The 4 o'clock Battle Plan



Cupcake-sized turkey meatloaf for Tuesday's dinner



My new plan to avoid the what's-for-dinner panic is to cook at night for the following day's dinner. I'm only 2 days into it & love it already. While watching the Oscars on Sunday evening, I made pasta con tonno e spinaci (pasta with tuna & spinach) - an easy, flavorful recipe I learned to make while in Italy. With Monday's dinner ready to go, there was no dinner planning panic. Hooray!

When we got home Monday, I made a quick side of asparagus. Reheated the pasta & dinner was ready. Later that night, I made Tuesday's dinner. I've never made "real" meatloaf but since we occasionally make meatloaf-style burgers, I felt confident that I could wing it. I don't have a loaf pan so I used a cupcake pan. I meant to add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seeds (great source of soluble fiber & omega 3 fatty acids) but forgot to include it. Next time for sure.

Mini turkey meatloaf:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded carrots (I used bagged shredded carrots then diced them)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
3/4-1 cup bread crumbs
parmesan cheese (a generous palm-full)
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes (a generous pinch if you like a little heat)
1 small can tomato paste (for topping)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all ingredients (except for tomato paste) until combined. Fill each opening about 3/4 full with meatloaf mixture. Spread a tablespoon or so of tomato paste on top of each mini-meatloaf. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (I used a meat thermometer to check for doneness). A quick taste test proved these are yummy. Instant portion control too. I'll simply add a side of veggies and a dinner roll tonight.

Take that, 4 o'clock!