Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Fiesta Turkey Meatloaf, Sweet Potato Love

Happy September 1st all! I cannot believe that it is September and that tomorrow I will be 27! Craziness! Last night, Josh and I did run out to Lowe’s to pickup our new Weber grill! I am so excited to put it together and get cooking ;) You all had some awesome grilling suggestions including:
  • Veggies in aluminum foil pouches a la Fitnessista (Gina uses evoo, sea salt, garlic, pepper and fresh rosemary on her veggies)
  • Salmon
  • Amanda likes grilled zucchini with a little olive oil, Parmesan cheese and seasonings (go to her blog to check out her BEAUTIFUL wedding pictures)
  • Pineapple, peaches, plums
  • Turkey Burgers
  • Janetha likes grilling corn in their husks. She opens the husk, brushes the corn with some olive oil and sprinkles them with seasoned salt, wraps them back up, and throws them on the grill
  • Swordfish
  • Shrimp
  • Asparagus
  • Allie likes veggie burgers cooked on the grill and topped with guacamole
  • Sweet potatoes

I lost my crabby attitude and had a good day today. Work seemed to fly right on by. I came home, did some laundry, and prepped Josh’s dinner. I decided to play around tonight and made him a Fiesta Turkey Meatloaf (ole!). Here is my on the fly recipe:

Ingredients:
¼ cup diced onion
Olive oil
½ a 15 ounce can of pinto beans
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
½ lb ground turkey
1 egg white
½ cup defrosted corn
2 tablespoons Tomato Sauce or Salsa + more to top
½ cup Bread Crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a loaf pan or cookie sheet.

Heat up a few teaspoons of olive oil on the stove, add onion and cook over medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Add in pinto beans and chili powder/cumin. Cook for a few more minutes, remove from heat, let cool.

Mix egg white and salsa/tomato sauce. Once the onion/bean mixture is cool, combine it with all remaining ingredients. Feel free to play around with amount of salsa/tomato sauce and bread crumbs until you get your desired consistency. Pat mixture into loaf pan and, if desired, top with additional salsa/tomato sauce. Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through (no pink).

Tonight, Josh ate this as a loaf and tomorrow I plan to make him a meatloaf sammy lunch. On the side he also had a plum & steamed green beans.


After the prep work, I hopped out the door to teach Body Attack. When I came home, I made my veggie friendly dinner of a baked sweet potato topped with refried black beans and salsa.

On the side you know I had some fruit!



Did anyone read this article about milk? Interesting stuff! Have a WONDERFUL night :)

46 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm glad you're in a happier mindset!

Erika said...

Interesting article on milk...not sure what to think about it. And I am glad you have some ideas for the grill!

Jenna said...

Hey dear! I had a rough mid-day today, but mine turned out for the better. Yay :)

I have been looking for a healthier 'meat loaf' recipe, and this looks right up my alley. Thanks for the recipe.

I also have a sweet potato on hand that needs to be eaten up. Beans on top sounds like a delicious option.

Have a good night!

Mrs. LC said...

I can't wait until Ross and I have a house one day and can get a grill! :)

Interesting article on milk. There's another article I read and linked to today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm

I have a strong inkling that I have a dairy intolerance, and am interested to see what happens in my vegan month. Also interested in the possible correlation between asthma and dairy - I've never heard of this, and as a lifelong asthmatic, it would be an added bonus if my asthma is lessened!

Lauren said...

Yay for a happier mood today!

No wonder your spirits were lifted, that sweet potato would make anyone smile.

Have a great night hun!

Maria said...

Happy Birthday to you! I hope you celebrate all day lon tomorrow! Glad you got a grill. We LOVE ours. We grill anything and everything! Our favorite is grilled pizza. We use a whole wheat crust and I load on the veggies. You should try it.
I hope your tummy is better. I had a rough morning but am doing better now.
Again, Happy birthday! I hope it is the best yet!

The Purple Carrot said...

Yum, Erica, you've made me crave a good sweet potato now!! ha.

Have a FABULOUS birthday tomorrow!! : )

Paige@ Running Around Normal said...

Glad you're feeling better:)

Your meat loaf looks killer!

Deva said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) said...

I thought that was a well thought-out article about milk, thanks for sharing the link :-)

your sweet potato looks so good - I'm going to be sad when cantaloupe goes away :-(

Pearl said...

yum!

Anonymous said...

I did read the milk article--it's funny because every time I have stomach issues the doctors always suggest cutting the dairy out first. I think there's a lot of truth to the science behind the article. Happy almost birthday!

Leianna said...

All those grilling ideas look amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Lizzy said...

MMMMM i spy cantaloupe! YUMMM

Happy EARLY Birthday Girl!!!! yay! :)

Lainie said...

I love meatloaf - as does my husband - so this will be a must try...looks so good! Glad your mood turned around :)

Kristen @ Simply Savor said...

i love the sweet potato/black bean combo! glad your day is turning around :)

Stephanie said...

Hey girl! So glad you had a better day today :) I hate those random funk days too grrr! Hope you have an awesome bday tomorrow!!

Holly said...

I'm glad you had a better day today, girl! Almost your biiiirthday!

Ooh, Weber Grill - nice!! I LOVE anything on the grill. Really want to try fruit on the grill - of course, have to purchase grill first. :-)

Anne said...

Glad you're feeling happier :) And Happy Birthday! We were actually just talking about how some people lost the ability to digest milk sugar after infancy in biology last week. Really interesting!

Anonymous said...

Glad you are feeling better- sweet potato + refried beans = delicious!!!!!

Have a fabulous birthday, Erica!

Yum Yucky said...

Oh, YUM! I've never had turkey meatloaf but this will surely go on the shopping list.

Anonymous said...

wooo.... you got some great grill ideas there! :)

love the sweet potato and beans combo! perfect meal for me!

Ada said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I bet 27 will be a great year:)

Your meatloaf looks great! I bet my Madre would really enjoy that, I must make it for her soon.

I hope you have a really fun birthday, eat extra cake for me:)

brandi said...

great grill ideas! and meatloaf is one of our favorite fall meals :) I can't wait to make it soon!

Rose said...

Happy Birthday!

Krista said...

Interesting article on milk! I don't do milk as it's a MAJOR trigger for my IBS. I don't even like it to be honest. I think that's my systems way of keep it from causing me grief!

Doesn't fall...aka Sept....just scream meals like meatloaf??? :)

brandi said...

Happy Birthday!!! :)

bhealthier said...

HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY!!!!

I turn 27 this month too-How does it feel? I am kinding not excited about it because its that much closer to 30! At the same time, I am always excited for birthdays!


Fabulous Meatloaf! I need to make that asap!

So glad you could knock the crabbiness! I couldn't knock mine yesterday until 10 pm!

Loved the picture of Frank and the wedding looked like it was fun!

Haleigh said...

Happy Birthday! I ate meatloaf every week growing up so it has a sort of sentimental value to me :) Thanks for the recipe

Gaby said...

what a fun and clever idea! Looks great!

RunToTheFinish said...

i make a similar southwest meatloaf with tortilla chips instead of breadcrumbs and salsa! it's fantastic

Holly said...

yay for happy days! mmmm sweet potatos - so versatile and fabulous. i love that.

also, i am so jealous of your grill. there is nothing better than grill marks!

hope you have a fabulous day my dear :)

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

My 26th birthday is a month from today. October 2nd! Crazy.

Thanks for the shout-out!

K from ksgoodeats said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with lots of Frankster cuddling :)

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERICA!!!! Have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Aggie said...

Happy birthday!!! Love all these grilling ideas! And your meatloaf sounds great!

Heather @ Simple Wives said...

That sweet potato looks yummy!

Julie said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!!!

that meatloaf looks so yummy :) definitely gotta give that recipe a try!

~M~ said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Kristen @ Simply Savor said...

HEYYY BIRTHDAY GIRL!! HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY :) (complete with a pumpkin spice latte!)

teresa said...

have fun with your grill, we use it all the time!

i'm glad you're having a better day, and i'm excited to hear about your birthday!

Janetha said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOU!!!!! i hope today is fantastic! and the food in this post looks mouth watering, i love meatloaf. anywho, YES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Chef Jeena said...

Looks delicious! I love how you always have a nice big bowl of colourful fruit with your meals. :-)

Anonymous said...

Your meatloaf sounds amazing!!!

Happy Thursday beautiful Erica!!

Pam (Highway to Health) said...

Happy birthday Erica!! I hope you are having a great day!

That recipe looks great!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

My dad would absolutely LOVE that recipe--he is a huge meatloaf fan. I made him a pepperjack stuffed meatloaf awhile ago, and he begs me to make it all the time, even though I am two hrs away now lol