Kale, turkey meatball, white bean soup

 This soup is healthy and even more perfect if you are feeling sick or run down! Packed with vitamins and cheesey little meatballs! 

You will need:

For the meatballs:

1 lb of ground turkey

6-7 cloves minced garlic

Salt and pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons milk 

Few tablespoons chopped parsley

1 egg

For the soup base:

2 1/2 boxes of low sodium chicken broth

4-5 cloves minced garlic

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

1/2 bag of Kale

1-2 cans of cannelloni (white beans) drained and rinsed! 

1 cup Parmesan cheese 

Mix all the meatball ingredients together. 

After you have mixed everything, form into mini meatballs. 

Next step. You can bake or brown. I was hungry so I decided to brown the meatballs quickly in olive oil. But you can just as easily bake on 400 to brown. 

Few tablespoons of olive oil, this isn't to cook through! Just brown on each side!

Set aside 

Now for the soup!

In the pot you will be cooking the soup, sauté 4-5 cloves of minced garlic in a little olive oil. Right before it starts to brown, add all the chicken stock. 

Add about half bag of kale. 

Add some salt, pepper, dash of dried red pepper flakes and a cup of grated Parmesan cheese. 

Add the meatballs and the drained and rinsed beans. 

Bring to a low boil. Let cook, covered for about 30-35 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy your healthy soup!

Italian meatball tortellini soup

The weather is getting colder and for me this means soup weather! My husband isn't a big fan of soups, especially for dinner, but he liked this one because of the meatballs! 

You will need:

1/2 lb ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with juices

1 1/2 boxes of chicken broth, low sodium

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 onion, diced

Olive oil 

1/2 bag of frozen cheese tortellini 

Fresh basil 

2 cans of tomato paste 

Salt and pepper 

For the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Mix together the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, dash of salt and pepper, garlic, parsley, drizzle of olive oil. 

Roll in mini size meat balls. Bake about 4 minutes, turn bake for another 4 minutes. 

In a sauce pan, on medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, carrots and celery until softened. 

Add salt and pepper. 

Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Add the meatballs! 

Keep on low flame until the soup forms a low boil. Then add half the bag of the tortellini. Once the pasta is cooked, add seasoning to taste, and a few chopped basil leaves. 

Serve with crusty Italian bread for dipping and enjoy! 

***you can definitely just add the meatballs to the soup instead of baking them. 

Turkey, Butternut Squash Chili

I use this "chili" for lots of different things! It's healthy and loaded with protein! Also kid friendly because it's flavorful and not spicy! Serve in a bowl with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, use for breakfast with an egg on top or use for the filling in place of taco meat! Protein galore! If you can't find butternut squash, sweet potato is the perfect replacement! 

You will need:

• 1 package of ground turkey

• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes with juice

• 1 can of cannelloni beans, rinsed

• 1 can of black beans, rinsed

• 1 butternut squash cleaned and diced

(My local market already has it in a container)

• 1 can of tomato paste

• salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon of cumin, paprika, onion powder. 

• 6 cloves of garlic, diced 

• 1 bag of baby spinach

• 1 cup quinoa 

• olive oil 

• plain Greek yogurt

• shredded cheddar cheese

• chopped parsley 

In a large pan on medium flame, add a few tablespoons of oil and start to cook the turkey meat. Salt and pepper liberally. 

 

Once brown, add the garlic. 

Then the squash

Sauté for about 5 mins. Then add the spices. 

Stir and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and rinsed drained beans. 

1 cup quinoa 

Stir everything together, cover and cook on LOW flame for 25-30 minutes. Check the seasoning and add if needed. 

Before serving add 1 bag of fresh spinach. Serve in bowl with a bit of Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese and parsley for garnish! 

Don't forget it makes a healthy breakfast!

Drizzle with sriracha to kick up the heat!

Enjoy!!!

The Perfect Roasted Chicken

For some reason, a roasted chicken intimidates people. I'm here to show you it's easy, CHEAP and the leftovers will be great during the week for salads and sandwiches! My chicken was about 6-7 lbs and on sale at shop rite for $7!

These oven stuffers are much bigger than those rotisserie chickens that are usually 1 lb for $5-6! 

You will need:

• 1 oven stuffer chicken approx 6 lbs

• olive oil

• dried herbs de provence OR

• salt and pepper

• 1 onion, quartered 

• 5 carrots

• few cloves of garlic chopped

• 1 apple 

• 1 baking pan

• kitchen twine and toothpicks

Preheat oven to 450 with the rack in the middle. 

Now prep that chicken. Unwrap and discard the bag from the inside of the chicken. Rinse with water inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. 

Salt the inside and outside generously. 

Then stuff the garlic, onions and apple inside. (These aren't to eat! Just to flavor the chicken!)

Pin it closed with toothpicks 

Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken. Then rub the seasoning on every inch! 

Place over the carrots in the pan. 

Don't forget a bit of oil. 

Now take the string and tie the legs up together. 

Place in oven on 450 for ONLY 15 minutes!!! This will make the skin crispy!

After 15 minutes, decrease to 350 for 1.5 hours. Take out and let sit for about 20 minutes. 

Serve it will vegetables, use it for chicken salad or sandwiches. Enjoy!!! 

Zucchini Noodles & Cauliflower Alfredo

I'm in love with pasta...but now I'm in love with ZOODLES...zucchini noodles! You can get the vegetable spiral tool on Amazon or I'm pretty sure Bed, Bath & Beyond has it. This dish satisfied my pasta craving and was light and delicious. I can't wait to make it again! 

**note: it took 5 zucchini to get 2 servings, so keep that in mind when cooking for more than 2 people**

You will need:

• vegetable spiral/noodle tool

• 5 zucchini**

• 7 cloves if minced garlic

• 1 head of cauliflower 

• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup of milk 

• salt and pepper 

• olive oil 

• juice of 2-3 lemons 

Start by making the noodles. I used the thin setting. Remember to cut the noodles ever so often or they will get very long! 

Set aside. 

For the sauce: 

To a pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant. Less than 1 minute. Add to blender or food processor. 

To a boiling pot of salted water, add the cauliflower florets and cook for 10-12 minutes until soft. Drain and add to a blender or food processor. Then add the milk, cheese, lemon juice and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth while adding tablespoons of olive oil until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency. 

Now time to cook the Zoodles! Just add the zucchini to a warm pan with a few drizzles of olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes until warmed through and add some salt and pepper to taste. 

Combine with sauce and enjoy!!!!

Shrimp & Brussel Sprouts Over Lemon Orzo

This is a perfect summer pasta! Lots of fresh ingredients and great color!

You will need:

• 1 package of Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

• 1 lb of jumbo shrimp, deveined and tails removed

• 1 1/2 cups of orzo

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 tablespoons of capers

• 2 tomatoes, diced

• juice of 4 lemons

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 3 shallots thinly sliced

Boil water for the orzo in a large pot. 

In a large sauté pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sprouts flat side down. Season with salt and pepper. After about 4-5 minutes, add the tomatoes and give a quick stir. 

Keep on very low heat. Now start the sauce in a separate pan. 

Heat a few more tablespoons of olive oil, and butter on low heat. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the shallots, garlic and stir. Once garlic starts to become fragrant, add the wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper and capers. 

 

Cook on low-medium heat for 10-12 minutes stirring frequently. 

Next, add the shrimp to the pan with the Brussel sprouts and tomatoes. Increase flame, stir and cook until shrimp are just pink. 

Drain the orzo, add to the pan and stir the sauce in. 

Add salt, pepper or more lemon juice to taste. 

Enjoy!!!