Posts tagged under Meat. Show all posts.
Scanning the meat section of my local grocery store for inspiration, I settled on what was on sale—ground beef. My kids love spaghetti and meatballs, so what better meal for dinner tonight. After some deliberation, I took that idea one step further and decided to make meatball subs—they like those too! I picked up three packages of ground meat—beef, pork, and chicken, a can of tomato sauce, and a few whole wheat sub buns. The meatball recipe I use is pretty simple and my kids love it. If I were making meatballs for adult guests I would add a little heat. Making meatballs is not only a good cooking lesson, but also a great after school activity. Much like playdough, my two love to get their hands in there and mess around.
Meatball Subs
Serves 6
You’ll Need
½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork
½ lb ground chicken/turkey
2 eggs
½ cup bread crumbs (homemade if you have them)
¼ cup parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup cooking oil (Grapeseed oil is great for cooking at high heat)
6 sub/sausage buns, warmed
1 cup tomato sauce, heated
½ cup grated cheese
Preparation
What are you having for dinner tonight?
The food team at SavvyMom are pleased as punch with the new and improved version of EatSavvy this month. We’re delivering the same great tried and tested savvy recipes for busy families but we have improved the look and feel of the site. We love the bigger food shots done by our very own Holly Sisson. They look almost as delicious as they are in real life. We also worked on making the site a bit easier for you to navigate and find what you need.
We’re always looking for ways to improve and make your experience better at SavvyMom so feel free to share your thoughts with us anytime.
What improvements do you like on EatSavvy or what else would you like us to change?
It’s amazing how the luncheon meats of past were so ‘full’ of things that they now are free of—fats, nitrates and other chemicals that are next-to-impossible to pronounce. And that’s not including what part of the animal that the so-called ‘meat’ actually came from.
The idea of pizza growing on trees is absurd. The idea that old-fashioned luncheon meat was actually good for you may have been even more so. Here at SavvyMom, we are major advocates of healthy meat options, such as the Life Choices Hot Dogs that are now sporting SavvyMom Approved stickers (yep, we liked them that much), and we’re always looking to find more meat products that are good for our kids (and us, too).
Recently, we tried sandwiches featuring luncheon meat from Freybe Gourmet Foods who are launching their Naturally Freybe line of hormone, preservative and antibiotic-free meats that are perfect for kids’ lunches. We loved the roast beef, ham, and turkey sandwiches and liked that the cold cuts were made from whole muscle meat (rather than the ground-up processed version created from a range of parts that old school bologna happens to be from).
Another great option that we’d pack in our kids’ lunch boxes are the cold cuts from Maple Leaf Natural Selections. Their philosophy is simple: natural ingredients you can pronounce and nothing added that you wouldn’t want to serve to your loved ones. They make oven-roasted, or smoked and uncured ham, chicken and turkey breast. What we thought was interesting is that celery salt is used as a natural preservative so they have done away with all kind of unpronounceable chemicals in the ingredients.
So all this ‘meaty news’ means that making lunch is a slice again. Do you have a healthier option to recommend?
Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with Canadian celebrity chef, Michael Smith. As a long-time fan of his television shows and cookbooks, it was a real treat to spend some time learning about his newest passion: lentils.
Chef Michael has partnered with the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers to launch a new series of 12 webisodes, each showcasing the versatility and simplicity of the homegrown lentil. The online videos (found at lentils.ca) are packed with cooking tips and easy, family-friendly recipes that show us how to add the humble lentil to our everyday meals.
Unbeknownst to many of us, Canada is a leading world producer of lentils, with over 60% of the world’s lentils being farmed here. We harvest four varieties, and 95% of the country’s crop is grown in Saskatchewan. Yet, many families aren’t incorporating lentils into their weekly meals. I asked Michael why he thought this is and he states “Lentils are a fairly new farming venture for Canada, having only been around since 1970. People are just learning how to cook and serve them, and it’s this generation of cooks who are going to be the ones to introduce lentils as a leading local ingredient.”
Why should we want to add these nutritionally dense nuggets to our plate? Lentils are packed with protein, loaded with fibre, and inexpensive—meaning they hit all the marks for a practically perfect food. Any when they’re pureed, they can even replace half the butter in our beloved chocolate chip cookies, without anyone being the wiser.
I love the lentil recipes that Chef Michael has created, and can’t wait to try the Lentil Lasagna, Sneaky Lentil Cookies, and Slow Chicken and Lentil Stew, which is at the top of my must-make list.
Do you cook with lentils? What are some of your favourite ways to serve them?
Find the full printable recipe here: Lentil Meatloaf
Comments
It would be nice if we could e-mail the actual recipe instead of a link, I often read the blog at work (shhh) and then send it to myself at home, I would like to be able to see the recipe title in the subject line so I know which one I am looking at. Great recipes!!!
I look forward to seeing more eat savvy in the new format. I love the ideas. Keep them coming ladies.