Meatloaf Muffins {6 WW+ Dinner}

I love cute food. And these meatloaf muffins are pretty darn cute. I mean, they're small, they're colorful and they taste amazing. I've noticed that when I make our meals in smaller portions my kids seem to enjoy them a lot more and eat more than they normally would. So anything that I can convert from a normal, larger size to muffin tin size is awesome.

A few years back I made some meatloaf muffins and blogged about them but they weren't anything special. And since I love meatloaf I wanted to play with one of my favorite recipes a bit and tweak it to make me happy. Well this recipe has done it! Not only do my kids love these meatloaf muffins, I love them too! And the smaller size isn't just great for the kids, it means portion control for me

Meatloaf Muffins

• 1 20 ounce package 93/7 lean ground turkey
• 3/4 cup Trader Joe's fire roasted onions & peppers
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup light shredded cheese

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and take out muffin pan. Saute onions, peppers, & garlic until tender. Add Italian seasoning & stir. Set aside to cool.

Place ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, egg, panko & cheese in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add in the cooled veggies and mix in. Form 12 small balls of mixture and place each ball in muffin well (balls will be roughly 1-1 1/2" in diameter).

Bake meatloaf muffins for 18-20 minutes. While muffins are cooking mix together ketchup, mustard & sugar. Once the 18-20 minutes are up take the muffins out of the oven and top with ketchup mixture. Put the muffins back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Let rest 3-5 minutes before serving with your favorite sides and veggies.

Serves 6 | 3 WW+ Points per muffin

Nutritional Info: 115 calories, 7g carbs, 5g fat, 12g protein, 1g fiber, 171g sodium

Meatballs and Polenta {10 WW+ Dinner}

Wow. I haven't had as tasty a dinner as last night's in a LONG time. Well, at least one that I made. This meal just hit the spot. Definitely a comfort food meal that's perfect for any time of year. The flavors really melded together and the richness of the meat and polenta was spot on. I've only ever tried the already cooked polenta in the log looking thing. And it just wasn't my cup of tea. Joseph didn't much care for it either. But this meal? Yeah, it was perfect.

I did vary a lot from the original recipe. I don't know what overcame me but as I was looking at the original ingredients I knew I could "one up" myself and make a fabulous meatball. And I did. These were tasty and flavorful. I even froze two thirds of the baked batch to use for future meals. I love making extras to use in the future!

Just serve with your favorite veggies, or a large salad, for a completely balanced meal. 

Inspiration: Two Pink Hippos

Meatballs and Polenta

• 1 pound 99% fat-free raw ground turkey breast
• 1 pound 85% lean/15% fat raw ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, diced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 
  
• 15 oz canned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon basil, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 
  
• 1/2 cup pre-cooked polenta, dry
• 2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 oz mozzarella, shredded, fat free
• 1/2 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoon regular butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the beef, turkey, egg, bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, and herbs & spices in a bowl.

Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Form meatballs about 2" diameter and place them on a baking pan. (I weighed each meatball at 2 oz and got 19 meatballs.) Bake for 25 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, dice your onion and mice the garlic and basil. Saute the onion & garlic until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and basil. Let simmer.

After meatballs are done bake, transfer from the oven to the sauce. Cook for another 10-20 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally so all meatballs are coated with sauce.

Place chicken broth in a medium pot. Set to medium high and bring to a boil. Once boiling whisk in the polenta. Continue to wisk for 3 minutes or until thick. Add cheese and salt, to taste, and continue to whisk until the cheese has melted and is combined with the polenta. Remove from heat and divide in half on two plates.

Serve meatballs over polenta. Top with a little chopped parsley and grated Parmesan if desired.

1 2oz meatball = 1 serving
1/2 polenta (roughly 1 cup) = 1 serving

2 Servings | 10 WW+ Points

DeliciousTurkey Meatloaf {6 WW Points}

I had a pound of ground turkey in the fridge and wanted something lower in points but super delicious. I had been craving meatloaf for quite a while but just never got around to making it. So I searched on Weight Watcher's website for the ideal dish and came across this recipe. Let me tell you... this loaf was heaven! You have to make it :) No, seriously... go make it!

Source: WeightWatchers.com

Best Turkey Meatloaf EVER!

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup(s) onion(s), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) green pepper(s), finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
• 1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp
• 1/4 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 large egg(s), lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
• 1 spray(s) cooking spray
• 1/2 cup(s) ketchup
• 1 Tbsp unpacked light brown sugar
• 1 tsp mustard

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Cool.

Combine onion mixture, cheese and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to moisten bread. Crumble turkey over onion mixture; stir just until blended.

Pack meat mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Combine 1⁄2 cup ketchup, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl; stir well.

Spread ketchup mixture over meat loaf and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Remove meat loaf from pan. Cut into 10 slices.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 2 slices).

I just cut it into 5 thick slices This recipe was so moist and flavorful! I added the italian seasoning in with the onions, peppers & garlic when sauteing them and really liked the results. I also made the onion mixture a bit earlier in the day and put it in the fridge since my turkey hadn't fully thawed.

I think the extra time for the flavors to meld together really added to the taste. I than mixed everything together right before putting it in the oven and cooked for 45 minutes instead of 35. I than topped it with the ketchup mixture and cooked for another 10 minutes.

POINTS® Value: 6
Servings: 5
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 43 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Chili Chili!

I have been craving chili for quite some time now. I mean it isn't even cold here yet (been in the 80-90s all week) but something was screaming fall to me. So I decided to throw a simple batch of chili into the crock pot and enjoy one of my favorite fall/winter meals.

At the last minute I decided that the chili needed a little something more so I looked in the pantry for something to spice it up a bit. And my hands fell upon a Trader Joes cornbread mix. YUM! I love this mix :)

And the combination turned out to be a wonderful, simple dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.



Chili Cornbread Cups

• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes w/ chili
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• 1 package Trader Joes cornbread mix

Brown turkey and season with salt and pepper. Throw all the veggies, beans, seasoning & turkey into a crock pot and set on low for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to temperature stated on package. Make cornbread mix. Spoon chili into oven safe single portion dishes (I used 4 large ramekins). Leave about 1 inch headroom. Than top chili with cornbread mix. Bake for amount of time stated on package (I baked mine for 30 minutes) or until golden brown.

Take out of the oven and allow to cool a bit. Eat right out of the dish or turn over and dump it all out :) YUM!

Dinners in the Freezer!

Yesterday was definitely a success! We got so much accomplished and I feel like I can relax now knowing that we won't be living off of boxed mac and cheese for the next month :) I stuck to my list as much as I could. I didn't get a shot of all of the meals so I'll share the other recipes with you as we start to heat and eat.


Turkey Chili | Recipe adapted from The Bobby Pin

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 30oz can kidney beans (I used a 15 oz can)
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• 1/2 onion, chopped & sautéed
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped & sautéed
• 1 clove garlic, chopped & sautéed

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and saute onions, bell pepper & garlic until onions are translucent. Add a pound of ground turkey and brown. Add in a 30 oz can of kidney beans. Add 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and 1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes.

Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and Lawry's chili seasoning. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before placing in a freezer safe dish.

When ready to eat, put dish in fridge in the morning and than by night time it should be thawed enough to either put on the stove to heat up or to spoon into individual dishes and cover with cornbread mix for a chili pot pie (this is what I plan to do!) YUM!

Thanks, Natalie, for the great recipe. Miranda and I tried the chili yesterday and it was sooo good. Perfect for the rainy day we had. I always add shredded cheese and broccoli to my chili because you can't have enough fiber in your diet :) And adding more vegetables just makes me feel better.


Broccoli & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast | Recipe courtesy of my head

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
• 2-4 chicken breasts, flattened
• Salt & pepper

Add cheddar and broccoli to one side of flattened chicken breast. Fold over breast and use toothpick to hold the ends together. Salt and pepper each side and slide chicken breast in vacuum bag. Vacuum pack the chicken and throw in the freezer until you want to use.

When you're ready to use it throw it in the fridge the morning of. At night open the bag, place chicken on an oven safe dish or sheet sprayed with non-stick and bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done. If you want you can add some shredded cheese to the chicken for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking for more cheesy goodness.


Chipotle Rub Pork Chops | Recipe courtesy of McCormicks Grill Mates

• 2-4 pork chops
• Chipotle Cinnamon McCormics Grill Mates rub
• Olive oil

Lightly drizzle olive oil on both sides of each chop. Sprinkle about 1/2 a tablespoon of rub onto each side and rub in. Place chops in a vacuum bag and vacuum seal. Throw in the freezer until ready to use.

When ready to use thaw meat in fridge. Open bag and pan fry the chops for about 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place in oven safe dish sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30-35 minutes or until pork is done.


Stuffed Peppers (a last minute add) | Recipe adapted from Spice N It Up

• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 small clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper chopped
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Dash of red pepper
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Cut thin slices from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top, seeds and membranes. Rinse peppers. Cook beef, onion, chopped pepper and garlic over medium heat in skillet until brown. Drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper. Stir in rice. Divide beef mixture evenly among peppers. Place in oven safe/freezer safe packaging and cover with foil. Freeze until ready to eat.

Pour water into 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker; stand frozen peppers upright in cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until peppers are tender. Garnish with cheese. (You can also throw these in the oven for about 10 minutes so the cheese melts).


Mom's Turkey Meatloaf | Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk (I used 1%)
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 2 lbs ground turkey breast
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-8 oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce

In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk and allow to soak while you get the rest of the ingredients together, at least 3 minutes.

Thinly slice one-quarter of the onion into rings and set aside. Finely chop the rest of the onion.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, oatmeal mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire, ketchup, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish that is freezer safe (I used an aluminum loaf pan that you can buy at the supermarket) and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Cover with plastic wrap and with foil to insure a proper seal (and protection from freezer burn).

Remove loaf from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 F, about 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes (may be longer if you don’t allow loaf to thaw).

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Comfort Food

I can't really say much about this meal. It is so simple and always hits the spot for me. Joseph doesn't mind it either :) Sometimes I use a loaf pan and other times I use a pie pan to shake things up...

Source: My head and my mom :)



Sheppard's Pie ala Danielle

Ground beef (or chicken and turkey like I did for this meal)
Salt & Pepper
1 can tomato sauce
Green beans
Mashed potatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese

Boil some potatoes for mashing. Once the potatoes are done (fork tender) mash them, add some milk and butter and season them with salt and pepper. Season and brown the ground beef. Drain and place in the bottom of a loaf pan. Cover meat with tomato sauce.

Add green beans to the top of the meat and sauce (they can be frozen, canned or fresh) and top with mashed potatoes. Spread the potatoes over everything so that you can't see any green beans or meat. Cover with a layer of cheddar (I love extra cheese so I really layer it) and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbling.

Since everything has already been cooked (except the green beans and cheese) the dish really just needs to get warmed thoroughly. I love to make this meal with left overs from other dinners. Sometimes I use left over taco meat for a different flavor. YUM! Look at that cheesy goodness...

Keema Karma

Another great recipe I tried from my Pakistani cooking class. I definitely liked this one and know I'll make it again and again. It was simple and cooked in under 30 minutes! I loved how it had meat, veggies and a starch all in one. And you couldn't beat the flavors!

Source: Laila Daudani

Keema (Ground Turkey)

• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (or soy or beef)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 large potato (or two medium)
• 1 teaspoon zeera (whole cumin seeds)
• 1 tablespoon green chilies (finely chopped or ground)
• 1 tablespoon garlic (minced or ground)
• 1 tablespoon ginger (ground)
• 1 tomato chopped or crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dhanya powder (coriander)
• 1 teaspoon zeera powder (cumin)
• 1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Add zeera and chopped onions to oil ("vagar"). Saute until onions are light brown. Ad chopped potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add ground turkey an cook until turkey changes color. Add all spices and cover. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

Check to see if potatoes are cooked. When potatoes are fully cooked turn heat off. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve with roti (wheat flat bread), tortillas or rice.

Tasty Tsao

Last week I went to TJ's and tried a very tasty sample at their demo window. It was ground turkey, TJ's General Tsao's Stir Fry Sauce, and TJ's Harvest Grains blend. Boy was it tasty. Tasty enough for me to buy the sauce and the grains blend. Now let me tell you about this blend. It has couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans AND red quinoa! Hows that for grains? And only 3 points for half a cup! So I waited all weekend just excited as can be to try out my new items. I had to pick a night that Joseph wasn't home because he doesn't care too much for stir fry so I waited until he started up a new class he's taking for work.

It worked out perfectly! I chopped up some veggies (cremini mushrooms, broccoli and carrots), browned the ground turkey, steamed the veggies with the turkey, poured on the sauce and waited for the magic to happen! Five minutes later and I had a healthy, tasty meal! I served it with a side of the grains blend and mixed it up on my plate. I cannot wait to have this tasty meal again. It's not a 30 minute wonder... it's a 15 minute wonder!

Source: TJ's with a few additions from me

Turkey Stir Fry

• 8 oz ground turkey
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup cremini mushrooms
• 1/4 cup General Tsao's Stir Fry Sauce
• 1/4 cup Harvest Grains Blend
• 1 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste for turkey
  
• cooking spray

Bring chicken stock to a boil and add grains. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat pan on medium and spray with cooking spray (I used olive oil spray). When pan has heated add ground turkey and cook until lightly browned. Add veggies and cover for three minutes until veggies are cooked 1/2 way. Add sauce and stir. Cover again for 3 more minutes or until veggies are fully cooked.

Serve stir-fry over grain blend and enjoy!

Serves 2

6 WW points per serving (includes grains!)

Easy Enchilada Pie

I've had a few Weight Watcher's recipes stashed away and have tried a few this week. One of which is their Turkey Enchilada Pie. While this was an easy dinner to throw together (one of those 30 minute meals), it lacked flavor. Next time I will definitely be loading in the spices and herbs. Joseph suggested adding enchilada sauce (doh! it's in the name!). But it was low points (4 per serving!) so I could have two servings.

Source: Weight Watchers

Turkey Enchilada Pie

• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 medium onion(s), chopped
• 3 cup tomato(es), chopped
• 4 oz canned jalapeno peppers, drained and chopped
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 10 Tbsp low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 3/4 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 medium whole wheat tortilla(s)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Place turkey, onion and chili powder in skillet and cook until turkey is browned, stirring occasionally to crumble meat, about 8 minutes. Remove turkey mixture from skillet and set aside.

Place skillet over medium-high heat and add flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in turkey mixture, jalapeños and cumin.

Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on HIGH until softened, about 15 seconds. Place 1 tortilla in bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Spread 1/2 of turkey mixture over tortilla. Spoon 1 cup of tomato on top and sprinkle with 5 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients ending up with 5 tablespoons of cheese on top.

Cover pie plate with aluminum foil and cook until cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, 2 minutes before cutting into 6 wedges.

6 Servings
4 WW Points per Serving

Lasagna Lovin'

I was having a pasta craving and had some left over ground turkey so I searched the Weight Watchers website for a good pasta recipe and stumbled upon the Chicken and Spinach Lasagna. I decided to sub ground turkey for ground chicken and halved the original recipe but it turned out great. I even got my husband to eat spinach! That's a first.

Source: WeightWatchers.com

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

• 3/4 cup Kraft Low-Moisture, Part-Skim Finely Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, or similar product, divided
• 1 items egg white(s), lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 26 oz Contadina Marinara Sauce, or other low-fat marinara sauce
• 1/2 pound Jennie-O Turkey Store Extra lean ground breast
• 6 items dry lasagna noodles
• 1/3 cup onion(s), chopped
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large, deep lasagna pan with cooking spray. Measure 2 cups of marinara sauce; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until almost tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken; cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add remaining marinara sauce to skillet and stir until well combined; set aside.
Mix together ricotta cheese, egg whites, garlic powder and Italian seasoning in a large bowl until well combined.

To assemble lasagna, place 2 cups of reserved marinara sauce on bottom of dish. Layer with 3 noodles, 1/3 of ricotta mixture, 1/3 of spinach, 1/3 of mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of chicken-sauce mixture; repeat layers again ending with chicken-sauce mixture. (Make sure to spread ingredients to edge of noodles.)

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces.

6 WW points

Turkey Time!

With the very little leftover turkey we have I decided to make a WW friendly meal. I decided to join Weight Watchers after some friendly prodding from my best friend. She "needed" a partner to join her in her weight loss over the next two months before she moves overseas. I am so excited. And this meal was exactly what I needed to get me on track. So good and filling!

Source: Weight Watchers (modified)

Potato and Turkey Saute

• 3 potato(es), red, scrubbed and diced
• 1 carrot sliced into chunks (coins)
  
• 3/4 tsp garlic salt
• 4 tsp olive oil
• cooked turkey, shredded into long strips (left over from t-day)
  
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into large pieces (like what you'd use for kabobs)
  
• 2 tsp rosemary, chopped

Roast potatoes, onions and carrots with 1/4 teaspoons of garlic salt and rosemary and drizzled with 2 tsp EVOO until just tender, about 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add potatoes, onions and carrots to skillet. Add turkey and cook, stirring gently, until browned and very tender.

6 WW pts

Sorry... didn't get a picture of this one. I was too hungry :)