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With every end comes a beginning…
The bittersweet end of yet another short year has arrived. So many precious memories have been formed in what seems like a blink of an eye! With divine timing, of course, many (sometimes difficult) endings are soothed by the sweetness of new beginnings. So, cheers to a healing, strong, inspired, positive 2019. Make this new year what you want it to be.
Though our family has been experiencing chaos lately because of the failing health of a loved one, we are excited and grateful to soon hold our third child in February. To prepare ourselves for our new baby, we have been exploring the concept of minimalism. We have made much progress; lots of unloved things have left our space, leaving room for loved things: another child, time to read good books, snuggles, good food and kitchen experiments, et cetera. Our entire apartment takes a lot less time to clean up and it is company-ready in no time. Though we still have more to do (and we always will!), I’m so relieved to have created a more serene environment for my family to relax and play in. It is amazing how much our environment–even though we may not notice it directly–can affect our stress levels. It is true that less clutter means less stress.
How to approach the New Year?
Speaking of minimalism, new beginnings, and higher causes, it’s important to be able to step back and place yourself outside of yourself. We must appreciate the little things…mundane, yes, but the little things are what make up most of our time here on earth. We all have hopes and dreams and desires, but getting lost in the details will neutralize any progress we make. If a goal for you in 2019 is to be a healthier person more able to contribute to the betterment of mankind, make it easy for yourself. We can focus on the health of ourselves in order to support the health of everyone else; this can be done by optimizing our diets with real food; unprocessed, fresh, nutrient-dense deliciousness; try to eat like this 80% of the time. Don’t stress out about every little thing. Have achievable goals. Maybe even try to enjoy every little thing; cleaning the kitchen, changing diapers, and kissing your loved ones goodnight. In other words, prioritize your concerns, and, if possible, minimize unnecessary ones.
On that note, it seems to be a trend for my family to always be striving for better health, no matter if it’s the New Year or not. Thankfully, I purchased a cookbook a few weeks ago that has been fun to explore and also provides us with SIMPLE, quick, delicious, and healthy recipes. It just so happens to fit in categories that fit our long-term and most-recent interests: organ meats, a more animal-based diet, and real food prepared in a family-friendly way. It also seems to be particularly pleasing to my food-desires during pregnancy. 🙂 Here is the most recent recipe we’ve made from it, and I hope you like it as much as we did! I must admit that I totally pigged-out on it (shhh!). All recipes contained in it are gluten and grain-free, sugar-free, nutrient-dense, kid-approved and family-friendly, and best of all, made from scratch with minimal ingredients. My kind of cookbook. Though this is a cookbook made to accommodate a ketogenic lifestyle, any recipe can be modified/added-to to fit a non-ketogenic diet. I present to you The Ketogenic Edge Cookbook’s delicious “Mama’s Best Meatballs”:
Mama’s Best Meatballs
Notes
Makes 16 meatballs
Serve with Cauliflower Rice (page 107) and a side salad with Creamy Keto Dressing (page 55). Melt Gruyere on top or add Feta to the salad.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, bison or other grass-fed meat
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches ginger root, grated
- 2 inches turmeric root, grated
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder
- Salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350° F.
- Combine all herbs and flavorings with the meat in a medium mixing bowl until the mixture is uniform. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Form into approximately sixteen ⅛ pound balls by rolling them in the palm of your hand.
- Arrange in an ungreased 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until done to your liking.
Diane’s recipe notes:
- Fresh turmeric is not always available, so experimenting with powdered turmeric can make the recipe doable even if you don’t have fresh turmeric.
- We served our meatballs with homemade purple sauerkraut and a side of mashed potatoes…my husband makes the best mashed potatoes! 🙂 The meatballs paired beautifully with these sides, but, you can leave out the potatoes and replace them with any ketogenic-friendly food…and there are lots of those to be found in this cookbook.
Kick-off this New Year with a good deal!
If you’re interested in exploring more recipes from this cookbook, you can save 15% off a combo order of this one and Jessica Haggard’s The Ultimate Guide to Low Carb Baking with the code “HEALTH”. This New Year 2019 cookbook bundle deal is going on for TWO more days.
Get them here at this discounted price while you can!
Descriptions of both cookbooks:
The Ketogenic Edge Cookbook gives a firm foundation for healthy meal prep day in and day out. Bulk prep Mama’s Best Meatballs and Keto Flatbreads and you’ll have dinner staples ready made for a few days in a row. Double batch a dressings and store in the fridge all week. This book is full of simple tips that make health, from scratch cooking a breeze.
The Ultimate Guide to Low Carb Baking has many delicious baked goods – dinner rolls, chocolate brownies, and gingersnaps! It is a collection of sweet and savory recipes plus some very creative originals like Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake.
Hopefully, you’ve been able to start your new chapter in the best way. From our family to yours, may 2019 be a year full of positive progress and many good memories! There is much fun to be had.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Have you experienced any benefits from practicing minimalism?
Article summary:
- Thoughts about the old and new year
- Benefiting from practicing minimalism
- A super easy, quick, and delicious recipe from The Ketogenic Edge Cookbook: Mama’s Best Meatballs
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