Thursday, April 19, 2012

Protein Packed


Oi. Vey. It is spring and we are in full swing. The Music Man's schedule is always crazy during this time of year and April-May have consistently proven to be two of my busiest months of the year. So, I've kind of lost track of things a little, not the least of which has been this blog. As I mentioned before, when wedding season hits, I get lost in constant activity and don't come up for air very often. Such is life. I wouldn't have it any other way. During the bustle, I sort of left the straight and narrow path of health and dieting and hit a few speed bumps containing chocolate, salty foods and high calorie beverages...like frappucino's...loaded with a whopping 400+ calories per grande portion and sending my daily caloric intake goal sky-rocketing back to chubby-ville. But just like the prodigal son, I returned to the fold of nutritional living and kicked off a new start with this flavor-packed turkey meatloaf. I don't think the family even noticed that it was turkey instead of beef. Or maybe they were just too afraid to say anything given how loaded my schedule has been and the underlying (yet unspoken) fear that I might "lose it". Either way, there were no complaints.

Turkey Meatloaf

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
3-4 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 6-7 slices of bread pureed in food processor)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a medium size skillet - add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir onions and all other ingredients in a large bowl until well blended but not overmixed. This works best with bare hands (or gloved hands, but hands are the point - turkey meat is tender and will seize up or toughen if mixed in a blender). Press turkey mixture into loaf pan and bake until browned and cooked through - about 1 hour. Instant read thremometer should register 160 degrees when inserted near the middle. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

xox,
A