Foodies Friday - Family Favorites

Going with our Foodie Friday theme I wanted to share some family favorite recipes we enjoy on a regular basis around here. Turns out I'm a pretty plain Jane girl when it comes to cooking. I don't really enjoy spending time in the kitchen(much rather be outside) so quick and easy is my motto- AND healthy of course. ;0) After all we are striving for "Better Things" not just better tasting to us but better FOR US as well.  When my whole family(4 kids with every different type of preference) asks for seconds we call it a "Family Favorite."

Family Favorite #1 - Mega Meatballs

We looooove meatballs. Could be my hubby's Italian background or my stick-to-your-ribs meat and potatoes EVERYday upbringing. Whatever it is I stumbled across this recipe looking for a healthy alternative to the packaged Meatballs from WalMart(although they are pretty tasty the ridiculously long list of foreign ingredients is a major turn off for this label reading Mamma) and haven't looked back.

3lbs of ground beef - turkey - game meat or a combination of any of those
1C of Old Fashioned Oats
1/2C Flax seed meal
1/2C Shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 - 1/2 C of chopped green onion
2 Lg Eggs
1Tbs Paprika
2Tsp Sea Salt
2tsp Garlic Pwd
1 1/2tsp papper

Rather than take the time to make the sauce - my hubby's the one with Italian background not me ;0) I always have a few can of those Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes from ALDI on hand I dump over the top & throw in the oven. Bake at 400 for 30min covered and then 20 more minuets uncovered(this somewhat depends on how big you form the balls) and WaLa! - Yummy goodness. Here's the link to the original recipe if your interested.

  http://www.thecoersfamily.com/mega-meatballs-low-carb-gluten-free/

Family Favorite #2 - Egg Roll in a bowl

2lb Lean g.beef - g. turkey or game meat if you are fortunate enough to have a hunter in your house like we do.

2lb bag of dry coleslaw mix(shredded cabbage & carrots) of course you could shred on your own but again - aint nobody got time for THAT. ;0)

4Tbs minced garlic

1c soy sauce(low sodium preferred)

2tsp of ginger

Brown meat in a large skillet. Combine garlic, soy sauce & ginger in a small bowl. Once the meat is cooked through add the coleslaw mix & stir to combine. Then simply pour soy sauce mix over and stir through. Cook about 5min or until cabbage begins to soften just a bit. I love to serve this with brown(or white) rice or quinoa and WaLA! - Another simple, quick deeelicious family favorite.

Family Favorite #3 - Pepper Pizza's

8 Bell Peppers halved & cored

Sprinkle of Extra Virgin O. Oil

Dash of sea salt / pepper

2c of Pizza sauce(or I take that can of ALDI's good ol Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes from above) and throw it in my blender to make my own sauce.

1lb g. beef or black beans - optional but a serving of protein easily makes this a complete meal.

2c Motz Cheese

1c Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven for 350 - Lay out Peppers and fill either by layers or mix ingredients and fill. Bake 20ish minuets or so (depending on how soft you like them) until peppers are crisp tender. I have found that we like out peppers soft so simply placing in a cake pan with a bit of water in the bottom and covering for the first half of baking time softens then up nicely. Cool & Enjoy! - Oh AND my kids also LOVE taking these in their lunches. So win /win. : )

Family Favorite #4 - Whole Roasted Chicken

This amazing super simple chicken recipe comes from my BFF Sarah Feaster. She shared it with me awhile back and I make it at least once a month sometimes two.

2 Whole Chicken (one for this meal one for leftovers!) - we are big eaters if you haven't noticed.

Rinse, pat dry and rub in Dijon Mustard. Bake 425 for 20min per pound and/or till the internal temp reaches 180 degrees. Do not cover. Skin will be crispy - my kids fight over it and I figure the fat is good for their brains! ;0)

Family Favorite #5 - Sheet Pan Roasted Garlic Shrimp with Zucchini

https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/garlic-shrimp-recipe-sheet-pan-suppers

This recipe is our most recent family favorite! - And we give it FIVE STARS!!!!! - I will say at first they were very hesitant - the green things(Zuccini) were in question and all the spices. (My plain Jane taste has rubbed off a bit on my family and they aren't big fans of lots of spices) So I tweaked it a bit. I halved all the dried spices and left out the lemon(hubby's not a fan) Then because I doubled the entire recipe(4 servings doesn't cut it anymore) and Shrimp is a bit on the higher side of our budget I pan seared some cubed chicken breast(to ensure it cooked through all the way through as the shrimp is pre-cooked) and WaLa! another Family Favorite was born! - <3     

I hope that you find something from this list you can add to your Family's Recipe box - you could even plan your whole next weeks dinner off this list if you want to ;0) If your family does enjoy one of these as much as we do please let us know which one. We look forward to sharing more with you soon! Happy Foodie Friday Friends! ~ Enjoy your weekend.