Super Healthy Meatloaf

This recipe is a combination of two. My mother makes the awesomest meatloaf ever, but she doesn't follow a recipe, so it's impossible to duplicate! My mother-in-law also makes an awesome meatloaf, and she does follow a recipe. I have incorporated my favorites of both recipes to hopefully remember what the heck I do so it turns out the same each time, dang it! Here is what I did this time:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium carrot, shredded*
1 onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. dried thyme or rosemary**
1/3 c. ketchup
salt and pepper
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1 c. uncooked oats***

In your food processor, combine carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, ketchup, a dash of salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse three or four times until chopped and combined. Pour into a big mixing bowl.

Fold in both meats, egg, milk and oats. Fold together until well combined. Be careful not to stir or squeeze the meat. This will make it tough. Should be moist, so add a little more milk if needed. Pack into a greased loaf pan, or I like to use four mini loaf pans (there are more crispy edges that way!) Bake at 350 for 1 and a 1/2 hours in loaf pan or 1 hour 15 minutes in mini loaf pan. Meat thermometer should read above 170 degrees. Serve with roasted potatoes and ketchup!

I didn't get a photo of the finished product before it was mutilated. This is how it looks before it goes in the oven.

*Some people like to add bell peppers, shredded zuchini or squash. I like to add carrots because it adds a slight sweetness without being overpowering. I find the addition of green vegetables make it taste more bland.

** Italian seasonings such as basil or oregano can be used, but I prefer these woodsy herbs.

***To make G.F. use cooked rice instead of oats, and make sure the ketchup and Worc. are both gluten free.

When put in Nutritional calculator, 8 servings: calories 239, fat 5.9g, Carbs 12.2g, Protein 33.3g

Super Healthy Lasagna Roll-Ups

I have seen recipes for lasagna roll-ups all over Pinterest lately, but my sister made them for me years ago, and somehow, I forgot about them. I LOVE lasagna, but I don't love all the calories. Here is how I cheat the calories, up the protein, and I add so many more nutrients without anyone even knowing.

Ingredients:
One box Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
One package firm tofu
One egg
parsley, fresh or dry
Fresh Spinach
Pasta sauce, I would use two bottles
Parmesan Cheese
opt. Italian sausage, or ground beef


Cook the noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water. While those are cooking, place the tofu with a little of the water from the package in a blender with one egg and a dash of salt and pepper. Blend well until the consistency of thick yogurt. Add more tofu water if needed. Place in a bowl, stir in some chopped parsley.
If you want meat in the sauce, brown some italian sausage or ground beef seasoned with italian seasonings, and then pulse it in the food processor a couple of times to chop it up really small. Add it to the pasta sauce.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Pour one cup of pasta sauce in the pan, just enough to cover the bottom.
Lay the noodles on a sheet of aluminum foil. Smear one tablespoon of the tofu on each noodle. Next, cut or tear up one or two leaves of Spinach on each noodle. Roll up the noodles and place seam-side down in the 9X13 pan. Cover with sauce, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top. Bake 30-35 minutes with tented foil on top. Let sit ten minutes before serving.
Trust me, no one will know it's tofu. They will think it's Ricotta cheese!

 Blended Tofu. Sometimes I like to add grated Swiss cheese or some Parmesan cheese if I have it on hand. It's certainly not necessary, but will give it more of a cheesey flavor.

 I hate lasagna with a BIG GLOB of spinach in it. Gross! I tell my kids that the green is "spices" like what Remy puts in the food in Ratatouille. They think that's awesome.

The finished product! Yum!! I guess that each roll has between 120-150 calories depending on if you added cheese or meat.

Cooked Chicken for entrees, soups, and stews

I like to make this chicken and freeze it in cup-size portions so I can pull it out of the freezer quickly and add it to soups, casseroles, etc., or even eat it cold over salad.
I adapted it from 101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcraft.

6-8 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 t. garlic powder
4 c. water
1-2 bay leaves
1 T. dried, minced onion
1 stalk celery, cut in half
seasoned salt
pepper

Add everything to the crockpot sprinkling seasoned salt and pepper over the top. Cook on low 8-10 hours.  Remove chicken from water. Shred or chop chicken, let cool and freeze in individual baggies. Makes 5-7 cups. Strain the water and freeze for use as chicken stock.

Amy's Cheesecake

I got this recipe in college from some girl named Amy. It's a really, really good recipe. I can never get them to look very pretty, but the taste more than makes up for it! She has instructions for 3 different flavors of cheesecake. I have only made the berry and lemon, and they are both yummy.

Makes 2 cheesecakes!

2 nine inch graham cracker pie crusts

Filling:
3--8oz packages of cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
3 eggs

Topping:
2 c. sour cream
3 T sugar
1 t. vanilla

Berry Cheesecake:
1 c. berries
1 egg

Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1 c. pumpkin pie filling
1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
1 egg

Lemon Cheesecake:
1 c. lemon curd
1/2 t. lemon juice
1 egg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 3oo degrees. Beat softened cream cheese (microwave for 1 1/2 minutes to soften), sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add eggs. Use half the batter to fill each pie half full. With the remaining batter, mix in whichever kind of cheesecake you choose (for example, for lemon cheesecakes, mix the batter with 1 c. lemon curd, 1/2 t. lemon juice, and one egg). Spread the flavored batter over the cheesecake batter in the pie crusts. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove and cool for five minutes. While cooling, mix up the topping. Spread over baked cheesecakes and bake for ten more minutes. Chill before serving.