With a ridiculous number of social events, holiday entertaining, travel, and just general activity busyness, I've struggled to keep a super clean menu this past month (and it's definitely not been strict Paleo). But we've done a fairly good job and all of it has me actually looking forward to another Whole30 (or 60) as soon as the holidays are over. In the meantime, we'll just stay the course and eat as healthy as we can!
Our favorite meal this month is one chock full of Thanksgiving flavor and everyone in the fam goes gaga for it. Not to mention that it gets the whole house smelling like the holidays, which is just so much fun. Give it a try!
Apple Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
(slightly adapted from Well Plated)
Ingredients:
For Meatballs:
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup shredded tart apple, washed with peel on
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley, optional for garnish
For Cranberry Sauce:
- 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (or make your own with fresh cranberries using this quick recipe)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Directions:
1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, breadcrumbs, olive oil, egg, apple, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. With your hands or two forks, lightly mix to combine, being careful not to compact the meat.
3. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 - 2-inch balls. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, just until cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, applesauce, maple syrup, orange zest, and orange juice. Heat over medium to warm through. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, then spoon the sauce over to gently coat. Garnish with fresh parsley as desired and serve.
* * *
30 Days of Dinner
Day 1(W) -- dinner out at Open City with the kids.
Day 2 (Th) -- Hawaiian Turkey Burgers, roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts.
Day 3 (F) -- leftover burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
Day 4 (Sat) -- Fall Dinner Party No. 1 -- this was a potluck, so I made Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri and Roasted Salmon with Honey-Dijon Glaze. I stuck with these two as my staples for each of the three dinner parties we had because they are delicious and easy!
Day 5 (Sun) -- leftovers!
Day 6 (M) -- Lemon Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage and Spinach, but I left out the noodles, added two tomatoes, and served it over spaghetti squash.
Day 7 (T) -- Shredded Beef with Lime and Avocado -- everyone loved this!!
Day 8 (W) -- leftovers!
Day 9 (Th) -- brinner.
Day 10 (F) -- Fall Dinner Party No. 2 -- this wasn't a potluck, but I still made Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri and Roasted Salmon with Honey-Dijon Glaze. I added in ABC Kitchen's Butternut Squash Toast as an appetizer (YUM!!!), my favorite Green Beans and Beets with Balsamic Reduction, and roasted potatoes. We were also all big fans of these Blackberry Thyme Sparklers as well.
Day 11 (Sat) -- dinner out.
Day 12 (Sun) -- dinner out.
Day 13 (M) -- Honey-Glazed Chicken Breasts (sans puree) and leftover veggies and potatoes.
Day 14 (T) -- Apple Cranberry Turkey Meatballs. Butter noodles for the kids, cauliflower rice for me, and green beans for all.
Day 15 (W) -- leftovers/brinner.
Day 16 (Th) -- Butternut Squash and Beef Chili -- I loved this, but it wasn't the kids' favorite.
Day 17 (F) -- dinner out.
Day 18 (Sat) -- Fall Dinner Party No. 2 -- another potluck and back out with the Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri and Roasted Salmon with Honey-Dijon Glaze. We had a few vegetarians, so I also had Goat Cheese and Beet ravioli and more of the Butternut Squash Toast.
Day 19 (Sun) -- leftovers and green beans.
Day 20 (M) -- Lemon Chicken with Red Onion over spaghetti squash.
Day 21(T) -- Sausage and Kale over cauliflower rice.
Day 22 (W) -- leftovers.
Day 23 (Th) -- Thanksgiving!! We hosted this year and I made almost the whole meal and everything from Real Simple Thanksgiving's menu this year: Roast Turkey Breast with Caraway-Mustard Lemon Butter (DEELISH and I don't normally even like turkey), Caramelized Onion and Bacon Gravy, Sourdough Stuffing with Roasted Mushrooms, Shallots, and Celery, Grapefruit-Apricot Cranberry Relish with Rosemary (LOVED), and Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato, and Pomegranate Seed Salad. My brother brought mashed potatoes and we all bought lots of pie!
Day 24 (F) -- leftovers.
Day 25 (Sat) -- dinner out.
Day 26 (Sun) -- more Turkey Day leftovers.
Day 27 (M) -- dinner out.
Day 28 (T) -- Linguine with Creamy Turkey Ragu -- I left the noodles out and gave them to the kids, but made spaghetti squash for me. Everyone had green beans too.
Day 29 (W) -- Honey Grilled Chicken with Citrus Salad (I used skinless chicken breasts and it came out great).
Day 30 (Th) -- Stifatho (Greek Stew) -- everyone absolutely loved this!
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