Mini Meatballs might be your next best friend. They’re easy to make, and that roly poly bite sized shape is a crowd pleaser, at all ages. Hot out of the pan, they sizzle with flavour. Found in a lunchbox, they delight. Cold out of the fridge, they’re a tasty snack. And they turn a fresh and vibrant salad into a balanced meal in a moment. And these Chicken and Basil Meatballs, as well as being Paleo and AIP, are low FODMAP – you can’t do better than that.

Meatballs with No Onion – But Why?

Onion is a powerful FODMAP, and the FODMAP’s get me down. Literally. There’s something about that uncomfortable bloated belly that triggers anxiety. It transports me away from my usual state of joy and dumps me in a muddy and bleak place that lies somewhere between sadness, impatience and grief. It makes me believe fully in the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS). It’s all related: what we eat, how we feel, how we behave. Having followed the Paleo Diet for a few years now, my bloated days are mostly over. But I remember the cycle well: there’d be a couple of okay days, and then I’d swell up again. There seemed to be an accumulative effect going on. it seemed I wasn’t reacting to any one food in particular, but if I ate a little of this and a little of that over a few days, then all of a sudden I’d find that I had a watermelon growing in my belly – one that didn’t want to come out.

Most tasty meatballs are made with onion and garlic – ingredients which can unsettle the balance of microbes in the gut. For this reason, these lovely, simple and tender Chicken and Basil Meatballs were born.