I started the day off with doing the dishes and a sink shine. I found a really neat, natural way to keep the lovely bright white kitchen sink we have (which shows no mercy in the slightest stain) cleaner. I sprinkle coarsely ground sea salt all along the surface after I finish and wipe with the sponge and voila, *sparkling*. Which is the goal according to www.flylady.net. I love this get clean program, and if your New Years resolution is to get cleaner and STAY cleaner this year, I have been doing this for a year now and it really works. I love how she emphasizes baby steps. I tend to go on a cleaning spree but then can't sustain it long term. The other major cleaning I did today, as I do each Monday while Ethan is down for his nap, is to sweep and mop the floors. I fill the sink with water, vinegar, and 4-5 drops of an antibacterial essential oil (today it was Lemon-Eucaplytus) and sanitized the floors. This is a great alternative to the harmful chemical solutions bought at the store, not to mention much more economical.
Ok, on to the good stuff! Today we are cooking up vegan meatballs and wheat blend speghetti and sautéed rainbow chard. I again used recipes from the Whole Foods site. This is not always the case, but I tend to get bored easily and so I am constantly trying new recipes!
What I love about this recipe is the high protein content. I did some preparation ahead of time to make it less time consuming later. I made the rice and cooked vegetable mixture ahead of time so I just had to blend it all together and put in the oven. Another great tip, other than doing early prep-work--as mentioned in my last post, is to utilize time wisely by planning ahead and coordinating when things will be cooked. Since I am trying to keep the amount of time I spend on a meal 30 minutes or under, I blend the meatball mixture and get it in the oven. While that's cooking, I get the water for the pasta going. I then prep and sauté the swiss chard while all that is going on and I clean in between.
Another note to make, if you like a more "meaty" taste to the meatballs, use portobello mushrooms instead of cremini. I just used simple button and it was delicious!
Here is the recipe for the chard. If you do not like bitter greens normally, you should really give this recipe a try (plus they are in season and on sale ;-)). Sautéing them with fresh garlic and vinegar (my favorite for this recipe is balsamic) imparts a warm flavor and they almost melt in your mouth, if you can believe it!
Recipe for "meatballs":
Method:
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and spinach. Cover and cook until mushrooms are tender and spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse sunflower seeds until coarsely ground. Add cooked vegetable mixture, half the beans, basil and oregano. Pulse until mixture is just coming together. In a large bowl, combine puréed mixture, remaining beans and rice. Stir until combined.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake meatballs 30 minutes or until heated through and crisp on the outside. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well and return to pot. Add pasta sauce and toss until combined and heated through. Add meatballs and toss very gently to combine, taking care not to break up meatballs. Serve.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake meatballs 30 minutes or until heated through and crisp on the outside. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well and return to pot. Add pasta sauce and toss until combined and heated through. Add meatballs and toss very gently to combine, taking care not to break up meatballs. Serve.
Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING:620 calories (200 from fat), 22g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 980mg sodium, 89g carbohydrate (12g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 18g protein
Here are my pics:
The consistency should be like this before forming into meatballs.
A little tip here I have learned after doing things the hard way...for greens such as kale or chard, fold in half as i show in the picture below. Then take one hand and slide it along the stem, pulling away from you as you go. The leaves will come off in your hands, if this makes sense.
Then you are left with the leaves and the stems like this!
Last thing! I also have an eight month old son who I make baby food for. So I have the challenge of feeding him dinner too. I took some of the rice from the meatball recipe earlier and added cut up apple, blended and served. Mission accomplished :-)
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