Hi, everyone. I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Before I share my post, I just have to tell you about my weekend. I went to the coolest workshop about teaching music to children on Saturday morning. It was taught by a wonderful lady named Sharla Dance. If you work with children, you will want to check out her website. ToTeachaChildaSong.com I’m linking you to a video page on the site that has a fun demo of teaching with paper plates. We got to try it, and it was a blast! I’m thinking of doing something like that with my kids in the morning to wake them up!
Ready for an awesome kid-friendly recipe? If you’re tired of listening to your kids complain about dinner, you’ll want to give this one a try.
Today I am sharing a favorite recipe from my childhood. I stopped making it when we went gluten free, but with one easy change, we can enjoy it again. (Yea! My kids gave it two thumbs up.)
Chili Meatball Supper {Kid Friendly}
Basic Meatballs:
- 1 egg
- 2 T milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 c chopped onion
- 1 lb hamburger
- 1 c soft breadcrumbs (Gluten Free Option–substitute gluten free oats (whole or pulsed in a blender) and/or gluten free breadcrumbs — I mixed both)
Shape into small meatballs (about the size of a whole walnut), place on a non-greased cookie sheet, and bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes. (You can put them very close together, because they will shrink slightly in size as they bake.)
Half of this recipe is plenty of meatballs for the chili. Put the rest in the freezer for another meal, or just leave the bowl on the counter before dinner, and you’ll find that half are gone before it’s time to finish the recipe! I had no leftovers this time. They disappeared as family members strolled though the kitchen! (I’ll have to hide them next time–mostly from myself.)
Chili Dinner:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 c chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp chili powder (I use 1 tsp)
- 1 can corn (drained)
- 3/4 c chopped green pepper
- 1 16-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 16-oz can red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
- 1-2 cups of water as desired, if your chili seems to thick. (I add about 1 1/2 cups)
Toppings: Crushed Fritos (or any other brand of corn tortilla chips), shredded cheese, and sour cream
Combine dinner ingredients and simmer on low for about an hour. Don’t let the juice simmer away! Add meatballs for the last 10 minutes or so — long enough to heat through. Serve with toppings. (The toppings really make this dish, so unless you are really trying to cut calories, don’t skip them!)
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by today! While you’re here, I hope you’ll check out some of other gluten free recipes! Images below are linked:
I totally understand and admire you for recognizing your limits and your family’s needs. Horray for you, Heidi! :)
I look forward to reading your posts and contributing as I can via GFM when it is a link-up. :)
Take care, girl!
Hi Heidi,
This looks delish. Great step by step instructions too. Perfect for this bitter cold weather!
Myrna and Joye.
I totally respect and understand your decision to scale back. I made a similar announcement last Monday on my site too. looks like 2013 is about reprioritizing. Although I will miss Gluten Free Mondays, I know your family will appreciate and benefit from your decision. Have fun with extra family time!! :)
Yum! This looks so good and my husband would love it!
Looks fab – will have to try it for my daughter
Oh Heidi, I totally get it. Balance is hard, and especially so with the internet I think. I’d love an invite to the Pin board. I have pretty little experience with Pinterest, but your board sounds like a great idea.
-Dana
Heidi, this sounds wonderful, I love that I’ll have leftover meatballs for a second meal. Can’t wait to try it, my family will eat anything with fritos on top!
Thank you so much for link this to my party. It truly looks delicious.
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
Meatball chili! Amazing! My husband would love this, it involves several of his favorite dishes ;p
I get what you mean about the link party, mine is still small and it takes up valuable time! I would love an invite to your Pinterest board, though – I’m Poor and Gluten Free on pinterest.
Thanks for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and I hope you’ll still have time to link up in the future :)
Looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
Mmmm gluten-free chili! I am always looking for a good gluten-free recipe, and I can always count on you for something yummy =) Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh yum! I must have missed this earlier. Glad that you shared it on Freedom Fridays! I am going to pin it to my soup board.
This recipe is very intriguing for me…we are not a gluten free household…but I’m always looking to try new recipes. Plus, with my diet I try too much bread, starch and sugar, so gluten free recipes are always great.
Thanks for sharing this one at our Sunday Show and Tell!
Oh my goodness.. does that ever look DELICIOUS!!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality! I’m looking forward to seeing what you link up this evening! :)
I know. Gluten free cooking must be a challenge. You are doing a great job at inspiring us all ! Thank you for sharing it in the linky party, and cooking up a storm each week! We appreciate your cooking enthusiasm and contribution!
Let me say that I understand where you are coming from, especially running a link up of my own. We all have so much going on in our lives, I am proud of you for recognizing the need to refocus. As a mommy, we should all take the time to evaluate our busy lives and refocus! :) With that said your recipe looks great! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)
Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!
See you at the link up this week!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Add me to the Gluten Free shared board. I’m new to Pintrest & love the idea. Thanks so much!
This looks yummy! Please share this in a new Linky Party –Weekend Kitchen Creations at http://www.weekendkitchencreations.blogspot.com. Please join us, share your delicious creation, build more traffic for your blog and get other scrumptious ideas.