I’ve been trying to add some new dinners to our weekly rotation. My husband never complains but one can only eat so much grilled chicken and turkey burgers!

When I sat down to do my meal plan for the week meatloaf quickly came to mind! Meatloaf has always been one of those meals my mom would make as I was growing up, when I was home for a weekend in college or still today visiting with my family. I’ve never been able to make it quite like her but I always try!!! I took bits and pieces from things I remember her doing and this time around tweaked it to make it clean, gluten and dairy free and still taste good – sound impossible?!?! Not at all!

Best part – I had this thrown together before my oven was even preheated to 350 degrees!!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2.5 pounds lean ground turkey
• 4 Egg whites
• 1.5-2 cups fresh salsa (I found mine at SAMs club, but most grocery stores have a fresh salsa – just check the ingredients! Mine was primarily  tomatoes, peppers, jalopenos, onion and garlic therefore I didn’t feel like I needed to add any additional ingredients/seasonings.)
• 4 Cups fresh spinach, chopped

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

(note this can be cooked in the slow cooker or oven – see below) 

OVEN OPTION: 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. I started with all the meat and egg whites and kept adding the salsa and mixing until I got a consistency that looked like it would hold together. Then I folded in the chopped spinach. You can put in as much or as little as you like. I found its a great way to add in a few more veggies and it certainly looks prettier – and who doesn’t like their food to look as good as it tastes?!?! 🙂

Moving on…

I split the mixture into two loaves and put them on a double layer pan that allows any grease to drip down. I actually never use a meatloaf pan!! Plus, when I cook I almost always make enough for at least two meals. And with my grandparents visiting tomorrow I found this as the perfect opportunity to get dinner made ahead of time and be able to visit with them when they are here!

I put a small dent in the middle to make sure the center got cooked thoroughly, and baked for 30 minutes to brown the outside.

I removed the meatloaf from the oven, covered with foil, and cooked another 30 minutes, checking to make sure they were cooked through.

I chose to serve mine with steamed kale tossed in lemon juice and a little sea salt. My hubs had his as a sandwich! Tomorrow I am planning a quinoa salad and asparagus with the leftovers.

For the 21-day fixers out there…I would just count this as one red, even though there is some greens and some purple with the salsa…your portion size will depend on how you slice it but using the container will ensure you don’t over or under do it! 

CROCKPOT OPTION:

For those days when you need to put dinner in, go to work or go run errands and have it all ready when you come home:

-Simply follow the mixing instructions above.

-Lightly spray the crockpot with olive oil and place the meat inside, leaving a 1/2 – 1″ space around the ends so the meatloaf isn’t touching the sides.

-Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours – and wahhhallaaa! Serve with your favorite veggie and some sweet potatoes for a complete meal!

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