Tag: Splenda

Mid-week meal check-in

I mentioned on Monday I was planning to make meatloaf this week.

Well, I cooked it for dinner Tuesday night. It was a big hit.

I also made roasted vegetables. Loved the fact that everything went into the oven and I didn’t have to stand at the stove while my dinner cooked. Almost as good as the crock-pot.

I thought I’d share the recipes for the different menu items with you because this was a really, really good meal. Very filling – one of those nights when I actually wished my little tummy wasn’t so little so I could enjoy more.

Big Girl says that everyone at school says their meatloaf tastes awful. She said she told them you haven’t had my Mama’s meatloaf, then. *grin*

no… not THAT meatloaf!

Mama’s Meatloaf

(click on the link to print)

2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
~ 2/3 cup bread crumbs
~ 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp dried minced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic

Houston House Seasoning or Season Salt

Glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup Splenda brown sugar blend (or 1/4 cup brown sugar)
1/4 cup honey bbq sauce
1 tsp ground mustard

  1. In a large bowl, mix milk and bread crumbs. Mix to combine and let sit for about 2-3 minutes. You will need only enough milk to coat the bread crumbs to make a paste – maybe a tiny bit more.
  2. Add meat, eggs, & seasonings. Be careful not to over mix the ground beef or it gets tough. It’s gross, but I use my hands to mix this part. You just can’t do a good job with a spoon or fork.
  3. Mold into a loaf shape. I put mine in a stoneware loaf pan. Cover with foil.
  4. Bake at 350 for about an hour and a half.  After about an hour remove foil and add glaze. Bake uncovered for at least another 30 minutes.
  5. Let rest about 5 minutes (tented with foil) before serving.

If you are making mini-meatloaves, use a muffin tin and make them into fist-sized meatballs. Bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes.  Add glaze in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

~*~

Nothing outstanding about the making of these potatoes, but they sure cook up good.

Roasted Potatoes

2-3 Russet potatoes, washed and cut lengthwise into spears or wedges.
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Paprika
Houston House Seasoning

  1. In a large zip top bag, combine all ingredients. Shake well.
  2. Pour out potatoes on baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.
  4. Finish on Low Broil setting for about 5 minutes to crisp up the skins.

 ~*~

Remember my post a while back about “the best broccoli you will ever eat?”  Well, I finally got around to trying this recipe. All I can say is, “Broccoli, where have you been all my life?”  This takes broccoli to a whole new dimension in flavor. Nothing like the “regular” broccoli we eat all the time. Soooo good.

Try this.

Trust me.

You won’t be disappointed.

Roasted Broccoli

Ok, there you go. Now you have the perfect menu for dinner tomorrow night. Or tonight if you have time to get the ingredients on your way home.

Your family will thank you.

Breakfast Goodness

Many of you have asked for my baked oatmeal recipe. I used to make one that was so, so good, but not so healthy. I happened upon a recipe on the web on a WLS board and have been tweaking it for the past few months until I reached a point where it was reliably making the same moist, yummy goodness I had enjoyed in the not-so-healthy version.

This is a great breakfast bar. I usually eat one (almost) every day. They are great to make ahead and freeze or refrigerate. I make a batch about every two weeks, refrigerate my squares and warm one a day in the microwave.

The little princess loves them, too, as does SuperMan.

If you don’t have protein powder, you might have to fiddle with the moisture levels. I had to increase the moisture (adding the Greek yogurt) to get it the right consistency after baking with the added protein from the powder.  I have a non-WLS friendly recipe, so if you are interested in that, let me know in the comments and I can put it up here.

Here’s the recipe:

Baked Oatmeal

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Ready In: 1 hour
Servings  12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce (one single serve cup)
  • 2 scoops protein powder (I use vanilla)
  • 1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup craisins
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 small container Greek Yogurt (~1 cup)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Mix all ingredients, adding raisins & craisins last.
  3. Mixture will be soupy.
  4. Pour in greased 9×9 casserole.
  5. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.
  6. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.
  7. Let cool & cut into squares.
Footnotes

This is easily refrigerated or frozen and can be reheated. I usually make a batch and refrigerate until ready to eat. Then you can warm a square in your microwave for about 30 seconds and it tastes just-baked fresh.

 

And here is the link to print it out via allrecipes.com