DAY 2: Sweet & Saucy Meatballs & Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream (made in a blender)

ON THE MENU: 

• Sweet & Saucy Meatballs
• Mashed Potatoes
• Green Salad
• Dessert: Strawberry Ice Cream (DF,SF)

SWEET & SAUCY MEATBALLS

From: "The Pampered Chef: It's Good For You"

OUR RATING: LOVE IT!!
Oh, were these ever delicious! They were seriously fantastic! The combination of spices with the cranberry sweet sauce is out of this world! This is definitely making it's way back to our table, and soon!

MEATBALLS:

• 1/4 C. Chopped Onion
• 1 Package (1.25 lbs) Lean Ground Turkey
• 1 Egg White
• 1/4 Seasoned Dry Bread Crumbs (I used Panko Crumbs and threw in about 1 tsp or so of Italian Seasoning).
• 1 tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
• 1 Garlic Clove, pressed
• 1/2 tsp Salt

SAUCE:

• 1 can (8 oz) Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• 1/4 c. Ketchup
• 1/4 c. Orange Marmalade (I had apricot preserves on hand and used that. Worked great!)
• 2 T. Brown Sugar, packed
• 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a bowl combine turkey, onion, egg white, bread crumbs, thyme, garlic & salt. Mix gently but thoroughly. 
2. Shape mixture into small balls; place in a single layer over the bottom of a deep baking pan (9x13). Bake 15 min; drain. 
3. While baking, combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. After meatballs are drained, pour sauce over the meatballs; mix gently to coat them evenly. Return to oven; continue baking 15 min, or until cooked through. Stir gently before serving. 

And for dessert: 

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

From: "VitaMix Whole Food Recipes For Better Living"

OUR RATING: LOVE IT!!

I wish I had a picture of my husbands face when he tried this! See with his whole dairy allergy thing, and the fact that he doesn't really like soy or rice ice cream, this is the first ice cream he has had in a long time! And what a way to come back! This is super creamy and full of flavor! It was seriously delish! Add to that there isn't any sugar and WE HAVE A WINNER! Warning: Ice Cream Headache ahead! Go slow and control yourself please! :) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. liquid lite non-dairy creamer
• 1 lb. frozen strawberries
• 1/2 c. Stevia or other natural sweetner
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

      Place all ingredients in a heavy duty blender in the order listed above. Blend on high until the sound of the motor changes and 4 mounds form in the mixture. Don't overmix or the mixture will begin to melt. If you want to thicken the mixture, or if it is more the consistency of a shake, add another cup of frozen non-dairy creamer cubes (freeze in ice tray). Other fruit may be substituted.

TOMORROWS MENU:

*Parmesan Chicken & Pasta

*Italian Rosemary Bread

*Strawberry Limeade

*Dessert: Apple Cherry Crisp 

DAY 1: Almond Chicken Stir Fry & Dairy Free, Sugar Free Fresh Pineapple Shake

ON THE MENU: 

• Almond Chicken Stir-Fry over Brown Rice
• Perfection Rolls
• Garden Salad
• Dessert: Fresh Pineapple Shake (Dairy Free-DF, Sugar Free-SF)

Here is the low down.....

ALMOND CHICKEN STIR FRY over Brown Rice

From "VitaMix Whole Foods Recipes For Better Living" 

OUR RATING: LOVE IT!!

This was seriously YUM! We are off to a good start with this one! This is SUCH a great stir fry! The almonds, the sauce, the red peppers, they all make this so fabulous! And it was super fast and easy to make! Huge hit and a definite for the family cookbook! 

• Spray or heat a little olive oil in a large pan or wok. 
• Stir fry 2 c. diced chicken breast until thoroughly cooked. (Skip the chicken for a vegetarian option. You can add tofu instead, if you would like.)
• Add 1 c. chopped broccoli and stir fry for approx. 3 min. 

• While chicken & broccoli are cooking prepare and dump in a large bowl:

*1 Garlic Clove, Minced

*1 C. Carrots, Grated

*1 C. Celery, Chopped

*1 C. Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

*1 C. Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

*1 C. Green Onions, Chopped

*1 C. Mushrooms, Sliced (Optional)

*1 C. Sliced Almonds

• Add all items in large bowl to the chicken and broccoli. Add a little more oil or spray, if needed. Cook until Crisp-Tender. 

• Mix in blender: 

*1/4 C. Lite or Regular Soy Sauce

*1 1/2 C. Water

*2 Tbs. Cornstarch

* 1 T Cooking Sherry (water may be substituted)

*1 tsp. Stevia (or other natural sweetener)

*1 tsp. Chicken bouillon

*Red Pepper, to taste

• When Veggies are Crisp - Tender, Pour sauce over stir-fry.

• Cook until thickened. Serve over steamed brown rice. 

BEST. STIR-FRY. EVER! 

PERFECTION ROLLS

From "World Wide Ward Cook Book Mom's Best Recipes"

OUR RATING: 3 out of 5

Don't take my word for it. I do NOT like most breads. Oh the yeast! It almost kills me! The smell, the taste! Oh my! My hubby said these were great and I don't really feel like the rating is all that fair since this was my first roll baking experience EVER! Not to mention, I made them with heavy duty whole grain wheat, instead of the flour it calls for. I will try the again with flour and see if they get a higher rating. I will keep you posted on this one! 

Ingredients: 

*2 Pkgs Dry Yeast

*1/4 c. Lukewarm Water

*1 c. 70% Shortening (this is the lower fat version)

*1 c. Sugar

*2 Eggs

*2 tsp. Salt

*1 C. Boiling Water

*1 C. Cold Water

*6 1/2 - 7 C. Flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Set aside. Using electric mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, salt, and boiling water. Add cold water and yeast mixture. Sift in half of the flour and mix with mixer. Add rest of the flour and mix by hand. Place dough in greased bowl. Brush top of dough with shortening. Cover and let rise 2 -3 hours or until doubled in size. If you live in a dry and arid climate, cover the dough with a warm, moist cloth with the bread rises; in more humid climates, use a dry cloth. For rolls, place in greased pan, and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Place pan of rolls in cold oven. Back at 400 for 25 min. Makes 9-12 Servings.  

 FRESH PINEAPPLE SHAKE

From "VitaMix Whole Food Recipes For Better Living"

OUR RATING: LIKE IT

The lower rating is because this was supposed to be ice cream! :) It just didn't want to set up like the recipe said. That being said, we loved it as a shake. It was fresh and light instead of heavy and over sweet. We will have this again! 

INGREDIENTS: 

*4 C. Frozen Liquid Lite Non-Dairy Creamer (pour into ice cube trays and freeze ahead of time)

*1 Fresh Pineapple. Remove skin and core. Cut in large chunks. 

*1/2 tsp. Vanilla

*Stevia (or other natural sweetner), to taste. 

DIRECTION: 

In a heavy duty blender place all ingredients in the container, in the order above. Blend until the sound of the motor changes and 4 mounds form, or until blended thoroughly. You may have to stop the machine and press the ingredients down, if you are not using a VitaMix or other heavy duty blender. If the mixture is thick, you can eat it as an ice cream, or add liquid creamer or coconut milk to thin out a bit. 

TOMORROWS MENU: 

*Sweet & Saucy Meatballs

*Mashed Potatoes

*Green Salad

*Dessert: Strawberry Ice Cream (DF,SF)