deceptively delicious.

i had heard many good things about this book and finally bought it. let me just say that the whole idea is genius. the recipes include vegetable & fruit puree to add nutritional value and/or reduce fat. for example, in the yellow cake recipe, 1 cup canned pumpkin puree and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil are used instead of 1/2 cup of oil. i have a picky picky husband who can count on one had the vegetables that he will tolerate, so this is going to change my life :)

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe is hands down one of my favorite things to make. It's delicious and because it's cooked in the crockpot it is easy too!

Ingredients
1/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
1/8 c. lemon juice
4 (8oz.) cans tomato sauce
Meatballs: You can either use frozen or see the recipe below to make your own!

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Serve over rice!

Homemade Meatballs
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Mix all of the ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Shape into one inch balls (or use a cookie scoop like I do) and drop into sauce in the crockpot.

Enjoy!

Time: 10 min
Serves: 4

FAVE: Bananas for GreenBags!

A long time ago my mom gave me this box of Debbie Meyer GreenBags. These nifty little things are green bags (go figure) that you keep your fruits and vegetables in and in return they keep your produce fresh longer. And the best thing is: they're reusable! According to Deb you can keep broccoli fresh in these miracle bags for up to 21 days! What?! And much more. I've had fresh parsley in my fridge for 2 weeks. LOVE it. They're my new fave.

Best Five: Places to eat on a dime.

BEST FIVE: Places to eat on a dime.

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Aunt Tina's Rigatoni

Okay, so this one isn't "quick" per say, but it's dang good and sometimes you just have to splurge and do a recipe that has more than 5 ingredients and takes longer than 20 minutes. This is worth it, and I highly recommend cooking the sauce the day before.

Also, one more thing: this cooks A LOT, so you can freeze half of the sauce - or just half the recipe.

ingredients:
1/2 pt. olive oil
1 bunch Parsley, chopped
5-6 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 T. Italian Seasoning
1 C. Water
1 lg. can Stewed Tomatoes, chopped
2 (10 oz) cans Tomato Paste
2 lbs. Spicy Sausage, without casing
Rigatoni Noodles, prepared

directions:
Pour olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add parsley (hint: don't let oil get hot before you add the parsley...because it will spit at you and ultimately burn.), garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Simmer until garlic starts to brown. Add water, tomatoes, and tomato paste, (fill each paste can will water and add to pot). Cook sausage in skillet and drain. Add to sauce and simmer several hours. Skim grease off top of sauce occasionally. Serve over cooked noodles.

Recipe note: For enhanced flavor, prepare the sauce the day before serving.