Meatballs, Meatloaf, Meat Muffins, and Stuffed Bell Peppers

I absolutely love cooking with ground meats.  Anything from chicken, turkey, bison, or lean beef.  My fiancé loves meatballs (as most men do), so instead of going out for an Italian meal that would be well over 1500 calories, I make my own.  However, I have turned this into more than just making meatballs.  I also make meatloaf, meat muffins and stuffed roasted bell peppers.  Its all the same basic concept.

• Start with a large mixing bowl and add 2 packages of your favorite meat (I like adding one package Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey and one package of an extra lean organic beef).
• Add a little less than a tablespoon of sea salt and a ton of red pepper flakes (WARNING: I like my food spicy!!)
• Add one egg
• This is where you can get very creative:
  • Add WHATEVER vegetables you like and as much as you like.  Its so hard to convince my fiancé to eat a salad so this is an awesome way to sneak veggies into his diet!
    • Examples:
      • Basil leaves
      • Spinach leaves
      • Bell peppers
      • Celery
      • Onions
      • Carrots
      • Sweet potato cut into little pieces
      • Or anything else you enjoy!
  • Feel free to add nuts or cranberries, too!
• Finally, add about 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
• Take off your rings and jewelry and start mixing everything together with your hands.

Now you can decide exactly what you want to make:

• Use a narrow baking sheet for meatloaf OR muffin trays for meat muffins (and sprinkle sliced almonds on top!)

Turkey meatloaf with cranberries and almonds

• Roll into meatballs and bake (380 degrees for 40-60 minutes depending on size.  I make big meatballs so I bake for 60 minutes).

Baked meatballs with forbidden rice and kale salad

• Stuff your favorite colored bell peppers or jalapenos and bake (380 degrees for 60 minutes)

Turkey stuffed bell pepper

• Spray a large pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Add meatballs and cook on medium high for 7-10 minutes (get a nice sear), then on medium and start adding chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red wine.  Serve with whole grain pasta or spaghetti squash!

Pan seared meatballs with spaghetti squash

Get creative!  Cooking with ground meats is truly so easy and PERFECT leftovers to keep you healthy all week long.