This meal doesn’t even taste like it is healthy.
I mentioned in a post last week that my fiance and I have started the Shaun T 25 workout program and eating healthier. Do you remember? Anyway, the workouts has been easy to merge into our daily lives but the eating part has presented itself to be somewhat difficult. The meal plans call for you to eat more protein and good carbs and no processed foods or refined sugars. I know this sounds easy and doable and to a certain degree it is, but it can get difficult to find meal options other than salads, lean meat, fruit and vegetables (maybe I will look up Paleo meals). Well I got so tired of eat chicken and broccoli almost everyday that a stroke of genius came upon me.
I always wanted to make Salisbury Steak Meatballs because I love Salisbury Steak. It is one of my favorite comfort foods. I’m dreaming about it now: Salisbury Steak served with garlic mashed potatoes and thick gravy with a side of peas and buttery cornbread. Yum! Now there is nothing healthy about the meal I just described but I was really craving it one day and was thinking how I could make this a little healthier. So I decided to take the same general idea but make some healthier alterations. First healthy alteration I made was using lean beef. Particularly, Laura’s Beef. If you have never used this beef I highly recommend it. Simply because it is healthier for you. There are no antibiotics or added hormones to the beef. Also, the cattle is vegetarian fed and they farmers or under strict regulations to treat the cattle humanely. It is a little more expensive than your store provided beef but if you take a pack of Laura’s Beef and hold next to a store brand of ground beef, you can see how Laura’s Beef is far more red than the stores beef. I’m just saying.
Another alteration I made to this comfort food classic meal was instead of using bread crumbs to bind the meat I used bran! I am excited about this because I was super nervous about adding bran to beef. I’ve never attempted this before nor have I ever heard of it being done before. I used Kretshmer Toasted Wheat Bran and for 1 serving (1/4 cup) of the bran it has 7 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein! Therefore, I essentially added 14 grams of fiber and 6 MORE grams of protein to my meal with that small substitute. The best part is that you cannot taste the bran in your meatballs…AT ALL. I’m not even kidding. The last alteration I made was with the gravy. Instead of making a traditional flour based gravy I used cornstarch to thicken the liquid and allowed the flavors of the onions, carrots, and celery to give it the seasoning I wanted.
See! You can take any traditional meal and make it healthier by substituting some of the ingredients without compromising fullness or flavor. My fiance and I LOVED this dish so much that we found ourselves craving it. I’m craving it now. It is so amazingly good and good for you. Instead of serving these meatballs with egg noodles or mashed potatoes, substitute by serving with mashed cauliflower, mashed sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, or, like we did, couscous. If you are going to use couscous try Near East Wild Mushroom flavor. Super awesome!
*I have not been asked or paid to mention any of the products mentioned throughout this blog post.
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Healthy Salsibury Steak Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 c. bran
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp. liquid smoke
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 whole carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2– 14 oz cans beef broth
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tbsp. corn starch
- 3 tbsp. warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bran, and seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder), Worcestershire Sauce, and Liquid Smoke. Using your hands, mix the meat with the seasonings until well incorporated and the bran is completely blended into the meat. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the meat into balls and set aside until all meat has been rolled into meatballs.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Place the meatballs into the pan and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until the meatballs are browned on all sides ( about 10-15 minutes). Once the meatballs are cooked, remove from pan but leave the drippings in the pan.
- Add the onion, celery, garlic, and carrots to the pan and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables because soft and translucent. Add both cans of beef broth to the pan and allow the broth come to a simmer. In a small ramekin, add the cornstarch and water and mix until cornstarch is well dissolved. Pour into the beef broth and stir as the gravy thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, return the meatballs back into the sauce and allow to simmer for abut 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice, mashed sweet potatoes, couscous, quinoa, or mashed cauliflower.
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