{"id":3150,"date":"2017-01-02T05:01:57","date_gmt":"2017-01-02T05:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/?p=3150"},"modified":"2021-04-01T17:21:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T17:21:09","slug":"in-the-kitchen-with-toddlers-jessica-albas-perfect-meatball-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/in-the-kitchen-with-toddlers-jessica-albas-perfect-meatball-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Kitchen with Toddlers: Jessica Alba’s Perfect Meatball Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jessica Albs’s<\/a> Turkey (we substitute Chicken) Meatballs are AMAZING and a staple in our house! These are a favorite with EVERYONE! \u00a0My 1 year old, 3 year old, husband, myself…we devour them! Plus you can make them start to finish in under an hour with minimal ingredients, and their Jessica Alba’s…so that pretty much guarantees\u00a0they’ll be amazing!<\/p>\n

\"Charlie
\nI’ve always considered myself a healthy eater but\u00a0a few years ago after the birth of Charlie I had a shift in the way I viewed food. \u00a0I started to really consider how it not only fueled our bodies, but all of the positive effects it can have on our bodies, with the flip side being just how harmful some foods are to our\u00a0overall health. \u00a0Over the past few years I’ve lost some dear friends to cancer, ALL of who were\u00a0healthy, active, athletic, and far too young. While I’m not saying food had ANY part in this, it was a wake up for me. \u00a0What can I do, what can I control? the answer for me was\u00a0FOOD. It is the one thing that I can control for me and my kids at this stage in their life. \u00a0As toddlers\u00a0I alone determine what fuels their body, what foods will become the building blocks to the relationship they have with food as they grow into adults, and I’m determined to teach them the value and importance of whole foods, balance, and awareness of what we put into our bodies. \u00a0Don’t get me wrong we LOVE a good cake and ice cream date around here, but do our best to eat whole foods the bulk of the time.<\/p>\n

So long story short, I am always on the hunt for healthy, easy, recipes that successfully hide all sort of veggies in them! For real tho, who doesn’t have someone in their lives that refuses onions, or zucchini, or whatever it might be?!?! \u00a0When my amazing mama starting making these meatballs for my kids they instantly became a staple as they were a guaranteed hit…no battles, no bribing, and no meltdowns!! \u00a0#momlifegoals The recipe makes a ton which is perfect for us as I love having them on hand for lunches and dinners throughout the week. They\u00a0are also a great option for freezing and\u00a0taste just as good reheated!<\/p>\n

Anyway, the delicious Chicken (or Turkey, whatever you prefer) Meatball recipe is below, along with a ton of photos (because you know how I do!)<\/p>\n

\"Charlie \"CharlieCharlie was boycotting her nap, and she is always up for helping in the kitchen, so while Jett slept she helped measure (and taste!) all of the veggies…and also the salt! \u00a0eek! She definitely get that from me!\"CharlieBlender, food processor, if there is a button Charlie wants to be in charge of pushing it! (Literally and figuratively! haha)
\n\"Charlie<\/p>\n

\"CharlieNext panko and pesto! \u00a0The pesto is optional but in our family (green sauce as the kids call it) is a fav and NEVER optional!\"Charlie \"Charlie<\/p>\n

So many delicious little meatballs!!
\n\"Charlie\"Charlie<\/p>\n

\"CharlieThis might just be this kids favorite meal, he can eat 4 in a sitting!! \u00a0I joke but he is seriously going to eat me out of the house as a teenager!\u00a0\u00a0\"CharlieI served this tonight with whole wheat\u00a0Israeli couscous, cooked in\u00a0light chicken broth with feta, tomatoes, a tiny bit of lemon, and steamed broccoli but it’s so versatile you could do a ton of different sides with it.\"CharlieQuick, easy, and delicious….my kind of meal! \u00a0We’ll be eating these all week and if you give them a try\u00a0I’d love to know in the comments below how you and your little ones like them!<\/p>\n

Jessica Alb’s Meatballs<\/a><\/p>\n

INGREDIENTS<\/p>\n

2 pounds ground chicken
\n1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
\n1\/4 cup finely chopped carrots*
\n1\/4 cup finely chopped zucchini*
\n1\/4 cup finely chopped onion*
\n2 tablespoons\u00a0pesto (optional – but so good)
\n2 large eggs
\n1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
\n1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
\n2 tablespoons olive oil
\n3\/4 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth<\/p>\n

DIRECTIONS<\/p>\n

In a large bowl, mix chicken, panko, carrots, zucchini, onion, eggs, pesto, Italian seasoning, and salt until well combined; form into 1-inch balls.
\nHeat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning, until browned, about 7 minutes. (This always takes me longer to cook all the sides)
\nAdd 1\/2 cup chicken broth; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 1\/4 cup broth and increase heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until liquid is absorbed. Serve.
\nMakes approximately 24 meatballs<\/p>\n

*I chopped vegetables and then put them in my cuisinarte mini chopper and fine mince them, it hides them within the meatball.<\/p>\n

Freezes well. To freeze – chill in fridge and then freeze portions in plastic bags or containers.<\/p>\n

Adapted from Jessica Alba’s turkey meatball recipe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Enjoy!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jessica Albs’s Turkey (we substitute Chicken) Meatballs are AMAZING and a staple in our house! These are a favorite with EVERYONE! \u00a0My 1 year old, 3 year old, husband, myself…we devour them! Plus you can make them start to finish in under an hour with minimal ingredients, and their Jessica Alba’s…so that pretty much guarantees\u00a0they’ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3150"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3173,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3150\/revisions\/3173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlierowandesigns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}