CLASSIC HEALTHY MEATLOAF

Can you believe that I never had meatloaf until I was in high school? Crazy hu? Most everyone I know was raised on meatloaf, but not at our house. The first time I tried it was at a friends house. I loved it. I came home and asked my mom, "Why don't you ever make meatloaf?" She told me that she always hated it growing up, so she never wanted to make it as a mom.

Well mom, you'll have to try my meatloaf and see if it's better than grandma's. I particularly like this recipe because it's low in fat and calories. Two slices are only 250 calories and 9 grams of fat. Not bad for meatloaf.

(I served this with parmesan rice and fresh steamed green beans. Entire meal about 430 calories.)

MEATLOAF
(recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home)

1 ½ lb. lean ground beef*
1 C. Panko or fresh bread crumbs
½ C. chopped fresh parsley (or ¼ C. dried)
½ C. onion, grated
2 egg whites
3 T. 2% or skim milk
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
½ C. ketchup
1 ½ T. prepared yellow mustard
1/8 C. brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, coat a broiler pan or 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine ground beef, crumbs, parsley, onion, egg whites, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in a bowl, using your hands to mix. (Be sure not to over mix, as this can cause the meat to become very tough when cooked.)
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, shaping it into a 9x5 loaf.
4. Stir ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar together in a bowl, then spoon on top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake until meatloaf reaches 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 1 hour.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into 12 slices.

*Many people don't think of ground beef as the healthiest choice for "light" eating, however did you know that lean ground beef usually has less fat than ground chicken or turkey? That's right. Most prepackaged ground chicken or turkey are loaded with a lot more fat than you think. In order to get the true healthy ground chicken or turkey, you must ask your local butcher to take turkey or chicken breasts and freshly grind them for you. If you buy the prepackaged version or even the stores version, you are almost always getting a lot of dark meat, skin, and "extra's" they throw in so it's not so dry. Just something to think about. Also, this recipe only works with lean ground beef. Ground chicken or turkey will make this meatloaf too dry.