Meatloaf Monday

One of the things I love about meatloaf night is, depending on what's in our fridge at the time, a different recipe can be created almost every time.

On this night, I had a bag of julienned broccoli and carrots in the fridge.  I have one child, Bryce who will eat all sorts of raw veggies, broccoli included and another child, Paige who will only eat carrots, period.  So sticking some broccoli into a meatloaf is a great way for me to get her to eat other veggies.....the girl likes her meat to eat so this concept is perfect.

Here's what you need: onion, shredded broccoli and carrot, green olives, salt, pepper, ketchup, two eggs, bread crumbs, paprika, milk and I used two pounds of ground beef.  {recipe below}

Throw it all together in to a bowl.

Pour in the milk.

And here's my favorite part, mix it all together by hand.

Form into a loaf shape {2 lbs of ground beef will make two loaves} and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 75 minutes and here's what you get.......

No one complained or even noticed that broccoli was included.

What's your favorite meatloaf ingredient?

Shredded Broccoli and Carrot Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef

2 eggs

2 T ketchup

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup or more of julienned broccoli and carrot

Handful of green olives, chopped

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

salt, pepper and paprika to taste

1 cup of milk

Mix all together, shape into loaves and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes.

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I'm Declaring ~ Eat Meat Mondays!!

I am declaring every Monday to be, 'Eat Meat Monday' at my house.

As most of you know, I'm a beef girl :)

But I must remember not to visit San Francisco on any given Monday, considering the S.F. Board of Supervisors approved legislation to declare the first day of the week 'Meat Free Monday'.....I know! I can't get over it either! It's not that S.F. is banning meat, they're just encouraging you not to eat it on Mondays. Okay, isn't there more important things the S.F. Supervisors should be to tending to? I'm just saying....

If you would like to read all about it, click HERE.

Oh, the resolution also states....

Eating less meat “reduces serious ecological problems involved in livestock production”I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on this. Here is a recent study on this very subject:

"Eating Less Meat and Dairy Products Won't Have Major Impact on Global Warming, Export Argues"

Here is the PDF to the resolution http://agtoday.us/at2gDY

Or if you're interested, you can also read this article "Meatless Mondays Meet Tough Reception"

In no way is this meant to speak out against a Vegetarian lifestyle. In fact, I have many friends who happen to be Vegetarians. I believe everyone should be able to feel free to choose what it is they want to eat without any added pressure.

This is what we're having tonight for dinner........

Grilled Filet Mignon with Herb Butter & Texas Toasts

Photo by EatingWell

This dish is simply luxurious: grilled beef tenderloin smothered in a vibrant herb butter served on top of a garlicky slab of whole-grain toast. And yes, with only about 303 calories and 14 grams of fat total, this steakhouse-worthy entree can be part of a healthy diet. If you like, make extra herb butter to top chicken, fish or even a grilled pork chop.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon whipped or regular butter, slightly softened
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, or shallot
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
3 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram, or oregano, divided
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, (1 minced, 1 peeled and halved)
1 pound filet mignon, about 1 1/2 inches thick, trimmed and cut into 4 portions
4 slices whole-grain bread
4 cups watercress, trimmed and chopped

Preparation
1.Preheat grill to high.

2.Mash butter in a small bowl with the back of a spoon until soft and creamy. Stir in 2 teaspoons oil until combined. Add chives (or shallot), capers, 1 teaspoon marjoram (or oregano), 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and place in the freezer to chill.

3.Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, 2 teaspoons marjoram (or oregano), 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, rosemary and minced garlic in a small bowl. Rub on both sides of steak. Rub both sides of bread with the halved garlic clove; discard the garlic.

4.Grill the steak 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Grill the bread until toasted, 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Divide watercress among 4 plates. Place 1 toast on each serving of watercress and top with steak. Spread the herb butter on top of the steaks and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare herb butter (Step 2), wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

Nutrition
Per serving: 303 calories; 14 g fat (5 g sat, 6 g mono); 80 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 5 g fiber; 438 mg sodium; 462 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (46% daily value), Selenium (44% dv), Vitamin C (28% dv), Iron (17% dv).

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
recipe from Eating Well

Happy Monday! Pin It

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