Our family just returned from a long road trip to catch the total solar eclipse in Paris, Arkansas. We had a blast seeing the amazing event, plus swimming in hotel pools, hiking in nature preserves, and dining in some fun restaurants.
Eating out is part of the fun of traveling, but we also packed a lot of food along. Dining out quickly becomes expensive, and too much restaurant food can make us feel less than our best.
For this road trip, in addition to lots of fruit and other easy snacks, we packed along some of our own meat as well.
Before we left, I cooked several different cuts of meat and froze them in smaller portions. Then when we were traveling, we warmed them up in microwaves at gas stations and hotels for a home-cooked meal. It was easy to add this meat to salad greens, tortillas, bread, or even sushi nori wraps to make a meal.
What did I pack? I shredded a pork roast for carnitas, cubed up a medium-rare sirloin tip roast for easy snacking (great warm or cold), and fried a double batch of meatballs.
If you want to pack some easy, clean protein on the road with you, give my meatball recipe a try!
These meatballs are gluten-free and egg-free, unlike traditional meatballs, but packed with flavor. I hope you love them as much as we did.
Flavorful meaty meatballs
2 lb ground beef or ground pork, or a combination
1-inch piece of ginger, finely grated
1/2-inch piece of turmeric, finely grated
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely grated
1 onion, grated (include the juices too!)
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
Fat of choice, for frying (oil, lard, tallow, etc.)
Mix all ingredients together, then scoop into 1 and 1/2″ balls. Roll the balls in your hands to make them smooth.
Fry in batches. For each batch, heat 1 Tbl. fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet and fat are heated, place the meatballs in the pan, allowing at least a half inch of space between the meatballs to ensure good browning. Cook 1-2 minutes, or until well-browned, then rotate the meatballs. To keep a rounder shape, don’t flip the meatballs completely over but just turn each to another side. Continue browning and turning until the meatballs are well browned on all sides. Once browned, turn the temperature down to medium. Check the internal temperature of the meatballs; I like to cook them to about 150 degrees. If you prefer 165 degrees, your meatballs may be a bit drier. Continue to cook, gently stirring occasionally, until the desired temperature is reached. Remove from heat and enjoy, or package into batches for later and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
