April Fool's Day Meatballs

Did you think that this was a big tray of meatballs?

Look again.....

Both of my kids and my husband thought that I had made meatballs on first glace. All of them asked about the "white stuff" in the meatballs. hahaha!

Not!

They are really cocoa rice krisp balls.

Perfect for a "meatball" dinner item.

I think that just about everyone knows how to make rice krisp treats but in case you need a reminder, here's the recipe from Kellogg's:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons  butter or margarine
1 package  (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups  Ready-To-Eat Cereal Cocoa Krispies

Directions

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.  I rolled the mixture into golf ball-sized balls and laid them on a baking sheet. 

Store in a container with a tight lid.


To make a "meatball sandwich":

Slice a "v" into the middle of a a mini pound cake loaf. Place two "meatballs" into the middle of the pound cake. Trim both sides of the pound cake to "flatten" the sides to resemble a hoagie roll.  Top with red cake icing for "sauce" and shave white chocolate on top for "cheese". (Sorry that I don't have a picture of this but my kids don't like meatballs sandwiches so they would've never fallen for this one.)

Happy April Fool's Day!!

What are you doing to fool your family?

Rutabaga Fries - Low Carb, Too!

There's a lot of controversy out there on whether or not rutabagas are really low carb. I've seen counts from as high as 15 carbs per cup of rutabaga to as low as 9 carbs per cup. I look at it this way, I only eat it once in a while when I want "fries" and then, I only cook 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga at a time to avoid temptation to eat more. Any way you look at it, it's better than eating an order of french fries!

Many people mention tasting a slight sweet taste when eating them but I do not pick up on that. I find them to have a slight peppery bite to them - probably why I like them so much.

If you are buying them in a grocery store, the rutabagas will probably be covered in wax. You have to peel the skins off of them before eating them. I love the fact that you can store it raw for several days in the refrigerator.

Rutabaga Fries
this recipe uses 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga

1/2 raw, peeled rutabaga, sliced into "steak fries"
olive oil
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper

In a bowl, toss together the rutabaga sticks, olive oil and seasonings to taste. Spread out onto a baking sheet, making sure to not over lap or crowd the sticks.

Bake at 450* for 6 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and flip the sticks over to brown on the other side. Bake for another 6 minutes or until the sticks are tender and browned to your liking.

Other seasoning that I've used on the rutabaga fries:

Italian
Greek
chili powder & cumin
taco

Can be served with a bit of Heinz Low Sugar Ketchup, spiced up mayo, mustard or tzatziki sauce -depending on which spices you use.

Serve immediately.

What's your opinion on rutabagas? 

What's your favorite ways to cook them? 

I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me!

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini

What happens when you really crave grilled veggies but you can't use your grill at the time? Gently pan fry them in a little olive oil and they will turn out better than good....really, really good.

This is such a simple side dish that took just 5 minutes to cook- yet it's so colorful and pretty enough to serve to anyone.

All low carbers can enjoy this dish!

**Note** - You won't find any breading on these veggies so if you need the crusted coating, stop reading now.

Or better yet....   Continue reading and then try the recipe. It might just change your mind. :)

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini
recipes makes 1 -2 servings

1 baby zucchini
1 baby yellow squash
olive oil
red pepper flakes
dried basil
garlic powder

In a large frying pan, drizzle oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to high to warm up the pan, and then turn the heat back down to medium-high before adding the veggies.

While the pan is heating up, slice each veggies vertically into strips. Place the veggies into the pan and turn to coat in the oil. If needed, lightly drizzle a little more oil on top of the veggies - being careful not to drown them in oil. These veggies will soak up a lot of oil so use a light hand.

Sprinkle on the red pepper flakes (I used about 1/2 tsp), dried basil (about 1 tsp) and garlic powder (about 1/2 tsp).

Once the veggies are starting to soften and the undersides are browning nicely, flip the slices over to brown the other side. Only cook until each side has slightly browned or you will end up with a pile of mushy veggies.

Serve immediately.

**Extra**

Vary the spices for a nice treat. In place of the basil, try chili powder, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, onion powder, oregano...the list goes on and on.

Turkey & Egg Cups on Spinach - Low Carb, Too!

I've seen a lot of different recipes all over the Internet for eggs and ham baked in muffin tins but I didn't see any for turkey and eggs baked this way. My local grocery had turkey breast deli meat on sale for a really good price so turkey it was, instead of ham.

I figured that it wouldn't be that difficult to put a few ingredients together to come up with something similar to the pictures I've seen. Since I was planning on making only two turkey and egg cups, I decided to use silicone baking cups instead of a muffin tin. The silicone cups worked perfectly. I ended up with these delicious turkey cups that were filled with a soft-baked egg. My decision to serve them on top of spinach came from my love of spinach in quiche and omelets. I sprinkled fresh Parmesan cheese on top of everything. This dish was delicious! (If I do say so myself!)

Turkey & Egg Cups on Spinach
recipe makes 2 cups

1 egg per serving (2)
1/2  slice of turkey breast deli meat per serving (1 whole slice cut in half)
1/4 tsp garlic powder x 2
1/4 tsp onion powder x 2
1 silicon baking cup per serving
non-stick baking spray
1 can of spinach, drained well
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400*

Set silicone baking cups on a baking tray. Lightly spray each cup with non-stick spray.

Line each cup with 1/2 slice of turkey, trimming to fit, if necessary. I used large eggs in each cup because I wasn't planning on adding anything else to the cups. The large egg filled the cup perfectly. If you want to add veggies or cheese to the cups, I would recommend using small, or at least medium-sized eggs so that you have some extra room so the egg doesn't overflow when it's baking.

Sprinkle the garlic and onion powder on top of each egg. Stick the baking pan into the oven. Bake for 13 minutes to achieve a yolk that is still partially soft and "dippy".

Drain the spinach; pour into a microwavable dish. Heat through. Divide the spinach equally onto two plates.

Top the spinach with one or two turkey and egg cups. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of everything.

Serve immediately.

Menu Plan Monday & Bad Weather

We are very thankful today that we were able to escape harm from the terrible weather that surrounded us last night. If you watched the morning news today, you probably saw coverage of all of the damage that occurred around the Charlotte, NC area. We live smack dab in the middle of it. Yes, Dorothy, tornado season is here.

I spent most of the evening watching weather radars and standing outside on our patio watching the fabulous lightening show off in the distance....instead of menu planning. My kids were up late because no one could've possibly slept through the thunder and lightening or the noise of the rain and hail hitting the side of our apartment.

So, here I am once again posting a late menu. I'm ok with it, though, because my family and I are together safe & sound. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who sustained damage by the storms.

And....   Let me tell you how one big storm can make for a class of very excited 1st graders! I walked into  my daughter's class this morning only to be surrounded by several students who were very eager to tell me their versions of what they saw last night. Watching their faces as they told me everything, seeing their eyes widen  with every descriptive word.....that just reassured me that even though I'm late making a menu plan or that my house is somewhat messy at times, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the morning with them whenever possible!

Have a great week! It's supposed to be sunny and warm here for the rest of the week! Yay!


My Low Carb Menu

M - turkey & egg cups on spinach* - new recipe

T - grilled sausage, grilled squash & salad

W - beef or pork kebabs, coleslaw & cucumbers in vinegar and oil

H - bbq chicken salad* - didn't try last week so new recipe this week

F- out with the family to celebrate my husband's BD

A - low carb pizza casserole

Family Menu

M - hot turkey sandwiches w/gravy

T - grilled hot dogs, pasta salad & carrot and celery stix w/ranch dressing

W - beef or pork kebabs, wild rice & cucumbers in vinegar and oil

H - bbq chicken salads

F - out with family to celebrate dad's BD

A - pizza loaf* and salad - new recipe


If you're looking for some new ideas for dinner, check out Menu Plan Monday.