Meatloaf Muffins with Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

*I need to preface this by saying that my toddler deleted a few of the photos I took earlier this evening, so the ones I am left with won't do this yummy meal justice.*

I had a freezer of ground beef to work with, along with a bag of potatoes. I decided to make meatloaf for dinner since it sounded like the perfect antidote to this frigid weather. I remember hearing someone talk about making them as "muffins", so I thought I would give it a try.

I used:

2 lbs grass fed organic ground beef

2 organic eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup organic ketchup (not the high fructose corn syrup stuff)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

1 tspn onion powder

1 tspn garlic powder

I put everything into my large food processor and did an initial blend, then decided it would be better to transfer everything to a large ziplock bag and mix it that way. You can skip the food processor and just go for the ziplock. As long as I don't have to directly touch the meat with my fingers, I'm good. :) (I used my mini-food processor for the onion. I hate chopping veggies by hand.)

Grease a muffin tin, and add an even amount of the mixture to each spot (I can't think of the name of it, but the hole where you stick the muffin mix is what I'm referring to). :)

Place the muffin tin in a 450 degree oven, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then switch the oven to broil, and broil them for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy top.

That's it! They are so easy to make, and so delicious; my favorite combination! Enjoy them with...

Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I used:

4 large baking potatoes, each cut into about 8-10 chunks (leave about half of the skin on)

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 T garlic powder

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes. Add the cheese and butter first so they melt a little, then mix everything else in, blend together with a hand mixer, and enjoy!

Healthier Twice Baked Potatoes

I made these as a side for dinner last night, and I have to say, they were just as delicious as their sour cream, bacon-filled counterpart. :)

I used:

Two medium-sized baked potatoes, cut in half lengthwise (baked at 400 degrees for an hour)

One small container (7 oz) of 2% Greek Yogurt

2 T butter

1 cup of shredded cheese (I used a cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack blend)

Salt and pepper to taste

After the potatoes have cooled, slice them in half, and scoop out the insides. Mix the insides with the yogurt, butter (it should easily melt in the hot potatoes), half of the cheese, and some salt and pepper.

Using a spoon, scoop the filling back into the potato shells, and top with the remaining cheese. Place on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy (and be patient so as not to burn your tongue!) :-)

A Long Weekend of Turkey

Roasted Turkey and Turkey Chili

This year, we spent Thanksgiving with Dan's parents in Richmond. We had a wonderful traditional turkey dinner, complete with mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. This was the first time in four years that we did not host Thanksgiving at our house. Therefore, I decided to roast a turkey today so we can have "leftovers." :-)

When I roast a turkey, I do two things to ensure that it comes out juicy and delicious. First, I brine the turkey. Clean the turkey, remove the insides (make sure you get them all!), and place the turkey in a big, black crab pot. Fill a large liquid measuring cup (4 cups) with about 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of salt. Then fill it to the top with water. Mix the water, sugar and salt, and pour it over the turkey. Then continue to fill up the crab pot until the water is almost to the top. Place the lid on the pot and stick it in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Next, I plop the turkey (breast side up) into a roasting pan. I then use a knife to get under the skin just above the turkey breast. I use my fingers to slide pieces of butter and fresh garlic under the skin. I also stick a few cloves of garlic inside the bird.



Then, I pour a little olive oil over the entire bird (about 3/4 cup), and sprinkle seasonings on top . I used herbs de provence, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Some people tie the legs back, but I usually skip this step as it is a pain and I don't really notice a difference.

Roasting the turkey (these directions are for a 22 lb bird)...


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Then, lightly cover the bird with foil, lower the oven temperature to 390 degrees and continue to roast for a few more hours. You need to check the temperature of the thickest part of the bird to be sure that it is done. It should be about 165 degrees. You can also check to make sure that the juices run clear. I cooked my 22 lb turkey for 20 minutes at 500 degrees, then for another 3.5-4 hours at 390 degrees. About two hours into the last step, take it out of the oven, and baste the turkey using juices from the pan.

I will be serving the turkey this evening with cornbread stuffing (made using leftovers from a loaf of cornbread I made yesterday, sauteed with butter and peppers), mashed potatoes (skin on), green beans, cranberry sauce (what can I say, I love the canned stuff!), and rolls. This meal may not deserve to be in my "healthy" cooking blog, but it sure will taste good! And turkey is good for you. It's loaded with protein, and olive oil and garlic are good for your heart. :-)

Turkey Chili (Crockpot)

As if we didn't have enough turkey this weekend, I decided to make some turkey chili on Friday. It's extremely simple and pretty much impossible to mess up. I sometimes use canned black beans, but prefer to use dried black beans because they add a nice texture to the chili. Here's what you need:

One lb ground turkey
One bag of dried black beans (you need to boil them for five minutes, and then let them sit in the hot water for an hour before adding them to the crockpot)
One small yellow onion, diced
One head of garlic, minced
One can of corn (you can also use frozen)
One can of kidney beans
One can of stewed tomatoes
One can of diced tomatoes and green chiles



Soak the black beans one hour before you start the chili (or skip this step if you are using canned beans instead).

Brown one pound of ground turkey, and drain the grease. Return the turkey to the pan, add a bunch of spices (about a T of each of ground cumin and chili powder, a t of garlic powder, a t of crushed red pepper (omit if you don't want it too spicy), a t of salt, a t of pepper, and a splash of Tabasco sauce.) Pour 3/4 cup of water over the meat/seasoning mixture, and cook on low heat while stirring occasionally. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, and continue to simmer.

While the meat is cooking, add all of the veggies to the crockpot. Last, add the meat mixture to the crockpot, give it a good stir, and cover the pot. Cook the chili on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 8-10 hours.


I serve it with shredded cheddar, a dallop of sour cream or plain yogurt, and a side of cornbread.