Healthy Beef Meatloaf

 Hello, quack quack!

It's so nice to have such a good quacking fan club.  These guys greet me every time I go to the park.  

 And when I got home these two guys greeted me:
 

Well, let's get right down to business and talk about getting fit.  The working out thing is going swell. I have begun to notice my first signs of progress.  I feel stronger.  However, the slimming down part is very hard for me, as I have one major sweet tooth.  Today, I tried Stevia for the first time ever.  I had mixed it with low-fat ricotta cheese and fruit.  I did not like the aftertaste and I missed the true sweet flavor.  Ya know what I mean?  My thoughts were--(since it's derived from a plant, how bad could it be?).  It was bad enough that after trying a small packet I became nauseous.  I think it may be due to the fact that it is highly concentrated, or perhaps something in the way it is processed.  At any rate, Stevia is not for me.  I plan to stick to honey, maple syrup, or sugar from now on.

In effort to slim down, I've been cooking foods with less fat and calories.  Meatloaf has been a hit in this household forever.  I usually make two pans, one with onions, and one without, as not everybody is onion-friendly here.  My usual recipe is loaded with fat and calories.  So, I went on a quest to find a lighter version that was actually still mainly beef.  I didn't find exactly what I wanted, so I made up my own version.  Let me tell ya folk's it is incredible.  It tastes just like my original version. I could not taste a difference.

To begin, I sliced a zucchini.  This is one of the "healthy" ingredients I used to revise the original recipe. 

You will not be able to even taste the zuk if you finely shred it.  I tossed the slices into the food processor and gave it a whirl.  Zucchini is full of water so be sure to drain it very well before proceeding.  If you use a food processor, like I did, then a fine mesh strainer will do the trick.  Otherwise, you can always wring it out in cheesecloth or paper towel.

Next, I whirled an onion and a pint of mushrooms.  It's all these veggies in this meatloaf that make it healthy.

Ever since I can remember, I've had issues when it comes to touching raw meat.  Glenn was happy to help and I was grateful.  I tossed in the typical ingredients, plus the veggies, and he mixed it all up.  He also mixed up my usual recipe meatloaf to compare.

Incidentally, today is also the first day that I am wearing a stabilizer on my thumb/hand.  I have a doc appointment coming up, but basically I think it's cause I'm old and falling apart.  Or possibly repercussions of an auto accident from a few years ago.  Anyways, it's always nice to have help cooking.

                                        Original                                               Healthy

 
I served the meatloaf with the usual fare of mashed tators, gravy and green beans.  The mashed tators were prepared differently than usual as well.  Instead of tossing in the usual stick of butter, I added 1/2 cup of low-fat ricotta cheese.  It was delightful. 

Healthy Beef Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 zucchini shredded and squeezed
• 1 medium onion, shredded or finely minced
• 1 pint of mushrooms, minced
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons ketchup or bbq sauce, optional as topping

Preparation:

Combine the ground beef with zuk, onion, mushrooms, garlic powder, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix lightly with hands until well combined. Pack into a 9x5- or 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes.