My two-year old is a bit of a weirdo.

All of the sudden, she will apparently only eat meat if it’s in a ball. And if we make normal-sized meatballs, she tries to cram the entire thing into her gullet, instead of taking bites.

So the mini-meatball production has increased dramatically in our house as a result.

I don’t necessarily think my kids need to eat meat. My oldest daughter is a vegetarian and is doing just fine. But my husband and I eat meat and it’s an easy way to get some lean protein into our kids. So if they’ll go for it – I’m game.

That’s why we started making these turkey meatballs with some hemp hearts added in. They’re lean, full of protein and have an added kick of nutrition with the hemp hearts. Plus, they’re easy to make and quick to bake. Pretty great for a busy evening.

Hemp Hearts-Infused Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound minced turkey

3/4 cup breadcrumbs – We like the Italian blend type. Also, this is a flexible measurement. Use as much or as little as you like or as you generally use for a meatball recipe.

1 egg

3 tbsp hemp hearts – I buy the Manitoba Harvest brand

1 squirt of BBQ sauce – This is a very technical measurement

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands

Roll into balls – this should make approximately 24 meatballs, depending on size

Place on a non-stick cookie sheet (or ‘paint’ the cookie sheet with some olive oil) and bake for 10 minutes

Remove from oven, turn meatballs over and bake for another 8 minutes – or until they start to turn golden brown

Enjoy! And let me know how they turn out.