food. veggie packed turkey meatloaf.

Nate and I love this modern twist to a classic dish. Note, there's a lot of chopping involved unless you have something like the Chop and Measure.

The photo is leftovers (yes, I've finally started finishing them). Since we don't have a microwave, I sliced up a few slices and pan fried them to heat them up. That will be another post - tough decisions had to be made!

Veggie Packed Turkey Meatloaf by Bobby Flay.
Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1 small zucchini, finely diced 
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced 
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced 
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme 
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean) 
  • 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs) 
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese 
  • 3/4 cup ketchup 
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Jen's Notes
Lots of chopping, but totally worth it. It's helpful if you have a meat thermometer on hand so you know when it's done.

Click here for the original recipe.

health. cleanse.

Broke down and am in the middle of a health cleanse with Nate. Today is day four. Of ten.

Basically, this is how it's going:

The day before the cleanse we were a bit hungover...and by a bit I mean mac and cheese for breakfast hungover...happy birthday, Brett.

Our "last meal" included oysters kilpatrick, haloumi cheese salad, eye filet, creme brûlée. It was amazing. And helped finally kick the hangover.

Days 1-3: Good. Not as bad as I thought it would be. We even got work outs in (Nate is much better at working out than I am).

Day 4: Sniffed banana bread with cream cheese frosting for about a minute (yep, holding up people at work from actually enjoying the bread). REALLY wanted Thai food for dinner but instead had chicken and a salad. We'll see how days 5-10 .

Downside: We don't have a scale so I won't be able to tell you if we've lost weight.

Upside: We are feeling better and I think a pair of jeans that are usually snug seem to be a bit more comfortable. Nate created a delicious salmon recipe that I'll add to the blog.

If you're interested in learning about the cleanse we're on, look up AdvoCare Herbal Cleanse.

Tips on how to complete a cleanse are welcome! Leave a comment below or tweet me-@JenEvison #cleansetips