Day 5- This looks nothing like the pictures...Hmm

So my hamburger meat finally decided to get with the program and thawed out enough for me to use. I don't know if I had "super" tinfoil or what, but everything is taking a really long time to thaw out. Anyway, I made Swedish Meatballs on Monday night. I don't know if it is because I had one child sitting on the island while I was chopping in front of him and the other grabbing my leg and swinging on her ladder right next to me or what, but this one went much faster. I would love to think it is because my cooking skills have improved so much over 5 days, but lets be realistic.

So first off, let me just say that too much of something can be bad. This recipe said to use 2 1/4 cups of bread crumbs and 3/4 lb of meat. I used a pound of meat because I'm not going to get that technical with the meat measurement (plus I figured I may just have a few extra meatballs). Well, there was WAY too many bread crumbs and WAY too little meat. I would hate to see the recipe if I had actually followed it correctly. Next time I will definitely subtract from that amount. Even Russ made mention of it when he ate them later that night (he was at school when we ate).

I have to say I am patting myself on the back over one thing. I put two egg whites in this recipe. I've never separated an egg in my life. I had this funky little device my mother-in-law gave me to use, but I had never used it so I was impressed that my unsavvy-in-the-kitchen self figured that little contraption out! :) Andrea was very upset that we weren't eating the yellow part though and kept asking questions. Want to laugh hysterically? Put a toddler in the kitchen one night.

The recipe called for 1-inch meatballs. Then it said to use an ice cream scoop to help scoop out the proper sizes. Okay, think of this in my perspective. I have a massive ice cream scoop. I'm thinking," Okay, I'm not a mathematician by any means, but that ice cream scoop is going to make meatballs way bigger than 1-inch. I should follow the instructions though because I tend to mess things up when I don't." So I follow the directions. Um....yeah. So these were not the cute little meatballs in the picture. In my defense, I know that most of the pictures of food you see are little pieces of inedible objects that are made all pretty, but still. 

Despite having something that resembled ping-pong balls saturated in bread crumbs, they turned out delicious and it is another one of our "Family Approved Meals". I never knew I was actually going to love some of these recipes! :)

Swedish Meatballs- By: Healthy Meals in Minutes
Serves 8
3/4 lb lean ground beef
2 1/4 cups bread crumbs (don't do it!)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 t. allspice
1/3 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, egg whites, onion, allspice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Shape beef mixture into 1-inch balls.
2. Spray a large skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Heat skillet over mdm-high heat. Cook meatballs, in batches, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, place meatballs in a mdm baking dish.
3. Pour broth over meatballs. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake until meatballs are heated through, about 25 minutes. Spoon meatballs and broth onto individual serving plates. Serve immediately. **A picture below of Andrea's plate with the finished product. Looks kinda nasty here actually. hahaha**

Per Serving:
Calories- 219 (33% from fat)
Carbs- 21 g
Protein- 15 g
Sodium- 380 mg
Fat- 8 g
Cholesterol- 36 mg