Kid Friendly Healthy Turkey Meatballs

Kids can be fussy blighters can’t they? And when you’ve been run off your feet all day and just about managed to scrape together what looks like a half decent dinner only to be told ‘Eurgh I’m not eating that it’s too green/brown/lumpy/smooth….’ (delete as appropriate) it can be the final nail in the coffin.

As a mum, I’m always looking to maximise the amount of nutritious food I can get into my kids and if I can do that in minimal time and with minimal moaning then that’s a big old Brucie bonus!

These healthy turkey meatballs are literally the dream, because I can make them the night before then pop them in the slow cooker the next morning and they’re good to go come dinner time – seriously the slow cooker does all the hard work for me. Turkey is a lot lower in fat than beef and contains selenium, which helps with hormones (great for stroppy teenagers), and tryptophan the amino acid that apparently helps with sleep – anything to get those little darlings off to bed quicker right!?

What’s In Our Healthy Turkey Meatballs?

Meatballs

500g Turkey Mince
1 Chopped Onion
1 Crushed Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Ground Almonds
1 Big Squeeze of Tomato Puree

Sauce

400g Tinned Tomatoes
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Red Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Marmite

How Do I Make Healthy Turkey Meatballs?

As I mentioned, you can make the healthy turkey meatballs the night before and this also gives them a chance to firm up a bit in the fridge. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a bowl with your hands until well combined. Roll into 12 balls and place in an airtight container in the fridge until you need them.

The next morning, finely chop the carrot, pepper, onion and garlic, pour into the slow cooker and mix in the Marmite and tinned tomatoes. Place the meatballs on top of the sauce, then cover and leave to cook on a low heat. I’m around in the daytime so after about 4 hours I like to give the mixture a bit of a stir to coat the meatballs, however if you’re out of the house all day it won’t do it any harm if you cant.

Now, I know what you’re thinking….’there’s no way my child is going to eat something that has visible veggie lumps in it’ and I hear ya sister, ‘cos I know for a fact both my two could sniff a mushroom out from about a mile away, which is why a hand blender is a mum’s new best friend. Sneaky I know, but honestly you can get away with so, so much. About 15 minutes before serving, scoop the meatballs out and blitz the sauce up whilst it’s still in the slow cooker, until it’s smooth. Pop the meatballs back in, stir and leave in there until ready to serve.

I like to serve mine with rice and a green side salad, but my two also like it with pasta, spaghetti or couscous. Super easy, super healthy (there’s 4 portions of veg in there) and above anything else…it passes the kid test!

TOP TIP – If you’re trying to get your kids to swap from white to brown rice, do what I do and mix the two together. Start off with a 50:50 mix and over time increase the amount of brown rice you use, until they can no longer tell the difference 😉