This recipe comes from many years of love and care going into my kids' lunches. Nourishing their growing bodies with the nutrients they need to thrive is a passion of mine as a mom! Now, I may be a little bias as a functional medicine practitioner and coach, but I know how powerful food can be to impact both mental and physical health!!
This recipe uses nourishing ingredients that are both easy to source and put together. You can find the full recipe HERE at US Wellness Meats. You will also find important information from Nutrivore about the WHY behind choosing these ingredients, focusing on the sweet potato and ground pork!!
Here is a highlight of Nutrivore's data on ground pork.
Ground pork is a great meat to pack into lunchboxes as it is palatable both cold and warm. Pack a meatball with veggies and give yourself a pat on the back for making a huge dent in your kid’s nutrient needs for the day. This helps to protect their brain, stabilize their blood sugar, support learning and aid in growth and repair!
Nutrivore gives us a tremendous lens into WHY we as moms should reach for the high quality, pasture raised ground pork. Ground pork is a best source (>50% daily value) of coQ10 and selenium. As moms, this is a home run because, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a strong antioxidant and helps the cells in our body produce energy! Although CoQ10 is also found in smaller amounts in brassica vegetables (see the broccoli pesto recipe), oily fish, organ meats (link to liverwurst), beef chicken and pork are best sources! Providing best sources of this nutrient helps to provide our kids the protective effects of this important nutrient! According to Minger from Nutrivore, “It has been shown to improve everything from heart health to mitochondrial diseases, to fertility, to autoimmune disease and more!”.
Ground pork is also an excellent source of protein. If the kids eat three of these meatballs, they will have 18g of protein from the ground pork alone!! On a very basic level, protein helps to balance blood sugar which we know also equals more consistent energy and better sleep! Nutrivore also tells us that proteins drive chemical reactions in the body, signal hormones and transport and store nutrients.
I love using ground pork and sweet potatoes for the lunchbox because they are delicious cold and don't require heating. This recipe is also super easy to make ahead, batch prep and freeze!!
FOLLOW THIS LINK to access the recipe directly and enjoy this super simple recipe in your kids' lunchboxes or at home for an easy and nourishing lunch!!
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*Note: This recipe is written and created as a part of a paid sponsorship with US Wellness Meats.