A lot of times I think ‘healthy’ or ‘sugar-free’ I think overly complicated salads that are filled with a whole bunch of stuff I don’t have in my pantry. But that isn’t always the case. With a picky toddler, a newborn, and a husband who run ultramarathons - we need food that is fast, filling, and healthy! Enter -- this super easy and delicious Sloppy Joe’s that can be customized for the whole family.

First off you need to purchase Ketchup that does not have added sugar. Just for awareness - a 20oz bottle of Heinz has 3/4 cup of sugar in the bottle. It also has natural flavoring. In the ‘no sugar added’ bottle - they have added stevia. Which they can label as ‘no sugar’ but is still plenty of added sweetener. But don’t get me started on the natural flavoring. GoodRx says that ‘Natural Flavoring’ can contain over 100 different chemicals According to GoodRX “..things like solvents, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, and preservatives can make up 80% to 90% of natural flavors. This takes them pretty far away from their original source.”

So basically, we try as best we can, to avoid these ingredients when possible and thank goodness we have found Primal Kitchen. (Not famous enough for affiliate - we just really like them). Primal Ketchup has no added sugar, real ingredients, and tastes just like Heinz. It can also be found at just about any supermarket there is.

Ingredients

So back to the Sloppy Joe’s - I try to keep all my recipes easy, and with fast clean up because in this season of life, we don’t have to make complicated meals, and deal with the clean up afterwards. For this meal all of you need are:

1) Green Pepper - I like to try to add a bit of green to all my recipes because I feel like my toddler struggles with ‘green’ food. So this way I can get her accustomed to eating more colors!

2) Onion - any white onion variety will taste great

3) Garlic - fresh is better than dried, but dried would always work

4) Ground Beef - You can substitute other ground beef, Bison would be great. Force of Nature Ancestral Blend would add additional health benefits.

5) Ketchup - Primal Kitchen or another no sugar Ketchup, made with only real ingredients

6) Mustard - Once again, we would lean toward Primal Kitchen or a similar brand

7) Swiss Cheese - High in protein and calcium, Swiss Cheese is a great choice if you are trying to stick with healthier cheese

How to:

To make these Sloppy Joe’s all you are going to do is chop the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Sauté all 3 ingredients in your pan with just a touch of olive oil (can do avocado oil or butter as well). I sauté mine until they are super soft, because I am feeding a 10 month old, but sometimes it is nice to have a little bit of crunch in your sandwich! You will be adding the ground beef directly to the vegetables as well, so that will soften them up a tad more.

Next up, you will add your ground beef in the same pan, and cook until there is no more pink. This will cook your vegetables a little bit more as well, but I have never really had an issue with overcooked vegetables.

Once there is no more pink, add the Ketchup, and mustard. Stir all together, and let simmer for about 5 minutes so the flavors meld.

For my husband who needs a ton of carbs, we toast Sourdough Bread (once again, minimal ingredients, locally made, no sugar added) - add the Sloppy Joe on top, then to with a slice of swiss cheese. Essentially creating an Open-Faced Sloppy Joe Swiss Melt!

For my baby, toddler and myself we like to add homemade sweet potato fries and eat it in a bowl, rather than sandwich style. Purists, would say bread is sugar, but as long as you are adding fats, and proteins, I think it is a good addition to a meal every now and then!