Meatballs with Sweet & Sour Apricot Sauce

 Meatballs with Sweet & Sour Apricot Sauce

Ingredients

- 2 eggs

- ½ cup minced onions

- 2 lbs Ground Beef

- 1 cup Seasoned dry breadcrumbs

- 2 tsp Salt

- 4 tbsp Butter

- 2 tbsp Olive oil

- 12 oz 1 jar Apricot jam

- ½ cup  Bbq sauce

- Cubed Mozza Cheese


Directions

Meatballs:

Put 2 eggs into a large bowl; beat gently with fork, set aside.  Add ½ cup minced onions.  Add to eggs along with 2 lbs ground meat 2 tsp salt and 1 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs.  Mix with clean hands.  Scoop 1 round tablespoon of meat and roll into balls with your hands.  Add a small square of mozza to centre.

In a Large frying pan med heat 1 tsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil brown 2-3 minutes 1 side.  Cook 6-7 minutes total.  Transfer to large flat baking dish. 

If you are cooking several meatballs and are reusing the pan, wipe out pan with paper towel add another 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter each time.

Sauce:

In a medium size bowl melt 2 tbsp butter in microwave (about 20 seconds).  Add 1 – 12 Oz jar of apricot jam and ½ a cup of your favourite bbq sauce.  Wisk until blended.  Pour over meatballs.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.

Enjoy! 

- Nutritional Info (per 10 meatballs) -

Calories - 214     Fat - 1 0    Carbs - 9     Protein - 21    Fibre - 0

- Nutritional Info (per tsp sauce) -

Calories - 0     Fat - 0     Carbs - 0     Protein - 0    Fibre - 0

Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

 

This breakfast tastes like dessert.  It's awesome for a quick breakfast you can take with you.  If you pack this in your lunch and like your granola crunchy, assemble all ingredients except granola; instead placing granola in zip lock bag and add right before eating. 

Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium strawberries (or any other type of fruit)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup granola
- 1 tbsp organic maple syrup

Directions:
Spoon yogurt into dish.  Slice strawberries on top of yogurt.  Sprinkle granola on top.  Drizzle with maple syrup.

- Nutritional Info (entire recipe - i.e one parfait) -

Calories - 257    Fat - 12     Carbs - 34     Protein - 8     Iron - 7    Fibre - 4

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a favourite in our house (my husband devours these cookies by the handful).  They taste just like banana bread and are really soft; reminiscent of muffin tops.  The riper the banana's, the deeper the flavour will be.

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Grease cookie sheets.  Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together, and set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix in the mashed bananas.  Add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Veggie & Cream Cheese Bagel

This one is hardly a recipe, but it's oh so yummy!  I had this sandwich at a tea house with my mom when I was a teenager, and I have frequently made it ever since:

Ingredients

- 1 whole grain bagel

- 2 tbsp cream cheese

- 4-8 slices english cucumber

- 2-3 slices of tomato

- 1 leaf of lettuce

- 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts

Directions

Toast your bagel and spread 1 tbsp of cream cheese per side.  Add cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce; top with alfalfa sprouts

Enjoy!

- Nutritional Info (entire recipe - i.e one sandwich) -

Calories - 358    Fat - 13     Carbs - 48     Protein - 11     Iron - 22    Fibre - 5

Pina Colada Popsicles

Pina Colada's are one of my favourite alcoholic beverages.  This recipe can be used for the beverage as well, just add a few shots of white rum and you'll be good to go!  :)

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pineapple

1/2 cup coconut milk (fresh is best, but you can used canned)

2 tbsp sugar (I use evaporated organic cane juice)

1/2 cup almond milk

Blend ingredients (a magic bullet works awesome for this).   Pour into 4 of your favourite popsicle molds, freeze until set (a few hours) and enjoy! 

- Nutritional Info (per popsicle) -

Calories - 93    Fat - 4     Carbs - 15     Protein - 1     Iron - 2    Fibre - 1

Cheddar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

I love making homemade breakfast sandwiches.  Not only are they delicious, but they are really easy to make!  I discovered Lilydale Daystarters a few years ago and haven't gone back to regular bacon since.  Not only are they delicious, but they are only a mere 25 calories and 1 gram of fat per slice (beating out Oscar Myers turkey bacon by 10 calories and 2 grams of fat, and regular bacon by a whopping 70 calories 8 grams of fat).

Ingredients

- 2 large eggs

- 2 whole wheat english muffins

- 1 tbsp butter

- 4 slices of Lilydale Daystarters (turkey bacon)

- 30 g medium or old cheddar cheese

Directions

- Slice or grate cheese and set aside.

I like to use medium to old cheddar as it gives a much deeper flavour.   You can get nice thin slices of cheese using a potato peeler (as pictured below):

Prehead a medium sized pan on medium heat.  Once the pan is preheated melt 1/4 tsp of butter and add the turkey bacon and cook as usual. 

The addition of butter will give the turkey bacon a nice golden color and a bit of crispness (as pictured below). 

Melt 1/4 tsp butter in a medium saucepan preheated on high heat. Fry eggs making sure the yolk cooks through (makes for a less messy sandwich).   I like to make sure my eggs get nice and bubbly before flipping.

If re-using the same pan, be sure to wipe out all of the old oil with a papertowel first. 

Toast your english muffins and butter each side with the remaining butter.   Assemble sandwich and enjoy!

- Nutritional Info (per sandwich) w/ butter -

Calories - 363    Fat - 20     Carbs - 24     Protein - 25     Iron - 18    Fibre - 2

- Nutritional Info (per sandwich) w/o butter -

Calories - 310    Fat - 14     Carbs - 24     Protein - 25     Iron - 18    Fibre - 2

London Fog

London Fogs are one of my all time favourite drinks.  They are made with Earl Grey tea (hence the name) and very easy to make with basic kitchen utensils.  No need to pay $5+ at a coffee shop anymore!

Ingredients
- 2-3 Earl Grey tea bags or 3-4 tbsp loose (depending on how strong you like it)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 3-4 tbsp vanilla syrup

Directions

Combine milk and water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly (you want to be careful as to not burn the milk).  Add tea and reduce heat to medium, steeping for about 2 minutes. 

Remove tea bags/strain tea and mix in vanilla syrup.  Pour into your favourite mug and enjoy!