Happy hump day!

How is this week?  Try any new fitness classes or recipes that you want to share?  I love hearing what you guys do, so let me know!

Today, I am SO excited to share this recipe with you.  I’ve been working on it for a while and after a couple of successful remakes I am happy to share it so you can try this recipe at home.

These Herb Chicken Meatballs are really really tasty.  The fresh herbs really shine through in the flavor and I promise that you will not miss the onions or garlic (both high FODMAP).  The marinara sauce is great with the meatballs, but you could totally make it and use it wherever you use any other marinara sauce.

The sauce is flavorful with no added sugar or high FODMAP ingredients 🙂  Yay for flavorful food that makes you feel good too!

Homemade Marinara Sauce:

Recipe adapted from Living Happy with IBS’s low FODMAP Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 28 oz tomato puree (make sure to check the ingredients here! the only ingredient should be tomatoes)
• 14.5 oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced fresh chives
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot or sauce pan and stir to combine the ingredients.
2. Bring to a boil at medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30-60 minutes.

*Typically, I will put the sauce on FIRST when I start making dinner and it simmers while I get the rest of the meal ready.

Herb Chicken Meatballs

Recipe adapted from The Clothes Make the Girl Chicken Pesto Meatballs

*I was super happy with the texture of these meatballs.  Chicken doesn’t have a great reputation for making good burgers, meatballs, or anything of that nature, but Melissa (from The Clothes Make the Girl) suggested adding the cream of tartar, baking soda and water combo to help with this issue and it worked!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar*
• 1/4 tsp baking soda*

Directions:

1. If baking the meatballs in the oven, preheat to 400 degrees.  If cooking the meatballs in marinara sauce, make sure you have marinara sauce in a large, wide pan (like a big frying pan with tall sides) heated over medium heat.
2. Combine the chicken, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper in a large bowl.  I find the best way to mix is with my hands.
3. In a small dish, combine the water, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  It will get fizzy and foam.
4. Add the cream of tartar and baking soda mixture to the chicken mixture and mix thoroughly (again, hands work best here!)
5. Rinse your hands and keep them slightly wet.  This will help with the rolling of the meatball process.
6. Roll the meatballs into the desired size (I like mine to be about Tablespoon size).
7. If cooking in the oven:  Place rolled meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with your favorite nonstick cooking spray (I use coconut oil.)  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs have an internal temperature of 165°.
8. If cooking in the sauce:  Place rolled meatballs into the warmed marinara sauce.  Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs have an internal temperature of 165°.
9. Serve these meatballs with zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or your favorite pasta, marinara sauce, and a side salad (but honestly, they are great all on their own!)

I’ve cooked the meatballs in the oven and in the sauce and both taste great, so I really don’t have a preference for you!  Give both methods a try and let me know what you think 🙂