Sweet and Sassy Joes

Sometimes life can be very hectic, and it would be easy to just open up a can and heat whatever ina pan. But I am trying to keep my family healthy and trying to eat fresh foods with little or no preservatives. Kind of hard these days with all of the prepackaged foods that are available.  When my kids were younger we always had sloppy joes from a can and they were fine, but then I got to thinking about what was in them. If the can can last on the shelf for years, is that really what I want to put in my body? The answer was NO!! so I stumbled upon this recipe for homemade sloppy joes. And they are so much better than the canned version. In my opinion anyway!! A little homemade sauce, some veggies and ground turkey is a great way to have a quick convenient meal.


Sweet and Sassy Joes


2 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato sauce (homemade)
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP Baby Bam ( recipe follows)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring until browned.
Remove excess liquid.
To the skillet, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft. About 3-5 minutes.
Adfd garlic and cook until fragrant, add the red wine vinegar.
Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, baby bam , Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer  for 15 minutes. Serve on a hearty bun. A side salad would complete the meal.

Baby Bam

3 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP dried parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.