Recipe: Delicious Turkey Meatloaf

You can now see this yummy recipe at my NEW blog Crunchy, Crafty, and Crazy!

I LOVE this meatloaf! It's the closest I've ever come to a "real" meatloaf. The texture is great, and there's all
sorts of yummy goodness inside.

I use ground turkey because it has less trans fats than ground beef does.  It's best to get the highest quality, leanest ground turkey you can.  That will reduce the amount of fillers (yucky, yucky stuff added to many ground meats on the market today) and the amount of fat in the finished product.  Here's a tip: get meats from a local meat market.  They may not be found everywhere, but I'm willing to bet there's on pretty close by.  You'll often get the cheapest price, and higher quality meat than going to the super market.  You can also have the a turkey breast ground for you at the meat counter in your local super market.

This recipe does not require an egg, and no more bread crumbs.  Using oatmeal and whole wheat bread, it gets you in a little complex carbs also.  I like to serve it with steamed broccoli with cheese sauce.  Delish!

Like all of my recipes, these are just the general amounts I put in.  If you like more or less of something than add it.  Just try not to do anything that will mess with the fat content.  It the mixture seems too dry add a little milk, if it seems too wet add in more oats or bread.  Feel free to add any other seasonings you'd like, but watch for sodium content.  While the verdict might be out on how sodium may effect your heart, it will definitely make you bloat.

Recipe: Perfectly Pumpkin Oatmeal

This recipe was inspired by a yogurt recipe I found on Fitness Magazine's website.  The yummy pumpkin pie taste mixed with the oatmeal is delicious.  It almost makes you feel like the fall is almost here!

I like to add some protein powder on some mornings to really pack in some extra protein. Just be sure to add in the protein at the end.   You can add as much of the pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon as you'd like.

Pumpkin is so good for you! It's packed with a lot of very beneficial nutrients.  Oatmeal has also been shown to lower Cholesterol, and is a great complex carb.  Walnuts are also rich with antioxidants and are a great source of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

The almond milk can be substituted with regular skim milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.  I like vanilla flavored the best. Almond milk really packs in the calcium (50% more than regular milk) which is especially good for women.

I usually count the exchanges as 1.5 carb, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 1 protein, 1 fat. They are probably not exact exchanges, but it's healthy so what the heck lol.

Recipe: Fried Rice

I love this easy recipe.  I almost always serve it with the Hibachi Chicken recipe.  You can also cut chicken into thin strips, pound them even thinner, and cook before adding in the rice and eggs for a complete meal in one pan. All of the measurements are approximate you can add more or less of anything (except the oil) to your taste.  Try to use a low sodium soy sauce to help keep the sodium content down.   Since it is a carb be sure to measure it out carefully.

You may also want to "deconstruct" it for yourself. What I mean is to measure out your rice, and veggies to make sure it's 2 servings of rice and 1 cup of veggies.  On your own plate.  Otherwise, I wouldn't really count the veggies in this as a veggie serving since there's so much more rice than there are veggies.

Recipe: Hibachi Chicken

We LOVE eating this meal.  It's a staple on our menu rotation, especially since we've all started trying to eat healthier.  It's quick and easy and oh so healthy.  I haven't figured out how to get it "dry" like it is from a hibachi restaurant.  Maybe cooking the veggies separate from the chicken will help, but we don't mind the extra liquid.  You might also try cooking it on something like a smooth topped George Forman Grill--hey that's the closest thing I can think of to a hibachi grill lol.

Some nights I'll even whip up a little shrimp sauce to go with it, and I usually serve it with fried rice.  If you do the shrimp sauce, just be sure to measure your portion carefully.  Since the mayo is the fattier of the main ingredients I measure based on a serving of mayo.

Shrimp Sauce

1 cup Mayo. (as good as it is Dukes is too strong of a flavor)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder

Just mix all the ingredients together and let it sit while you're cooking everything else to let the flavors meld together.

Recipe: Chicken and Rice

This Chicken and Rice is very filling and tastes like its unhealthy.  I swear it tastes just like chicken and dumplings without all the fat of the dumplings.  The recipe is approximate measurements.  Be sure to check often, if it's looking too thick then add a little water to the mix.  I didn't have any stock or broth on hand when I made it, so I decided to just make my own by boiling the chicken and vegetables for a bit before adding the rice.  If you're short on time then buy a low sodium Chicken Broth and substitute for the water.  You can also add one cube of chicken bullion to the water instead of the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.  A Serving is about 1 cup.