Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes

I have been craving sloppy joes like NO ONE'S BUSINESS! (Where did that expression come from anyways?) However... that is a very unfortunate craving to have when one cannot have gluten or sugar. I have been looking around the web at a bunch of different recipes and I really wanted to try the Tempeh Sloppy Joes that are on our menu this week but when it came time that I needed to get dinner ready I realized that I was out of Tamari and had no time to run to the store. I scanned through a few other recipes but didn't have all of the ingredients for any one of them so I decided I had to just come up with something.

And oh wow! It turned out AMAZING! Cute hubster LOVED it and so did I. It was the perfect flavor - rich and savory with just a touch of spiciness to it. I made the sauce out of two recipes that I adapted together. I used Worcestershire sauce this time (since that is what I had on hand) but next time I will use the Tamari when I actually have it!

Really, this is a very simple recipe if you can have store bought ketchup and barbecue sauce. I can't because of the things they usually add to it. All the sauce ingredients are are the ingredients for a homemade bbq sauce + homemade ketchup. This way I get to control the ingredients.

SLOW COOKER TURKEY SLOPPY JOES
PIN IT!
Sauce adapted from this recipe and this recipe

SAUCE
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey, or agave)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
--------> You can replace all of the above ingredients with 1 1/3 cup ketchup.
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp brown sugar (I used date sugar)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or soy, or tamari)
3/4 tbsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp paprika (preferably smoked)
1/8 tsp cayenne
Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and mix until completely blended. Bring mixture to a boil and then turn heat to low. Let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
1 small yellow onion
2 large carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup water

Brown the turkey with the onion until no longer pink. (You can use a bit of oil in your pan if you need to. 1 tbsp should be plenty or just spray with nonstick cooking spray.) Once the turkey is cooked through add it to your slow cooker.

Add carrots and celery to the same pan you cooked your turkey in. Add in water and cook until carrots are partially soft. Add veggies to the slow cooker, pour sauce on top, and mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

Cook on low for at least 1 1/2 hours. Add more water at the end if you need to to thin it out.

Serve on buns or do what I do and make a deconstructed sloppy joe salad! Yummy!

Supper-Time Sunday!

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats (Slow Cooker)

Rating: A

Hearty and delicious - this recipe is definitely a keeper! Since I don't eat added sugars if I can avoid it I didn't add the brown sugar to this recipe at all. I doubled the cinnamon and substituted the butter for coconut oil 1:1. My family just added pure maple syrup to their portions when it was done. I ate mine with just the sweetness from the apples. You also have to be really careful about cooking time. Although this calls for 7 hours mine only took 3 in my INSANE crockpot. 

LINK: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/03/overnight-apple-cinnamon-steel-cut-oats-crock-pot/

Instant Mug 'O Mac in the Microwave

Rating: ...B-?

This is a really great idea for a toddler who loves macaroni and cheese. They get to have their favorite dish and you get to feel more confident that they aren't eating a bunch of preservatives and added colors. That being said, however, this technique didn't work for me. I bought a big box of noodles from Sam's Club and I guess the noodles are too "premium" quality for microwave. I had to cook them on the stove top after all. Which is fine. Abrielle still loved it. Maybe you'll have better luck!

LINK: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/05/17/instant-mug-o-mac-cheese-in-the-microwave/

Pasta with Fresh Garden Tomato Sauce

Rating: A+

We have established that I haven't liked tomatoes for my whole life, right? Well I had no anticipation that I would like this but I was making dinner at my parent's house in exchange for my mom cutting Jake's hair. I decided to try it and WOW!!!! I absolutely loved it. Love love love love love. We topped ours with feta instead of parmesan cheese and didn't drizzle any additional olive oil on it. We had it again the next day on top of bread, and again a few days later. It is amazing. Make it. Soooo easy and wonderful!

LINK: http://www.marthastewart.com/904229/pasta-fresh-tomato-sauce

Chocolate Protein Power Balls

Rating: A+

These are excellent! I made a big batch and keep them in the freezer. I take 2 of them with me to eat after a big workout or eat 1 occasionally for a snack. The only substitution that I made was to use natural peanut butter instead of almond butter (I didn't have it). LOVE the flavor, texture, everything!

LINK: http://www.damyhealth.com/2011/04/damy-health-protein-power-balls/

Thai Turkey Burgers

Rating: A+

We have had these twice now. Once I made them with ground chicken and the second time I did turkey. Both were fabulous. The sauce is a perfect combination of sweet and spicy and they are very filling. We will make these again and again!

LINK: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/best-healthy-recipes-around-world?page=9

Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites

Rating on cooking technique: A-, Rating on crowd consumption: A

These were quite easy to make and seemed to be a great hit at the party I took them to. My husband tried one for me and said they were great and my aunt asked me for the recipe for them. The only change that I made was to use cake flour instead of just all-purpose flour. If you don't have it on hand you can make it by measuring out 1 cup of all-purpose flour and taking out 2 tbsp of it. You then replace those tbsp with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. It helps them to be a little bit lighter and not quite so dense. 

LINK: http://ohmysugarhigh.com/scrumptious-baked-cinnamon-breakfast-bites-recipe/

NOTE: I didn't actually taste these so I can't give you a rating on taste... I can only tell you what others told me!

Clean Eating Gingerbread Waffles

Rating: A-

I really like gingerbread... although Jake does not. I decided to try these anyways and I really liked them. It calls for 5 cups milk and I only used 3 although next time I will probably use 3 1/2 because they turned out very thick. Still delicious. I need to draw your attention to the fact that the recipe calls for NO added sugar. I like them this way and only topped mine with fresh banana slices and peach slices. That was perfect for me. My kids loved them also. I think it could use a little bit of salt added to the batter but otherwise I think it is great.

LINK: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-ginger-bread-waffles/

Clean Eating Turkey Rice Bowls

Rating: B-

These were okay but were honestly kind of bland. We remedied this situation by adding Sriracha to our portions but it isn't one that I would make again. And if I did I would use fresh pineapple and not canned. But I don't plan on making it again. Maybe you'll like it better?

LINK: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-curry-pineapple-turkey-rice-bowl/

The "Best" Snickerdoodle Cookie

Rating on cooking technique: A-, Rating on crowd reception: A

These were pretty easy to put together - Abrielle and I did them together. I refrigerated them for too long though and I had to leave them out for a while before they were not too hard to roll out. However, if they get too warm then they flatten a lot more while cooking. They are a bit finicky like that. But my hubby and our neighbors loved them and so I will probably make them again.

LINK: http://www.lovintheoven.com/2010/03/even-better-snickerdoodle.html

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

I was a little bit skeptical about this recipe at first because I know how strong sesame oil and soy sauce can get, but the lime juice really offset both beautifully and came together in a wonderful meal that our whole family loved. Even my baby!

We actually used ground pork instead of turkey (turkey is so hard to come by) and our oven doesn't go up to 500 degrees so we just set it at 475. I am happy to report that everything still worked out just fine.

I don't know that I would say that this is my favorite meatball recipe. It is hard to compare with our beloved SWEDISH MEATBALLS or the CRANBERRY SAUERKRAUT MEATBALLS but it was a yummy and easy recipe.

I have found that using an ice cream scoop makes forming the meatballs MUCH easier. You just scoop it up and plop it in!

This recipe and the picture are courtesy of the wonderful site Skinny Taste and can be found at this link HERE.

Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

From Skinny Taste
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 229.1 • Fat: 11.1 g • Carbs: 8.5 g • Protein: 24.3 g

·         1/4 cup panko crumbs

·         1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey (we only used 1 lb. Still delicious!)

·         1 egg

·         1 tbsp ginger, minced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         3 scallions, chopped

·         1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

·         2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

·         4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

·         2 tsp sesame oil

·         2 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         2 tbsp water

·         1 tbsp chopped fresh scallion

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with *1 tablespoon sauce.

Serve meatballs with remaining sauce, about 1 tbsp per person. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.

Makes 12 meatballs.

*When she says 1 tablespoon of sauce she isn’t kidding. This dipping sauce is strong and a little goes a long way!

Cranberry Sauerkraut Meatballs

Sound nasty? Well guess what? IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! Love love love love love. Not only did I love it, but so did my husband, mother, father, brothers, little sister, 3 year old toddler and 9 month old baby! It was great fresh, it was great as leftovers and it was REALLY easy to put together. 4 ingredients for the sauce? I can handle that.

If you have ever bought bagged meatballs you will know that they are expensive. I was interested in eating this for dinner, not in making this for a party. So I did homemade meatballs. I think I ended up with.... probably about 15 meatballs. What this means is that the sauce to meatball ratio was MUCH higher. But we loved the sauce so much. My kids ate no meatballs - just sauce over brown rice.

The nutritional information I have included with this recipe is based on the 66 servings you can get from the bag of meatballs that you buy. This is assuming you are taking this to a party. I made my meatballs homemade style and I have included my recipe for basic meatballs as well.

The recipe and picture are courtesy of Taste of Home and can be found at this site here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cranberry-Sauerkraut--Meatballs?pmcode=IMADV01T&_mid=2325232&_rid=2325232.558202.228586

CRANBERRY SAUERKRAUT MEATBALLS

From Taste of Home

·         1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce

·         1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained

·         1 bottle (12 ounces) chili sauce

·         3/4 cup packed brown sugar

·         1 package (32 ounces) frozen fully cooked homestyle meatballs, thawed

In a 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the cranberry sauce, sauerkraut, chili sauce and brown sugar. Stir in meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts1 meatball with about 1 tablespoon sauce equals 53 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 11 mg cholesterol, 142 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1/2 starch.

HOMEMADE MEATBALL RECIPE

From Shayla's Kitchen

Servings 15

1 lb. hamburger (or pork, chicken or turkey)

1/2 cup oats

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 tsp salt

Few grains pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup milk

Mix together all ingredient and roll into balls. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place meatballs in skillet and brown on all sides. Drain meatballs on a paper towel. Place browned meatballs in sauce in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.

Pesto Spinach Omelet

I'm sorry I don't have a picture to go with this one but I gobbled it up so quickly that it couldn't be helped. Next time I make it I will be sure to photograph it.

This omelet was seriously like a party in my mouth! I loved the combination of flavors and didn't have to feel too guilty about it. And the most wonderful thing about omelets is that you can change it up however you would like! Enjoy!

PESTO SPINACH OMELET
Shayla's Kitchen Original
1 serving

2 slices turkey bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 Tbsp basil pesto
2-3 Tbsp roasted red peppers
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
1 tsp shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Mix spinach, bacon, pesto and roasted red peppers into a skillet and stir fry until spinach leaves are wilted and bacon is heated through. Removed from skillet and keep warm.

Mix together egg plus two egg whites until well combined (you can add a splash of non-fat milk if you want to add a little creamy fluffiness). Pour egg into skillet until the entire skillet is covered and cook until egg is set. (Meaning you can shake the pan and there won't be any parts of the egg that are still runny.) Sprinkle with crushed red pepper if desired.

Once your egg is set, add pesto mixture to one side of the egg. Add parmesan cheese if desired. Use a spatula to fold over the other half of the egg onto the top of your toppings. Let it sit until cheese is melted or about 1 - 2 more minutes. Remove from plan and consume the deliciousness immediately!

Grilled Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

My husband says, "If you don't know what a Reuben Sanwich is, that picture looks terrible." LOL! I guess he is right. Sauerkraut doesn't look very appealing. If you don't like sauerkraut you can stop reading right now - this post isn't for you. If you are truly devoted lovers of the awesomeness that is sauerkraut - keep reading! You don't have to love it as much as me - I eat it straight out of the jar without any added condiments - but you have to at least appreciate it.

I LOVE REUBENS!!!! They are probably my favorite sandwich. No. They are my favorite sandwich. Nothing beats a good reuben. Have you ever been to the sandwich store Schlotzky's? They have AMAZING reubens. Kneaders also makes a mean reuben as well.

Anyway, these were fantastic. You might think it is silly to post a recipe about what is, essentially, a glorified grilled cheese sandwich, but the directions in this recipe make all the difference in the world. By draining and heating up the sauerkraut and meat before you use it you help get rid of excessive water/vinegar that will make your sandwich soggy. These were delicious and will most likely become a staple in our home!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Allrecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Turkey-Reuben-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

GRILLED TURKEY REUBEN SANDWICHES

From Allrecipes.com

Printer Friendly Version

·         1 cup sauerkraut, drained

·         10 ounces sliced deli turkey meat

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         4 slices marble rye bread

·         4 slices Swiss cheese

·         4 tablespoons thousand island salad dressing, or to taste

1.      Warm the sauerkraut and turkey, separately, in a microwave-safe bowls for 30-seconds; set aside. Spread butter generously on one side of each slice of rye bread, then spread the thousand island dressing on the other side. Divide the sauerkraut, turkey, and Swiss cheese on two slice of bread with the butter-side down. Stack the remaining two slices of bread with the butter-side up on top.

2.      Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange the sandwiches on the skillet and grill until lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

I stumbled across this recipe on a blog and now I can't find it again except in my recipe compilation! But this was FANTASTIC! I have never had a Monte Cristo Sandwich before (nor had Jake) and we LOVED this. After using whole wheat bread I could only get down one sandwich before being super full and Jake only got down 2! He spent the whole evening talking about how amazing these sandwiches were! Try them! They are fabulous!

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICHES

2 eggs
1/4 c. maple syrup
4 slices of bread
cream cheese
2-3 slices deli black forest ham
2-3 slices deli turkey
2 slices Swiss cheese'
powdered sugar
Raspberry Jam (or any jam you like)

Mix eggs and maple syrup together with a fork and pour in a shallow dish. Dip the bread in the egg (make sure the bread is well-covered with the egg mixture) and cook on a griddle or in a frying pan (as if you were making French toast). Spread a good amount of cream cheese on half of the toasts. On the same toasts, add half of the ham and turkey and a slice of Swiss cheese. Top each sandwich with the remaining toasts. Turn the griddle to a low heat and add the sandwiches. Warm each sandwich until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar. Cut into halves or fourths and serve with raspberry jam. Yield = 2 sandwiches.

*I didn't want to spend a lot of money on meat so we just got the Land of Frost meats and they were still great! Also, if you warm up your jam a little bit it is really tasty!