New Friday Linky Party!

After last week's Friday inspiration, Sarah at The Pumpkin Patch inspired me further.  Cheffie Jo's Blog will be hosting a weekly Foodie Linky Party!  Each week I will pick one recipe and convert it any way you want (for allergies, to reduce sugar or fat, etc).  So, here's what I'm looking for:  Leave me a comment with your recipe and how you'd like it to be revised.  Also, let me know if your recipe revision can be shared on the blog.

Here is today's Foodie Recipe:

Baked Meatballs
1 small red onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs ground turkey
½ cup of grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon basil

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

In a skillet, over high heat, cook the onion for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in ground turkey, grated Parmesan, eggs, and seasonings. 

Roll into meatballs and arrange on a pan.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  I had a great day!  Before I get into what I did, I want to share what Memorial Day means for me.  My little brother is in Navy Boot Camp right now.  He is 19 and one of my very best friends.  I miss him dearly, but I am SO proud of him!!  He's extremely smart and dedicated to his work.  The military is not uncommon in my family, as my dad, uncle, and grandfather, (and some greats in there, too), were all in the military.    I am truly, truly grateful for the sacrifices they and hundreds of thousands of others have made so I can have the freedoms I have today.  I'm grateful that I can wake up in the morning and not have to wonder whether the water is safe to drink or the air clean to breathe.  I'm grateful to be able to walk down the street without having to hide my face because I'm a woman.  I'm grateful for the abundance of good food in this country and for the ability and freedom I have to teach people about that good food.  The freedoms I have are not lost on me and I am so very happy and proud to support the military of the United States of America.

Tangent?  Maybe, but I feel like I need to share my gratitude.

So, back to yesterday.  I had the opportunity to go to a Medieval Fair.  We saw lots of costumes and jewelry.  We saw jousters.  My friend's two kids each got a broken piece of lance, signed by the jousters.  It was cool.  After the fair, I had the opportunity to have dinner with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.  I was able to cook with and for them and spend time learning from them and sharing my own experiences.  We talked about so many different things, all over some of the most simple, incredible food!  We had grilled burgers, Italian sausage, chicken, pineapple, lots of fruit and vegetables, pasta salad.  So much food!  And, boy, did we eat!  Everything we ate was fresh and healthy and tasted so good!  My downfall:  the vegetables.  We were having such a great time, I didn't realize just how many vegetables I was eating.  Needless to say, by the time we were done, I was F-U-L-L!  Good thing it was vegetables and not sugar...

Sugar, Sugar Everywhere...

Sugar is Public Enemy #1.  Why?  Because of all the awful things it does to our bodies!  Let me explain.  There are different kinds of sugar. There is natural sugar ,(that is found in fruits and vegetables), and processed sugar, (found in pretty much everything else).  Natural sugar is not the problem.  It's all the highly processed crap we eat.  Did you know things like salad dressing, potato chips, salsa, and mustard have sugar in them?  Hard to believe, but it's true.  The biggest question is why manufacturers would put sugar in everything.  There are two main reasons:

• Processed sugar is cheap, (especially high fructose corn syrup)
• Sugar is addictive, so if it's in your food, you'll purchase more

High fructose corn syrup is one of the worst!  The spot in your brain that registers high fructose corn syrup is the same spot in your brain that is affected if you shoot heroin.  Did everyone catch that?  Eating foods with high fructose corn syrup in them gives you the same high as heroin!!  SCARY!



Throughout the next few weeks, I'll be talking more about foods, both good and bad.  There are a couple documentaries that I absolutely love:  Food, Inc and Super Size Me.  They both put quite the reality check on the food industry.  As a whole, people are more educated about food than they have ever been.  We, as consumers, have the power to drive the market towards fresh, wholesome foods!  Use that knowledge!  One great guide to take shopping with you is the Eat This, Not That Supermarket Survival Guide.  The entire series is absolutely awesome!  It pays to shop smarter.  Your body and health will thank you!