miracle meatballs.

Having been on the bike pretty consistently lately, I've had a hard time getting enough to eat (being hungry all the time but not having a taste for anything). I am usually pretty careful about following my cravings because I am convinced it's my body's way of telling me what I need, and lately my body has been like, "WOMAN, give me some MEAT." My muscles want to get bigger and I need the protein... thanks, ODT!

I don't eat a lot of meat usually, and if I do eat it it's chicken or sushi. But the other night, as I watched The Godfather II (I'm working my way through the trilogy...wow) I was overcome by the need for spaghetti and meatballs. I had a bad experience eating ground beef recently (I need to accept that cow flesh is just not something I should attempt at home anymore) so I put some thought into it, consulted allrecipes and this was the result (I fused the recipe with one of the comments and what I had on hand). I've been off of pasta lately too so this was a good way to eat through some of my stash.

Miracle Meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork
  
• 1/2 cup-ish smashed up whole wheat Ritz crackers
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons-ish whole milk
  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  
• salt to taste

Mix together. Make into balls (I bet tiny hands would love to help). Bake in 350 degree oven for twenty minutes (wax paper on your pan makes for easy cleanup). Pat yourself on the back and tell yourself what a good cook you are.

Serve with sauce of your choice (I used Newman's Own Marinara Sauce and it tasted just fine) and some Tums-- these rich badboys gave me some serious heartburn.

The nice thing about meatballs is that you could make a bajillion and then freeze them. You could also change up the spices (or not) and serve with gravy for Swedish Meatballs. You could use your food processor to decimate some carrots and celery if you're looking to add some extra veg to your meal. You could combine the pork with any other ground meat (beef, turkey, veal... VEAL!) depending on what you have on hand. You could eat them plain or on a meatball sandwich. Meatballs are really a miracle food-- they take no time to make and offer you all these possibilities.