Every kitchen needs some workhorse recipes.

 

This Slow Cooker Meatballs and Sauce recipe is mine.

It takes 15 minutes to throw it into the crock pot and we can eat forever. If you are in a hurry, you can just throw jarred sauce into the crock pot, then add the meatballs (this kind is my favorite spaghetti sauce of all time but any sauce will do since it is slow cooking with other flavors and meatballs.) Either way, I love how tender they end up, just like a real Italian restaurant or deli. And you notice there are no breadcrumbs in this recipe, making it totally low carb. If you are so inclined.

But if you have 5 minutes, it is so easy to make this sauce. First you sauté onions, garlic, whatever veggies you like (I used spinach since my kids can’t pick it out and tend to eat it) with tomato paste.

The sauce and the meatballs took me about 15 minutes. I threw it all in the crock pot and at dinner I had this:

I tend to double the recipe to freeze some or use some for subs, but if you do any more the 6 qt. pot can’t hold it (I tried).

Spaghetti is one of my kids favorite dinners, so we have it almost every week. But to make it healthier lately I have been using spaghetti squash for mine (and my husbands who loves to eat low carb). It makes this meal perfect for everyone.

If you have never cooked spaghetti squash before, here is the method I learned a long time ago at Wegman’s (which you might remember me talking about in this post). They actually had a lady demonstrating how to cook spaghetti squash. One more reason I miss them so.  You slice it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then you place it in a microwave safe baking dish with about an inch of water. Then throw plastic wrap on top. Cook for 20 minutes.

When it is done, you have this gorgeous squash that has actual strands of squash, just like spaghetti. Blows my mind every time:

I drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and honestly I could dive right in to this alone:

But it totally can take the place of spaghetti without missing a thing.

So in case you don’t already have a meatball recipe you love (or one for the crock pot!), here you go! Buon Appetito.

 

 

Slow Cooker Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (printer version here): 

(Serves 6-8, but doubles easily so freeze half)

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

2-3 T. olive oil

1 yellow onion diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 t. garlic salt  + ½ t. pepper

1 can tomato paste (3 oz)

2 cans (28 oz.) crushed tomoatoes

2 t. dried Italian seasoning

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. salt + ¼  t. pepper

crushed red pepper optional (I leave out for my kids and add to mine)

pinch of sugar

For the Meatballs:

1 + ½ lbs. beef/pork/veal mix

2 eggs

½ cup grated Parmesan

3 T. yellow onion, minced

3 garlic cloves minced

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 t. salt + ½ pepper

 

2 Spaghetti Squash, split in half and seeded

 

Directions:

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and spinach. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes until soft. Add the tomato past into the onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Add mixture to the crock pot with the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pinch of sugar and salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bround meat, eggs, Parm, oinion, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper together. Scoop up mixture and roll into a ball the size of a walnut. Carefully drop into the crock pot. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-8. Taste and season sauce as needed during the last hour. (Note: We ate them after 3 hours and they were still good, but sauce deepens if it cooks longer).  Serve with fresh basil and Parmesan.

To cook squash:

Place spaghetti squash in microwave safe pan and add 1 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for 20 minutes. Alternatively you can roast a whole one at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool before you cut it in half.

Note: I found this on the internet years ago but my printed out copy that I have been using doesn’t have a source and is super worn. So my apologies to whoever provided me with this recipe. Many thanks!

 

The Fall

The abundant, redundant season.
Ushering in the winter, like an appetizer before the big meal.
Just a taste of what is to come.
Beautiful and temporary.

(excerpted from a poem by Marla Wardell)

Even though I loved this summer more then any I can remember, I am a fall girl.  You probably already sniffed autumn on the edge of a cool breeze lately, and know what I mean. The smell of possibility. Of bountiful new beginnings. Of change. And for some reason, a big dash of hope and joy is mixed in there too. Love it.

So to help you usher in your ode to fall, here is our favorite quick and easy fall meal. Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Have you ever cooked acorn squash? It is really easy, like roasting any vegetable. 400 degress, olive oil and salt (holding the pepper for my kids!) And then the smell of fall veggies roasting fills your house.

This dish couldn’t be easier or quicker. It barely hits the 30 minute mark.

This is my husbands favorite meal! If your kids like cheese, feel free to melt some mozzarella on top (I tried parmesan but it feels too strong and blocks all the subtle fall flavors.) And I was out of pine nuts when I made this, but they truly make this dish (I know because I missed them! I always make this with pine nuts.) And I feel like the butter/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture helps my kids to eat the squash.

But truly, feel free to improvise, this is a dish that welcomes it. In our family, the rice pilaf, cranberry, turkey and pine nuts have become staple, but a little sautéed garden veg like zucchini or squash would be great added in at the same time as the spinach.

Happy fall, and happy eating! xoxo Katie

Stuffed Acorn Squash (printer version here) – 

 

Serves 6-8

3-4 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded (Figure 1 half for each person. Filling easily fills 8 halves.)

Extra virgin olive oil

½ T. salt

1 box of Rice Pilaf (which we love! You could use Long Grain Wild Rice or other favorite grain)

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 oz. chopped spinach, thawed and drained

½ t. garlic salt

1 lb. ground turkey

¾ cup beef or chicken broth

⅓ cup cranberries

⅓ cup roasted pine nuts

2 T. butter

2 T. brown sugar

½ t. cinnamon

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Place acorn squash halved on a baking sheet, flesh side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ½ t. salt. Turn over and roast for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out easily and flesh is soft.

Cook rice according to package directions.

While squash and rice cook, heat 2 T. extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat in a pan. Add onions, sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt and sautéing until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add spinach and garlic salt. Add ground turkey, and cook through. Then add broth, stirring for 2 minutes until absorbed. Add cranberries, cooked rice, and stir to combine. Toast pine nuts in a pan on medium heat (watch them, then burn easily). Add to rice mixture at the end. 

 

Meanwhile, melt 2 T. butter in microwave with brown sugar and cinnamon.

 

Let squash cool for 5 minutes, then brush with brown sugar mixture, mashing into the flesh with a fork to spread around.

 

Then fill with turkey and rice mixture. Add favorite cheese, if desired. Add pepper to the grown ups.

 

I am always looking for recipes that can replace the mountains of snack bars that my kids can eat.

When I found this recipe for Healthy Banana Oat Muffins in Katie Lee’s new cookbook, Endless Summer I couldn’t believe the ingredient list! Greek yogurt? Coconut oil? So I made a double batch and guess what?
We all loved them.

Seriously, they’re the perfect fuel for rushed mornings. I ate one before I ran a 5k and felt amazing.

But what I really love about them is they are the perfect canvas for all different ingredients. As I was eating them, I thought of lots of different versions of them. Like:

// Pears and cranberries

// Chocolate chips (and less healthy, obviously)

// Chunks of apples

// Pumpkin puree in place of the bananas

Hope you try them and come up with a version your people will love. Happy Eating xoxo Katie

Banana Oat Muffins (adapted from Katie Lee’s Endless Summer Cookbook. Printer version here) –

2 cups spelt flour (or all purpose if you don’t have this, or make them Gluten Free with Brown Rice flour)

2 t. baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 t. ground cinnamon

¾ t. salt

⅓ cup rolled oats, plus 2 T. for sprinkling

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1 ½ t. fresh lemon juice

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (whole is fine but I used 2%)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ c. maple syrup

¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

2 t. vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in the oats.

In a large bowl, whisk the bananas, lemon juice, yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla together. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined; do not overmix! Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with oats.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing from the tin.