A Truly Good Vegetarian Meatloaf Recipe

For a while now, we've been playing around with meat-free dinners in hopes of cutting down our meat consumption. Since we started buying grass-fed beef and free-range chickens our meat budget has been harder to meet. Haha, pun intended. But it has been worth the change (even my husband thinks so). It is amazing how the meat that we buy now actually tastes like... well, meat. Beef tastes like beef; chicken tastes like chicken... ect. We used to buy our ground beef at Walmart until one horrible eye-opening night when my thoughts on meat changed forever...
I had already watched Food Inc. so I was aware of the dangers of the meat industry. And I was going to start making changes to our meat purchases. I really was... really. But one night I opened up a package of ground beef from Walmart. It smelled fine but it looked strange, sort of an off color. I went ahead and cooked it anyway and didn't think twice about it. I noticed as I cooked it that it was very crumbly. So I tasted it. And had my husband taste it. It did NOT taste like hamburger. At all.
So I threw it out.
To this day, I have no idea what was in that package of meat.
Immediately, we stopped buying meat from unknown sources and started visiting our local meat market. We were shocked at the difference in taste quality. If you normally purchase meat from a grocer that sells pre-packaged "fresh" meat, you probably don't even realize what you are missing out on as far as taste goes. We didn't.
Better meat is more costly, however. Since we decided it was worth the extra money to have better quality meat (and that it is safer), we decided to cut costs in other ways. Like eating less meat products.

Bringing it back around...
I found a mock meatloaf recipe and tweaked it a little. It turned out GREAT!!! The whole family loved it. Here's my recipe:

Vegetarian Meatloaf

2 eggs
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/2 med red onion, shredded
4-5 cloves of garlic, shredded (I use a small hand-held grater)
1 roasted red pepper (from a jar), diced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup cooked oatmeal (save some from breakfast in the morning, or you could use quick cooking oats)
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (I cooked mine with beef broth. You could also use mushroom broth.)
1/4 cup asiago or Parmesan
2 oz. feta, crumbled
4 oz. falafel mix (I used a third of a 12 oz. package)
3 Tbs. whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. barbecue sauce

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, water, tomato paste, grated onion and garlic. Stir in the next eight ingredients and mix. Add just enough flour to make the mixture hold together.

Form into a loaf and place in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 150*. For the last five minutes of cooking, spread the ketchup and barbecue sauce over the top and return to oven. Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

*Tip- I used a butter knife to butter the loaf pan, just like you would a piece of bread.

The Tiniest Plane...

She was born at 8:50pm...
And she wasn't breathing...

My niece, Delylah, was immediately life-flighted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa while we waited, hoping, praying that she was okay. I remember watching as they wheeled her tiny, listless, body down the hallway in an incubator. Tubes were stuck down her throat. Machines were beeping. Nurses were talking. But she was silent.
We watched as she was loaded onto the waiting helicopter, watched as it lifted off the ground carrying precious cargo.
The next day we were told she was born without her right lung, her heart was severely deformed, her esophagus didn't connect to her stomach as it should, and she had spinal deformities. They diagnosed her with VATERL syndrome. It is a very rare collection of abnormalities that a child is born with. Tulsa had never seen a case of it and were not prepared to offer her care. So they immediately sent for transport to Texas Children's Hospital.
As we visited with Delylah and waited for the plane to arrive, we took time to get to know the little bundle of joy. I remember my sister pointing out that Delylah had my fingers; the way the pinky curves inward toward the other fingers. I snapped a picture of it.
When the nurses from Houston arrived to take her, we were told that her mom couldn't ride along because she'd had a c-section. Sis was horrified at the thought off Baby D going alone. So I did what any aunt would do...
I volunteered to fly with her to Houston.
Oh, but I didn't realize what a teeny tiny plane we would be flying in. Nor did I realize that it would take us almost two hours to get to Texas Children's Hospital.
The ambulance ride was daunting. But I was okay until we pulled up to the tarmac and I got a look at the little tinker-toy with a kangaroo painted on the side of it. Then I swallowed back bile. I didn't mind flying-- not at all-- but I am severely clausterphobic. In a major way.
But I smiled and crawled into my seat-- I had to haunch over in a 90 degreed angle just to get to it (and I'm only 5'3'').
All the way there I kept remembering how my dad had told me I should never ride in a small plane... because Pasty Cline and Buddy Holly had died on small planes...
Through major breathing exercises, plastering my face to the window, and sheer luck... I made it there without hyperventillating and Delylah was placed in the capable hands of the NICU.
I learned a lot of things that day... some of which I can't put into words. But most of all, I learned that a parent's (or aunt's or uncle's or granparent's) love can overcome the greatest of obstacles.

Better baby formula??

I'm posting these links because my sister's newborn is having a lot of trouble with commercial formulas and breastmilk. Hope this helps.

Here are some links about homemade baby formula:

http://www.westonaprice.org/Recipes-for-Homemade-Baby-Formula.html
http://www.realmilk.com/formularecipes.html

Good News In the Supermarket!

Good news!! For those of you who are trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup (watch Food Inc.) there are some brand new item coming to the market.


After watching Friday's episode of The View, I was thrilled to see that some mainstream brands are starting either eliminate HFCS all together or are creating new products that are HFCS free.

Watch this segment:



 
 
 
I'm definately going to try the Sprite Green which is made with sugar and stevia-- the same combo I use for my sweet tea!!

Make it Yourself:Homemade Hamburger Helper

So everybody likes Hamburger Helper, right? I know! Me too!

But wait, what's in that little envelope of powdery yumminess?

I DON"T KNOW!!! Hehe!

I found this recipe the other day and thought I would give it a try. I wish I could remember where I found it so I could give them credit but I've racked my brain, So if this is your recipe, I'm sorry and thank you!!! Because it is GOOD! And so easy. It is just as easy as making the stuff from the box-- I promise.

Also, I am not kidding when I say it tastes just like the original. You're gonna love it!


Hamburger Helper

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb pasta (I used the mulit-colored veggie pasta from Whole Foods)

2 c. water

1 1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp sugar (or whatever sweetener you use)

squirt of mustard

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder (I ended up using a real onion- small)

salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp?)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown and drain beef. Stir in pepper, onion powder, tomato sauce, sugar, and mustard, water and pasta. Bring to a boil and reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the water is absorbed and the pasta is cooked.

Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese.
 

There you go: yummy "Hamburger Helper" and you know all the ingredients!!

I especially love using the veggie pasta for this because the nutrients don't get boiled away in pasta water.

Each color is made from a different vegetable: Purple- beets, orange- carrots, green- spinach. It's a good way to sneak in a few more veggies.

Be Yourself-- Some thoughts

Lately I've had some things on my heart that I wanted to address.


I'm sure some of you have read a blog that had some great information, valuable resources that you found very helpful. But by the time you were finished reading, you might have felt badgered or down on yourself. I have. Sometimes bloggers can be so passionate about their ideas that it comes across as very judgemental.

That is exactly what I don't want my blog to be like.

I am very passionate about eating healthy whole foods, recycling, reducing paper waste, eliminating processed items, being frugal, spending quality time with my family and kids, and many other things. However... I don't want people to feel like I'm condemning them if they don't do things exactly like I do!

The way I see it is: you do things your way (whatever works for you) and I will do things my way. No judgement.

Surprise! I still use *gasp* paper plates. Yes, I do. It's just easier for our family. So I try to reduce waste in other ways (using cloth towels, baby wipes, cleaning wipes, ect.) This is what works for me. But I've had some bloggers tell me that my efforts are in vain if I just turn around and pollute the earth with my paper plates; that I might as well do nothing at all. To them I say "Sploothsp!" (that's me blowing them a raspberry).

I believe that there are no efforts that are in vain. Any step you take in the right direction is a good one.

Also, when I am visiting friends or family, I eat whatever they have fixed. I don't turn my nose up to it just because it isn't what I have in my fridge at home. I've had people try to go out of their way to fix food that they think I will like- this is sweet, but crazy! Fix what you would normally fix. It won't kill me to eat a little velveeta or canned chile!! I guess what I'm saying is people should be themselves. Just because I eat different or do things different, doesn't mean you have to!!

I mean, if you came to my house, I would fix my normal food. You would get a sampling of my wacky habits and you would be expected to eat it!!! Haha!

Anyway, my point is that whether a person has an average view on food/life or whether they have a more crazy old-fashioned view (like me), it should not be cause for strife or contention among friends. I like Lindsay's article about this topic.

So keep in mind as you read my blog, that I'm just sharing my experiences and if you choose not to try these things or even if you think I'm half crazy, I do not think any less of you!! To each his own!!

Frugal Find #2: Muir Glen Organic Soup

I LOVE it when I find a really good deal. It's kind of like a drug for me. It makes me so happy. My husband thinks I'm a little crazy because I can get so worked up over a really great frugal find!


"Oh my gosh! Honey, look what I found! Muir Glen canned soup for ONLY A DOLLAR! Can you believe it?!"

And then he rolls his eyes while I literally fill up my cart with more cans of soup than we could eat in a year.

Ahh!! But when I do eat that soup, it will taste ten times better because I will remember-- this can of soup only costed a dollar! And I WILL remember- I'm a freak like that.



Frugal Find #2

Item: Muir Glen Organic canned soup

Place: Dollar Tree

Price: $1.00