Spinach and Carrot Meat Loaf, Potatoe Fries & Spinach Salad

Yumm! Who doesn't love Meatloaf? Well, I didn't think I liked meatloaf, until I finally tried it this year. One night, I went by my sister's house. I don't remember why, but she was making this delicious meal! I had to have her recipe. She told me she didn't have a "recipe" she just threw things together.
So, here's the recipe (my sister's recipe). I alter mine based on what I have in my fridge at the time. This is tonight's version!
My kids love this, even my 2 year old ate it!

Here's what you will need:
1 1/2 Pounds of ground beef (grass feed beef)
1 cup Bread Crumbs (I usually pulse Italian style croutons in a food processor)
1 Onion, diced. (I generally us a yellow)

1/2 Cup Baby Spinach, chopped up.
2 Carrots (finely dices)
2 Cloves of Garlic. ( I generally use my minced for this)
2 Eggs, lightly beaten.
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tb Dijon Mustard
2 Tb Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce or Ketchup ( I prefer BBQ Sauce)

How to make it:
Preheat over 350 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan on med heat. Saute onion and garlic until translucent, then add celery and carrots, cook for 5 min. take off stove, let cool.

In a seperate bowl. Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion mixture, egg, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Pour BBQ sauce or ketchup over the meat loaf.
(I generally use a bread loaf pan. I put the entire mixture in pan, then with my fingers, make a sort of ledge around the entire mixture, then pour sauce on top)

Bake 1 hour.

If you are making these fries. Get these prepped and throw them in at the same time as the meatloaf. I baked them for 1 hour @ 350 degrees F. They were perfect!

In the meantime:
I made my homemade balsamic vinaigrette (look under salad dressing).
Cut up a tomato.
Grab some Baby Spinach.

Enjoy!

Quinoa- Last Night's Dinner

So, after my fantastic trip to Costco. I found Organic Quinoa, pronounced (Keen-WAH). It is one of the healthiest grains you can eat. In Jonny Bowden's, "150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", he considers this a "Super Food". Considered a high-protein grain, high in lysine and high in amino acids, you can use this grains to make flour, soup and even breakfast cereal.
Quinoa has lower sodium content and is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley or corn. It's particularly high in iron 1/2 cup contains almost 8mg, way more than any other cereal grain, and a hefty 5 g of fiber. **

After hearing ALL this wonderful "stuff" about Quinoa. I decided we would have that for dinner Last night.

What you will need to make it:
1/2 Cup Organic Quinoa
1-2 Cups Vegtable/Chicken Broth, or Water
1 Tlb Balsamic Vinaigrette- or you could just use Salt & Pepper to taste.
Handful of Green Beans
Rotisserie Chicken

Salad dressing:
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tlb. of Balsamic Vinegar (organic)
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard (I really only used about 1)
2 Cloves of minced garlic (I used just less then 2 tsp of the minced)
Salt & Pepper (I just eyed it, I cupped my hand and maybe did 1/4 tsp of both)

Put dressing ingredients in a blender ball or bowl and mix it all up. Will stay good in air tight container for about a week. (I used up the dressing in just 2 days)

How to make it:
In a medium saucepan add 1/2 cup Quinoa & 1-2 cups of chicken/Veg broth, or water. Bring to boil and continue to boil until liquid has evaporated.
After liquid has evaporated, turn off heat, cover with lid and let stand for 5 min.

While the Quinoa is cooking, get a medium size saute pan.
Turn to Med Heat.
Wash some green beans.
Put green beans in Saute Pan- (I used just a little butter 1/4 tsp)
Stir around, add balsamic Vinaigrette Let cook until tender (about 5-7 min)
Take green beans off the heat. Let cool for a few min.
Cut up into thirds.
Set Aside.

When Quinoa is done, Add green beans. Stir together.

Cut out slices of Rotisserie Chicken- place on plate.
Add Quinoa/Green bean mixture.

Enjoy!






** taken directly from 'The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth'-by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Chicken Spinach Clement Salad

Today for lunch, (I just had to share it!) I made the MOST delicious Salad. YUMMMM!
It's a Chicken Spinach Clement Salad.

How to make this master piece...

This could serve 2-4 people
Items needed:
1 Chicken Breast
1 Bag/Container of Baby Spinach (Organic)
1-2 Clements (because they are so small, more is you are serving more people )
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tlb. Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 cloves (2 tsp) Minced Garlic
Salt & Pepper

Preperation:
Grill or broil your chicken breast 10-15 min. (I made chicken the other night, I had 1 breast left over). Cube chicken. Set aside.
Wash spinach, pat dry.
Peel clements, cut each individual orange in half. (after I peeled the orange, I just split the orange in half, then cut that in half again, with a knife. Faster then cutting each one individually. Or you could line them all up and cut in half, either way!)

Putting it together:
Put Spinach in a self serve bowl, add cut up Clements, add chicken. Drizzle on dressing. That's it!


Salad dressing:
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tlb. of Balsamic Vinegar (organic)
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard (I really only used about 1)
2 Cloves of minced garlic (I used just less then 2 tsp of the minced)
Salt & Pepper (I just eyed it, I cupped my hand and maybe did 1/4 tsp of both)

Put dressing ingredients in a blender ball or bowl and mix it all up. Will stay good in air tight container for about a week. (I used up the dressing in just 2 days)