Turkey Albondigas (FTDI)
Are you in the mood for a good bowl of soup? Do you love Albondigas? My BFF, Angela Borruso, and I came up with this recipe using FTDI ingredients during our first 6wk challenge at The Camp because we REALLY wanted some warm, familiar, comforting Albondigas! We ended up making it SEVERAL times because it was so yummy (and we still make it)! Hope you enjoy!
Turkey Albondigas (FTDI)
MooMoo Jackson Style
Meatball Ingredients:
1 package 1% Ground Turkey (approx. 1lb)
1 package Ground Chicken Breast (approx. 1lb)
(OR two 1lb packages of Meats2u Ground Poultry Unseasoned or Garlic Herb Blend)
2 Egg Whites (from real eggs)
2 Roma Tomatoes chopped 1 White Onion diced 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced 1 Jalapeno deseeded and diced 1 tbsp fresh Mint minced (important for flavor)
2 tsp Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash (omit if you use Meats2u Garlic Herb Ground Poultry) 1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan salt Black Pepper to taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste (optional)
Soup Ingredients:
8 cups Water (or you can use homemade chicken broth--see my recipe on this website to make it)
Handful Baby Kale
Handful Baby Spinach
1 bunch Asparagus chopped
3-4 Celery ribs chopped
Handful Brussel Sprouts shredded
Soup Broth Seasonings:
1 tbsp Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash
1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions: 1. In a large soup pan begin bringing water (or homemade chicken broth) to a boil while you prepare your meatballs.
2. Combine ground turkey and ground chicken and all other meatball ingredients with your hands. Make sure everything is mixed together well!
3. Create medium sized meatballs by rolling meat between your hands.
4. Once your meatballs are all rolled and the water (or broth) is boiling, gently lower your meatballs into the boiling water using a ladle or large serving spoon. Don't splash yourself with boiling water!
5. Add all the soup seasonings to your soup.
6. Boil Meatballs in broth uncovered on med-high heat for 30 minutes then simmer on med-low heat for another 30-45 minutes. Meatballs will float and look white-ish when they are done. Feel free to take one out and cut it open to make sure it's cooked through.
7. During the last 15 minutes add all the chopped soup veggies and allow them to cook only until softened. Taste your broth at this point and adjust any seasonings to your taste if necessary.
Portion Info: Weigh the cooked meatballs for protein portion. Veggies are unlimited.
NOTE: TO ADD A CARB PORTION TO THIS SOUP, PREPARE BROWN RICE, QUINOA, OR CUBED STEAMED SWEET POTATOES ON THIER OWN, WEIGH OUT YOUR CORRECT CARB PORTION AFTER THEY'RE COOKED, THAN ADD ONE CARB PORTION INTO YOUR BOWL OF SOUP. (Women 2oz, Men 3oz)
**IF YOU WANT TO YOU CAN USE THE MEATBALLS FROM THIS RECIPE TO MAKE JUST MEATBALLS IN A SKILLET AS A DIFFERENT DISH INSTEAD OF SOUP TO SWITCH THINGS UP! THEY TASTE GREAT THAT WAY AS WELL!
RECIPE Q&A's:
Q: Are tomatoes FTDI?
A: Tomatoes are not on the approved FTDI food list. HOWEVER, Salsa IS FTDI in moderation. See your Condiments and Drinks page in your Bible for info. The meatball ingredients in this recipe are basically a "rough chopped" salsa, or pico de gallo, so under the name "salsa" they would fall into the FTDI guidelines in this recipe. This recipe is okay for 6wk challengers.
Q: Are onions FTDI? How about garlic and jalapeños?
A: Yes. Onions are FTDI. You are allowed to eat them raw OR cooked during your 6wk challenge. See your Condiments and Drinks page in your Bible for info. Remember that onions are considered a CONDIMENT and should be used as a condiment, not as a main course or a side dish. They are higher in sugar so eating an excessive amount can hinder your weight loss but they are FINE if eaten properly. The amount of onion in this recipe is okay for challengers! Garlic and Jalapeños are FTDI as well!
Q: How do I portion my protein with this recipe?
A: Weigh your meatballs after they're cooked. It will have other ingredients in it which will cook down so it will be a little bit more difficult to get a 100% accurate protein portion but error on the side of more protein rather than less. A little extra protein won't hinder your weight loss results at all but a little less may so be aware of that.
Q: Do I have to use both ground turkey AND ground chicken breast?
A: You do not HAVE to use both but I will tell you that when you combine them 50/50 your meat will be much more moist! Ground turkey by itself is usually dry and difficult to eat. I like to eat meat that is moist and not dry! It will work with just one kind of meat though.
Q: What kind of Ground Turkey should I get? Where can I buy it?
A: I like to buy Jennie-O ground turkey (blue package). It needs to be 1% fat (99% fat free) in order to be FTDI. I buy mine at Stater Brothers, Target, Trader Joe's, Sprouts, or Clark's Nutrition. You can purchase any brand as long as it's 1%. Here is a picture of it:
Q: What kind of ground chicken should I get? Where can I buy it?
A: Make sure you use only ground chicken BREAST. Often times ground chicken will have other parts of the chicken ground in with it which wouldn't be FTDI. If you have an attachment to your KitchenAid at home then feel free to simply grind up boneless, skinless chicken breasts yourself. If not then you can purchase already ground chicken breast at Stater Brothers, Trader Joe's, Clark's Nutrition, or other Whole Foods stores. The butchers at meat markets will do it for you often times too.
Q: What is Meats2u?
A: Meats2u is a company that provides healthy, non-toxic, antibiotic/hormone free, organic meat to the public. You can purchase their meat online at meats2u.com or at any Camp Transformation Center location with a Meat2u freezer on site. They sell a ground poultry (plain or pre-seasoned) that is already 50/50 ground turkey and ground chicken breast (as well as many other healthy meats). It's delicious, convenient, and has many health benefits as well!
Q: Are the meatballs dry?
A: Ground turkey is usually on the dry side of meats. However, combining it 50/50 with ground chicken breast helps make it less dry. These are definitely turkey meatballs but this recipe makes them not too dry and they're actually yummy!
Q: How do I make homemade chicken broth if I want to use that instead of water? Can I use store bought chicken broth instead?
A: Store bought chicken broth is not FTDI. If you want to use chicken broth instead of water in this recipe you will need to make it homemade (I freeze my extra chicken broth when I make it in case I want to use it for recipes such as this). I have an FTDI Chicken Broth recipe on this website that is tasty if you are interested. Remember you can ONLY use chicken breast, no skin, and no bones when creating your broth! In this recipe water works fine too!
