February 12, 2014

Greek Meatballs

February 12, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

I've been a little MIA... I know. This week has been a whirlwind and it's only Wednesday. How is that possible? Anyway, I got a lot of action on my Greek Olympic Feast last week so I thought I'd be nice and share the Greek Meatball & Tzatziki recipe. You're welcome.

What's cool about this recipe is that is naturally healthy. I didn't make any modifications to make it "healthier"... it is healthy as it is. Oh, and the other cool thing is that it's a quick one!

As I explained earlier, Rob and I wanted to celebrate the start of the Olympics and I decided to go back to its origin and make GREEK. I'm not usually a Rachael Ray recipe follower, but, this one stood out to me and I knew I'd be able to whip it up after work.

Moisten the bread in the milk (I actually used almond milk because that's what was in my fridge). Mash it together and add it to the bowl with the EVOO and meat (gotta go organic guys, gotta do it!). Then, add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and use your best tools (um, your hands) to mash it it all up and then roll into 1 1/2" balls.

After the cucumber shreds are done straining, add them to the greek yogurt, lemon, dill, salt, and remaining garlic clove mixture in the food processor and whip it up. Tzatziki is so delicious and so healthy. It compliments these meatballs really well! (Plus, works great as a dip with pita, veggies, chips, etc)

Serve with hummus, warm pita bread, Ina Garten's Greek Salad and you're good to go!

How are you all enjoying the Olympics!? Have you prepared any celebratory meals? I'd love to hear about it!

Have an awesome week! xo

February 04, 2014

Roasted Veggie Mash Up & Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

February 04, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

I haven't posted a recipe in a while - weird! Anyway, I think I'm officially on a mustard kick. I've been making all different kinds of mustard sauces - mustard is just so versatile and has such a sharp flavor it can handle many other opposing ingredients... honey, garlic, etc.

So... it's one of those weeks where I have a hodge podge of vegetables in my fridge from different meals I've made over the last couple weeks. After chatting with Mandy over the weekend about her new go-to side dish... take a guess... roasted vegetables! I decided to throw everything in the pan... add some chopped onions and sliced grapes and be done with it. (Side note: it was so great catching up with Mandy this weekend... we haven't seen each other since last Spring. It's amazing how so much time can go by so quickly, but, when you get together it's like no time has passed. We caught up at my place and then headed to Stephi's for dinner - espresso martinis for the win!)

Back to the meal. Caramelized onions and grapes add a nice sweetness to a savory meal that isn't too intense. For this mash-up, I used brussel sprouts (which I only started liking last week), potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips.

Chop up the vegetables... all about the same size. Drizzle with a little extra virgin, salt, pepper. Throw in the oven at 415 degrees for 15 minutes. During this time, marinate chicken or any other protein with whatever you want. Tonight I used extra virgin, lemon juice, salt, crushed red pepper, thyme, and bay leaves.

Toss it on a grill pan on medium heat and cook through. While that's happening... mix the following ingredients to make the whole grain mustard sauce:

- whole grain mustard

- honey mustard

- organic mayo

- salt

-extra virgin olive oil

- maple syrup

You know I don't measure so I tried to show you how to eye ball it in the below photo. Mix it up and then set it aside.

Once the 15 mins is up on the roasted vegetables - toss them around and put them in for another 12-15 mins. Grill the chicken and then plate everything once it's all done.

Lotsss of health benefits to talk about here!

Parsnips: Folate, Potassium, Vitamins C & E,
Carrots: A, K, & Fiber
Organic Chicken: Protein, B3, B6, Selenium
Turnips: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium
Brussell Sprouts: (pretty much high in everything good) buttt especially K, C, A, folate, manganese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Monounsaturated fats, Vitamin E

Plus, lots of anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant benefits from the grapes & onion!

That's all I got for tonight - does anyone have a go-to mustard sauce recipe?? Hope you all have a great week despite the snowstorms in the midwest/east.

January 14, 2014

This salad has potatoes in it.

January 14, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

It took for-ev-errrr to get home from work tonight. Drove home from CT and hit traffic... so, no boxing for this girl. A late, at-home workout was my best option. I decided to start out with some pull-ups (guys, I can do two in a row now - woooot) and then hit the mat with burpees, squats, bicycle kicks, etc. I mostly did this workout that I posted last year. It's one of my favorites. Check it out and let me know what you think.

I was craving a lean, mean salad (probably because I knew there was goat cheese in the fridge). So, while I worked out... I toasted up some chickpeas that I had already pre-baked (o/o, salt, pepper, any herb you like at 350 for a half hour) and also thinly slice 1/3 of a sweet potato with o/o & salt and threw them in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes.

Then, I started to build my salad:

Almonds, cranberries, baked chickpeas, sweet potatoes, grape tomatoes, organic baby romaine & spinach, goat cheese, extra virgin o/o, and balsamic. Healthy standouts: Fiber, Protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Antioxidants, Calcium, Iron, Lycopene &a… — Almonds, cranberries, baked chickpeas, sweet potatoes, grape tomatoes, organic baby romaine & spinach, goat cheese, extra virgin o/o, and balsamic. Healthy standouts: Fiber, Protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Antioxidants, Calcium, Iron, Lycopene & MORE.

Andddd done... in minutes, really. It was absolutely delicious... the addition of the sweet potatoes, goat cheese, and chickpeas really make it! This meal is loaded with nutrients and is also vegetarian.