Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple

(cooking on the stove, sauce hasn't thickened yet)

A friend posted on Facebook how much she loved this recipe and I finally got around to trying it. Its a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cooking website (which I love!) I used ground turkey breast for my meatballs, whole wheat panko bread crumbs, and in place of sugar I used ~3 tablespoons of agave nectar (I don't use refined white sugar anymore). I also used a very small amount of oil to cook my meatballs. I wanted that crispy crust but you could bake them if you wanted to. I served it on sticky sushi rice & it paired like a charm. I LOVED LOVED this recipe!! And it was delicious a little spicy! It took a little longer than I thought to prepare but the end result was so worth it! YUM!!

Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple (links to original recipe)

• 1-¼ pound Ground Beef
• ½ whole Onion, Diced Very Finely
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs (or Regular Breadcrumbs)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper, More To Taste
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• Canola Oil, For Frying
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Diced Roughly
• 1-½ cup Fresh Pineapple Chunks
• 2 cups Beef Stock Or Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• ½ cups Sherry Or White Wine Vinegar
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• Salt To Taste
• Crushed Red Pepper, To Taste
• Extra Beef Stock If Needed

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. Mix with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and cornstarch.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch. Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste. (Hint: this dish is yummy if it’s a little spicy.)

Serve over cooked brown or white rice.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world" -Desmond Tutu

Stress

"When life becomes intolerably stressful the temptation is often to blame external influences. But it is often we who are responsible for holding ourselves back from getting the most out of life and realizing our full potential"

~Speaker at our work retreat (sorry I forgot his name)

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Another recipe I got from Whole Foods. Yum! Variation - I added some fresh squeezed juice from some mandarins I had. I also used black olives and goat cheese instead because that's what I had! You can also add more veggies & do less pasta if you want.

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
Salt And Pepper To Taste
¾ pound Penne Pasta
2 tablespoon(s) Champagne Vinegar Or White Wine Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (12-ounce) Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts,drained and chopped
1 small Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 small Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups Small Broccoli Florets
½ cup Sliced Pitted Kalamata Olives
½ cup Sliced Basil
½ cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Or 1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside to let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil while continuing to whisk constantly to make a dressing. Add pasta, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, broccoli, olives, basil, cheese, salt and pepper, toss gently to combine and serve.

Notes: Per serving: 300 calories, 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 460mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 10g protein

"Do one thing a day that scares you. You'll either step forward in growth or you'll step back in safety" - Abraham Maslow

Charity Never Faileth

"Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other. Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love"

~Marvin J Ashton

Quotes

Is it weird to start adding quotes to my recipe blog? Hmm well too bad. For the past year I have been making a daily effort to become a better person. Not that I was a bad person to begin with but I feel like everyone has something they can work on & don't we all want to be the best us? My first "goal" was to become more positive. I was actually kind of surprised to learn that this is not some goal you can just achieve. Just when you think "I've done it, I've got it down" something tests you and you slip back to simple thoughts of human nature...or try to help a coworker feel better by complaining with them...or get frustrated at the car that cut you off. There are many small things in this world that I never even realized test your positivity or growth in general. So I broadened my "goal" to ACTIVELY trying to be a better person in some way each and every day. I use goal in quotes because I've always learned that goals need to be measurable. There is no way of measure or meeting this goal. It is a lifelong plan. I also use actively in all caps because I realize it is something that takes work, thought, and diligence. And by work I mean work! I have to recenter myself often and I have to empty my cup of whatever is weighing on me often....but it is being aware of this that is the process. Sooo with that being said - I love quotes. I write things that touch me in a notebook a dear friend gave me once. I read through favorite quotes often to recenter myself. I google quotes on certain topics when I find I need something in particular. Quotes can come from books, cards, songs, speakers, scriptures, words from a friend, something that pops into your head, anywhere! A dear friend...who is a fellow quote lover and soul builder... also gave me a book for my birthday called The Book of Awakening. Sometimes I love some of these passages and just feel like sharing. Sometimes I read a great quote that I just want to remember forever. Too many friends on Facebook for this, too many words for Twitter....so I thought - can I add quotes to my recipe blog? My answer....why not, it's my blog! I can do what I want!!

"Those who truly love us will never knowingly ask us to be other than we are" - Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo

Chickpea and Lentil Stew

This is a recipe I got from Whole Foods. If you like Indian flavorings/spices, in specific garam masala, this is an easy & delicious dish to try. And as with many Indian dishes you can adjust the level of spicy to fit what you like! Or take out the chile pepper & sub with bell pepper if you want no spice at all. -- [side note: this recipe is for a crock pot but I just boiled/simmered on the stove until the lentils were cooked and it was good]

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 chile pepper, such as serrano or jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped, more to taste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 cup sesame seeds [didn't use]
2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans (chick peas) [recipe said to drain, I put the liquid in my stew]
1/2 cup dried red lentils [used green lentils, came out fine]
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree [tomato sauce is fine]
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup pitted black olives
1/2 cup yogurt

Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Add peppers, garlic, garam masala and sesame seeds and cook until peppers begin to soften. Combine everything except the yogurt in the slow cooker and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Add yogurt about 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition - Per serving: 250 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 680mg sodium, 33g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 11g protein

Diet changes to help acne

Question from a reader:

As a teen and even up until a few years ago I had great skin. People would say it looked like porcelain...I never had so much as a blemish growing up. But now, NOW I am break out city. It's pretty much my entire forehead and t-zone. The forehead is the worst and along my chin/neck. It's horrible. I hate it and I've tried every acne product (aside from prescription strength). I've been researching diet modifications as a way to clear up my skin...and there's so much out there...so many differing views. I've cut out soda and have started to limit dairy and increase fruits/veg (especially orange vegs). I've also increased my water intake. I'm sure a lot of it is hormonal (I'm going to get them checked at my annual), but any diet suggestions??

Answer:

Off the top of my head the number one thing I ALWAYS hear is get rid of the processed foods. I looked into it some more and you're definitely on the right path. Cut out as much sugar and refined foods as possible. Increasing your orange veggies is good because Vit A is suppose to help. Basically nutrients that are antioxidants or anti-inflammatory so Vit A, C, E, zinc, selenium, and omega 3 fatty acids. Also making sure you get your B Vitamins, esp Vit B5 (pantothenic acid). I also saw a lot of stuff that says probiotics help, so you can eat those in many products or as a supplement. So from a nutrition standpoint I would decrease as much "junk" as possible and increase the fruits & veggies as well as probably take a multivitamin just to be sure you're getting what you need. I did also see that aspartame could cause acne so I think that's a good thing to try to take out.

Another thing I found very interesting is that a soy sensitivity/allergy can cause acne. Soy (processed form) is in EVERYTHING now if you eat process foods or eat out often. Its also something that can kind of build up when you don't even realize its in the things you're eating.

Also, my friend uses coconut oil to moisturize her face! Sounds a little scary but she swears by it.

And then obviously some think the food/acne correlation is a myth but I approach things wanting to try a natural path first and think everything we put in our body is important. Plus making healthy changes won't hurt & will only help in other areas so its worth a shot!