Recipe: Meatballs & Cooking with Ease

Do you ever have one of those nights when you don't have anything in the refrigerator, shudder at the thought of going to the grocery store, have zero motivation to cook, and you settle for hot dogs and baked beans for dinner? No?! Me either. {I was only curious because I have a friend who that happens to once in a while.} 

When you don't have the motivation to get all Barefoot Contessa on your husband {and maybe even kids... if you have them}, these meatballs are a surefire way to spice up a boring meal of boxed pasta and canned sauce. They're fairly easy to bake, they require very few ingredients, and you can even freeze a batch and pop them out of the freezer in those rather frequent ever so rare lack-of-grocery situations.

Simple and good are great words to describe a meal when you're hungry and tired,

and these meatballs are just that.

Homemade Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg

2 tbsp water

1/2 cup bread crumbs : {I use Progresso Italian Style}

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all the ingredients except ground beef in a large bowl. Add the ground beef in small chunks while mushing all together with hands. Bake on baking pan for 24 - 30 minutes. (making sure they are cooked through).

{Cooking Tip} : I'm a very big fan of prepping food before cooking. If you ever feel rushed while cooking/baking, or you get disorganized, try prepping your food beforehand. What I mean by 'prepping' is that if a recipe calls for chopped, or minced, foods, do that before anything else. I also mean that you measure out your ingredients into small prep bowls before mixing things together. It really helps the whole process go more smoothly. Plus, having lots of cute little bowls, like these, around the kitchen is fun! Give it a try if you haven't before, you might get hooked on prepping too. (:

After putting the meatballs in the oven to bake, I usually throw together a quick salad. The artist in me likes seeing multiple colors in a salad, so I try adding lots of healthy vegetables. I especially love avocado in salad, but we're having a tough time finding ones that are ripe! Bummer. Either way, you can easily whip up a couple of salads while the meatballs cook in the oven. See. Simple.

Add some baked garlic bread to the equation, and you have a really delicious and well-rounded meal for dinner. {Or lunch. Whatever floats your boat.} Some day I'd like to bake a few batches and freeze them for a quick dinner remedy. Who doesn't love spaghetti and meatballs now and then? {Please don't answer this if you hate them}. Hopefully this meatball recipe works for you. I know we love it!

The one thing I forgot to snap a picture of was the garlic bread. Darn it. See. Prepping before cooking doesn't solve all of the world's problems. A girl can only try!

So there you have it, a simple dinner of

spaghetti and home-cooked meatballs.

I hope you enjoy!