What's for dinner: Quick Italian Wedding Soup

Recipe and photo courtesy of food network

Italian Wedding Soup is a delicious and hearty soup that is perfect for any occasion. It is traditionally made with meatballs, vegetables, eggs, and cheese in a flavorful broth. The soup is named after the Italian-American tradition of serving it at weddings, but it is now enjoyed all year round.

Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting and satisfying meal that is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser. Serve it with crusty bread and grated Parmesan cheese for a delicious and complete meal.

Ingredients (recipe courtesy of Food Network)

Meatballs:

• 1 small onion, grated

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 8 ounces ground beef

• 8 ounces ground pork

• Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

• 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

2. To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Meatballs

Spicy meatballs served with sautéed spinach, broccoli, sesame carrots, and a fried egg

My family LOVES meatballs. I love that they’re an easy addiction to meal prep Sunday, and we all love how yummy and satisfying they are.  

I found myself in a meatball rut in the winter, and my friend Jasmine shared a recipe for Asian meatballs that sounded like a great way to mix things up. 

On the go- served with sweet potatoes, brown rice, broccoli, and carrots

One of my goals with this site is always to share healthier versions of comfort food. I love to sneak in extra veggies, and stick to ingredients that don’t weigh you down.  

I used that original recipe as a spring board to experiment with new flavor profiles, and after a few attempts I found this combo, and knew it was the winner.  

SPICY MEATBALLS

• 2lbs ground turkey

• 1/2 sweet onion, diced

• 3/4C oat flour

• 1/2C grated zucchini

• 2 eggs

• 2 cloves garlic, diced

• 2tsp chili powder

• 1tsp ground ginger

• 1tsp smoked paprika

• Pinch Himalayan pink sea salt

• Pinch black pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl, and mix thoroughly by hand.

2. Form into 1-1/2in balls, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes on a foil lined baking sheet (makes 24 meatballs)

SRIRACHA HONEY GLAZE

• 3 Tbsp Sriracha

• 3 Tbsp Tamari

• 3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

• 3 Tbsp Honey

• 1 tsp Ginger Paste (available @ Trader Joe’s) or 1tsp minced ginger

• 1 minced clove of garlic or 1/2tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1/2tsp cinnamon

1. Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

These meatballs reheat beautifully.

Once the meatballs are cooked, transfer to a storage container (like this lovely glass Pyrex) and drizzle the glaze on top. Give the dish a little wiggle to coat them completely!

Serve with AN-Y-THING. veggies, zoodles, brown rice, bibimbap or my favorite, add them to the @toneitupnutrition Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

ENJOY!!!! 😋

Meal Prep- You can totally do this!

Meal prepping saves my sanity, and eliminates the dreaded what’s-for-dinner-midweek-panic. After much trial and error, I’ve found that the schedule below really helps me maximize my time. Let’s have a moment of truth- is every week EXACTLY this precise? No way. But for the most part, my meal prep is some iteration of the schedule below. 

My #1 tip is this- stick with it. The first few weeks can be rocky! You’ll work out the kinks, and before you know it, you’ll be prepping like a pro. 👩‍🍳  

I learned to meal prep with the help of Tone It Up, an incredible online fitness community. If you've never checked them out, head on over to their site! I am a member of their Nutrition Plan, and because of this program, I have been re-inspired to create delicious dishes for my family week over week! After much trial and error, these are the things that work best in our house. Feel free to take what's best for you, and leave whatever you don't need! My hope is that your week goes a little smoother because of what you learn here!

a few notes before you start

1. Begin with a clean kitchen, including an empty dishwasher. You'll thank me later.

2. Matching containers make for easier storage, and a prettier presentation. Scroll down for a few of my faves!

   1. Meal Prep Containers for undressed salads, tray bakes, and overnight oats, fajita bowls... basically for anything that doesn't contain a ton of liquid

   2. Wide mouth mason jars for yogurt parfaits, dressed salads, soups, and more liquid-y Overnight Oats

   3. Smoothie bottles for smoothies on the go! I love the lids and straws that come in this set

3. Write out your menu! I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten about a component of meal prep Sunday. Be sure to write it all out before you begin!

Here's how we do Sundays...

Sunday mornings are lazy. We make breakfast in, even with guests. We drink a lot of coffee. There are usually waffles involved. I like to get in a quick workout before everyone’s up, even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood or an ab workout in my gym. I snuggle with Clint on the couch for a bit and we drink our coffee, and each come up with a few ideas for dinner that week, and I make a grocery list. Then I power shop with the goal of being there and back in 45 minutes.

** full disclosure. We live a ¼ mile from the grocery store, and I don’t shop at Costco.**

the usual suspects

**more disclosures- During football season, I go to the grocery store at 10am as to not miss my Seahawks, so the Hubbs and I brainstorm meals over breakfast. #gohawks **

When I come home, Clint helps me put away the groceries. Then, I IMMEDIATELY meal prep. 

HOW I PRIORITIZE MEAL PREP SUNDAYS

First, I do the things that require no attention:

• Hard Boiled Eggs- in a pot, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Done.

• Brown rice or quinoa- if I had a rice cooker, these would be even easier, but I don’t. so into the pot, and cook 20-45 minutes. Done and done.

• Muffins or Baked Frittatas for the week.

sautéed veggies for frittatas

Next, I do the things that require no cooking.

• Pre-portion lunch snacks for Peyton (crackers, trail mix, etc.)

• Pull apart the string cheeses for grab-and-go-ability

• 3-4 servings of overnight oats, yogurt parfaits, and chia pudding (up for grabs for anyone for breakfast)

• Chop veggies for snacks or for meals

• I pre portion anything that’s a snack

• I pre-portion salad greens

• I prep 3 gallon-sized Ziploc bags with 4-6C of mixed veggies each (carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower with garlic and onions). I will roast these a few nights during the week. When it’s time to cook, I just put them on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

chopped and seasoned veggies for quick dinner sides

Then, I prep dinners and anything that needs attention while cooking. This includes dinner for Sunday night. Examples:

• Ground turkey with taco seasoning

• Grilled chicken for salads

• Chicken Fajita mix (chicken, onions, peppers, garlic, seasoning)

• Meatballs  or Falafels

• Big batch of soup

Last, I store anything (portioned in bulk for dinners or individually for lunches) that needs to cool before going into the fridge, load any dirty dishes into the dishwasher, prep the coffee maker for the morning, wipe down the counters, and pour a glass of wine.

And that’s it! Done! It sounds like there’s a lot going on, but steps 1 and 2 happen simultaneously, and step 3 takes less than 30 minutes because any veggies are prepped and ready. All in, I spend about 2 hours on meal prep, including the grocery shop.

What this doesn’t account for is the time that I am NOT spending on meals during the week.  Breakfasts are done with muffins, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, and frittatas. Lunches are pre-portioned. I spend maybe 10-15 minutes max prepping dinners most nights. That means I have more time during the week to spend with family, work out, or do ANYTHING really, besides prep food. I would say I save about 30-45 minutes a day Monday-Friday with the work I put in on Sunday afternoons.

Let me know- what are your biggest Meal-Prep hurdles or Meal-Prep successes?

Xo, Terra