From Leftovers Come Great Things… Like Meatballs

Have you tried in vain to make meatballs out of your free-range turkey breast sans bread crumbs and failed miserably?  Or, perhaps you tried your hand at a ‘healthy’ beef meatloaf made with extra-lean meat, but without torn, day-old bread and concluded that you simply cannot make a Paleo version of either?

So not the case.

Here’s where leftovers come in.  I’m not just talking about extra chicken breast that you didn’t finish for dinner.  I’m taking about the bits!

Yes, the parts that you may not have wanted to eat for one reason or another, like skin or organs.

Is it the sight of them?  If so, what a perfect opportunity to give the bits a transformation…via the meat grinder, while at the same time, adding a bit of natural fat to what otherwise may have turned out to be a dried out, crumbly mess.

Look, if you’ve ever eaten a hot dog, a sausage or bologna, you’ve most likely already tried all the bits that you may turn your nose up at anyway.

Throw the skin, the liver, the heart, the whole animal (well, not a whole cow, but certainly a whole chicken; you see where I’m going with this), along with the skeletal muscle to the meat grinder, add your favorite fresh herbs and spices and choose to either make meatballs or meatloaf, following your favorite (Paleo-ized) recipes for either.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match, either.  There is no reason why you can’t combine leftover bison with extra beef and even some quail.

Yes, it’s going to be higher in fat than a skinless, boneless chicken breast, however eating a fattier bit of flesh now and then is far more Paleo than ‘eating just a little bit of bread’.

It’ll do you good!