Greek Meatball Gyros with Tzatziki Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sauce)

Greek style MEATBALLS -- Trim Healthy Mama (THM)

2 pounds of lean ground meat, beef, pork, turkey , venison -- whatever you have on hand
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
salt
pepper
fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Add dry oats, salt, pepper and spices to your Vitamix or Blendtec and pulse 1-2 times. That makes an oat binding flour, seasoned, of course. Add onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and blend again until you have a smooth mixture with no chunks. Now add meat and just pulse quickly to incorporate meat, but don't overblend. 

Place it all into a bowl and mix by hand to make sure it's all evenly incorporated . Don't worry if it looks mushy or runny, it just needs to lay about in the refrigerator for an hour or 30 minutes in the freezer (but don't forget it for much longer or ICE!) Preheat your oven now to 375*.

Use a click release small diameter icecream or portioning scoop and form iquickly nto 1 inch diameter meatballs or use a teaspoon and it goes slower.

Put them on an oiled cookie sheet, not touching. bake for 20ish minutes, at 375*. Cut one in half to be sure it's cooked through, as your cooking time will vary with density of your meatball and choice of meat. If you prefer, you can make this into 20 flatter patties, and use them to make a Gyro sandwich. This makes about 60 meatbals..

These can be Meatball sandwiches, spaghetti and meatballs, or my personal favorite:  Gyro style sandwich: Greek meatballs in a wrap, with lettuce, tomatoes, a little red onion, and topped with Tzatziki sauce. Use a THM plan approved wrap, like half a Joseph's Lavish, or a Low carb whole wheat Mission wrap, or a Joseph's pita, and it's delicious.

If you don't have lettuce or cucumbers, you can drizzle some garlicky greek yogurt, add grilled onions and peppers, chop up some cilantro like this photo. But I do highly recommend the Tzatziki sauce.. you'll love it. PS your kids can eat pitas, and stuff this in regular ones, but do stick with the Joseph's low carb pitas for slimming!

Tzatziki Sauce (Greek yogurt and 

cucumber sauce or salad or dip)

2 Cups thick Nonfat Greek Plain Yogurt
Take a pita or wrap, smear with some of this lovely thick dip, and then add some meatballs (room temperature is fine too) some tomato wedges, some lettuce and onion, and fold in half and enjoy!

2 cups of small dice peel-on cucumbers (prepare by sprinkling with 2 tsp. salt, and put over a colander to drain out extra water, and top with a heavy plate topped with a can of food to weight it down for 30 minutes)
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 finely minced or crushed garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp. powdered dry garlic)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (1.5 Tablespoons from a jar may be subbed)
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill weed, or 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh mint, or use a pinch of crushed rosemary plus a pinch of dried basil plus a pinch of dried dill weed if you don't have the fresh herbs.
 Drain the salted cucumbers, and sprinkle with the herbs you chose, and the garlic. drizzle the lemon juice over the top, and then gently fold in the yogurt. Cover and chill in refrigerator. After it has chilled, stir again and taste the sauce to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Some people use up to 3 cloves of garlic which can make this very spicy. This version is milder, but suit your own taste.

Winter Pumpkin Stew with Sausage - THM

THM - Sausage and Pumpkin Winter Stew

This delicious winter stew has a combination of flavors that work so well together that you'll wonder why you didn't grow up with this for dinner every Thursday night during the winter. The second time you make this (and there will be!! ) you might want to double the batch and freeze some for a quick dinner night.

Don't be afraid of the unusual, they may turn out to be your favorites. I bought a bag of radishes on the advice of a friend and was timid about making them for my family. We always ate them cold and raw growing up, but this recipe, like several other new ones I've tried, cooks them until tender and gently flavored, like a potato. Really!! My children now love them, and come back for more. Toss some in your next pot roast and you'll see what I mean. Low in carbs, and satisfyingly delicious.

Your choice of 1 (12 ounce) roll pork or turkey sausage (try Italian or breakfast or maple flavored sausage) OR

1 pound of venison or other lean bulk sausage (turkey, chicken, wild game meat) of your choice

1 diced onion2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. basil leaf, dried1 tsp. sage or poultry seasoning
2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped2 cups zucchini or yellow summer squash, small diced OR
2 cups of diced pink radishes

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin OR
1-3/4 cups of winter squash or pumpkin puree **

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or thick coconut milk
1/2 cup water if necessary1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg


Directions: 
Brown sausage, drain, then add the onion, garlic, basil, mushrooms, zucchini, and and sauté until tender. Try the radishes at this point -- see, yummy and not bitter at all!!
 
Add pumpkin to this mixture and mix well.
 
Then stir in the broth and mix well. If necessary add 1/2 cup of water to thin to the consistency you prefer. Add more water as necessary.
 
Simmer 20-30 minutes. Right before serving, add the nutmeg, then stir in 1/2 cup of cream of your choice. Top with a splash of hot sauce in the servings of those who crave the heat.
Makes 6 hearty servings of delicious winter superfood.** (Bake a squash or pumpkin, scoop out the flesh, puree until smooth with a stick blender or in a blender container, then measure 1-3/4 cups). Use the rest to make pumpkin pie smoothies or puddings or muffins.

Trim Healthy Mama would count this as S for satisfying. 

www.trimhealthymama.com sells the book that inspired me and my weight loss. As mothers of large families, they knew how to keep a real budget and feed the family as well as inspire them all to be healthy.

Trim Healthy Mama - Kolz Garden Pizza Casserole

Kolz Garden Pizza Casserole (made with Venison or Grassfed Beef)

I used the inspiration from www.trimhealthymama.com 's "Pizza Casserole" which is an "S" in their diet plan. S for satisfying, yet trimming.


Brown 2 lbs. of venison or grass fed beef (which should be lean and have nothing to drain off, if not, then drain please). Add some garlic salt to taste, and a good pinch of celtic or REAL salt with minerals. Spread 1/2 of this meat as a layer of ground, cooked meat in the bottom of a large casserole dish (13x9 works for me).  Top with a thin layer of no-added-sugar Pizza or Pasta sauce that you prefer. You can even use alfredo sauce here, if you like, and add a little extra garlic -- that's my favorite.

Now sprinkle the whole lot of it with dried basil, oregano, and some garlic powder.

In the same skillet saute 2 onions***, a finely diced green pepper, a zucchini (shred or finely dice), until onions are clear, softened and veggies are nearly tender. It will cook more in the oven. You may add mushrooms if your family likes them too!


Sprinkle the cooked veggies on top of the sauce. Now add chopped olives if you like, sprinkle lightly with shredded mozzarella or farmer cheese. Top with turkey pepperoni now.

Use the rest of the ground meat for the next layer, and add a thin layer of your sauce again. Top the sauce with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese again, and sprinkle with more pepperoni scattered on top. Or diced bacon. It's your call. Bake at 400*  for 20-30 minutes, to heat all the way through, which should crisp your topping and warm up all the cooked veggies.

If you find your oven on the fritz, you can cook on the stove top, and then assemble into your crockpot, and leave it on low until you're ready to eat, which will melt the cheese!

You may include a layer of cooked spaghetti squash on top of the hamburger, to make this recipe even more hearty and filling. Just leave out the zucchini in that variation. I think your family will really like it.

****For speedy prep, just put a de-seeded bell pepper, 2 peeled onion, and zucchini into the food processor and bzzt until it's shredded up, and fry them in olive oil until tender, and you're almost done with this recipe.

Consider some of these combos:  Chicken and onions and peppers and alfredo sauce with spaghetti squash; beef and sausage and peppers and onions with marinara sauce and zucchini; beef and garlic and green chiles and cumin and green salsa instead of pasta sauce, topped with chorizo instead of pepperoni.







The book that inspires me is by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett. Trim Healthy Mama: No More Fads!: A Common Sense Guide to Satisfy Your Cravings and Energize Your Life (Kindle Locations 8923-8938). Above Rubies.  www.trimhealthymama.com