Healthy, Hearty Meatloaf Recipe

Hello Fellow Seekers of Abundance!

Today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite comfort food recipes. We all know, times are strange right now. Coronavirus is keeping the world indoors, and bringing out different emotions in each of us. While it is important to do what feels right for you, I’m trying to stay on track with my health and wellness goals, despite the uncertainty that many of us are feeling. Keeping a grip on my health makes me feel like I’m still accomplishing something, while I sit at home with no work right now. It makes me feel good in my body, and good in my mind, but let’s be honest, I too have been wanting to eat my feelings a bit lately.

I love this recipe because it’s a good way to have your cake, and it eat it too! It's a hearty comfort food that still packs some decent nutrition and isn’t overloaded with calories! You will see how easy, small substitutions in your daily recipes have a big impact on your overall health!

This recipe will yield a pretty healthy sized loaf, so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you don’t like leftovers, or if you’re cooking for one! This recipe yields 10 servings, and one will likely do the job, as they are not skimpy! (I've provided the calorie info with the recipe).

I've included ingredients such as rolled oats, coconut sugar, homemade sauce instead of store bought ketchup, lean ground turkey, Bragg liquid amino, and apple cider vinegar. Not to mention all the delicious veggies I like to sneak in. I've added zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers to this recipe, but you're welcome to use whatever veggies you have at home! The more the merrier in my opinion. You will see when you mix your ingredients that this recipe is about 1/2 meat, and 1/2 veggies and oats! Rest assured, all you will taste is juicy, flavorful meat as the veggies and grains blend seamlessly into the loaf as you bite into it!

If you find that Bragg liquid aminos is too high in sodium for your liking, coconut aminos contain a

bout 60% less sodium and is a great choice!

Lastly, whats a comfort dish without roasted veggies and mashed potatoes!? To keep things health conscious, I like to make Skinny Mashed Potatoes. Instead of butter and heavy cream, I like to add low sodium chicken broth, a splash of 2% milk, and nonfat Greek yogurt. Throw in some of your favorite seasonings (I like to use onion powder, pepper, and Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute), and you've got yourself some mouth-watering mashed potatoes, that skip on some of the calories and cholesterol, but don't skip on the flavor! For my veggies, this time I roasted some Brussels sprouts with a light drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, halved, placed face down in a baking dish at 400 degrees for 20 mins. I squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them, and my meal is ready to go! At the top of this article, you can see a photo of how I meal prepped mine. It's a good amount of food and left me feeling full, for a modest total of 400 calories for the entire meal! Not bad if you consider its only 1/3 of a 1200 calorie a day diet. This makes it a perfectly acceptable option for those of us trying to knock off a couple of pounds! I love a meal that is calorie conscious but feels like a cheat :)

Now that I've shared my tips and tricks, you're ready to make yourself this Healthy, Hearty Meatloaf, and indulge in a timeless classic without the guilt!

Without further adieu, I give you my favorite Healthy, Hearty Meatloaf recipe:

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HEALTHY, HEARTY MEATLOAF Servings: 10 Calories per serving: 260 INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE LOAF:

1 lbs lean ground turkey

1 lbs 85% lean ground beef (or leanness to your liking)

2 eggs

1 cup rolled oats

2 zucchini (shredded)

1 carrot (shredded)

1/2 bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp Bragg liquid amino (sub soy sauce, Tamara, or other liquid aminos)

1 tsp Himalayan salt (or sea salt)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp tomato paste

FOR THE SAUCE:

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a skillet, combine your zucchini, carrots, and bell pepper (or veggies of your choice), and sauté for 5-10 mins over medium heat. You’re just trying to bring out the flavor and soften them up.

3. When those are finished sautéing and cooled a bit, combine your meatloaf ingredients and mix them together using a spoon or your hands.

4. Shape the meat mixture into a well-greased loaf pan. If you don’t have a loaf pan, or prefer not to use one, you may just as well shape the meat mixture into a loaf and place it into a pan ( just make sure the baking dish you choose has an edge to catch the drippings.

5. Make the sauce by combining the tomato paste, coconut sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and water into a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pour your sauce over the meatloaf.

6. Bake your meatloaf at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until your internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

If you’re making the full-size recipe, it will likely take longer, but start checking your loaf's internal temperature around 1 hour, since all ovens bake differently. If you're cutting the recipe in half, an hour may do the trick, but always check your internal temp. and make sure its at least 160 degrees when you remove it (it will continue to heat a few more degrees while it rests) for safe consumption!

7. Let your loaf rest a few minutes, slice, and serve! Thank you for reading and enjoy! Keep fighting the good fight, abundance is coming! Lots of love, Sincerely, Jes

IG: abundanceisbestservedwarm (or click the Instagram icon at to bottom of the page to be guided there!)