Month: February 2022

Meatballs are savory and satisfying, and they are great in a variety of dishes. Traditional meatballs, however, are not always the healthiest. These super healthy Oat Meatballs (i.e. meatballs made with oats) are everything you want in a hearty meaty dish.

What Makes These Oat Meatballs Healthy

The superstars of this Oat Meatball dish are the oats and spinach. Spinach is full of nourishing antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Adding spinach to meatballs is a great way to “sneak” in vegetables, which is perfect for those who don’t normally like vegetables. Oats are a fantastic whole grain option and are a good source of fiber.

To reduce the calories and fat in your oat meatballs, choose lean turkey instead of beef or higher fat turkey.

How to Make Oat Meatballs

Servings: 4 to 6

Materials:

• Parchment paper
• Basting brush

Ingredients

•  1 pound lean ground turkey
•  2 large eggs
•  1/2 package onion soup mix
•  4 oz. frozen Spinach
•  ½ cup uncooked old fashioned oats
•  1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning
•  1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
•  2 teaspoons salt
•  1/2 teaspoon pepper
•  Cooking spray

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium-mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except tomato sauce. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
• Mold your meat into balls using either your hands or a meat baller. Place the balls evenly in the baking dish.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until internal meatball temperature registers 160 degrees.

What Goes Well with Meatballs?

Once you have made these oat meatballs the sky is the limit. You can add them to almost anything. In the pictures above we added the meatballs to whole grain wraps. In one picture, we topped the oat meatballs with classic burger toppings. We made an Asian-style wrap in the other picture, by adding teriyaki sauce and slaw to the wrap. Below are a few other ideas for your oat meatballs:

• Wraps
• Spaghetti with Meatballs
• BBQ Meatballs over brown rice (Simply add BBQ sauce to your already-cooked meatballs.)
• Meatball soups
• Meatball kabobs

More Healthy Turkey Recipes

Shirataki Noodles Spaghetti

Best Konjac Rice Recipe- Taco Chili Con Carne

Healthy Frozen Stuffed Peppers

I am a volume eater, meaning I like to slowly eat a pretty hefty portion of food. That is why this Shirataki Noodles Spaghetti recipe is a regular at my house. Shirataki noodles are made of mostly water and fiber, which means they are super filling and low in calories. In fact, shirataki noodles have only 4.5 calories per serving. (I usually eat about 2 servings, which is about 9 calories.) This Shirataki Noodles Spaghetti is incredibly tasty and satisfying and is only about 393 calories per serving.

This site contains affiliate links. See full disclosure here.

Where to Buy Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki Noodles are made from the konjac plant and are also sometimes called konjac noodles. These low-calorie noodles become more and more popular and can often be found in local grocery stores. I recently found some in the gluten-free section of our local Food Lion. Still, the availability of Shirataki noodles is sometimes hit or miss, but you can order them online here.

How to Make Shirataki Noodles Spaghetti

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2, 9.52 oz package of Skinny Spaghetti
• 1-pound lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 32 oz. no sugar added tomato sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup light cream of mushroom soup
• Light cooking spray

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook the ground turkey and onions in a medium skillet on medium-high heat for about 9 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. While the turkey is cooking, use a spatial to break up and stir the turkey into small bite-size pieces. Remove from heat and drain the excess fat. Set the turkey aside.
• Cook pasta noodles per package directions.
• Whisk eggs and cream of mushroom in a large bowl and add to the pasta. Toss until the pasta is well coated.
• Mix in spaghetti and the rest of the ingredients with the egg mixture and toss to coat.
• Lightly spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Spread the pasta, meat, egg mixture in the casserole dish.
• Cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

More Shirataki Recipes

Best Konjac Rice Recipe

Loaded Vegetable Konjac Pasta

What does the phrase “healthy body, healthy mind” mean? For me, it means that the same foods that protect the body, also protect the mind. In other words, when we eat foods that promote a healthy body, we are also eating foods that promote a healthy mind.

This article is written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. 

This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)

Healthy Body

Certain foods can help reduce the risk of:

• Heart Disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune Disease
• Frequent Illnesses (colds, flu, and other viruses)

Healthy Mind

These same foods can also reduce the risk of:

• Mood disorders (anxiety, depression, stress)
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Dementia
• Brain fog
• Cognitive decline

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Research

Research supports the claim that a healthy body can often equal a healthy mind. Let’s look at a few fascinating healthy mind stats:

• Diets high in antioxidants are associated with less risk of developing depression (1).
• Inversely, people with depression, tend to have lower intakes of antioxidants (2).
• People who drank antioxidant-rich green tea were 51% less likely to have depression compared to people who drank one or less per day (3).
• According to some studies, omega-3s may be as effective as anti-depressant medication in some individuals (2). (Remember to always take your medicine as your doctor prescribes. Eating Omega-3-rich foods along with taking your medication is most beneficial).
• In one study, people who ate salmon 3 times a week for 5 months reported less anxiety (4).
• Severe vitamin B12 deficiency can double the risk of depression (5).
• Probiotics may help reduce symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. This is based on several reviews and double-blinded studies (2, 6).
• Diets low in prebiotic fiber are associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety (7). Prebiotic fiber feeds the good bacteria in the gut.
• Children who ate a breakfast containing whole grains had higher test scores than children who ate no breakfast or just drank fruit juice (8).
• In a study, older women who took DHA omega-3 and lutein for 4 months saw improvements in their memory and verbal fluency scores (9).
• According to one large study, Vitamin E and Vitamin C supplementation are associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. People who took vitamin E and vitamin C supplements were 78% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s (10).
• When older adults ate 1 cup of blueberries per day for 90 days, their memory and ability to accurately switch tasks improves (11).

Foods to Eat to Promote a Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

These fantastic facts just scratch the surface of what foods can do for our minds as well as our bodies. Based on the above research, we should be eaten the following foods on a regular basis:

• Antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, green tea, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate)
• Omega-3s (salmon, tuna, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds)
• Probiotics (yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, kefir)
• Fiber (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains)
• Vitamin and mineral-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and eggs OR plant-based proteins).

Summary

• A “healthy body healthy mind” means that when you eat foods and live a lifestyle that promotes a healthy body, you are also promoting a healthy mind.
• Certain foods can reduce the risk of:
  • Alzheimer’s and dementia
  • Brain fog
  • Cognitive decline
• Foods that promote a healthy body, a healthy mind are:
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Whole grains
  • Green tea
  • Dark chocolate
  • Lean meats and eggs or plant-based protein

Want More?

Are you ready to transform your body and mind? We have all the tools you need.

• Get the ultimate Healthy Body, Healthy Mind food checklist for free here.
• Or get one of our books and have everything you need to transform your body and mind.

Konjac products are a fantastic addition to recipes because they add volume without the calories! Volume eaters rejoice! I use konjac products all.the.time, and THIS is the best konjac rice recipe in my option. This Taco Chili Con Carne is the perfect comfort food on a cold dreary day, and thanks to this Healthy Chili Con Carne recipe, it can also be super nourishing as well.

This site contains affiliate links. See full disclosure here.

What Makes this Konjac Rice Recipe Healthy

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most versatile herbs around. I mean, it tastes fantastic in almost everything! This super flavorful herb is also super nourishing. It is a good source of antioxidants and acts as a prebiotic! Prebiotics feed the “good” bacteria in our guts!

Green Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, fiber, vitamin B6, and vitamin E! Wow, that’s a lot of vitamins! Bell peppers also act as an antioxidant. Hih intakes of antioxidants have been shown to reduce the risk of mood disorders like depression and anxiety as well as reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.

Black Bean

Black beans are high in fiber and protein, which makes them super filling. Add these to your healthy chili con carne and you will find yourself feeling super full and satisfied. Black beans also contain antioxidants and are prebiotics. Prebiotics feed “good” bacteria in out gut.

No Sugar Added Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and lycopene. Although tomato sauce is packed with nutrients, packaged tomato sauce often contains added sugar. Excessive intakes of refined sugar can encourage the growth of “bad” bacteria in the gut. Eating excessive amounts of refined sugar can promote chronic inflammation and is also associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and brain fog.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms contain selenium, iron, and potassium, and mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light also contain vitamin D. Selenium is a mineral with antioxidant properties.

Avocado

Avocados are well known for containing healthy monounsaturated fats. They also happen to contain antioxidants as well as vitamin B6, vitamin C, fiber, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium.

Konjac Rice

Konjac rice is made up of mostly water and fiber, which means they are extremely low in calories but produce feelings of satiety. In fact, one serving of this high-fiber food contains only 9 calories. By the way, if you like this Konjac rice recipe, you will love this konjac pasta recipe.

servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
• 8 oz. canned black beans, drained
• 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 24 oz can no sugar added pasta sauce
• 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Avocado optional garnish
• 14 ounces konjac rice

Instructions:

• Cook the ground turkey in a medium skillet on medium-high heat for about 9 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. While the turkey is cooking, use a spatial to break up and stir the turkey into small bite-size pieces. Remove from heat and drain the excess fat. Set the turkey aside.
• Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Prepare konjac rice per package directions.
• Add this chili on top of the konjac rice.
• Add about 3 slices of avocados and fresh cilantro as a topping if you would like.