Hi ya’ll! Thanks so much for checking out my first blog post! This blog has been a couple of years in the making.  With the rage of Facebook and “liking” pages, I got hooked on several recipe/healthy eating and fitness blogs.  I had discovered a great way to share all of the delicious food that my family was enjoying.  I really like finding new recipes and making them healthy or adapting them to fit my taste. Recently, I have been venturing out and creating recipes of my own.

For my very first blog post, I thought nothing would be more appropriate than to go back to my roots and reinvent one of my favorite childhood meals growing up.  My grandma on my mom’s side passed away a couple of years ago, but I still think about and miss her every day.  Watching her cooking in the kitchen and then diving into one of her delicious meals is one of my fondest memories of her.  I still love when my family is all together and digging into good eats and fun conversation.

I absolutely love her Italian meatloaf. However, making this recipe the way it was originally written would be making it in its “full fat glory” and we just can’t have that!  I’m making a few changes to make this a meal that is totally healthy.  But, believe me, you will feel like you are splurging.  Even better…… it’s kid approved. In my family it gets 4 out of 5 thumbs up, which you’ll come to learn that this is REALLY good.  I have some picky eaters in my house….. I don’t know how that happened. 😉

Notice that I have crossed out the original ingredients that I adapted.

1.50 lb of ground beef  1.50 lb of extra lean ground turkey or chicken

1 egg 2 egg whites

20 crackers 2/3 cup of quick cooking oats

1/3 cup of ketchup*

1 (8oz.) can of tomato sauce

2 tbsps. of parmesan cheese

2 cups ½ cup of skim mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. basil

1/8 tsp. pepper

½ tsp sugar

2/3 cup of shredded/grated zucchini or carrots (This was not in the original recipe, but is a great way to add more veggies to your meal and you can’t even tell they are there. I used zucchini and Madelyn a.k.a. Picky Eater didn’t even notice.)

*Make sure that your ketchup is high fructose corn syrup free. I use Hunt’s or Trader Joe’s.

Here are all of the ingredients that you’ll need. Salt and pepper not pictured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine all of the ingredients with the exception of 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella. Go ahead and just put your hands in it and squish it all together. It’s gross, but much faster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get 2/3 cups of shredded zucchini, I used about 1/2 of a medium zucchini. I shreaded the zucchini using the shredding disc attachment to my food processor. Check out the kitchen essentials on the right margin. I seriously don’t know how I made it without my food processor. After ingredients are thoroughly combined, you’re going to transfer the ground turkey mixture onto parchment or wax paper on your counter and shape the ground turkey into a square or oval. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese down the center of the turkey. Use your parchment paper to help you fold over the sides and basically shape the turkey into a loaf. Transfer the loaf into a 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. After an hour of baking, take the meatloaf out and spread the remaining tomato sauce over the top and bake for another 15 minutes.

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Grandma's Italian Meatloaf (healthified)

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
I took my grandma's recipe that I can remember eating as a child, and made it a tiny bit healthier so there's no guilt. Make new family memories with this recipe!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

  • 1.50 lbs extra lean ground turkey, or ground meat of your choice
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2/3 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce, divided
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, reserved
  • 2/3 cups shredded/grated zucchini, about 1/2 a medium zucchini or carrots

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella.
  • After ingredients are combined, move the meatloaf to a counter covered with parchment or wax paper. Shape the meatloaf into an oval or square and sprinkle the mozzarella over the middle of the meatloaf. Next, roll the meatloaf up and transfer it to a 9x5 loaf pan lined in foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Use your fingers to press the meatloaf down so that it is all even at the top.
  • Bake for 1 hour. Take meatloaf out of the oven and pour the reserved 1/2 of tomato sauce over the top and bake another 15 mins.

Notes

Look for ketchup that does not contain high fructose corn syrup. I use Hunt's, Trader Joe's or Annie's.
Author: Kim
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 188kcal, Carbohydrates: 10.5g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 4.3g, Saturated Fat: 2.1g, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 4.3g

Did you make this recipe?

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