Easy, Delicious Vegetable Meatballs To Make For The Young Picky Eaters

Last updated on 13 MAR 2019

Do you have trouble getting your kids to eat more vegetables? As we all know, vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals that nourish our bodies and keep us in good health. They also cleanse our insides and remove toxins. Unfortunately, they’re not always the most exciting—or tasty—foods to eat, especially for children.

I am constantly trying to get more vegetables into my kids. It is NOT an easy job. One of my boys has a super sensitive gag and vomit reflex and the other one isn’t old enough to have a conversation about why he needs vegetables. He also isn’t old enough to understand bribes either … and I’m only half kidding.

I get tired of the constant battles over vegetables and fruit and so sometimes I resort to hiding vegetables in food that I know they will eat with minimal complaints. It’s not solving any problems BUT it’s better than nothing and we are doing the best we can.

I threw these together with some veggies I had in the fridge and they gobbled them down. Seeing as they were such a success, I thought I would share this recipe!

Kale And Cauliflower Meatballs

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of grass-fed ground beef
• ¾ cup of finely chopped kale
• ¾ cup of grated cauliflower (use a cheese grater or food processor to grate until it is the size of grains of rice)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 egg (This can be skipped if you are allergic to eggs but it does help hold the mixture together.)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ tsp dried basil
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Note:  I often buy this Freeze Dried Italian Herb Blend from my local grocery store when I’m in a rush and use it instead of combining all of the above herbs together. The flavour is fantastic! I also like to use the Freeze Dried Poultry Herb Blend for roasting whole chickens.

You may add use other vegetables in place of kale and cauliflower. They get hidden in the meatballs and will taste just as delicious!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. It is best to do this with your hands to get the ground beef and vegetables mixed really well and sticky together.
3. Roll into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter and place on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil or parchment paper. You will need to really squeeze these meatballs with your hands to make sure the vegetables and meat stick together. Depending on your beef, you may need to add another egg to help with the sticking.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
5. Enjoy!

Republished with permission from wellnesswithjoanna.com (in partnership with FamilyLifeGoals.com)

About Sara Ding

Sara Ding is the founder of Juicing-for-Health.com. She is a certified Wellness Health Coach, Nutritional Consultant and a Detox Specialist. She helps busy men and women identify their health issues at the root cause, in order to eliminate the problems for optimum physical/mental health and wellbeing.

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