Let's get cookin #1

OK, I mentioned I got my menu planned & went shopping with my mega list. Well, I can't share that without sharing the results. So the next few posts will be some of the goodies we made to make life a bit easier over the next two weeks.

BIG thanks to Blissful & Domestic for her WONDERFUL menu plans, recipes, shopping list & even list of staples to keep in the pantry! Granted, I had to change recipes & amounts based on a larger family, who are a bit pickier on some things, & I'm not brave enough to shop for a whole month yet! But all in all, love her for it!

So, project #1...meatballs! Covers 3 of our meals over next two weeks, so we made 5lb!

First of all, there are some veggies that my kids (& their dad) just won't touch. But I love them, & we have an abundance thanks to family & friends with gardens. So squash & zucchini in a food processor are wondrous things! So are oats & flax seed in a coffee grinder, corn flakes that Melodie had a blast helping me crush!

March, march, march!

So here's my recipe (I use that term loosely, as I just throw what sounds good in the bowl):

5lbs ground beef
Worcestershire sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Squash
Zucchini
Peppers
Onion
Crushed Corn Flakes
Ground oats
Ground flax seed
Italian Spaghetti Seasoning
Greek Seasoning

Forgive me, but I don't have amounts. I am one of those cooks that drives recipe oriented folks nuts.

So, the fun part, or monotonous part, depending on your point of view. Mix it all in a large bowl (hands work best, gross, but yeah) then start rolling! (Casey helped with this part)

Rollin, rollin, rollin...

Then we baked at 350 for 15 minutes per pan!

Yummy, my house smells GREAT!!!

Then, once cooled in a glass bowl for a few minutes (had to keep cycling my baking pans), we bagged em up in quart size freezer bags & popped 'em in! (My cookie sheet for my toaster oven is GREAT for keeping the bag flat so they freeze in a nice layer)

To reheat, I dumped 'em in a glass bowl, popped 'em in the microwave for 5 minutes on 20% power & voila! Kids' & hubby scarfed 'em down in spaghetti! Have a night of "Swedish" meatballs & Italian meatball subs next week!