I’m unequivocally regretting drinking a diet Dr. Pepper about 20 minutes ago. Aspartame is the devil. I don’t know if it’s a new-to-me thing or not, but every time I have it lately a migraine follows shortly after. And migraines bring on nausea. Worst. feeling. ever. It feels like having a hangover while you’re sobering up, ya know, before you can pass out and sleep it off, lol.
But that’s not the only evildoer I tangoed with this weekend. Aspartame has a buddy in the artificial sweetener gang named Splenda (sucralose). It upsets my stomach like Taco Bell could only dream of. I succumbed to Dustin’s Twinkie oatmeal purchase, I ate his oatmeal. Twice. Don’t worry, my poor choice did not go unpunished. I foolishly decided to have some for a snack when I was lured in by the bite I had of Dustin’s bowl. Pretty tasty, I attributed that to the high sugar content. Hours later, my stomach was in an uproar. I thought maybe it was the apple I had earlier, and attributed the episode to my ongoing tummy troubles that are sometimes worse than others. The next day, I made another packet of it for a snack (in the microwave, no wonder Dustin loves it 
), and as I was halfway through, eating while leaning on the counter and reading labels—my favorite snack entertainment—I read the full list of ingredients on the box of oatmeal. I only briefly skimmed it when we first bought it, assumed it was pure sugar and processed oats, and didn’t give it another thought. Then, towards the end of the list I see sucralose in the list! 
Ugh. My bad. I should have read it thoroughly to begin with! I didn’t think something that had sugar as the second ingredient would also add sucralose!!! 
I stopped eating it immediately. I learned from past experiences that Splenda (sucralose) does NOT agree with my tummy. Not even a pinch of it. No wonder I was so sick! I’m usually sooo adamant with reading labels, I hate when I make stupid mistakes like that. So, if I didn’t believe it before, I’m a believer now: I have zero tolerance for synthetic, artificial sweeteners. Not even trace amounts. None. Nada. Zilch!
Thankfully, tonight’s dinner didn’t contain anything artificial. Nothing but absolute realness in this ballsy salad.
Turkey parmesan meatballs salad that is.
Instead of pasta, I decided to use mom’s Sunday sauce for turkey meatball parmesan. And instead of a sandwich like Dustin had, I made a glorious salad out of it.
The meatballs were simple dimple: ground turkey breast + dried Italian herbs + garlic powder; rolled into balls, shallow-fried in Spectrum Organic palm shortening. Then, baked in the oven with mom’s tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese until cheese was melted. Super easy, yet super tasty.
The homemade crouton placement isn’t random. I strategically placed them under the meatballs so they would absorb the sauce and help keep the leafy greens from wilting. Nothing worse than wilted salad that’s not supposed to be. 
- Bed of mixed leafy greens (baby spinach, butter lettuce)
- Red onion slices
- Homemade garlic parmesan croutons
- 4 smallish turkey meatballs in sauce + mozzarella cheese
- Sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese
- Drizzle of EVOO + red wine vinegar + balsamic vinegar
WOW! One of the best salads I have had in a while!! It was AMAZING! It really needed the olive oil and vinegars, which I think perfected it. The croutons absorbed the sauce wonderfully. Loved this! YummmMMMMmmmy!
Aaaah, aspartame, get out of my system! I’m going to lay in the dark and hope this headache goes away soon. Maybe I’ll go to sleep. But it’s only 4:30am, LOL. 
Nightlife… gotta love it. 
Are you sensitive to artificial sweeteners? Seems like every day I’m developing a new intolerance. 
The fun never ends! haha
Later taters. 
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