ANABOLIC EATING #6: MEATBALL MADNESS

ANABOLIC EATING #6: MEATBALL MADNESS

By Shane Robert

I’ve never been very food motivated, as I have outlined in previous posts, and am perfectly happy to eat the same thing for multiple meals per day, most days of the week. My family, on the other hand, is not happy to do that. In fact, they might kill me if I subjected them to that style of eating. Trying to find foods that meet my nutritional standards, i.e. high protein, moderate calories, healthy fats, fiber, etc., seems like “normal people food,” and also tasty enough that my wife and kid will eat it, can be difficult. Thankfully, there are ways to accomplish both.

ANABOLIC MEATBALLS

I love Italian food and few people I meet dislike it. My kid especially loves it and goes crazy for meatballs, which I like since they provide a solid amount of protein for her. These meatballs come together quickly and are easy to make in bulk and freeze for future use.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Italian chicken sausage
• 1 pound ground beef (I usually use 93/7, but you can adjust the fat to your taste and nutritional requirements)
• 2 cups bread crumbs (I make my own from Ezekiel bread by drying slices in the oven and crushing them up in the blender, but any bread crumbs will work)
• 2 cups milk (2% is fine, but skim doesn’t work very well here. Whole is obviously fine as well) 
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano 
• 2 tablespoons powdered parmesan cheese (the kind in the green jar)
• 2 tablespoons (real) grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Optional:

• 1-3 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes 
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 5-10 minutes. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together, kneading into a kind of dough. Divide into however many meatballs you want to make based on size (I usually prefer around 2 ounces per ball) and put on a sheet of parchment paper with a little oil on it.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add just enough oil or butter to lightly cover the bottom. Add the meatballs, likely in batches, and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes until browned all over.

**At this point, you can take any balls you don’t plan on eating, let them cool, and put them in a Ziplock bag or other container and freeze until you plan to use them.**

For the balls you plan on eating, add your preferred red pasta sauce until mostly covered. Bring to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid, letting the balls simmer lightly for at least 45 minutes, up to 3 hours.