I have eaten some weird things this year. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined eating a pudding made with chia seeds and liking it; or lentil tacos; or kale salad; or quinoa patties; and so on and so on. I have tried a lot of new and different food since starting to “eat clean” a year and a half ago. Some of this new food was amazing! Some….. not so much! Ha! I have loved the adventure of trying and incorporating these new and healthy foods into my daily diet but sometimes I just want to eat (as my kids say) “normal food”!

Sometimes I want to eat food that tastes like food I ate before I started eating healthy- but I still want it to be healthy! My favourite “clean eating” recipes are the ones that “clean up” old recipes and make them healthy. I find this kind of recipe easier to feed to my family. There is no fight at the dinner table to “try it”! No tricking my kids to eat a weird ingredient or texture. It’s just easier to serve food that my kids are already familiar with. That’s why I love this recipe for Chia Meatballs! These meatballs taste like meatballs but have superfood chia seeds hidden inside! I made a double batch of the meatballs and made two totally unique “normal” meals that were super healthy and my kids LOVED! For the meatballs you will need:

1 lb. ground beef (grassfed if possible)

2 T. organic tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. herbs de Provence (or your fave dried Italian herbs) 

1 t. sea salt

1 t. ground pepper

2 T. chia seeds (I buy mine at Bulk Barn)

2 t. 100% Pure Avocado Oil, for sauteing (although I broiled mine in the oven)

You can find the recipe and directions here. 

Meal #1 Chia Meatballs and Quinoa Pasta

I made a simple marinara sauce (use your own recipe or use the one on the chia meatball site), then served the meatballs and sauce on these great Quinoa Noodles I found at Costco.

My kids LOVED the pasta and my daughter (who is a pasta monster) said she never would have known the noodles were made with quinoa! Great testimonial coming from my fussiest eater!

 You would never guess looking at that plate, that you were about to eat chia seeds and quinoa!

Meal #2 Hawaiian Meatball Kebobs

My kids love kebobs! I think most kids do- food on a stick is just more fun! I used the second half of the meatball batch to make this amazing Hawaian inspired dinner! 

 Pineapple, red onions and red peppers paired with the meatballs were a big hit with my kids! I broiled the kebobs but they would be better on the BBQ (if winter ever ends!!!). Brush your kebobs with your favourite organic barbecue sauce or make your own like I did! I found this Clean Eating Barbecue Sauce and made it in 10 minutes! Super easy! You will need:

• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

You can find the recipe and directions here. Another meal totally approved by my kids! 

Choose happy 🙂