Baked Meatball Parmigiana

Okay who doesn't like a little italian food...I LOVE it but it isn't always diet friendly.  

So tonight's dinner is a treat...Meatballs (sure you may not be able to see those yummy meatballs in that sauce but they are there)!  I even made a double batch of this and froze it for a friend who is having surgery soon so her family will have a yummy meal and she won't have to worry about it.

Baked Meatball Parmesan
Serves 9
21 day fix containers: 1R, 1B, 1/2P

1 lb extra lean ground beef (4R)
1 lb extra lean ground pork (4R)
4 cloves of garlic
chopped parsley
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I make my own) (2Y)
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (3B)
2 eggs (1R)
sea salt & pepper to taste
5 cups organic marinara sauce (5P)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (6B)

Heat oven to 400
In a large mixing bowl mix meats, parsley, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese & eggs.  Form into 2 oz meatballs (I got 18 out of the mix) and place in your baking dish (I used a 9x13 glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray).  Bake for 20 minutes.

Lower heat to 375

Pour your marinara sauce over the meatballs and add your mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking for another 20 minutes until the cheese is nice and melted and bubbly (you can also broil for a few if you want).

Serve with a side of pasta (or in my case zoodles) and a nice salad...my family loved garlic bread also.

Verdict: AMAZING!!! who says italian food can't be diet friendly

Enjoy your family time and make an extra batch for the freezer for when you don't want to cook again

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

So today was a good day, I went for a long walk with the dog and then to the dog park, I went to my son's football game, cooked dinner and then it was off to cross fit and boy did that kick my butt...

When I was a kid, my mom use to make stuffed cabbage rolls but man was that a lot of work, boiling the cabbage leaves, gently stuffing them with meat and rice, folding them so they didn't break and then baking them...that is just too much work for this mama so I found this recipe at diaryofarecipecollector.com and slightly adapted it to make it 21 Day Fix friendly.  I have rounded these containers up (or down) to make make it an even nice containers to count to make life a little easier.


Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

 
Serves 6
21 Day Fix Containers: 1 1/2R, 1Y, 1/2G, 1/2P, 1/2B

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. extra lean ground beef (4R)
• 1.25 lb of lean ground turkey (5R)
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 cup whole grain brown rice, uncooked (6Y)
• 4 cups roughly chopped cabbage (4G)
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (1P)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (1.5P)
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice (4B)

Instructions

1. Season and brown ground beef and turkey. Drain off any grease you may have (I usually rinse under warm water to get all the fat off).
2. Add rice, cabbage, tomato sauce, 2 cups of water and diced tomatoes with all the juices. Stir.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is done and cabbage is soft (please do not lift lid before 20 minutes is up or else you let all the steam out and the rice needs it to cook properly)
4. Once cooked, top with cheese and cover with lid to melt a few minutes.

The Verdict: everyone but my daughter liked this, it was filling, large portions and hey only 1 pot to clean up...If you want more of a cheesy yummy goodness and want to use a full B container then up the cheese to 1 1/2 cups...SCORE

 

 

 

So enjoy a healthy dinner with the family