Shanell Dunn – FamilyToday https://www.familytoday.com Here today, better tomorrow. Thu, 25 Feb 2016 10:37:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.3 https://wp-media.familytoday.com/2020/03/favicon.ico Shanell Dunn – FamilyToday https://www.familytoday.com 32 32 How to make zoodle spaghetti and meatballs https://www.familytoday.com/self-care/how-to-make-zoodle-spaghetti-and-meatballs/ Thu, 25 Feb 2016 10:37:11 +0000 http://www.famifi.com/oc/how-to-make-zoodle-spaghetti-and-meatballs/ If spaghetti and meatballs is one of your family favorites like it is ours, you're sure to love this new…

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You want to know something crazy? One of my favorite dishes my Mom would make growing up was spaghetti. Now that I'm older and realize how quick and easy it is to make, I'm sure she LOVED that it was one of my favorites! We had it all the time! It was quick to make, the noodles and sauce could spread out enough to feed our family of 10, and everyone was satisfied.

Want to know something else? We never had meatballs with our spaghetti. We always had ground beef in the sauce, but never meatballs. I grew up thinking that meatballs were a concoction of weird meat and ingredients, and that they were extremely hard to make. Well guess what, I'm here to break the news that although a lot of the store bought meatballs have some pretty gnarly ingredients mixed in with them, when you make them from scratch they can be completely healthy and full of real, wholesome ingredients.

The best part? They're not hard to make at all. And either are the noodles! Let me show you how:

The first steps are really simple. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl except the egg.

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup diced sweet onion

1/4 cup finely chopped baby spinach leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. ground basil

1 rounded Tbsp. coconut flour

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Next, beat the egg, and add it to the meat mixture.

Now, here's the fun part... get in there and mix it up with your hands. That's right squish it around your fingers, so it's nice and evenly mixed. Don't be scared. Just remember to wash your hands before AND after!

Once the mixture is combined really well, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the meat into 2" balls. This recipe usually makes 14-16 meatballs, depending on how big/small you make them. Place on parchment paper, and bake for 20 minutes.

The next part is pretty fun too. Have you heard of zoodles? Let me briefly explain.

Zoodles are essentially zucchinis made into spiraled noodles. I got a spiralizer for my birthday and have absolutely LOVED it. You can easily and deliciously replace your carb and gluten (and little nutrient) loaded pasta noodles for zucchini noodles, or zoodles, to get the same enjoyment and better nutrition out of your spaghetti dish. I love zoodles! Now, let me show you how this thing works.

There are three different blades that come with the spiralizer. For the zoodles you'll want to use the small spiral noodle slicer. You'll know what I mean when you see it, don't worry. Next, simply slice both ends of the zucchini off with a knife, then place one end of your zucchini on the slicer end, and the other end on the spikey holder end (this is just to keep the zucchini in place and help it rotate evenly).

Slowly turn the handle and TADA! Little zucchini ringlets start filling your bowl or plate. Continue to do this until the entire zucchini is used.

Aren't they pretty?! I think so!

And so curly, which makes them cute. Aren't cute things always a better choice?

While you've been making zoodles, your meatballs have cooked and should look like this when removed from the oven. See all the juice? Yeah, that's fat and water from the meat, and the egg. It looks really gross but just scrape off the edges, and you'll be good to go.

Now, to cook the zoodles, put a little olive oil in a pan and turn the heat to medium high. Let the noodles sit for a couple minutes with the lid on the pan, stirring occasionally. It really only takes a couple of minutes for the zoodles to cook. Be careful not to overcook them, or they will get super soggy.

Next, grab your favorite marinara sauce (I prefer the Virginia brand from Costco because it has all real ingredients and zero added sugar), warm it up, pour it on, drop a couple meatballs on top and viola! A masterpiece that is sure to please!

*Note: If you have leftover meatballs, place them in a Ziplock freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for those times when you're a real human being with a ton of stuff to get done and literally only have 10 minutes to come up with something healthy and yummy for your growing family. (Not that I've ever been in that situation or anything...ok, let's get real, that's like every single night of my life!) This recipe is perfect for those crazy nights. You and your family will love them. Enjoy!

Zoodle Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

Recipe Type: Dinner Cuisine: Italian Author: Shanell For Real Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground beef

  • 1/4 C diced sweet onion

  • 1/4 C finely chopped baby spinach

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

  • 1 tsp. ground basil

  • 1 tsp. sea salt

  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

  • 1 rounded Tbsp. coconut flour

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1-2 zucchinis

  • Marinara sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

  2. For the meatballs, mix the first 10 ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined.

  3. Shape into 2 inch round balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

  4. Bake for 20 minutes

  5. For the zoodles, spiralize both zucchinis on spiralizer.

  6. Place about a Tbsp. of olive oil in pan on stove top with heat set to medium high.

  7. Cook zucchini noodles with lid on pan for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, being careful not to overcook/steam.

  8. Place zoodles in a bowl, cover with marinara sauce and top with meatballs.

  9. Enjoy!

This article was originally published here. It has been republished with permission.

I got a spiralizer for my birthday and have absolutely LOVED it. You can easily and deliciously replace your carb and gluten (and little nutrient) loaded pasta noodles for zucchini noodles, or zoodles, to get the same enjoyment and better nutrition out of your spaghetti dish. I love zoodles! So, let me show you how this thing works.

The post How to make zoodle spaghetti and meatballs appeared first on FamilyToday.

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This scrumptious Thai Chicken Coconut Curry will only take you 30 minutes https://www.familytoday.com/self-care/this-scrumptious-thai-chicken-coconut-curry-will-only-take-you-30-minutes/ Fri, 18 Sep 2015 14:30:46 +0000 http://www.famifi.com/oc/this-scrumptious-thai-chicken-coconut-curry-will-only-take-you-30-minutes/ Hungry? Got thirty minutes? Wether you're a busy mom, wife, husband or just someone who loves to make easy, quick…

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This dish my friends is what we will all be eating in heaven, I'm convinced. It was so divine!There are so many things I love about this dish. First of all it's so easy!

When it comes to making dinner I prefer a quick, easy meal that everyone loves

I'm sure you feel the exact same way. No one has hours to spend in the kitchen - especially if you have little kiddos pulling at your legs to come help them get their toys down, go potty or spin around in circles because, apparently that's a super fun activity for a 2-year-old.

This dish from start to finish takes about 30 minutes, that's it! I will take you through step by step of making this delicious dinner, or you can see the recipe list version at the bottom.

There are 3 main parts to this dish

1. The rice noodle sauce

2. The chicken

3. The vegetables.

You can start in any order (or do them all at once), but we'll start with the sauce for now. These are the things you'll need:

Sauce

Chicken broth Rice Noodles Canned coconut milk Curry powder Ground ginger (not pictured) Salt (not pictured)

Rice noodles cook similarly to pasta, but don't have any gluten in them, which is perfect for all those sensitive tummies out there.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling add about half of a 14 oz. package of rice noodles. Boil, and stir occasionally until soft and tender to the bite. They take about 5-7 minutes to cook. Once cooked dump the noodles into a strainer to drain the water.

Next, add your coconut milk, chicken broth, curry, ginger and salt. If your pot isn't big enough (like mine) you can transfer your noodles to a sauce pan and then add the other ingredients. If you're lucky you'll have a big enough pot and won't need to use another pan thus creating a bigger mess to pick up later. Ha! My birthday is coming, my birthday is coming...

This is what the sauce should look like once it's done! Mmmm I want to eat it all!

Next, cook the vegetables

You can use whatever vegetable you'd like. That's another beauty of this dish. It's easily adaptable so everyone can be happy. This time I used:

Broccoli

Red bell peppers

Carrots

You can also use snap peas, cabbage, onion, green beans, mushrooms, spinach, kale, squash, zucchini and any other vegetable your little heart desires.

In a frying pan add a couple tablespoons of avocado oil to broccoli and set heat to medium. Season with a dash of salt and pepper, add 1/8 of a cup of water and cover with the lid to let the broccoli steam. While this is steaming you can be doing the other vegetable prep: washing, chopping and dicing.

After the broccoli is easily pierced with a fork, remove it from the pan and set in a bowl to the side. Add your red peppers with a little water and cover with the lid. When tender, remove and set aside with the broccoli.

Next, add your carrots. (Is this not the CUTEST little dancing/running carrot?Carrots can be "cute" right?)

Add a couple more tablespoons of oil, along with the minced garlic and carrots. Add a little more water, cover with the lid and steam until easily pierced with a fork. When tender, set aside with the other vegetables.

Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

You're almost done! Cut each chicken breast into 1 inch cubes, drizzle with a little bit of avocado oil, and season with kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

In the same pan that the vegetables were in, heat 1 tablespoon of oil with heat set to medium high. Once the pan is hot add the chicken and sear on one side until golden brown. Flip and sear the other side, then turn the heat down to medium and cook until chicken is cooked through. This should only take 3-5 minutes. Once the chicken is done, now all you have to do is put it all together on a plate or in a bowl and enjoy!

Here is the list version:

Tai Chicken Coconut Curry

Author: Shanell For Real Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 3-4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 package rice noodles

  • 1 Can coconut milk

  • 1 C chicken broth

  • 1 tsp. curry powder

  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 6 Tbsp avocado oil (divided)

  • 1 lb broccoli florets

  • 1/2 red bell pepper

  • 1 C baby carrots

  • 3 cloves minced garlic

  • salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Defrost chicken if frozen, cut into 1 inch cubes, drizzle some avocado oil over cubed chicken and season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling add the noodles and boil until soft (should cook like pasta.)

  3. Once noodles are soft, drain water from pot, move noodles over to a sauce pan and add the canned coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, ginger and the 1/2 tsp. salt. Set aside.

  4. Add 2 Tbsp. avocado oil to a frying pan, set heat to medium, cover with lid and steam broccoli until soft when pierced with a fork. (You may need to add a few Tbsp of water to help with the steaming process.)

  5. Once soft, remove and set aside in a bowl.

  6. Add another Tbsp. of oil and place red bell pepper in the pan. Cover and steam until tender. Remove from pan and set aside with the broccoli.

  7. Add another Tbsp. of oil, carrots and garlic to the pan, cover and steam until fork tender.

  8. Remove from pan and set aside with other vegetables.

  9. Add another Tbsp of oil to the pan and set the heat to medium high. Once heated, add the chicken. Let brown on one side, then flip to the other. Cook until both sides have a nice golden look and chicken is cooked through.

  10. Now plate it! Place noodles on bottom, then add your veggies and chicken. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe was originally published on Shanell for Real where you can find the printable recipe. It has been republished here with permission.

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