In the Kitchen: Home Chef: Buffalo Turkey Meatball Salad

Hi, Everyone!

In an effort to spend less time meal planning and more time reading, I decided to give Home Chef a try. It costs less than taking the whole family to a restaurant, and it seemed like a fun way to add some new recipes to my repertoire.

Tonight: Buffalo Turkey Meatball Salad with Celery & Bleu Cheese

 

 

This recipe would be great for days when you want the flavor of wings without, you know, actually having to eat wings.

 

 

It’s listed at 573 calories, but I used a few tricks to bring that number down even lower.

 

 

First trick: use a melon baller to scoop your meatballs. They’ll be smaller than the recipe calls for, which means you’ll get more, which means you’ll have enough to stretch the recipe–we fed two adults and two kids with the given ingredients and STILL had leftover veg.

Second, toss the included Ranch dressing. Seriously. Just look at those nutrition facts! Ew!

 

Don’t worry; I’m not going to suggest you eat some sort of fat-free Ranch. We know that stuff is gross.

Instead, let me introduce you to my new best friend, Avocado Ranch!

Healthy Fats for the WIN, people. AND it’s tasty!

 

 

If I make it again: I’m pretty sure I could have skipped the butter completely and just tossed the meatballs in hot sauce, and I’d likely use less bleu cheese in the meatballs–the flavor was pretty overpowering.

Did my kids eat it: I thought it was a bit too spicy for the baby, but she nommed the salad part nicely. The 3.5-year-old refused the salad and had a few bites of meatball, after which he declared dinner over and asked for a cookie “for the road.”  He did not get a cookie.