Turkey Meatball Subs

September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 | Megan

I wasn’t sure what reaction to expect from my little ones regarding these turkey meatball subs. I made this meal in parts on an afternoon where I was Go-G0-Going all day, and I knew I had better get dinner in the bag or we would be eating take-out, grilled cheese, or even worse– cold cereal! (No judgement here, we’ve done this on LOTS of occasions!)

I was pleasantly surprised when my 4 year-old gobbled up the meat balls (disregarding the bun completely). Stating only, “YUM!” I’m pretty sure this is the first time he has ingested red sauce without some very concerted cajoling. So a BIG WIN for this dinner, another score for The Six O’Clock Scramble*, and a huge SMILE for ME!!!

As I already mentioned, this dinner works well on crazy nights if you can prep ahead. I made the meatballs, simmered them in the sauce, sautéed the onions and bell peppers, and set EVERYTHING aside in the refrigerator until 6:00 p.m.

Then all I had to do was bust out the hoagie buns, assemble the sandwiches, and broil them for 2-3 minutes. Easy peasy!

I have been receiving some AWESOME feedback from recipes posted here on the blog. THANK YOU!!! A friend who turned out a PERFECT Peach Upside Down Cake, another who really LOVED the Chocolate Cupcake recipe, and another who gave me sweet DREAMS about this gorgeous Polka Dot Cheesecake!!! I’ll definitely try it, and post the results here. Until then, I REALLY really LOVE hearing from all of you! Keep those comments coming!

Thank you for reading, following, sharing and making this space such an enjoyable community experience!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion (peeled, halved and sliced into half rings)

1 large green or red bell pepper (sliced)

26 oz. red pasta sauce or tomato sauce

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg (beaten)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

6 small (about 6 inches) oblong French bread sandwich rolls

4 oz. sliced or shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese

Directions

First, preheat your broiler and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Make the meatballs first (unless you are opting for frozen meatballs, which work great, too)! Combine 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 egg (beaten), 1/2 cub bread crumbs, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder. Stir thoroughly. Make the meat into 1″ balls. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large sauce pan or skillet over medium-high heat and cook the meatballs through. Turn them frequently until they are browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs onto a paper towel lined plate.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in another skillet and add the onions and bell peppers. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the large saucepan, heat the sauce over medium to medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and simmer them for 10 – 15 minutes.

Open up each sandwich roll and place them on the baking sheet, put several cooked meatballs and some sauce inside each roll and top them with onions, peppers and cheese. Broil the sandwiches for 2 – 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rolls are slightly browned. Serve them hot.

1. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, egg, and garlic powder.

2. Make into 1″ balls, and cook through (5-8 minutes) in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.

3. Remove meatballs from the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate.

3. Meanwhile, chop your onion and bell pepper.

4. Cook the onion and bell pepper in a skillet with 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes.

4. Simmer the meatballs in the red sauce until for 10-15 minutes.

5. Open up your sandwich buns and add the meatballs, onion and peppers, and top with cheese.

6. Broil the sandwiches for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges of the buns begin to brown.

7. Eat!!!

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 5 weekly meals which means 5 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

A Gentlemen’s Affair

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 | Megan

This past weekend my husband participated in The 2015 Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride. The ride is organized to raise awareness and help fund the cure to for prostate cancer. The ride takes place in over 400 cities in 79 countries around the world.

One of the slogans for the ride is– Dapper for a Cause. The subtitle read, “I say! What a spiffy blazer. Who is your tailor, sir?” That is exactly what we saw there– tweed blazers, deeply polished boots of every description, silk pocket squares, tailored dress pants, and perfectly waxed mustaches!

So in celebration of the ride, especially for the cause of fighting prostate cancer, here’s a look at what Perry wore!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!!!

XX, Megan

Shirt: Target, Blazer: Gap, Pants: Banana Republic, Belt: Banana Republic, Shoes: Clarks, Tie: J.Crew, Gloves: Banana Republic, Sunglasses: Ray-ban Wayfarer

September Sweat Sessions: Workout 5

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 | Megan

Woot! Woot! It’s MONDAY!!!

I’ll tell you why I’m so excited– I’ve already hit my workout for the day. That’s right. BOOM! It’s done. I’ve laid it out for your below. Yes, this is precisely the workout I did this morning and I loved it!!!

Okay, so it also felt good because I may have eaten a DELICIOUS Chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake on Saturday. No regrets. And while that was probably my most indulgent moment, you CANNOT allow yourself to remain in the sugar haze. You have to break through and hit it hard on Monday!

Here’s the other reality, I RARELY workout in the early mornings. In fact, I’ve never really been someone who enjoys a super duper early morning workout. I much prefer to knock out my exercise in the evening, and I feel as though I’ve always felt this way. I still haven’t done enough research as to WHY I don’t feel at my best in the mornings.

But I can admit that AFTER working out in the morning, my days almost always roll out more easily. I feel great!!! Plus, when the clock strikes 5 p.m., and I’m still staring down the pipeline at an hour long workout, sometimes it can be a mood killer. As in I have to force myself to switch gears, dress for the gym and get myself and the littles out the door. It can be a challenge.

My point is simply that there are positives to EITHER end of the time spectrum for exercise. I have a lot of respect and admiration for folks who get up super duper early EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. To ensure that their workout is complete!

Whether you are a morning workout star, a 9:00 a.m. fitness fiend, or an evening knock-it-out-of-the-park kind of person, I hope you’re sticking with your fitness goals HARD CORE this fall/winter!

XX, Megan

Workout 5

For this cycling profile all you really need to find is a HEAVY hill-climbing gear that will get you to feel the burn. We are going to do a ladder where each successive hill gets just a little bit longer, and depending on how much you want to challenge yourself, just a little bit steeper!

So if we are using resistance levels 1-10 again, with 1 being almost NO resistance and 10 being so HEAVY you can barely turn those pedals you are looking for resistance in the 7,8,9 range. Remember that you can use this workout for indoor cycling, on a recumbent, with the elliptical machine, out of doors (if you have a favorite hill for your intervals), or even on your cycling trainer at home!

Warm-up

3 minutes, stretch those legs and warm your upper body

3 minutes, pick-ups 30 seconds on (increase cadence) and 30 seconds off (decrease cadence), 3 times

3 minute hill climb add resistance every 30 seconds until you’ve reached your heaviest resistance

1 minute flush, or fully remove all of your resistance, and then you’ll get ready to begin your first hill climb!!!

Profile

2 minute hill climb on HEAVY resistance (a 7,8,9 on a 10 point scale of resistance!)

1 minute flush (remove all resistance from your fly wheel)

2 minute hill climb, HEAVY

1 minute flush (remove all resistance from your fly wheel)

3 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

4 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

5 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

NOW this is the TOP of your ladder, after your 5 minute heavy hill climb you are going to subtract once minute from your hill every set so…

4 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

3 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

2 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

Cool down and stretch

YOU’RE HOME!!! Way to ride!!!

What Does the Fox Say

September 24, 2015October 2, 2015 | Megan

I know that this “What does the fox say?” business is OLD. It is out of fashion. It is long cold on society’s weirdo finding radar. But my kids have somehow picked it up, and been saying it to one another. They’re asking me what the fox says. They’re asking Siri, “What does the fox say?”

Hence the post title. That and the fact that somehow this piece of quilted outerwear reminds me of a mid-century fox hunt. So there you go. So equestrian. I’m pretty set on vacillating between neutrals, jewel tones, and bright blasts of red all fall.

Thursday always feels SO CLOSE to Friday. It makes me happy. Plus the fact that I get to rock out with my cycling class and get our sweat on. Two thumbs way, way up! How will you spend this crisp fall Thursday?

XX, Megan

Coat: Gap (similar on sale!, similar and similar), Shell: J.Crew (old, similar, similar), Pants: J.Crew, Boots: Madewell, Necklace: Gorjana, Lips: Buxom White Russian

Back in Black

September 23, 2015October 2, 2015 | Megan

Fall means many things, and one of my favorites is taking some of my favorite warm weather clothes with me through the transition from summer to fall. Fall transitions can be as simple as adding a pair of your favorite boots and a trusty anorak to a more summery bohemian dress. Or it can be as easy as adding a darker more dramatic lip to your daily makeup routine.

Done, done, and done! I am loving this new to me wine lip from Clinique. It leans toward red in the wines, but I can also appreciate a true plum if you’re feeing more aubergine this fall. Here’s another one of my longtime favorites.

As a mom, I’ve found that dresses have truly been a saving grace when I need to throw on something quick and head out the door. I am more likely to look and feel put together in one step with a dress, rather than reaching for separates. What about you? Maybe a romper suits your throw-on-and-go fancy. I have yet to take part in the romper trend, thought I looked this summer. Never say never, they say!

XX, Megan