"Porcupine Balls" Turkey, Spinach Cauliflower Rice Balls

 “Porcupine Balls” Turkey, Spinach, Cauliflower Rice Balls

So I have been obsessed with the new 60 second cauliflower rice made by Natures Intent. It is the first one I have ever found that was not all wet and smooshy. It actually does really well with what ever I combine it with.

Today, I decided to use it in a long time recipe. With the cost of food now a days, it make me remember how my mother would feed a family of 8 with what she could afford. I remember her always stretching things. One box of hamburger helper with a few extra cups of pasta, sure was a filling meal. Meatloaf and oatmeal, not one of us ever felt that were were missing anything.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of Turkey Ground 

• ½ minced onion

• 1 tbls of minced garlic

• ½ cup of minced (really fine chopped spinach) 

• 2 cups of Cauliflower rice (I used the in the microwave bag) Drain which ever you use.

• Seasoning Greek or your favorite. (I used the Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning, and some extra Oregano) Here is a link to make your own Seasoning, which I will do when I finish with what I have. I live a more natural approach these days.

• https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231228/greek-seasoning-blend/

Preparation

1. Take ground turkey and throw in a gallon bag.

2. Put in the cauliflower rice. I used the microwave bag. Whichever you use, please drain.

3. Throw everything else in the bag. 

4. Mix well with in the bag

5. Spray the Air Fryer or Oven and roll it into 16 meatball sizes. 

6. Sprinkle just a little more seasoning on top after placing in the air fryer. 

   
   
   

7. Air fry for 12 minutes at 390 (that cooks them through) Then up it to 425 and it will start them browning. (Remember though it is turkey so it only gets so dark. 

8. Oven I would do 350 for 15 and then check.

These can be eaten warm and put on a pita plate, a gyro plate, or a salad. I had mine with a little crusty bread with some Greek Za'atar seasoning and some tzatziki sauce with them.
These are also really great and actually cold. 

They are a really great way to get some protein and some veg without knowing that. Tasty and could also be used to stuff those little sweet peppers.

WW notes

If you are doing WW personal points . This was made with 98 percent turkey and that makes them, for my personal points. This came to -0- points.  I love a good 0 point so then I could account for the piece of bread that I ate. 

I will be trying more things soon.

I hope you enjoy this.

Living Your Best Life and doing what feels good for you and your family is the secret to a beautiful life.

Keep it simple.

Stay well and safe

Welcome to my journey

Louise

Vegetable Pizza Full Size - (cold)

 

Vegetable Pizza Full Size (cold)

Serves 8 people

Ingredients

Topping

• 4 oz fat free cream cheese

• 4 oz - ½ cup of greek non-fat yogurt

• ½  package of ranch dressing

• ½ cup of shredded non fat cheddar cheese

• 1 cup diced broccoli (smallish pieces)

• 1 cup diced cauliflower (smallish pieces)

• 1 cup diced shredded carrots

• ½ cup of diced peppers (smallish)

• 3 scallions of green onions (can used diced red) smallish pieces

• Optional * you can use any thing that you like. 

• **** it tastes so much better if you make sure you bites are small bites, it works better over all.

Crust

• 1 cup greek non-fat yogurt

• 1 cup of self-rising flour

• 1 tsp of baking powder

Preparation

Crust - Mix the yogurt/flour/ and baking powder together.

1. Spread on a non-stick baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. Until brown.

3. Let cool completely.

4. 
   
   
   

Toppings

4. Mix the cream cheese, yogurt, and ranch dressing together. (keep this chilled until ready)

5. Spread onto the cooled crust.

6. 
   
   
   

7. Then sprinkle the veggies all over the top.

8. 
   
   
   

9. Then finish with a sprinkle of cheese. 

10. 
    
    
    

WW notes

This was ww friendly and for cutting it into 8 pieces it made each piece = 3 personal points on my plan. 

https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:629f0dd6c1fd256af4105067?entryId=6eb7a350-e67a-11ec-98a3-d94e2a7d0770&trackedDate=2022-06-07

Here is also for a single version in case you are interested. 

https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:629f76a59496977393727928?entryId=4ca6d2d0-e67b-11ec-a7ef-fd14ddf0a6ac&trackedDate=2022-06-07

Living your best life and doing what feels good for you is the secret.

Keep it simple, Stay well and safe.

Welcome to my Journey

Feel free to leave a comment

Peace

Louise

Greek Turkey Stuffed Sweet Peppers - Air Fryer Friendly

 

Greek Turkey Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of lean turkey (mine was 99)

• 2 tbsp. of minced garlic

• ½  small diced onion

• ½ small diced green pepper (optional)

• Greek Seasoning.  I use Cavender’s Greek Seasoning - they also make a no salt alternative one.

  
  
  

• 10-12 small sweet peppers (the little yellow, orange and red ones)

Preparation

1. Ground Turkey in a bowl and add the garlic, onion, pepper, and seasoning (you can also add very small cut pieces of spinach for extra vegetables and nutrients, I was just out) Mix everything together well.

2. Take 10-12 sweet peppers, cut the tops off and split longways, creating two sides to stuff.

3. Take your turkey mixture and stuff each one, very nicely. I also just sprinkle just a little of the seasoning on top too.

4. Spray your air fryer or your sheet pan. Stuff each one and lay in the air fryer.  For the air fryer load in and turn on 390 for 15 minutes. Do not flip. Just check in on how dark you want them.  The oven just put on sheet pan and start for 375 for 20 minutes and then check for how crispy and dark you like them. I find the longer you go, the pepper starts to get that tasty dark almost carmelized skin.

When finished lift out and let cool a minute. This makes enough for 4 people (5 pepper halves a piece) Serve it with a salad. I had mine with a 90 second Jasmine Rice with spinach and lemon. And a small side salad with cucumbers and tomatoes. 

WW Notes

I always like to leave any information on WW points plus. It is my diet of choice for a few years. 

This was 0 for the peppers, 0 for the turkey, That left me enough for the ½ bag of rice for 7 points and 1 point for the olive oil I used in my dressing. 

Living your best life and doing what feels good for you is the secret.

Keep it simple, Stay well and safe.

Welcome to my Journey

Feel free to leave a comment

Peace

Louise

Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll

 

I have been obsessed with finding a good quick way to create that same sushi, California, spicy tuna roll taste at home and without all the work and fuss. I think I may have found a way. I happened upon this package of 60 seconds cauliflower rice. The first one that was not really wet inside. It is made my Natures Intent. Definitely will buy over and over. 

A few weeks ago, we went to public and they are selling their sushi for 7-9 dollars a roll. Yes, good and a nice lunch. But I decided to change it up and make at home. 

Here are my little hacks to lower the carbs and make it fit my WW diet. Also making at home made 6 of them for less than one at publix. 

I enjoyed them right away, fresh is best. I will be making these again. Just wanted to share. 

Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll 

 With Quick and Easy Hacks

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

• 2 - 90 second bags of Jasmine Rice (4 cups - 2 cups per bag) (or if you prefer any rice you like. You can also just make your own white rice. )

• Or if you like the lower carb hack  I used 90 bag of Riced Cauliflower in place of one of the Jasmine Rice.

• ¼ cup Rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp spoon of sugar (or a lower carb hack use 1 tablespoon of your favorite sweetener, I use truvia)

Spicy Tuna

• 1 can of drained tuna

• Squirts of sriracha (as spicy as you like)

• 1 teaspoon Mayo 

Sushi Paper (or if you want a really quick hack you can just make it like a bowl with the rice on the bottom and build up, you can either use the sprinkle furtake or the sea weed snacks and place the bits in a single sheet for that little bit. Less mess rolling it. )

• Shredded Carrots (fast hack - they come pre shredded in the store)

• 1 cucumber

• Then what else you would like rolled in it. You can put thin sliced green onion, avocado, and even change up the protein.

• I have used crab meat, I have used a breaded shrimp (cooked in airfryer- crispy) I have also used regular shrimp. 

Preparation

1. Prepare the rice. If you are using the bag then microwave per instructions.
   I used one jasmine rice and one cauliflower rice.

   
   
   

2. When done, pour out into a wide mouth bowl, so you can mix the two together and then spread out to cool. 

3. As cooling pour over the vinegar and the sweetener / sugar. 

4. Mix gently and as you mix spread it out, very gently to cool. Set in the fridge while you prep the rest. You could also just prep this and put up for a later time in the day. 

5. Then do the Spicy Tuna. Open can and drain, break up, put in sriracha and then the mayonnaise and carefully mix. Put also in the fridge until ready. 

   
   
   

6. Cut up the rest of what you would like in your sushi roll or bowl.

7. When ready, lay down you seaweed paper -nori and lay the rice as a thin layer and then right below the middle you add your filling, thinly and evenly all the way down, Then start to roll. I just free rolled. starting from bottom up, come up over the tuna and then roll forward. Placing seam side down.

   
   
   

8. Like I said before I have also been know to just make it in a bowl and use the seaweed snacks as a little single sushi bites.

This all turned out really delicious and so affordable. It is just the prep time that takes the most. A Lot can be prepped and put up for when you are ready. I can last maybe a day. So eat it fresh. 

WW Notes

For those on WW this hack of half rice and half cauliflower really cut my points.  For me this was 3 points a roll.

Living Your Best Life and doing what feels good for you and your family is the secret to a beautiful life.

Keep it simple.

Stay well and safe

Welcome to my journey

Louise

Rye Bread - Bread Machine

It is that time. St. Patrick's Day is soon. I decided that I need a homemade piece of rye for my corned - beef.

This year, I have been spending a lot of time, making food for my family, that I know what is in it. I have

been so label shocked lately, at the chemicals an preservatives that are in our foods.

No wonder we are heavy, unsatisfied and never really feel terrific. Lately I have changed a lot of our foods

and we are starting to see a difference. Also in this day and time, food now is getting actually quite crazy.

Either the price is doubled or it is difficult to find. I tried to make the rye bread, in my store it is about

4 dollars plus a loaf. This one turned out really nice. I am actually going to try a darker one next time. I will keep

you all posted.

RYE BREAD - BREAD MACHINE

Ready in 3 hours

Serves 12 slices -ish

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of warm water

1 tablespoon of olive oil (butter)

1/4 cup of brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute)

1 1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup rye flour

2 3/4 cup of bread flour

2 tsp of caraway seeds

1/2 tsp of dry yeast

Preparation

1. Put Ingredients in like the bread machine says. 

Mine says put in first.

> Warm water, olive oil, salt, brown sugar. 

>Then put in the rye flour, the bread flour. (I poured it to cover the water, gives my flour time

to mix before it activates the yeast.

>Last put in caraway seeds and put yeast on the very top.

2. Close Bread Machine.

Choose:

>Whole Wheat/Grain selection

>crust dark

>Bake it in the bread machine

This takes a full 3 hours. When it is done, don’t let sit in machine (gets soggy) (I think most machines

will keep warm and hour, but usually I get to it really quickly.

3. Carefully remove the bread pan ***very very hot. 

4. Shake out the loaf and put on a rack to cool. 

******* Paddle sometimes stays inside the loaf, so be sure to look out for it. *********

Here is a picture of my hand so you can see what size the loaf is.

Tips

I have read that before you bag it, you should cool it, and the rye takes a few hours on a rack. 

If by chance it does get soggy I am sure a little time back in oven would fix this.

A lot of machines have a delayed start, so you could set it and have it go off 3 from your time you need it. 

* You can also take the dough out after the first rise, and prep like you are going to bake it in the oven.

Some machine have just a dough setting.

This was totally delicious. I decided I couldn't wait until it cooled. I had one slice with my lunch and

I kid you not it was so very nice, the rye was just enough, the caraway seeds you have to use,

it just makes it rye bread. The smell was warm, rye, and tempting.

If you try this let me know how it went. Not sure on the prices of stuff. But the rye flour I bought on amazon

3lbs for 9 dollars. I used a cup so .75 a cup (1 lb is equal to around 4 cups ) and then the bread flour 5 lbs for

3 dollars. (.15 a cup - est .45) yeast 1/2 pkt-ish = .05. Olive oil - pennies, brown sugar -20 cents est. So more

or less for a 1.50 I made a nice loaf of rye bread for my family.

I now know what is in it. I know I saved a lot of money. Most probably could make 4 for the same as a loaf in the

store.

WW Notes:

If you are doing WW. I found that one slice was 6 personal plan points for me. It was very filling and a very

nice textured loaf. I had a slice with a bowl of beans. You can make anything work for WW, you just have to know

that if you have this then maybe follow with something 0 points.

I will be trying more things soon.

I hope you enjoy this.

Living Your Best Life and doing what feels good for you and your family is the secret to a beautiful life.

Keep it simple.

Stay well and safe

Welcome to my journey

Louise

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY 2022