serving)
8 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup coarsely crushed taco or tortilla chips (plus more for serving)
light sour cream, optional

Cook the rice according to package directions, then mix with the can of broccoli cheese soup and salt. Spread in the bottom of a 9X13 casserole dish. Heat the chili in a saucepan and mix in the remaining spices and taco sauce. Top with the taco chips and cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with additional taco sauce, chips and sour cream if you like.

Frittata Snacks

These are super easy snacks (that can also double as breakfast!). You can make them ahead of time, keep them in the fridge and warm them up when you're ready for them.

Ham and Cheese Frittata Snacks - 4 servings

4 egg whites
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 tsp. mustard
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
pinch pepper
2 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 oz. shredded ham (turkey works great too!)

Whisk together the egg whites, egg, milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Once combined, stir in the cheese and ham. Prepare 4 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray, and pour the mixture evenly among the 4 cups. Fill the remaining cups with water (to preserve the pan) and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

B & P Remix!

So if you're like me, and you tried the BLP from last week, you're probably left with some extra pineapple and bacon... maybe not. :) But if you do - here's a remix on the same ingredients to give you some variety in using up your leftovers! The inspiration for this recipe was an item on the menu at Mad Mex - one of my favorite places. Now you can do it yourself and save a couple bucks!

BBP Quesadilla - yield 3 quesadillas

1 can black beans
3 8-inch tortillas
3 pineapple ring slices
3 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
3 strips cooked turkey bacon
1 t. cumin
3/4 t. chili powder

Drain and rinse beans. Put the beans in a blender or food processor and pulse until you get a coarse paste. (If you don't have a food processor, you can mash them with a fork or potato masher.) Cut the pineapple rings into 1/4-inch chunks. Spread 1/3 of the bean mixture onto half of the tortilla. Break up and crumble the bacon on top. Next, add the pineapple pieces, and top with grated cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Prepare a skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat. Toast the tortilla in the pan on both sides until golden brown, the cheese is melted and the beans are heated through. Serve with your favorite salsa, taco sauce or sour cream!

Well, okay... we can't be healthy all the time. I'm out enjoying some R&R time with my sister this weekend, and concocted this loveliness below. Beware, you will need to work out a little extra for this one! It's worth it though, mmmmmmm....

Strawberry Nutella French Toast - yield 2 pieces

4 pieces of wheat bread
1 egg
1/8 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
4 T. cream cheese
4 T. nutella
cooking spray
Spread 2 pieces of the bread with the cream cheese and the other two pieces with Nutella. Layer the slices of strawberries on top of the cream cheese bread slices and top each one with a nutella slice. In a pie plate, mix together egg, milk, vanilla and spices. Prepare a skillet with cooking spray and turn on to medium heat. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture on both sides and put immediately into the pan. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and enjoy while still warm... mmmmmmm.

Beef Stew w/ Butternut Squash

3 inspirations for this meal: 1 - butternut squash was super cheap at the store this week, 2 - I wanted to make a good one-pot, reheatable meal for my husband to have while I'm gone all weekend, and 3) stew + plus this cold weather = :). I'm normally not a big fan of squash, but in this stew it really turns out great! It's best served with some good crusty bread and a little fresh chives on top.

Beef Stew w/ Butternut Squash

3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic
2 lb. stew meat, cubed
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup Marsala wine
1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz frozen peas and carrots

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme - saute until onions are soft. Turn up heat to medium-high and add beef to the pot. Cook beef until golden brown on the edges - the meat will finish cooking later, so don't worry about getting it all the way done in the middle. Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the yummy meat bits from the bottom. Add the squash, tomatoes and enough broth to cover the beef and vegetables. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Add in the peas and carrots, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!