Curried Meatballs and Food Prepping

The feedback I got from my last post on 10 things I have learned as a personal trainer was so beyond what I could have imagined. I am so thrilled that I got such positive responses and the fact that so many of you other trainers out there can relate. In no way am I an ‘expert’ in this field. I don’t even like to ever use the term ‘expert’ because I think that there is always more to learn when it comes to your professional growth. In the health/wellness and fitness field, we are constantly bombarded and updated with ‘new workouts’ ‘new diets’ and a whole plethora of information that frankly, can cause some to get more frustrated then to anything else. I think that it is so important for me to stay on my A-Game when it comes to my field because trends are constantly changing. I will always be learning more from others, and of course from my clients.
Now, what the heck have I been eating lately? Well I made this recipe the other week and I don’t know why it took me so long to share it with you. Well let me take that back…I found this recipe and modified it a bit. I do not want to take ownership of the whole recipe, as I found it on another website.

I had a package of frozen lean ground beef that I took out of the freezer in the morning and the whole day I was thinking about what I wanted to do with it. Ok-not the whole day, but I did know that I wanted to do something different.  I have made salsa burgers already. I have substituted ground beef in my turkey meatloaf recipe I have cooked it simply in a skillet with some mushrooms and taco seasoning but tonight….I wanted to try something different.

I found this recipe for Curried Meatballs that looked quite interesting. I love cumin and curry flavors, but have never tried it with ground beef before. Then I saw that this recipe called for diced apple in the meatballs

Here you have it. Curried Meatballs with Diced Apple

 I started by combining all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl (apple, egg, onion, salt, pepper, curry)

 After everything was set in the bowl, I washed my hands and mixed everything together. Of course you could use a spoon or mixing utensil, but I prefer my hands to really make sure everything is well incorporated.

 The recipe called for them to be cooked in a baking dish, rather than a cookie sheet. I have never cooked meatballs on anything besides a cookie sheet, so I tried out the dish for this recipe

I formed 12 evenly sized meatballs.

 I cooked the meatballs for about 25 minutes (or until they were fully cooked through) at 375 degrees. The meatballs were fantastic and this picture does it no justice.

I am not going to lie and say I use a fancy camera–I don’t. These are from my iphone and I apologize, but food is my thing, not photography. I totally understand that people like to look at pretty pictures of food (heck, I do!) SO if that is what you are looking for from Onefitfoodie, there are lots of blogs out there that do feature beautifully photographed food. So if you can put up with my sub-par pictures, I think you will still really enjoy my recipes!

Curried Meatballs With Apple Adapted from this recipe
Yields: 12 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inch in diameter)

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (can use ground turkey)
• 1/2 C diced red onion
• 1/2 C apple-chopped (I used a Gala apple because I had it on hand)
• 1 egg
• 1 T curry powder
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Form into 12 evenly sized meatballs (you could make more or less or whatever your heart desires. You could also turn these into burgers!)
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through
• ENJOY!

The original recipe also came with a delicious curry sauce that I didn’t make because I was feeling a bit lazy but I posted it below because I DO want to make it next time I make these meatballs.

Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 T coconut oil
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 T curry powder
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1/2 C chicken broth

Directions

• In a large skillet saute the garlic in the coconut oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the honey, curry powder, and tomato paste and whisk together. Add the chicken broth and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth. 
• Bring to a simmer. 
• After the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the sauce in the skillet and coat well. 
• Cover and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. 

Other than the meatball recipe. I have really been making an effort to set aside some time for food prep I really don’t enjoy going to the grocery 3x a week (which has happened before because I have this bad habit of not getting LOTS of groceries at a time) so what happens is I end up having to go back and forth a few times a week. Not so fun. I find it so important when food prepping and eating clean and healthy meals, yes it is still important to cheat but when food is prepped and ready to go, goals are at hand-it is so much easier to stay focused!

Speaking of salsa, I have been flying through this salsa that I found at Trader Joes. It is found in the refrigerator section and it is SO fresh. I love that it didn’t have that ‘out of a can’ feeling that some salsas can have. It tastes like homemade salsa from a Mexican Restaurant. I can eat it off a spoon!

• 4 oz Chicken Breast
• 1 1/2 C green beans
• 1/2 C cooked brown rice with 1/2 T olive oil
• 2-3 T salsa
• Spicy Mustard