Roasted Vegetables with Chicken Sausage

As it's starting to warm up outside, I love to make easy meals, that aren't too heavy on the stomach. When it's summer, I switch to mostly grilling, but for now I still roast food in the oven. I like one pan meals that are easy to make, especially on Sunday nights, when we're trying to get everything ready for the week. The kids love this meal too, so it's a plus! There are also a bunch of ways you could mix it up. You can add asparagus, carrots, peppers, brussel sprouts, or whatever else you like :) You can also add different herbs if you want. Thyme goes great with garlic and potatoes! I like to serve this with roasted garlic aioli, it's delicious!

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 potatoes, peeled
1 onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
5 chicken sausages
2 tbsp of olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400, and then chop all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and seasonings.

Chop the sausage into bite sized pieces, then carefully toss with the vegetables.

Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and carefully spread the vegetables and sausage, so that everything is laying in a single layer.

Bake for about an hour, and flip several times while cooking.

Serve and enjoy!

Spinach and Cream Cheese "Meatballs" -Vegetarian

As I said in my previous blog post, my family and I love meatballs! However, we do have several friends and family members who are vegetarian, and sadly cannot eat the meatballs I typically make. This is a great recipe for vegetarians, and helps them to not feel left out on Italian night :) This recipe is a hit, even with people who eat meat. You can also customize it a bit to make it your own, such as adding fresh parsley or other herbs and cheeses. These also can be baked or fried, however baking is a lot healthier.

Here's what you'll need:

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1-1 1/2 cups of italian bread crumbs (Start with 1 cup and add more if needed.  I use more if I'm going to be simmering them in sauce, so they won't fall apart)
1 package of cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of chopped or ground walnuts (optional)
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp of minced garlic
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix all of the ingredients together, until they are fully incorporated.

Form into balls. Coat a baking sheet in olive oil, and space the balls evenly on the pan.

Bake the "meatballs" for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

Once they are done, you can either serve them, or simmer them in sauce. Enjoy!

Italian Style Meatballs

My son's favorite food is meatballs. He is crazy about them! In fact, he requests that I make them for his birthday each year, which is in late June.  That time of year may be a little hot for meatballs, but that doesn't seem to bother him!! This is my absolute "go to" recipe for meatballs. Everyone I've made them for, loves them. I also get a lot of people asking for the recipe, so here it is :) These are great simmered in sauce and used in spaghetti, or for meatball subs. They are also great just as they are! I usually make a double batch, because they go so quick.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of ground beef (you can use ground turkey to be healthier, but I prefer beef for this)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese
1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
2 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp of fresh minced garlic
1 tsp of salt
pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp of olive oil


Start by combining all of the ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a bowl. Make sure you mix until everything is evenly incorporated.

Roll the meat mixture into even sized balls. You can make them any size you want, depending on your preference. I usually try to do bite sized ones. Remember, the bigger you make them, the longer they will take to cook in the middle.

Heat the oil in a pan, until it is hot. Carefully add the meatballs into the pan, but try not to crowd them.

Cook until the meatballs are browned on each side. Carefully move them to a paper towel covered plate, in order to remove the excess grease from cooking. At this point you can choose to serve them, or simmer them in sauce for several hours, or as long as desired. The longer they cook in sauce, the juicier they will be. They also help to make the sauce a lot richer. Enjoy! :)

Roasted Root Vegetables

One of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables is roasting them. I think they are perfect for spring, because they are light, flavorful, and easy to make! They go with most any kind spring time food and can be seasoned in a variety of different ways, to mix it up a bit! My typical "go to" is with potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic. I do like to also mix in brussel spouts at times, but I have to be in the mood for that :) The aroma from these cooking, is fantastic! Plus, kids love them!! Win-win :)

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 large potatoes
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1 large onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp of olive oil, divided
1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Start by cleaning and chopping your vegetables into bite sized pieces, and make sure they are chopped into the same size, so that they all cook evenly. Add the salt and pepper. You can also add other seasonings at this time as well, it just depends on what you have a taste for!

Toss them in 1 tbsp of olive oil, until they are evenly coated.

Coat a cookie sheet with the remaining olive oil. Carefully pour the vegetables onto the cookie sheet. Cook for 45min-1 hour, flipping once halfway through, and remove when they are fork tender. Try them and add more salt and pepper if needed, depending on your tastes. Then, serve and enjoy!