Ginger Pork Meatballs and spicy noodles

The original recipe, which I have modified, is here.

These were awesome! I was a huge fan of the noodles, Kurt was a huge fan of the meatballs- put them together and they were a match made in heaven! The kids ate it, and even little Fina adored her dinner! What more can a parent ask for?!

These took about 30 minutes from prep to plate- gotta love that!

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 2 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce (again, I will eventually get done with this bottle and switch to coconut aminos!)
• 1 tsp *toasted* sesame oil
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 bunch of green onions, minced
• 1 lb ground pork

For the noodles:

• 2 packages of Miracle Noodles (I used the Angel Hair kind- and they were very similar to rice noodles in their taste and texture!)
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil (I did not use the toasted kind again, I wanted a more subtle flavor)
• 1 tsp Sriracha (I added more to my own noddles on my plate- but I like extra kick!)
• 1 tsp grated ginger

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a roasting pan with parchment paper.

Mix all of the ingredients for meatballs, and roll into 1" ball form.

Place on the parchment lined pan, and bake until cooked (~20 minutes).

While meatballs are baking, cook Miracle Noodles according to package directions (drain, rinse, boil 2 mins, dry) and toss with the rest of the noodle ingredients. (The longest part of this step was the boiling water, so we waited to do this until the meatballs were almost finished.)

If *I* had my way, I would have added more Sriracha to the noodles and I would have tossed some in with the meatballs too- but right now I am addicted to Sriracha... so, I may be biased. My husband adored this as-is, and the kids ate it the way it was made here. It was totally delicious!!! (I just added more Sriracha to my own serving, tableside)

Boneless Buffalo Wings

These were awesome and came about by accident.

I had bought an extra package of some Just Bare chicken (it is the closest thing to free range organic that this part of Iowa has to offer, and I am happy to support it over Tyson any day- one step closer to more healthy and humane treatment!) and had no plans for dinner. I am usually such a good menu planner!!! Well, I googled a few of the ingredients I had on hand, and decided to try a "hot wings" recipe (only needed to modify it a bit). The result was great! 

Here is my boneless version:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken, cut into chunks. 
• 1/2 cup Sriacha sauce (USE LESS if you do not want your "wings" spicy!) (Side note: Iowa stores keep this sauce in the Mexican food isle.... no idea why... but if you cannot find this sauce in the oriental foods, look there...although, if I had known this sauce was this amazing, I would have bought it online a LONG time ago!!! This will now forever grace my shelves!)
• 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce (I will be switching to coconut aminos when we finish this last bottle)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• Celery, cut into sticks whatever length you like (our family used two stalks of celery hearts- it helped balance the heat of the "wings!")

Set celery aside.
Set oven to 375 degrees.

Put chicken and all other ingredients (except the celery, because you put it aside...) in a large bowl or freezer bag, and mix to coat and combine.
Marinate the chicken for at least one hour in the fridge.

Remove chicken and place on parchment paper, covering a roasting pan. Spread chicken around evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn pieces over.

Bake 10-20 minutes longer. 

Serve with sliced celery, and enjoy!

(If you aren't paleo, I would totally recommend serving them with these babies! Kurt has requested we do this for the next Superbowl!)

Mid July Cooking Fun

Kurt has been out of town for the last few days, and will be out of town for more. Trying to motivate myself to cook for the kids can be difficult, because my little munchkins are happy with just about anything!

I am super proud of myself because we have not eaten out since Kurt left- which is a HUGE milestone for me. So often, when my days are full, it is just easier to go pick something up rather than make a healthy meal for my family. But- I have done it! GO ME! (To add, I have worked out EVERY day too! I did P90X the first day, and Insanity every other day!)

So, here is the menu for the rest of the week:

Wednesday:
-Ham and Eggs with sliced fruit for breakfast
-Roasted chicken with fresh veggies for lunch
-Homemade Chicken soup for dinner (using the rest of the chicken from lunch)

Thursday:
-Ham and Eggs with sliced fruit for breakfast (the kids all seem to agree this is the best breakfast ever, so I am rolling with it!)
-Sandwiches with gluten free bread. Meat with cheese for me, and the kids will have almond butter and jam. Not paleo, but that's okay, it is an easy lunch! Fresh fruit and sliced veggies too.
-Crock Pot Pulled Pork with cabbage slaw

Friday:
-Pancakes or Ham and Eggs- we will see...
-Leftovers or sandwiches
-Sausage and Kale Saute

Saturday:
-Eggs and ham for breakfast? Not sure...
-Leftovers or sandwiches for lunch? Not sure...
-No idea on dinner- we have company coming, so I am not sure of what to do here!

Sunday:
-No idea- have to talk to our guests =)
-Crock pot chicken curry lunch
-GF Pizza for dinner (because I will need a break!)

Monday:
-Eggs and ham for breakfast, maybe?
-Sandwiches or leftovers
-Ginger Scallion Pork Meatballs and noodles