Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

turkey meatballs, recipes, food photography, spaghetti, food, healthy living, pasta sauce, parsley

This past Friday was Valentine’s Day, and so I decided to treat myself with an aloe vera plant, and a meal. Then, on Saturday morning, I made some oatmeal chocolate chip raisin w/pecan cookies. One thing that I hadn’t done in a while, was to dunk my cookies in milk. Let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed.

A few days ago, I decided that I had better quick make something from the ground turkey that I had let thaw out. The end result: spaghetti with turkey meatballs. The meal came out pretty good, and I realized later that the spices that I used made all the difference. I made the turkey meatballs the first night, and then the spaghetti the second night.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. pound of ground turkey meat
3 tablespoons of parsley, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, curry, cumin, turmeric
1/3 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup of oatmeal
3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
(1) 1 lb. box of spaghetti
1/2 cup of olive oil
(2) 16 oz. cans of garlic and herb pasta sauce

Directions:

Dump the panko, oatmeal, flaxseed meal, and all the seasonings into a mixing bowl.
Mix and stir this concoction.
Use a cookie scoop to make the balls, and then your hands if necessary.
Place the balls in a wok or skillet with olive oil.
Cook for about 20 minutes.
While the turkey meatballs are cooking, bowl 5 cups of water with olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Add the pasta and then drain when done cooking.
Dump the pasta back into the pot and add all of the above seasonings into the pot.
Add the pasta sauce on top and enjoy!!

Have a blessed week!

Nachos

On yesterday, I had a day of rest that was very much so needed. I had an extremely busy, drama-filled week, and on Friday I was feeling it. It is during times like this that I learn to lean more on God’s grace, mercy, blessings, and divine intervention to get me through. At the last minute, I decided to make a very simple nachos with cheese recipe. The meat turned out moist, and it probably took about 30 minutes to make. I hope that you enjoy it as well!

Nachos Recipe

nachos with cheese, healthy recipes, ground turkey, cheese, Mexican cheese, diced tomatoes, lifestyle, food photography, katina horton, simple functional grace-filled living, lifestyle — Photo by Katina Horton

Total Prepping and Cooking Time

30 minutes

Ingredients

2 (1 lb packs of lean ground turkey)
1 can of fire-roasted dice tomatoes (salsa style)
2 packs of mild taco seasoning (vegan and low sodium)
Seasonings: 2 tablespoons of the following:

onion powder

garlic powder

chili powder

turmeric

cumin

curry

parsley

1/3 cup of olive oil
3 packs of 8 oz. Mexican cheese blend
2 bags of tortilla chips

Directions

After heating the olive oil in a large skillet or pan, add the ground turkey meat and all of the seasonings.
Once the meat is browned, add the taco seasoning and water that package instructs.
Add the diced tomatoes and 1 pack of cheese.
Place the chips in a pattern on plates, adding the mixture on top and in the middle.
Sprinkle with more cheese on top.
Enjoy!

Holiday Stuffing

Background on Holiday Stuffing: It’s that time of year again. Time for cooking and baking to the max. Time for comfort food, movies, books, and cuddling up with a throw on the couch. And even with all the grief and sadness that this week has held for me, God’s daily blessings of grace and mercy have come out on top.

I was blessed to have four Thanksgiving celebrations this year: one with friends, one at work, and two with family. The number of celebrations was a surprise, as well as the fact that my son made it home to visit. This served as a constant reminder of the goodness of God.

Except for the Thanksgiving celebration at work, fore each celebration, I decided to make Holiday stuffing and cookies as my contribution to the meal. The concoction that I had in my head and put into action didn’t disappointment. Sometimes my mind starts going, and after cooking and tasting the end result, I am left with thinking, “Oh, this didn’t turn out the way that I thought.” However, that wasn’t the case this time.

What I realized is that the spicy kick of the seasonings helped to make this stuffing a hit. I hope that you’re feeling adventurous enough to try it for yourself.

Here is the recipe for Holiday Stuffing:

Ingredients

2 bags of Whole Foods 365 Multigrain vegan stuffing
small bag of petite rainbow or orange carrots or 1 large bunch of orange or rainbow carrots
1 bunch of celery
large onion
2 bunches of purple or red kale
a container of broth
4 tablespoons of each of the following: onion powder, cumin powder, curry powder, turmeric, thyme, sage, parsley, and chili powder

Directions for Holiday Stuffing

Prepare the vegan stuffing in a large saucepan as directed on the package.
Saute the onions, kale, celery, and carrots in a separate large saucepan, adding 2 tablespoons of the above seasonings into the pan.
When both are done, add 2 tablespoons of all of the above seasonings into the stuffing, and then dump the vegetable mix into the vegan stuffing mix.
Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon, adding 2 cups of broth and stir.
Place the Holiday stuffing into a casserole pan or two, and then into the oven.
Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Almond Cookies

Background on Almond Cookies-Lately, I have realized that baking and cooking does the same thing for me that writing does. First, It helps to open up those creative and healing juices. Secondly, it helps me to see the unending possibilities of connecting certain things together.

almond cookies, healthy living, katina horton, food, food photography, recipes

When you are writing, one thought can connect to five other thoughts, and then, in turn, inspire you to a Holy Spirit-infused bible story and revelation. When you are cooking and baking, one ingredient can get the wheels turning to the possibilities for other ingredients. And with me, this starts the whole beginning of my concoction madness.

Within the last week, I have baked over 120 cookies. It was therapeutic, as I was using my hands, measuring, adding a dash of this and that. And then at the same time, praying that everything came out fine.

I finally tried out my “head idea” of making almond cookies. Of course, as you know me, I added oatmeal of course. However, these Almond cookies turned out so “almondy”, and of course, that isn’t a word, that you don’t even notice the oatmeal. The slivered almonds added a nice, extra crunch to the cookie.

A week ago, I made the recipe again. However, I substituted the slivered almonds for pecans just to try out something different. I promise you, they didn’t disappoint.

Here’s the recipe:

Yields about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

Almond flour -1 1/4 cup
Oatmeal – 1 1/4 cup (Rolled Oats give a chunkier look and feel!)
Brown sugar – 1/2 cup
Almond Extract- 1/2 teaspoon
Slivered Almonds- 1/3 cup (Can also substitute with pecans!)
Almond Oil- 2 tablespoons
Almond milk- 3/4 cup
Flaxseed Meal – 2 Tablespoons

Directions

Mix all of the above ingredients into a large bowl using a whisk
Use a small cookie scoop to make the balls, making sure that you press the side of the bowl with the cookie scoop to get any excess liquid off
Place scoops on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets
Bake at 330 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes depending on your oven.
Enjoy!

Lentil Asparagus Tacos

tacos, lentils, asparagus, brown rice, food photography, recipes, healthy living, healthy eating

Lentil Asparagus Tacos Background Story

Last week, we had our first surprise snow. Of course, no one was prepared for it. There were several jokes going around on social media due to the fact that the snow, along with the temperatures that trailed soon after were replicating that of what would be going on in the month of January. Surprisingly, even with all the snow and cold temps, I still had about ten kids to come to the door for candy.

Last week, I made another concoction. It turned out good, and the best part about this particular one is that it left you feeling energized and overall in good spirits after eating it. I hope that you enjoy it as well. Have a blessed weekend in the Lord!

Total Cooking and Prepping Time:

1 hour

Ingredients:

1 bag of French lentils
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
1/2 cup of red quinoa
2 bunches of asparagus
2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1 pack of tortillas
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 bag of frozen cut-leaf spinach
Optional: 1 bag of cheese (vegan or non-vegan)
chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, curry, turmeric, parsley, (5 tablespoons of each)

Directions for Lentil Asparagus Tacos:

Boil one bag of French lentils.
While the lentils are boiling, boil the brown rice and quinoa.
Also, while the lentils are boiling, saute the diced tomatoes, asparagus, and spinach in a skillet with olive oil.
Add 1/3 cup of olive to the boiling lentils.
Once all the ingredients are fully cooked, dump all of them into a separate large-sized pot, adding the nutritional yeast, and all of the seasonings.
Heat up your tortilla and add the mixture to the inside.
Optional: top it with cheese.

Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies

Last week, I had a sweet tooth for cookies. And so, on Friday I purchased some pecans, and got to making this desire a reality on Sunday after church. I was surprised that they came out pretty good since it was my first time trying out the oatmeal raisin cookie combination.

I will definitely have to make these cookies again. If you are feeling adventurous enough to try them out, send me an email and a picture letting me know what you think. Have a blessed week!

Total Prepping and Cooking Time

35 minutes

Ingredients

oatmeal- 1 1/2 cups
raisins- 1/2 cup
almond milk – 1 cup
chopped or whole pecans – 1/2 cup
sugar – 1/2 cup
almond flour – 1 1/2 cups
flaxseed meal – 3 tablespoons

Directions

Mix all of the above ingredients in a large bowl using a whisk or wooden spoon.
Using a cookie scoop, grab one scoop at a time, making sure that you press against the side of the bowl to rid of any excess liquid.
Place the scoops on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake on 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!

Barbecue Vegetarian Meatballs

katina horton, lifestyle, vegetarian meatballs, healthy eating, barbecue, simple functional grace-filled living, lifestyle, blogger, blog, food, food photography, family time, grace, intentionality

Background on Vegetarian Meatballs

As our kids are in the process of becoming young adults, it gets more and more challenging to carve out connection time. They have their lives. You have yours. And to top it off, if both of you are working, then you are presented with even more of a challenge.

About a week and a half ago, my son was home to visit. We were both working and extremely busy. However, we were able to carve out some connection time together a little bit before he left, and we decided to explore listening to French music, catch up on each other’s lives, and make vegetarian meatballs.

I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pack of Lightlife Smart Ground Mexican crumble (little bit of a spicy kick to it) per bowl
4 teaspoons of chili powder, garlic powder, parsley, cumin, curry, onion powder, and garlic powder per bowl
1 pack of shredded cheese
bread crumbs
1/3 cup of oatmeal
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
4 eggs (2 per bowl)

Directions

Place one pack of vegan meat in two medium sized bowls.
Add 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal, oatmeal, seasonings, and desired cheese amount per bowl.
Mix the ingredients in each bowl.
Grab two cookie sheets and line with parchment paper.
Use one cookie sheet per bowl.
Use a cookie scoop the size of your choice to scoop the meatball mixture, carefully leveling off and pressing the scoop against the side of the bowl to solidify the mixture.
Place the cookie scoop as close to the parchment paper as possible and then release the ball onto the sheet to reduce crumbling.
Heat on 325 degrees for about 25 minutes and drizzle with barbecue sauce when done.
Enjoy!

What are some of the things that you like to do for fun with your young adult children?

Pasta with Black Lentils

Background on Pasta with Black Lentils

Over the weekend, I attended a women’s conference at my church. It was a Holy Spirit-filled good time. Because of having a busy weekend, I decided that I wouldn’t cook on Saturday evening. I ordered two build-your-own pizzas, watched movies with my mom, and took it easy.

On Monday night, I decided to cook dinner for the week. I loved the end result. The dish has a little bit of a spicy kick to it. It is just enough for you to enjoy the dish, and at the same time not be overwhelmed.

I pray that you are having a blessed week so far, and preparing to embrace the weekend that is upon us.

Here is the recipe for Pasta with Black Lentils:

Ingredients:

1 box of fettuccine
1/2 cup of quinoa
1/3 cup of oil
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 zucchini
1/2 pound of black lentils
4 tablespoons of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, parsley, cumin, and curry

Directions:

Boil a pot of water, placing some oil in the water to avoid sticky pasta.

Boil the black lentils for about 30 minutes.

Place the pasta and quinoa into the boiling water.

Cut up the zucchini, and then saute the zucchini and tomatoes together.

Add the seasonings to the vegetables.

Dump the vegetables into the pot of pasta and quinoa.

Enjoy!

God bless,

Katina

French fry A la Mode

french fries, veggie burgers, barbecue sauce, spinach, super green, vegan, vegetarian, routine, establishing routines, wellness, concoctions, healthy eating, healthy recipes

Background on French Fry A la Mode

If you know me by now, you know that I love coming up with all kinds of fun food concoctions. And the other day was no exception to the rule.

Before I give you the recipe, I want to talk about some of the benefits of creating a weeknight routine.

Routines help to center, direct, and structure/stabilize/ground us. They also give us predictability for our minds and our bodies. Weeknight routines give us grounding and investment for a good night’s sleep. When we make time and space for the things that we are gifted/good at, and love to do, we are caring for our souls.

This past week, I decided to be even more intentional in adding some things back to my weeknight routine. One of these things is walking. The benefits of walking are endless. The fresh air, automatic feel good hormones that run through your body, the blood flow, lowering of blood pressure, etc. Walking makes me feel good and keeps my mind creative and flowing with ideas. It also helps me with my writing and allows me to really appreciate nature and how great God is.

Other things that I do for my weeknight routine are listening to podcasts/preaching, dancing, reading books, showering, and drinking tea.

As an exercise tonight, think of all the things that you love to do and are gifted at. Circle all the important things that you wouldn’t want to do without. Make these things a part of your weeknight routine and see how much of a difference that they make in your overall well-being.

Here is the French Fry A La Mode for the Family Recipe

Ingredients

1 bag of french fries
4 Dr. Praeger’s super green veggie burgers
1 container of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce
1 bag of cheese

Directions

Bake a bag of french fries.
While the fries are baking, fry 4 Dr. Praeger’s super green veggie burgers.
Grab bowls and add a couple of servings of fries into each bowl.
Cut up the veggie burgers and evenly spread them on top of the fries in each bowl.
Add shredded cheese and barbecue sauce on top.

Enjoy!

God bless you!

Katina

Summertime Salad

Background Story on Summertime Salad

My mother and two nieces came to visit me this weekend. I picked them up on Saturday, hoping beforehand to have made at least four out of six stops completed prior to picking them up from the train station. Well, I got three done. I had to talk myself down to the fact that I would have to make three stops with two little ones. It wasn’t that bad after all.

After all of the stopping and putting away groceries, we decided that it would be best to grill on Sunday after church. It rained overnight and Sunday morning. However, as the weather man predicted, the rain stopped at around 1:00 p.m. By 2:00 we were ready to grill.

Some of the highlights of my weekend were: 1) watching a two-year old dance and climb a flight of stairs with the look of joy on her face, 2) watching both nieces play with twigs and branches in the backyard 3) listening to 70s, 80s, and 90s slow jams, 4) watching movies, 5) baking oatmeal lemon nut and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with my niece, and 6) grilling for the first time since living here. I hope and pray that you had a simple, functional grace-filled weekend as well.

Here is the recipe for the Summertime Salad that I made on Sunday:

Ingredients

5 medium beets
3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons of minced onions
dressing of your choice
3 medium green bell peppers
6 to 8 mini sweet peppers
10 radishes
1 tub of mixed green salad
6 tomatoes cut into wedges or slices

Directions

Roast the beets for 45 minutes on 350, pouring olive oil and wrapping them individually in foil and placing them on a cookie sheet beforehand.
When they are done, allow them to cool off for 15 minutes and then peel off the skin with a towel.
Cut the beets into wedges.
Dump the mixed green salad into a bowl.
Dump the tomato slices or wedges into the bowl.
Dump all the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle the seasonings last.
Enjoy!

God bless,

Katina

Category: Recipes

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

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Nachos