Baked meatballs

1 lb ground meat*
1 apple, cored and diced
1 small calabaza squash, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 lightly beaten egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried sage
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

1. Spray a baking sheet with Pam.
   
2. Whisk stock cube into egg. (Otherwise, you may end up with salty clumps of stock.)
3. Mix all the ingredients together.
4. Shape into small balls, about a tbsp each, and place on tray
   
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the temperature at the center of the biggest meatball is 160 degrees.
   

*I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, run through the food processor.

Sloppy Joe sauce

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small onion
1 14.5 oz can peas or peas and carrots, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 can low sodium V8 vegetable juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat, cook the tomatoes, carrots and onions for about 10 minutes, until the carrots begin to yield to pressure.
2. Pour the tomato mixture and the remaining canned vegetables into a blender and purée.
3. Brown the ground meat in the olive oil. You can use the same pan.
4. Add the puréed veggies, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and sugar to the meat mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add vegetable juice during the simmer to achieve a nice "sloppy" consistency.

Serve over whole wheat hamburger buns or pasta.