I’m making a practice of mindful feeding for myself and my family, and along with that comes: Meal Prep. I plan and cook nonstop for a living, all for other people’s families and events. I’ve lapsed into a cycle of over-scheduled activities, and leaving meals to a last-minute freezer dash with a side of leftovers and a  purchase of that life-saving grocery rotisserie chicken…you may know the drill.

This week I dedicated myself to a results-based work out program, so meal planning was crucial. I started by doubling up the frittata I made for Mother’s Day brunch for a quick, nutrient-dense morning start. I chopped salad ingredients, packing them separately so I could design my daily lunch with a variety of produce, and I defrosted a few homemade soups I had stashed in the freezer. Then I made a big batch of Turkey Kale Meatballs to slide into soups, top off with marinara sauce and serve with a side of sautéed spinach, or even turn into a quick snack.

Turkey Kale Meatballs

These are low in fat, tender, packed with the power of kale, and gluten-free. Makes about 24 meatballs.

ingredients

1 bunch of kale

1 large shallot

2 garlic cloves

Olive oil

1 pound of lean ground turkey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt and a few pinches of pepper

1 cup of good quality, organic marinara sauce

method

Tear the leaves of the kale from the ribs and wash the leaves, using a salad spinner or colander, then dry with paper towels or by spinning the leaves. Discard the ribs. Put the leaves into the bowl of a food processor. Peel the shallot and roughly chop, placing that and the peeled garlic cloves into the food processor. Chop the kale, shallots and garlic very finely in the food processor, stopping to push down the mixture if large bits remain, and continuing until the kale is uniformly fine.

Heat a large skillet and drizzle enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the kale mixture and cook until the shallots and garlic become fragrant and the kale has wilted. Season with salt and pepper and cool.

Place the ground turkey into a large bowl and add the egg. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix the ground turkey, egg and kale mixture together until incorporated but not overworked. Tip: to test for seasoning, take a small portion of the turkey mixture and cook it in a small saute pan. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and form the meatballs, using either a portion scoop or your hands. The meatballs should be no larger than 3 tablespoons and should be uniform in size. Space the meatballs out on the sheet pan and cook for about 15-17 minutes, until firm to the touch and 165 degrees in internal temperature (use a probe meat thermometer). Remove the meatballs from the oven when they are ready and serve immediately with your favorite marinara sauce or cool and store to reheat in a soup or the oven later.