Turkey Meatloaf

I love this recipe because it's simple and matches my diet specifications exactly, I hope you find it enjoyable too!  I am allergic to gluten and dairy and have very low sugar and corn tolerances and simply don't like soy, so many of the ingredients used in this recipe can be replaced with regular ingredients to cut down on cost.  Because the turkey meatloaf is pretty much protein with vegetables I added recipes for a more well-rounded meal as well.

Recipes:

Turkey Meatloaf:

2 lbs ground turkey
2 large egg whites
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you prefer)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well.  Press mixture into a nonstick loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cooked through.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve!

Fool-proof Brown Rice:

1 1/2 cups brown rice

2 1/3 cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rice in 8x8 glass baking dish

2.  Add water and salt to a medium saucepan and heat.  Once boiling immediately pour over rice and smooth with a dinner fork.  Cover tightly with one layer of aluminum foil and place in the oven.  Bake rice for 1 hour.

3. Remove baking dish from oven and uncover rice.  'Fluff' the rice with a dinner fork and loosely recover the dish with the aluminum foil.  Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve fresh or refrigerate it.

Cherry Smoothie:

I chose to add a cherry smoothie to this meal because it is full of healthy fats and tastes amazing!  It is a little more on the expensive side, especially if you use xylitol instead of sugar.

3/4 cup of frozen cherries (defrosted)

3/4 cup almond-coconut blend milk 

xylitol 

1.  Pour almond-coconut milk and cherries into a blender and blend until smooth.  

2.  Add xylitol to taste.

3.  Serve immediately.

Taste:

I love the taste of these recipes.  The turkey meatloaf gets most of it's taste from the celery and onions and the cherry smoothie is very flavorful, but the brown rice is, admittedly a little bland.  I used a lime to add some flavor though a sprinkle of salt can also do the trick.  I never add butter to rice, but I suppose that is an acceptable substitute for added flavor as well.

Ease of Preparation:

Honestly these are some of the easiest recipes I know, though the meatloaf and rice do take an hour to cook.  The ingredients are fairly simple and do not take a lot of work.  Prepping all three recipes takes less than half and hour.  

Specific Nutritional Value:

Turkey Meatloaf (only):

Serving Size: 1 - 1" slice

Estimated RDA:

Total Fat: 20.7%

Saturated Fat: 18.75%

Cholesterol: 45%

Sodium: 5.8%

Carbohydrates: 0%

Fiber:  1%

Sugar: 0%

Protein: 60%

Vitamin A: 1%

Vitamin C: 4%

Iron: 8%

Calcium: 6%

Nutrition Analysis:

So this recipe is very high in protein and has a large portion of fat.  I try to use lean or lower fat ground turkey to minimize fat intake.  I usually eat turkey meatloaf as a protein boost for lunch or around dinner when I need to stay fuller for longer.  The saturated fat and cholesterol levels are high as well, but definitely within the bounds of their RDAs.  

Because this recipe is so lop-sided when it comes to nutritional value I nearly always eat 1/2 - 1 cup of brown rice alongside it.  Brown rice is a fantastic healthy carbohydrate which will boost your B-6, magnesium and dietary fiber.

Without the smoothie this recipe has absolutely no sugar.  I include the smoothie for it's healthy fats and natural sugars as well as it's great taste.  Coconut-almond milk is very low calorie and relatively low-fat while adding a variety of vitamins and minerals, including more calcium than a glass of milk. 

Proteins:

Protein is essential to a healthy diet because they make up the body's basic structure rather than being burned for energy.  While the normal American diet is high in protein it is still important to consider it when making your meal.  Without protein your body would have difficulty repairing itself from basic wear-and-tear.

Carbohydrates:

The American diet is overly focused on quick carbs.  Carbohydrates are necessary for energy, but should be carefully chosen in your daily diet.  Complex whole-grain carbohydrates provide more, longer lasting energy than simple sugar carbohydrates.

Lipids:

While healthy fats are necessary to a healthy diet they need to be monitored. They are necessary for regulating blood pressure and cell repair but are only required in small amounts.  The current American diet is too high in lipids which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

Christensen, A.