If I know that I’m going to have a hectic week ahead, I’ll try and make one or two types of protein that can be used to create several different meals. For example, I’ll cook chicken breasts one day and then use that meat to make chicken tortilla soup and chicken enchiladas later on in the week…or if I make a meat sauce I’ll use it for spaghetti and then throw together a baked ziti dish that I can pop in the freezer until it’s ready to be baked. These types of dishes are such great time savers!

Another example of make-ahead protein that we love around here are these Italian meatballs. This recipe is a slight tweak of a recipe from the Martha Stewart website. These meatballs are juicy and filling, and when they come off the stove I almost always devour them eat them like a lady. I like to serve them in a variety of dishes: broth soup with kale and orzo, on a bed of buttered egg noodles, or with zoodles with turkey meatsauce (don’t go anywhere – I plan on having an entire post dedicated entirely to my love for zoodles). They’re also great for freezing!

I love dishes that allow you to sneak in vegetables, so you’ll find zucchini and carrots in the recipe. They’re not overpowering in flavor and they increase the nutritional value of these meatballs.