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.
This is a simple little lunch post. Ever since my son started wresting this fall this is all he wanted for lunch. He came home one day and said that Coach said not to eat store bought sliced lunch eat because of all of the additives they have in them. Coach said to eat healthy, salad, tuna, peanut butter, real meat (not processed). And my son took this very serious. My son is also very lean and lanky with only 3% body fat. But I went along with it. And I absolutely love it! My daughter only wants roasted chicken too. Although the other daughter eats Nutella sandwiches every single school day. She hates how meat and cheese get when they sit in a lunch bag.
This chicken is also great for anafterschool snack in a quesadilla. Just heat up a few tortillas, add some grated cheese with the chicken and your good to go.
I change the seasoning sometimes, but they really always ask for just salt and pepper. I add some variety by using different breads, rolls, and wraps. Also by adding cucumber, arugula, spinach and lettuce.
He also insisted on no mayo or mustard anymore. I sometimes spread a little butter or cheese spread on the bread. And different cheeses. She likes American and he likes Cooper Sharp.
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chicken breasts ( boneless, and skinless)
Preheat oven to 425. Cover a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Place chicken on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken . Let cool and store in a container in the fridge. Slice it thinly to use on sandwiches or quesadillas.
