The Family Dinner: often goes something like this

Yes, it is hard to get little kids to try new things. It only took a few tantrums and time outs before we finally got my daughter on board to try this delicious Grilled Meatloaf.

We make the effort to do a family dinner a few nights a week. This means we all sit together and…….. eat together. It is so hard with little kids to actually “sit” at a meal. I am always up and down playing waitress to every whim and demand of mes petits customers.

On this night our little gal was over tired and craving her go to comfort food…..pasta. She screamed for it and held on tight to her pasta attachment. The only thing we could do was put her in the inevitable “Time Out.”

Once the tantrum passed and we allowed her back downstairs, we plated her some Grilled Meatloaf and Grilled Potato Wedges with a side of ketchup. It was a magical moment, like seeing a rainbow after a storm. A smile opened up on her face and she said “Yum!” My son on the other hand slammed his grilled goodies with abandon as he had his sights set on strawberry ice cream for dessert.

Life is much easier when only one kid has a melt down at mealtime. Two melt downs makes me want to hide under my grill. It is pure bliss when everyone eats without tantrums and bribes. The only sounds are chewing and “Mom, I want more…….please!”

Grilled Turkey Meatloaf

(serves 8-10, depending on how you slice it)

Grill note: It is fun for variety to grill your loaf. The grilled meatloaf has a nice smoky flavor. It cooks up nice and moist as it steams inside the foil. The bottom of the loaf has a nice grilled, crispy texture.

If you just can’t fire it up to get outside, feel free to use your oven instead.

Oven directions: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place uncooked loaf on a sheet pan, or glass baking dish. Cover loosely with aluminum foil bake for about 50 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes.)

2 Lbs Organic Ground Turkey

1 Medium Onion diced, about 1/2 cup (if you don’t have time or inclination to chop onion you can omit this)

Splash of Olive Oil

3 Garlic cloves, chopped small (you can use 1 tsp. garlic powder if you have no fresh garlic on hand or 1 Tbs minced garlic……see below)

1 Large Egg

1/2 cup rolled Oats (not quick cook or instant)

1/2 cup Tomato Sauce (use your favorite, ours is Puttanesca sauce with zesty olives and capers)

1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic Tips:

OK, I get it. Sometimes we don’t have time and we don’t want to smell from chopped garlic. There are some great minced garlic options out there to make prep time a heck of a lot faster. Two items I highly recommend are:

Jarred Minced Garlic (Trader Joe’s makes one) and Frozen Minced Garlic Cubes by Dorot, you can find both items at Trader Joe’s

1. Prepare grill. Adjust to medium heat.
2. Saute diced onion and garlic in olive oil until softened about 5 minutes, let cool.
3. In bowl combine Ground Turkey, Onion mixture, Egg, Oats, Tomato Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Salt and Pepper
4. Prepare Foil: You will need about 3 feet heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold it in half so you have a rectangle about 18″ long.
5. Place meatloaf on center of foil and shape it into whatever shape you like, square, circle, rectangle. Keep it about 2 inches thick throughout so it cooks evenly.
6. Wrap it up leaving a small vent on top.
7. Grill on medium heat for about 50 minutes, check to make sure it is cooked through. Let rest for about 5 minutes.

Variations:

• You can use any ground meat. Bison, lean ground Sirloin, ground Chicken
• Add about 1 tsp spices or herbs, such as Thyme, Oregano, Cumin or Chili spice blend
• Throw in a splash of your favorite hot sauce.
• If you don’t have Tomato Sauce you can use Ketchup or BBQ sauce instead.
• Add 1/2 of your favorite veggies diced really small. Good options would include, Zucchini, Carrots or Roasted Bell Peppers (you can use the jarred),
• Add a Tbs. of capers.
• Instead of Oats you can use Whole Wheat bread crumbs.

For the Kids:

Meatloaf is a great dipping agent. Plate this for the kids with their favorite tomato, ketchup or BBQ sauce.

Marla’s Fresh Picks Comment:

This is a super charged high protein, low carb dish. It can be combined with steamed or roasted veggies or served with a side salad. It is great to store in the fridge and use for leftovers.

You can re-heat slices in the microwave or under the broiler on a low setting, just watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Great sandwiches with it as well. It is tasty in an open faced sandwich with cheese and tomato sauce. Take a piece of bread top it with some sauce, slice of meatloaf and some cheese. Toast until warmed through and cheese is melted.