Our chicken nuggets have been such a success that Meghan and I decided to add meatballs as a group cooking project. She even had a “secret” family recipe for us to use. Very easy – ground beef, spinach, breadcrumbs (homemade), egg, herbs, garlic and onion. This recipe appealed to me because of the spinach – extra nutrition and great flavor. And pretty, the little meatballs looked like marbled pink granite before we baked them.

They take longer to bake than the chicken nuggets, but the whole process seemed to go faster. And since they bake longer (and make the house smell amazing), we had some down time to just talk and chase down the kiddos who were hiding in a built-in entertainment cabinet. Hannah and Cody really liked watching the meatballs cook, though, and would come look through the window periodically to make sure they were still there.

After tasting the finished product, we agreed it could have used more salt, so we decided to positively brand this batch as “low sodium” and “heart healthy.” Good on their own but really tasty covered in sauce. Hannah didn’t like them, but she’s in one of her food funks again and only wants to eat toast, smoothies, and popsicles. I’ll freeze the extras, and I’m pretty sure the next time I pull them out she’ll be a fan.

And there are lots of options for using meatballs – plain, on pasta with sauce, in a pita or on a sandwich, sliced on pizza, or stuck with a cute toothpick to look like a fancy appetizer. When they’re frozen, they only take 30 seconds in the microwave and they’re ready to enjoy. Yum!