Cows On The Loose!

My Thursday morning began normally as it does every Thursday. Drive Bryce to school, then to the gym for Spin Class, and off to Paige's gymnastics class. After gymnastics, we headed home. As we enter the driveway to the ranch, I see a couple of cows running around in the yard like it's the first day of Spring Break vacation from school....running around, kicking up their heels, tails straight up in the air, calling to the rest of their girlfriends to come out and play. Yikes! I look around....no Dominic, and no George (my father in law) Yikes again! Okay.....I know I can do this. I'll just try to shoo them back in through the gate that was left open, myself. I had Paige wait in the car and out I went (with camera of course, I love my camera). They tried to get past me once, but got scared and ran the other way....whew! Back through the open gate. Here they are still running around, excited, with their tails up.... The cows don't escape very often, but when they do, it's usually through a gate that was accidently left open. I was just happy I caught the two before the rest of them discovered the open gate.....and thankfully, the bull was nowhere in sight, because I'm sure he would have challenged me. Bulls terrify me. Never a dull moment.....actually that's not true, there are a few dull moments and if I find myself in the middle of one, I try to remember that it would be a good time to go out to the front porch and take in the view. Today was not a dull day, but I did snap a couple of photos from the front porch... Overlooking Stafford Lake... The menu for tonight... Mini Meatloaves Traditional meatloaf is made with ground beef, pork and veal; in this recipe, the veal is replaced with ground turkey for a tender, flavorful and leaner version of the classic. I modified the recipe even further. Since we have a freezer mostly filled with our Natural Beef we harvested a couple of months ago, I used all ground beef. You can even cut up zucchini or shred carrots to include in the mix....the kids will never know it! Baking individual portions in muffin tins speeds cooking, standardizes serving size and produces a moist, delicious main dish. The recipe calls for parsley, the only item I didn't buy at the grocery store yesterday. I was going to leave it out but on a Chloe potty break, I discovered that last year's pot of herbs had come back from seed. Score! Here is the parsley and some overgrown chives...... Grossi Natural Beef.... Mini Meatloaves before they're baked..... After baking....... Ready to serve....... Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 minute Ingredients 8 ounces lean ground beef 8 ounces lean ground pork 8 ounces ground turkey breast 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup ketchup, divided 3 tablespoons low-fat milk 1 small onion, chopped (3/4 cup) 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray. 2.Mix beef, pork, turkey, egg, oats, parsley, 2 tablespoons ketchup, milk, onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 3.Form the mixture into 8 balls and place in the prepared muffin cups. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and spread about 1/2 teaspoon over each mini meatloaf. 4.Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet. Bake the meatloaves until their internal temperature reaches 160°F, 25 to 30 minutes. Pour off fat before serving. Tips & Notes Baking individual portions of meatloaf in muffin tins speeds cooking, standardizes serving size and produces a moist, delicious main dish. Nutrition Per serving: 184 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 4 g mono); 86 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 1 g fiber; 385 mg sodium; 317 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin K (39% daily value), Potassium (16% dv). Happy Thursday! Pin It