Healthy Food Blogs | BBQ Meatballs

(Sidenote: if you are a normal American, i have nothing against you. I don't care one way or another what you feed your family or what you eat yourself. Trust me. Really, I don't care or think badly of you. If you want to feed your kids TV dinners and Kool-aid, seriously, be my guest. But, if you're here {and still reading this}, then maybe you'd like to eat healthier and maybe I can spur you on!)  I had never before thought of our family as being different from other normal Americans. I have a hard time grasping the fact that some people feed their children processed and fast foods knowing how terrible it is for them. But then, I think back on my own childhood and realize that "normal" people actually eat that crap on a daily basis and don't think twice about it.  Maybe normal American's just don't know how bad the food is!?  (Cue hate mail.)

I was looking for some recipes the other day online.  And of all of the websites out there on feeding your family good food and so-called healthy meals, i couldn't seem to find a truly healthy website with recipes focused on children.  Why do you think that is?  Why is it that all of these awesome recipes online call for twice as much sugar in a recipe as necessary, include vegetables as a puree so we can hide them from the kids, and have "boxed cake mix" as one of the ingredients? 

A few weeks ago, I took the kids to a birthday party at the local gymnasium for our little neighbor.  She turned 5 years old.  She had about 20 of her friends there along with their parents to celebrate.  (Ridiculously huge party for a 5 year old.)  Anyway, when it was time to eat dessert (which ended up being almost 4pm, which is the time we usually are preparing dinner) the mother handed each kid a cup of ice cream.  All the kids loved it.  They dug in like they'd been starving all day long (or at least since lunch).  I just sat in amazement watching these 20 kids scarf down their ice cream cups.  And kept a watchful eye on my two who I allowed to have half of an ice cream cup.  Then as soon as the ice cream was devoured, out came the cake.  A chocolate cake that was about 4 inches tall drenched in a whipped icing of some sort, and layered in the middle with the same sugary goodness.  The cake was handed out to each child in pieces so large, even Perkin's would have been squeamish.  When the piece was placed in front of Monkey, I kindly smiled and asked for another plate so I could split the cake between the two tater tots.  (Yes, I got dirty looks.)  While watching in horror as my kids shoveled chocolate cake down their tender young throats, I over heard other mothers saying things to their kids like "Aren't you hungry?  Eat your cake!" and "Don't just eat the icing, eat some of the cake, too!" and "Finish up your cake and ice cream, dear!"  Seriously, we're forcing our kids to eat cake and icing and ice cream?  We're upset that they're not finishing all of their sugar-laden dessert?  Give me a break! 

So, now I'm finally to my point.  I realize now, that I am a TOTAL FREAK.  And I'm hoping that maybe you are, too.  (Although right now in reality you're probably thinking that you don't ever want to talk to me again.)  So I'm going to give you some of the recipes that we use on a regular basis along with my alterations to make it a healthier meal.  Yes, I cook almost every night.  Yes, we eat tons of salad.  Yes, the only thing we eat from a box is pasta or cereal bars.  Yes, we eat about 85% organically grown food (notice I don't say "Organic" food, because we aren't in to labels.  Our eggs and much of our produce, our cheese, and even some of our meat is not certified, although it's grown organically and naturally).  No, our kids don't eat any added sugar.  No, our kids don't eat candy.  Ever.  Yes, our kids think that two of our home-made chocolate chips is a reward.  Yes, I said chocolate chips; not chocolate chip cookies.  Yes, I am a freak.  Will you join me? 

My first meal adaptation comes from my new favorite cooking site, Pioneer Woman.  You can find the original recipe by clicking that link.

I'm going to give you a real easy one to begin with.  Nothing crazy.  I promise.

BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients

• FOR MEATBALLS
• 1 pound Organic Ground Beef
• ¾ cups Gluten-free Oats
• 1 cup Organic Milk
• 3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
• 1-½ teaspoon Mediterranean Sea Salt
• Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• _____
• FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
• 1/2 cup rice flour mixed w 1/2 cup Organic baking flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
• Organic Safflower Oil
• _____
• FOR SAUCE
• One jar of your favorite Organic marinara sauce (We used Newton's this time)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. (I used a teaspoon so that all the balls were the same size.  Cause I'm picky like that.) Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in oil until just brown.
Turn on crockpot.  Add jar of sauce with a 1/4 cup of water to get the last few drops out of the jar.  Toss in the meatballs as you take them out of the fry pan.  Leave in sauce cooking in crock until dinner time.  Mine were in there about an hour, and they were oh-so-good!

Served with: Salad, Parmesan cheese, and roasted potatoes.