Food For Thought - Meatloaf

I make a LOT of meatloaf… It goes back to having food ready and handy. I make a couple at a time and freeze one or two and leave one in the fridge and BAM, it is there when you need food and don’t have time to cook. It is important to have the food there when you need it or you end up eating garbage or not eating at all, which is worse.

Here’s the thing… people think meatloaf is a high fat food or a high carb food because of the way their mama made it when they were kids. I remember watching mommy make meatloaf: ground beef, onions, spices, saltine crackers, whole eggs and either cream of mushroom soup or ketchup. Um. Yeah. Now, I will tell you the truth. Once or twice a year I make my mama’s red meat cream of mushroom soup meatloaf because I need.. NEED.. that reminder of my childhood and my mother; but also because it’s fekkin’ GRRREAT tasting.

However.

The rest of the time I make my meatloaves MY way.

Meat – ground chicken or turkey
Whole oats instead of bread crumbs or saltines
Eggwhites instead of eggs.
Spices
Choped vegetables.

Mix.

Throw in loaf pan (and ps, watch the video to see a special kind of loafpan that you MUST get to keep your meatloaf from soaking in a lot of fat).

Bake at 350 for 45 ish minutes. Just check back from time to time, stick a knife in it – if it feels solid, you’re good to go.

Here’s one I love to do:

Ground chicken. Onion. Garlic. Crushed red pepper. Chopped up broccoli stalk. Nobody eats the broccoli stalk in real life but if you put it in the meatloaf it cooks up nice and tender and nobody argues or asks. They just eat. I also use a fair bit of yellow mustard for flavour and people don’t know what it is, they don’t ask, they just eat (five minutes before taking the loaf out of the oven, cover the top with mustard, too).. You can use any vegetables you like. Zucchini works really well. Sundried tomatoes. Asparagus is WONDERFUL. These veggies make it a good filling and it’s healthy and makes for variety. You’ll love it

This is my favourite meatloaf:

Ground turkey. Sundried tomatoes, diced big chunks of red pepper, zucchini chunks. Garlic, Onion, Crushed red pepper and MRS DASH southwest chipotle seasoning – both inside and on top. Cook, cut, serve.

This is a healthy meal, guys! Tasty too.

You don’t have to sacrifice taste for health!