I am officially ready for Spring! I had to pass on my daily wheatgrass routine this morning because it was only 12 degrees! I did some yoga in my warm apartment instead of braving the cold, and it was a great start to the day. I missed the morning walk but looked at this picture of my favorite part of Union Park while I sipped my tea. It may be freezing, but Boston is a gorgeous place to be.
Last week some people (aka Mal) were weirded out by my spinach and mushroom turkey pie. It was simply a green meatloaf in a pie dish, but I know it raised a few eyebrows. I figured I'd switch it up this week and try a meatloaf muffin recipe. I had some fresh parsnips and onions from Silverbrook Farm in Dartmouth, so I threw those in with some celery and made 10 little meat muffins. They are the perfect travel meal or snack. Each muffin has about 2oz. of lean meat, and they are packed with flavor. You can switch up the veggies (think mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, or whatever you have in your fridge) and play with the herbs as well. It's almost impossible to mess these up, so be creative!
Lean & Mean Meatloaf Muffins: Serves 5, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients:
- 1.2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 Tbsp. italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, rosemary, and sage)
- sea salt & pepper
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
- olive oil
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. While oven preheats, heat olive oil over medium heat
3. Add onion and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes
4. Add celery and cook for another 5 minutes
5. Add parsnips and cook for another 5 minutes
6. Mix veggies with the meat, egg, almond flour, italian seasoning, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined
7. Spoon mixture into a greased muffin tin - I made 10 muffins (about 2 oz. of meat each)
8. Bake for 30 minutes until there is no pink in the center
The countdown is officially on! Less than 24 hours until my whirlwind holiday travels begin. The next two weeks will be overflowing with loved ones, parties, celebrations, and fireplaces. I am bursting at the seams with holiday spirit and joy - almost certainly setting a personal record this year. I hope everyone else is taking part in the holiday cheer and spending as much time as possible with friends and family over the next few weeks.
Tonight's recipe was created during Mal's visit - I made her my best attempt at Italian food. This isn't exactlyyy lasagna, but it definitely had a lasagna flair, and the spices and flavor were spot on. I would not recommend this recipe if you have an undying craving for lasagna (there is no pasta or cheese in this people!), but it really made a fantastic side dish. You could serve it with an almond-flour "breaded" chicken cutlet or your favorite grass-fed steak. The actual instructions and veggies in this are not that important - feel free to switch things up and just get it all layered in your pan. The house will smell like an Italian feast, and you won't be disappointed!
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant, sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 32oz. can organic tomato puree
- Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)
- Black pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat
3. Saute onions and garlic for 10 minutes until golden
4. Meanwhile, pour a little sauce in the bottom of your 9x12 casserole/lasagna dish
5. Put a layer of eggplant (using 1/2 of the eggplant), a layer of zucchini (slices of 1 zucchini), and a layer of fresh tomato slices
6. When onions and garlic are done, add half of the mixture on top of your fresh tomatoes
7. Put a layer of spinach and then half of the can of the tomato puree.
8. Top generously with Italian seasonings and pepper.
9. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions/garlic, spinach, tomato puree, and another layer of spices
10. Bake (covered with foil) for 45 minutes and then uncovered for another 10 minutes.
11. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving
I am officially ready for Spring! I had to pass on my daily wheatgrass routine this morning because it was only 12 degrees! I did some yoga in my warm apartment instead of braving the cold, and it was a great start to the day. I missed the morning walk but looked at this picture of my favorite part of Union Park while I sipped my tea. It may be freezing, but Boston is a gorgeous place to be. 
