Turkey Meatballs

This recipe is straight out of the 21 Day Fix Extreme book, and we LOVE it!!! I usually eat the meatballs just plain with some veggies on the side, but my kids love them with their whole wheat spaghetti.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs raw 93% lean ground turkey breast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (I just used the regular oatmeal that I had in my pantry, and it worked great!)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 12 fresh parsley sprigs, finely chopped (I totally didn't have fresh parsley sprigs, so I just put about a teaspoon of dried parsley into the mix.)
• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, no sugar added

1. Preheat oven to 400* F.
2. Lightly coat large baking sheet with spray; set aside.
3. Combine turkey, salt, mustard, paprika, egg, oats, garlic, parsley, and tomato sauce in a large bowl; mix well by hand.
4. Roll mixture into 30 1-inch meatballs. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle.

I'm serious, guys! Super yummy! Tons of flavor! And HEALTHY! Check it out!

SNACKS!!!

Okay. A question I get all the time is, "What are your favorite snacks?" Truthfully, I'm a creature of habit. I kind of eat the same things over and over. One of the things I learned when I started throwing myself into the world of nutrition, is that you should eat some protein with every "meal," and snacks are "meals." So, without further adieu, my favorite snacks...

• Apple and Natural Peanut Butter (Yes PB has protein, but be careful with your portion size, because it is also a healthy fat!)
• Veggies and Hummus (Celery, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots...all of them are SO yummy with hummus!)
• Celery and Natural Peanut Butter
• Cottage Cheese and Pineapple (Cottage cheese is also yummy with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and cantelope. I usually have it for breakfast!)
• Strawberries and Cashews (Not sure what it is about this combo, but YUM!)
• Plain Greek Yogurt and Fresh Berries
• Whole Grain Crackers (like Triscuits) and Hummus
• Whole Wheat Waffle (yes, just a frozen waffle...Kashi is my favorite brand) with some Natural Peanut Butter and slices of either strawberries or banana (or both) on top. (Let's be honest...that one's more like a dessert.

There you have it. I'm sure there are more, yummy snacks out there, and if I come across something new, I'll add it to this list, but these are my top eight!

Maybe I'll even get around to adding some pictures! ;) 

Starting a blog....WHAAT?!?!

Yep. Here I am, starting a blog...again. That's right. I said "again." I created a blog years ago to follow the fun life of my cute, little family. I just looked at it the other day. My last post was about my Brinley's 1st birthday...she'll be 4 on Monday. Apparently I stunk at keeping with it. But this time I am determined! Yep, DETERMINED!!! Why is it going to be different this time? Because this blog isn't for me...it's for others.

Two years ago, I changed my life. Yes, I did it. Anyone can change their life! Just figure out what you want to change, and then do it! Yeah, I know, there's more to it than that. You need a plan. You need support. You need DETERMINATION. Luckily, I had all of those things. I changed the way I ate and I started exercising every day. Those seem like pretty simple things, right? Well, they are, but like I said....LIFE CHANGING!!!

I'm going to use this blog to hopefully help and inspire others, while also recording the ups and downs of my journey. Yes, I changed my life, got fit, became a healthier, happier, better version of myself, but I still have good days and bad, like anyone else. And I intend to share ALL of it.

So, if you're feeling stuck. If you're feeling unmotivated. If you're feeling BLAH, then stick with me. Maybe, just maybe, you'll come across a post that you can relate to. And together, we can build each other up to create the life we want....all through one little blog.