HeaVy on the Veg!

This a another all Aldi meal and the family devoured it. I like cooking things ahead of time and these are tasty reheated.

Serves 10 meatballs

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

1 package of ground chicken

1/2 cup of bread crumbs or 1 slice of bread chopped in a food processor

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon of dried parsley

1 eggs- beaten

1 clove of garlic- grated or minced

Pinch of salt

Two slices of ham cut into small pieces

1/4 cup of shredded gruyere cheese- can be a very full cup

Put all the above ingredients into a medium bowl and mix with your hands until everything is incorporated.

Form meatballs and place them on a lined baking sheet and cook for 22 minutes at 400.

While meatballs are cooking make the sauce.

1 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of flour

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup of milk

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Juice of half a lemon

S&P

1 teaspoon of dried parsley

In a small bowl combine stock, milk, and mustard. Stir and set aside.

In a large skillet heat butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 45 seconds.

Add liquids and stir. Simmer until sauce thickens about 8 minutes. Add lemon juice, S&P, and parsley. Add meatballs and stir.. Cook for two more minutes.

Serve with roasted asparagus.

Trim ends of asparagus. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with evoo and S&P. Roast at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

This is GF and Keto friendly.

I never heard of or cooked with butterkin squash until I joined my produce CSA last year. I prefer to use them in place of pumpkin purée since that can be hard to find. It gives you the same color and texture plus the pumpkin flavor comes from the seasoning.

Over the next few weeks I’ll share how I use my butterkin. I do energy balls, oatmeal, and these bars which are my favorite.

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a baking sheet with foil and quarter your butterkin. Remove seeds and roast cut side down for 45 minutes until it looks like the picture below.

Let cool them scope out inside and purée in a food processor. Of course you can skip these steps and use a can of pumpkin purée.

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray.

1 can of pumpkin purée or one roasted and puréed butterkin or butternut squash.

2 eggs beaten

3/4 cup of almond or coconut flour

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup almond or oat milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Throw everything but chips into a bowl and mix. Fold in chocolate chips and bake for 45 minutes. Let them cool then place in refrigerator. Best served cold.

You can use store bought blackening season or be like me and make your own only to realize you had a bottle. Using more of the peach jam I got from Aldi. Serve with a mixed green salad with my Homemade salad dressing and you have yourself and flavorful healthy meal in under 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400

2 portions of salmon- I used an individual serving size but if you use Aldi’s salmon it is perfect for two.

Blackening Season- https://www.eatingonadime.com/homemade-blackened-seasoning-recipe/ or use store bought

2 tablespoons of Peach Jam or you can use apricot or orange marmalade

Avocado oil

Liberally coat salmon with seasoning. Add oil to a cast iron skillet. Place salmon skin side down. Cook 3 minutes per side then top with jam. Place in oven for 3-5 more minutes depending on salmon thickness.

Seafood is by far my favorite of all the meats. I will someday live were I can enjoy a fresh catch of the day every night for dinner but for now I will just get excited that Aldi has Langostino‘s. It is impossible to mess them up and from start to finish they take less than 10 minutes to come together. I am also going to share my secrets for a perfectly cooked steak.

Surf

1 bag of frozen Langostino’s- thawed

2 cloves of garlic- minced

2 tablespoons of butter

Dried or fresh parsley

S&P

Juice of half a lemon

Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add Langostino‘s and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add parsley, S&P and lemon juice.

Turf

2 filet mignons- remove from refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cooking to bring to room temp

Spice craft steak seasoning- liberally season steak

1 tablespoon of butter

Preheat oven to 400

Using a skillet with a long handle or a cast iron place steak on medium to high heat. Cook both sides for 3-4 minutes depending on steak thickness. Wrap handle with foil and place butter on top of each steak. Finish in the oven for 4 minutes for medium. Let steak sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

A go to weeknight meal for me is something with thinly sliced chicken because it comes together quickly. This recipe requires no vegetable chopping so it really is a breeze. Serve it with mixed greens and you got yourself a 20 minute meal.

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut in half or a large package of thinly cut chicken breast.

1/2 cup of flour

S&P

3 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

3/4 cup of chicken stock

Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons

1/4 cup of capers, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon of dried

If not using thinly sliced chicken. Pound halved breast until 1/4 inch thick.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of butter and the oil.

Season chicken with S&P then dredge in a bowl of flour. Shake off excess.

Add half of chicken to pan. Do not over crowd the pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate. Repeat for second batch.

In the same skillet add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Bring to a boil and scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. After 2 minutes return chicken to pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter in small pieces and cook 2 more minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.