Baked Turkey Quinoa and Apple Meatballs

These HEALTHY meatballs are my new favorite! My husband and I agree, that we could probably eat these everyday and never get sick of them. But since I'm afraid that it could be a possibility, I make sure to switch it up, anyways. :)

Make sure to add these into your next meal prep--you won't regret it! My favorite pairing with these meatballs: pan-fried garlic green beans and brown rice. SO DELICIOUS!!

INGREDIENTS:
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN MINI-MEATBALLS

1 pound of lean ground turkey

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 celery stick finely chopped

1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup of finely chopped apple or bosc pear

1 green onion chopped

1/2 cup of cooked quinoa

1 egg

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of chili flakes

1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning

1 tsp of onion powder

3 tsp of dried parsley

handful of chopped basil

black pepper to taste

olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Into a skillet on medium-high heat, add in some coconut oil. Add in your chopped garlic, celery, carrot, a pinch of salt, and cook until tender. Add in your chopped apples and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off heat and stir in your green onion. Stir, remove cooked veggies and place in a dish to allow it to cool down before using.

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F

2. In your large mixing bowl, add in your ground turkey, (cooled down) cooked veggies, egg, cooked quinoa, chopped basil, salt, chili flakes, Italian seasoning, onion powder, dried parsley, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix well.

3. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Using a melon baller, scoop out the meatballs onto your baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes (check after 15 by cutting one open). Do not over bake!

NOTES:

*If you are short on time and you need to cool down your cooked veggies, fast, just place them in the freezer for ten minutes before using!

Fluffy Lemon Quinoa

My current obsession: quinoa! This super food is a complete protein containing all of the essential amino acids and has a low glycemic index which is good for blood sugar control.  I eat it in place of my brown rice on most days but will really interchange the two, depending on my mood. Quinoa has slightly more carbs than brown rice, but overall, quinoa is my food of choice because of all of the health benefits that come along with it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of organic quinoa

2 cups of low sodium chicken broth or water

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

2 tsp of dried parsley

1/4 tsp of salt

lemon for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place quinoa into a medium sized saucepan. Add in chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Turn heat to medium-high and allow it to come to a rolling boil. Turn heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer UNCOVERED for 15 minutes (check after 10 minutes), or until all of the liquid has evaporated. Turn heat OFF, cover with a lid, and allow for the quinoa to steam for an additional 5 minutes. Do not remove quinoa from the burner. Remove cover and fluff up using a fork. Add a squeeze of lemon before serving. Perfect quinoa, every time! :)

NOTES:

*If using water + chicken base or bouillon cube, make sure to add the base or bouillon cube, first, into your measuring cup and then add in 1 cup of hot water, mix till fully dissolved, followed by the other 1 cup of water. I find that adding in 2 cups of water and then adding the bouillon after, makes too much liquid and the result is soggy quinoa.

*I purchase my quinoa from Costco and it already comes pre-rinsed. Depending on the brand you are using, you may want to pre-rinse to get rid of any bitter or soapy after-taste.

Crockpot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium sized head of cabbage (you will need about 16 leaves for the actual rolls but you'll need some extra for the rest of the recipe)

FOR THE FILLING:
3/4 pound (12 ounces) of organic ground turkey

1 cup of cooked organic brown rice with quinoa (may sub for all quinoa or all brown rice or white rice)

freshly grated ginger

1 carrot finely chopped

1 celery finely chopped

1 green onion chopped

2 cloves of chopped garlic

1/2 of an onion finely chopped (cut the other half into large chunks and reserve for later)

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of sugar

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:

1 (14.5 ounce) can of organic (no salt) fire roasted tomatoes

1 Tablespoon of Maggie seasoning (or soy sauce)

1-2 Tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)

1 Tablespoon of flour

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil a large pot of water. (Make sure it's big enough to almost completely submerge the whole head of cabbage.)
2. While you wait for your water to boil, score the top of your cabbage. You want to score around the core of the cabbage and get in there with your knife at least two inches down. This step will make your cabbage leaves fall off easily in the hot water and keep the leaves whole. (Watch my video here to get a better picture of what I mean.) PLEASE BE CAREFUL with this part.
3. When your water is at a hard boil, GENTLY drop in your whole head of cabbage. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. After a minute, you should start to see the leaves fall off of the cabbage. Once the leaves have softened a bit, immediately remove them and place them on a dish towel fitted over a baking sheet. This whole process should take about 5 minutes. You only need about 16 leaves for the actual recipe, but you will need additional leaves for the rest of the recipe, so I recommend just using most of the leaves from the head of cabbage.
4. Using a clean dish towel, make sure to dry your leaves, completely.
5. With a pair of kitchen shears, you want to cut out most of the hard rib from the center of the cabbage leaves. Reserve the cut up pieces of cabbage and place them in a bowl for later use.
6. Into a large mixing bowl, add in your ground turkey, cooked brown rice with quinoa, carrots, celery, half a chopped onion, green onion, chopped garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and mix well.
7. Make your tomato sauce: Combine your can of fire roasted tomatoes, Maggie seasoning, brown sugar, flour, oregano, and black pepper. Stir well. Set aside.
8. Begin to assemble your rolls: Using a melon baller, if you have it, scoop out two rounded Tablespoons of filling on top of each cabbage leaf. Roll up and over the filling at least twice, tuck in the sides, and roll again. Don't roll it too firmly, because the tighter it is, the longer they will take to cook.
9. Into your crockpot, add in your excess rib leaves that you saved from earlier. Top that with the remaining thick slices of onion. Take some of your tomato sauce and pour that over your onions.
10. Add in all of your cabbage rolls and then top with the rest of the tomato sauce. Cover with the remaining WHOLE cabbage leaves, no more than two layers. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8. Check for doneness. Keeps in the fridge for a few days! My favorite way to eat them is with brown rice or quinoa. :)