Ultra Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

You'll need:

1 package of ground turkey

1 red bell pepper

1 medium onion (yellow)

1 medium onion (red)

Garlic

Worcestershire (~2 tbsp)

Ketchup (or tomato paste- whatever you have)

Dry mustard (if you have it)

1 Egg

Quinoa (1/4 - 1/2 c)

S&P

Tabasco

Chiles in Adobo Sauce (if you like it spicy)

Splenda Brown Sugar

This was a week where I had no energy for deciding on specific meals for every night of the week, so I decided to go to the grocery and grab staples... Chicken, ground meat, ground turkey, and thinly sliced pork chops. This particular weeknight, I decided to treat Mike to meatloaf, but didn't have enough bread in the house to make homemade bread crumbs for my normal recipe. So I turned to this one, which substituted quinoa.

I got several, very large, red bell peppers on sale, so I decided to add some extra veggies to the recipe.

I started by sauteing chopped onion in a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Then I added a chopped bell pepper, and some chopped garlic (you decide how much you want to use)...

Once the vegetables were soft, I let them cool for a bit, then mixed them with the ground turkey, egg, S&P, Worcestershire, ketchup, cooked quinoa, and Tabasco.

I decided to add a couple of chiles in adobo sauce (chopped from the food processor) because I had them left over in the fridge.

After mixing all the ingredients together (I've learned not to mess with it too much or it will fall apart... trust me), I sauteed a red onion that I'd chopped into rings. Just heat up some olive oil, let it saute for a few minutes, then add about 1/4 c of water, and let it heat away.

I formed the loaf on a baking sheet covered in foil, and then mixed up a little ketchup, brown sugar, and dry mustard to make a coating.

Once the red onion slices were cooled, I layered them on top of the meatloaf.

I cooked it at 350 degrees for around 5o minutes, then let it sit for about 15 minutes. It turned out with just the right amount of spice! I served it with fingerling potatoes and some sauteed kale, and it was a great treat of comfort food for an otherwise drab Monday.

**One blunder I have to share was the time that I decided to add Flax Seed to my meatloaf... I figured it was a great idea to add some extra nutritious value to our meal, so I just poured it in... However, for anyone who has ever consumed flax seed, you know it sort of expands in your stomach. We were able to eat about 3 bites a piece, and that was it. So if you're going to add it, make sure you measure!