Sometimes when I’m trying to come up with new recipe ideas, I try to think of two foods I know my kids love and then build a dish around it. I’ve discovered that if I make meals that take the form of a muffin, cake, cookie or pie, my guys are instantly intrigued. I’ve had great results with Sweet Beet Cookies, Breakfast Cupcakes and Veggie Pancakes, but I really thought I hit the jackpot when I came up with Spaghetti Pie. When I told Kenya I was making him a Spaghetti Pie for dinner, he actually started giggling, “what’s Spaghetti Pie, Mommy?!” “Well, it’s….Spaghetti Pie!” I realized that’s all I had to say — no explanation, description or convincing needed. The only downer is that I had planned on having leftovers, but there were none to be had. Bye bye Spaghetti Pie!

Spaghetti Pie (Serves 6)

8 oz Spaghetti, cooked (about 1/2 a package)
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 Lb Ground Turkey (you could also use ground beef or chicken)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Cups Weelicious Tomato Sauce or 1 16 Oz Jar Marinara Sauce
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the cooked spaghetti in a bowl and coat with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Combine the eggs and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Add mixture to the spaghetti and mix.
4. Place the spaghetti mixture into a greased deep-dish pie plate and spread to make a “pie crust”.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the ground turkey, salt, garlic and onion powder for 5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
6. Pour the marinara sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
7. In a bowl stir the Ricotta cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs to combine.
8. Spread the Ricotta/Parmesan cheese mixture over the pasta, then layer the marinara mixture and finally, top with 1 cup of mozzarella.
9. Place dish on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Cool, cut into wedges and serve.

After posting a picture of these Turkey Pesto Meatballs last week on our Facebook School Lunch photo gallery, I got so many requests for the recipe that I decided I should put it up ASAP!

A weelicious reader emailed me recently saying that she had tried a version of these meatballs at a friend’s house, and while she knew the flavors and ingredients, she could not recall the amounts or how to make them. I love getting requests to figure out recipes because part of the fun for me in testing is discovering new family favorites. I’m so grateful to that reader because everyone under my roof loved these bite-sized gems. Shockingly, the person who ate the most — Chloe, our 14 month old — downed six (six!) in one meal. She probably would have eaten the whole batch had I let her, but even babies need to share!! Next time I have to remember to make double the amount.

Turkey Pesto Meatballs (Serves 4-6)

1 1/4 Lb. Ground Lean Turkey
1/4 Cup Pesto
1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tsp Salt
2 Cups Weelicious Tomato Sauce or Marinara Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all the ingredients (except for the marinara sauce) in a bowl and using your hands, combine until everything is incorporated.
3. Using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture per meatball, roll into balls and place on a plate.
4. Pour the marinara sauce into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and top with the meatballs.
5. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Serve.

*Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet and freeze. After 30 minutes place the par-frozen balls in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or put them straight in the oven with sauce increasing cooking time by 5 minutes.

When I was growing up my mother would have charity or school meetings at least once a week. My father had little-to-no cooking ability, so my mom would keep tons of food she pre-prepared stocked in the freezer. All she had to do on those nights was pop something out of the freezer and toss it in the oven and we would have a homemade meal ready just in time for her to run out the door as Dad was coming in from work!

These baked shells are always a hit and remind me of the foods my mother prepared when I was young. When I make them I double the recipe so we can eat one batch that night and have another tucked away in the freezer for the nights that I’m too tired to cook. Even better, you can save a shell or two from dinner for your kids lunch the next day!

Baked Shell’s (Serves 6)

1 Box Pasta Shells (you will have a few leftover)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced,
1 Garlic Clove, minced,
1 Lb. Ground Turkey
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1 1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, divided
1 Large Egg
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 1/2 Cups Red Sauce or your favorite jarred brand

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.
3. Place oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook onions for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
4. Add ground turkey, salt and Italian herbs. Cook for an additional 6-8 minutes or until turkey is cooked through.
5. Place cooled ground turkey mixture in a bowl with ricotta, parmesan and eggs. Stir to combine.
6. Place 2 tbsp of turkey mixture in each pasta shell.
7. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 11 inch baking dish with 1/2 cup of the red sauce.
8. Place the shells, seam side down, into the dish.
8. Cover with remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and remaining parmesan cheese.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
9. Serve.

While other kids went outside to play when I was in grade school, I would always find myself in the kitchen with the lunch ladies, checking out what they were making for that day and stealing bites of whatever I could get my hands on. One of my favorite things the ladies prepared were sloppy joes. They were tangy, warm and fun to eat because they were so messy. I loved biting into them and watching the sauce dribble back onto the plate.

Recently, I was nostalgic for a good sloppy joe recipe and I couldn’t believe how many of the ones in cookbooks or available online contained tons of sugar and ketchup. This recipe is super yummy, but also healthy, which makes it a great meal for the whole family. I use ground turkey instead of beef because it’s lower in fat, comparable in price, and tastes just as delicious.

Kenya’s still too young to get the concept of holding a big sandwich like this, but he loves to eat the turkey mixture with a spoon out of a bowl.

Turkey Sloppy Joes (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Celery Stalk, diced
1 Pound Ground Turkey
1 15 Oz Can Tomato Sauce
3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to Taste
4 Whole Wheat Sandwich Buns or Rolls (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the bell pepper, carrot and celery and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
4. Add the ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
5. Add the tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve as is or on buns.

I made this recipe last week on a cold night (a rarity in LA) and it was the perfect meal for the weather. There’s something about chili that’s so perfect and healing during the winter and it’s also a simple dish that is great for feeding a crowd. It was such a hit in my house that I decided to make it again today, cutting the recipe in half and making it a tad bit less spicy — although Kenya seemed to love the extra heat I added to the last batch.

With all the veggies, plus the turkey and beans for protein, all you need is some rice or pasta for a carb and you have a complete meal (and of course a sprinkling of cheddar cheese on top never hurt). I don’t want to scare anyone off by calling this recipe “low fat,” but honestly, it doesn’t get any healthier and heartier than this one pot meal.

Turkey Veggie Chili (6-8 Servings)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Celery Stalks, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Pound Ground Turkey
1 Zucchini, diced
1 15oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 15oz. can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Water
2 15 oz. Cans White Beans, rinsed and drained (such as Cannellini) or 3 1/2 Cups Cooked Beans
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Cumin

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the onion, celery, and bell pepper for 2 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and turkey and saute for 4 minutes or until turkey is cooked through and broken into tiny pieces.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Serve.

*Allow to cool, store in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and bring to heat over low-medium heat.

* Allow to cool, store in appor

Always trying to change things up for breakfast in our house, I went 
to the grocery to buy breakfast sausage patties. Bad idea. The sodium in 
the frozen patties I found was off the charts! Wow. But how can I deprive Kenya of breakfast sausage? Back to the test kitchen for me.
These patties take only seconds to make because you toss all the 
ingredients in the food processor, whiz them up and form them into 
mini patties. I bought organic turkey and pork at Whole Foods since their meat doesn’t contain hormones and is excellent quality. Whole Foods is also unofficially known as 
”Whole Wallet” for their high prices, but I was 
shocked that my recipe still cost A LOT less then buying FOUR boxes of frozen patties 
that would yield the same amount.
I even added apple and spices to give them a sweet note and give a 
little zip. After cooking them, just pop the ones you don’t need into 
a labeled freezer bag and toss them in the freezer so you have them on hand any time of the day — Which is a good thing because these sausages are perfect for any meal.

Wee Sausage (Make 20 Patties)

1/2 Lb. Ground Pork
1/2 Pound Ground Turkey (I used dark meat turkey because it has more iron then white meat, but you could also use white meat )
2 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1/2 Apple, peeled and cored (gala, golden delicious and fuji are good choices)
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme (or 1/2 Tsp Dried)
1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Tsp Maple Syrup

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Using your hands, form 1 tbsp of the mixture into patties.
3. After all the patties are formed, heat a large non stick pan over medium heat.
4. Cook for 3 minutes, flip the patties and cover for 2 minutes.
5. Uncover and cook an additional minute or until patties are cooked through.
6. Cool and serve.

Meatloaf is THE all-American food. I always think of it as the dish that you either love or absolutely hate. I’ve also seen hundreds of recipes for it and people are extremely passionate about what they think does and doesn’t belong inside. My mother must have used an entire bottle of ketchup on hers. I’ll refrain from commenting.
My version of meatloaf is perfect for the whole family, but especially for your little one. The best part is they’re cooked in mini muffin pans, so they only take 20 minutes to bake. I pack mine with vegetables and since there’s no salt or sugary ketchup, I add some cheese which makes every bite taste heavenly. Kenya had such a grin on his face when I gave him his first one. He tried to shove the entire thing in his mouth, but luckily I cajoled him into letting me cut it up.

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites (24 Mini Bites)

1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Cup Baby Carrots (about
1 Egg, beaten
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Worsteshire Sauce
1 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (whole wheat, preferably)
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, white or orange, shredded
1 Lb. Ground Turkey (93% lean ground meat)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a nonstick mini muffin tin with vegetable oil cooking spray or grease with oil.
3. Place all of the ingredients, except the turkey, in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and the vegetables are in tiny pieces.
4. Place the ground turkey and vegetable mixture in a bowl and thoroughly combine (using your hands is the easiest way to do it).
5. Place about a tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture in the muffin pans and pack down with a spoon.
6. Bake until the mini turkey loaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
7. Cool and serve.