Just Another Meatball Monday

It was just another meatball Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I-don't-have-to-run day
It's just another meatball Monday

So if you don't get the joke, you need to watch this video immediately.

Now that you've done that and laughed at my hilarious reference, take a look at my Valentine's Day dinner. I have been craving beef for a few days and I finally decided to make some penne and meatballs with arrabiata sauce. It was amazing.

Yield: 5 servings (about 15 meatballs if you make them pretty big)


Ingredients: 
1 lb lean ground beef (93% lean)
Jennie-O hot italian turkey sausage (3 links)
1/3 c breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning
2 eggs
1/4 c shredded Parmesan
18 oz jar pasta sauce (I used Safeway brand arrabiata)
Salt and pepper to taste



Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove turkey sausage from the casing and set aside.
2. Pour breadcrumbs into a large bowl and add 1/3 cup of hot water. Stir until moistened and let sit until the water is fully absorbed. Add eggs, Parmesan, and salt and pepper.
3. Mix in beef and turkey sausage - don't be afraid to use your hands! Form the meatballs, making sure they are equally sized so they will cook evenly.
4. Brown the meatballs in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until some of the fat drains off.
5. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and place the meatballs in the dish. Make sure there is a little room between the edges. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes until bubbling. Serve with penne and mozzarella or Parmesan on top.

This was so good, and I'm definitely planning on freezing these for when I get another craving! In case you're curious, I used Barilla Plus pasta since it has extra fiber and I hate the taste of whole wheat pasta.

Takeout Swap: Chicken Fried Rice

This was a particularly rough Monday since I hadn't been to work in a week because of all the snow and ice. I didn't get to eat breakfast today, I had a pretty light lunch, I had to go grocery shopping on the way home, and by the time I got back I was starving. I really just wanted to stop and get takeout, but I made this instead and saved myself a LOT of fat and calories (an order of takeout fried rice can add up to 1500 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, and 2,700mg of sodium)!

This recipe makes enough for leftovers the next day, and it's really a HUGE portion. You could probably get away with dividing this into 3 servings if you added a little more chicken.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 c uncooked jasmati rice
2 tbsp canola oil
6 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 c egg substitute (Egg Beaters)
2 scallions, sliced
1 small can of peas and carrots
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce






Preparation:
1. Cook rice according to directions on the package. I love my rice cooker since, for some reason, I can never cook rice over the stove.

2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and pour in egg substitute. Leave on medium until completely cooked through and you have a sort of egg pancake. Remove from the skillet and cut into strips. Set aside.

3. Heat the chicken, peas and carrots, scallions, and oyster sauce in the skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. Heat the canola oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and empty rice into the hot oil. Stir to coat rice and let the rice crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken mixture to the rice and pour in soy sauce. Stir and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add egg strips and cook until egg is reheated.

Just as good as takeout but it saves almost 1/3 of the calories!

Lasagna Roll-Ups with Turkey Sausage

I'm so mad at myself for not taking pictures until I rolled these up. Sorry! Next time I make them I'll document properly. We had training all day at work and I was focused on getting these in the oven as soon as possible. This recipe takes a little under an hour to prepare but it is so, so worth it. And it freezes great, so I make six at a time for lunches and quick dinners.

Yield: 6 roll-ups (can be multiplied/divided easily to make more or less)

Ingredients:
6 lasagna noodles
1 lb turkey italian sausage
1/2 10 oz pack of frozen spinach, thawed, rinsed, and squeezed dry
22 oz (2.75 cups) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1.5 cups fat free cottage cheese (or ricotta, whichever you prefer)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
24 oz jar pasta sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)
Italian seasoning blend


Preparation: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a LARGE pot of water to a boil, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente and then spread them on a piece of wax paper. I like to cook a few extra noodles since I inevitably break some or they stick together; you really need them whole to make this recipe work.
3. Brown the sausage in a skillet until crumbled. Divide into 6 portions.
4. Mix spinach, 2.5 cups mozzarella (reserve 1/2 cup for topping), cottage cheese (or ricotta), and parmesan together in a large bowl. Divide into 6 portions.
5. Spread a layer of cheese, a layer of sausage, and a thin layer of sauce onto each noodle, in that order. This is the fun part! It gets messy, but don't be afraid to use your hands! Sprinkle Italian seasoning blend over the noodles.
6. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray. Quickly roll up each noodle and put it in the pan. If anything falls out while you're rolling, just press it into the sides of the roll.
7. After all the noodles are rolled and arranged in the pan, top with the remaining sauce and then the reserved mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with a side salad! Yum!!