Posted in - Red Meat, Healthy Eating

Wellness Wednesday: Healthier Meatballs

Healthier Meatballs

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1 medium carrot, minced in food processor
1/2 small onion, minced in food processor (saute these in a little olive oil if you want a milder onion taste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c fresh loosely packed parsley, finely chopped in food processor
1/2 c fresh, finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 c whole wheat bread crumbs (I made my own with leftover stale bread in food processor)
3 T organic ketchup
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb grass-fed ground beef

Prep Day: Cover a cookie sheet that has sides or a 9×13 casserole dish with parchment paper or foil (for easy clean-up).

In a large bowl, add the carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt and pepper to a large bowl and combine.

Mix in the ground beef. Use your hands to combine well.

Using about 2 tablespoons of mixture per meatball, roll out 15 meatballs. They will be about 1 or 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place these on the cookie sheet line with parchment paper, leaving a little room between each one.

Freeze. Once frozen place in gallon freezer bag.

Serve Day: Thaw meatballs. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place these on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little room between each one.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. I cut one open and make sure there is no pink in the middle.

Posted in - Pork, Budget Friendly

Frugal Fridays: Simple BBQ Ribs

Simple BBQ Ribs

Serves 4

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40 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used sweet baby ray’s) – $2.44
3.38lb. St. Louis style ribs – $6.05 ($1.79lb.)

Total Cost – $8.49
Cost per serving – $2.12

Prep Day: freeze ribs.

Serve Day: Thaw Ribs. Put your ribs in the crockpot. Lather them with bbq sauce. I highly recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s. I’m one who likes to make most everything from scratch, but when it comes to bbq sauce, I can’t make better than Sweet Baby Ray’s. They aren’t even paying me to say that.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Gently remove the racks and lay them out on a foil lined baking tray. Add more bbq sauce on top.

Broil under a broiler for 3-5 minutes until the bbq sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. Alternately you could wrap them in foil and throw them on a heated grill for the same effect. I sometimes do this for crowds and picnics. This keep the ribs warm until ready to eat and makes it easy to pass out portions.

Eat and Enjoy!

Posted in - Pork, Budget Friendly

Frugal Fridays: Pork Chops with Herb Mustard Butter

Pork Chops with Herb Mustard Butter

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Serves 4

4 (1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops – $8.98
1 teaspoon salt – $.01
1/2 teaspoon pepper $.01
1/4 cup butter, softened – $.31
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley – $.25
2 tablespoons honey mustard – $.26
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage – free (from my garden)

Total Cost – $9.82
Cost Per Serving – $2.46

Prep Day: Stir together butter and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl until blended. Place in a small container. Place pork chops in a freezer bag along with butter and freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Top each chop with 1 rounded Tbsp. butter mixture.

Sprinkle chops evenly with salt and pepper, and place on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan.

Broil 5 inches from heat 8 to 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155°F.