Tag: toddler approved

Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf

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Turkey Meatloaf – 21 Day Fix Extreme Style, aka, Gluten Free!

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This turkey meatloaf recipe was a hit in my house!!! We have been primarily gluten free for the past 6 months now and while neither my husband or I have a “gluten allergy” we both tend to just feel better when we avoid it! Luckily our clean eating lifestyle has made the adjustment pretty easy and why I absolutely loved this Turkey Meatloaf recipe that uses Quinoa opposed to the traditional breadcrumbs! Its simple, clean, and if you’re like me…you can easily double this up and make an extra one to freeze or enjoy throughout the week as a second dinner and/or lunches!

Turkey Meatloaf

Makes 8 servings, 1/8 meatloaf each 

21 Day Fix & Fix Extreme Container equivalents: 1/2 Purple, 1 red, 1/2 yellow

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 2 lbs raw 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 cup all natural-mild salsa
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
  • 2 large eggs, lighly beaten
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt (Mineralize)
  • Ground black pepper (to taste, optional)
  • Fresh chopped parsley (for garnish, optional)

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C)

2. Combine turkey, salsa, quinoa, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; mix well by hand or with rubber spatula (I used that little gadget from Pampered Chef and it worked FABULOUS – I am not a mix by hand type of girl and this did the trick!!!) 

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3. Shape mixture into shape of a loaf and place on engrossed 13×9 inch baking pan (I actually used a pan that has the grates so the grease will drip down off)

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4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until center is no longer pink and meat is cooked through.

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5.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving

6. Garnish with parsley

TIP: Cut cooked meatloaf into single servings and freeze in single resealable plastic bags for future meals! 

I really liked the consistency of the meatloaf but next time I will likely add in some chopped peppers and spinach just because I like to sneak in those greens any chance I get!

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Butternut squash soup, Maegan Blinka, gluten free soup, dairy free soup, toddler approved dinner, clean eating, easy soup recipe

Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut squash soup, Maegan Blinka, gluten free soup, dairy free soup, toddler approved dinner, clean eating, easy soup recipe

I was making good use of naptime on Sunday and while the gluten free brownies were baking I started prepping for my first ever attempt on Butternut Squash Soup! I think its the idea of knowing how darn hard those things are to cut up but I bought the squash a week ago and had yet to cut them open. And this isn’t the first time I ran into “needing” to use them up! I got a recipe for some delicious soup from my brother in law and made a few tweaks to create a delicious, healthy, butternut squash soup!

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 gloves of garlic
  • 1 butternut squash, cleaned, skinned, and sliced
  • 1/2 Granny Smith Apple, skin removed, chopped
  • 25-30 oz low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional) 

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Sautee onion, carrots and garlic in olive oil, until soft.
  2. Add butternut squash and apples
  3. Add chicken/vegetable stock until just covered and bring to a boil. Then simmer until soft.
  4. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in two batches.
  5. Pour back into pan and season as desired***
  6. Serve topped with pumpkin or sunflower seeds for a little added crunch!

***I’ll be honest – I didn’t add anything else!!! Some things to consider would be salt, pepper and ground nutmeg! You could also add heavy cream depending on the consistency you like – but I was trying to keep it low cal! Plus it was DELICIOUS just the way I made it so I saw no need in adding anything else! 

This batch made about 10 cups – enough for two dinners and a few lunches!!! You could also freeze some into individual containers for a quick easy weeknight meal! I think its safe to say it was also toddler approved!!!

butternut squash soup_Colt

 

Day 4 and we finally finished it all up! I’ll be making this one again soon for sure – likely Thanksgiving Day!

 

Whether you’re new to clean eating or a seasoned pro – if you’re interested in more information fill out the form below to join one of my upcoming health and fitness accountability and support groups! Together we can end the trend of obesity!

 

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Rosemary Chicken and Colorful Quinoa

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Dinner in 30 minutes or less!

Sounds promising right?!?! I don’t know about you – but in my world, all dinners would be prepared in under 30 minutes. Once I start heading towards the kitchen my kids start that “need for a snack” request train and the last thing I want to do is give in to snacks to keep them happy while I’m cooking! I use my crockpot A LOT especially in the colder months, but you can only have so many crockpot meals! So in turn, I also use my freezer A LOT!!!! And I do A LOT of prep work early in the week so I can quickly make a delicious dinner later on!

 I started doing Wildtree freezer parties with my friends and I LOVE them! Sure any type of “Moms Night Out” is fun but with these parties not only do you get a night out you come home with a stockpile of fresh and healthy meals for your family all ready to be frozen and pulled out for a quick convenient meal during the week!!! One thing I’ve learned is although these parties come with a pre-made menu and suggested sides – I make them my own so they fit my lifestyle! I’ve found greek yogurt is a great substitute for any sort of cream cheese, sour cream or cream of whatever soup you traditionally would use!!! The seasonings are all organic and non GMO which makes for a healthy mama!!! On to tonight’s 30 minute dinner…

Rosemary Chicken and Colorful Quinoa

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A few weeks ago I had prepared two freezer bags – you could do this the night before and put in the fridge or weeks before to freeze and use when ready. By all means you could even do this the day of…but personally I rarely have that much time all in one day! Like I said…this is a  30 minute meal!

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

 

  • Chicken and Veggie Prepared Freezer Bags* – see below for instructions

  • 2 Cups Cooked Quinoa

  • 2 cups Fresh Spinach

  • Avocado (optional)

  • Crumbled Feta (optional)

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

 

1. The night before: prep chicken and veggies or pull freezer bags out of freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge for approximately 24 hours. This is why meal planning is SOOO important…this was already done, no need to try to “quickly” thaw.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 1 tsp garlic grapeseed oil or olive oil.

3. Remove chicken from marinade, cook through in pan, turning once.

4. There are two options with the quinoa. 1) While chicken is cooking, prepare quinoa** according to package instructions – OR – 2) Take pre-cooked quinoa out of the fridge. I like to cook a big batch of quinoa at the start of the week and then use for multiple recipes later in the week. It makes for a great carb to include with lunch, a topping on a salad or even in a wrap!

5. When chicken has cooked through, remove from pan and add precut veggies. (Be sure to drain any liquid from the veggies if prepared as a freezer meal.) Season veggies with salt and pepper, if desired, and sauté until cooked. Add cooked quinoa to veggies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When cooled slightly, add fresh spinach. Top with sliced chicken and garnish with avocado and/or feta crumbles, if desired.

 

And there you have it!  We had company and  this meal made enough for 4 adults and one (very hungry) toddler and we had enough for leftovers for one more dinner! Since I had prepped everything previously and the meal just needed cooked – I was able to have dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes exactly! It tasted fresh, was full of flavor and was something DIFFERENT from our normal weeknight meals! This was definitely one we’ll be repeating in the future!

Night 1:

Maegan Blinka, Rosemary Chicken and Veggie Quinoa, Organic dinner, Quinoa salad

 

Night 2: (I preferred the salad – great way to fill up on those greens for the 21-day fixers!!!)

Maegan Blinka, Rosemary Chicken and Veggie Quinoa, Organic dinner, Quinoa salad, Chicken Spinach and Quinoa

The freezer bags:

* Bag 1 – Chicken

2 lb chicken breast (thin sliced, butterfly style)
1/2 cup Wildtree Rosemary Garlic Dressing

Bag 2 – Veggies

  • 2 zucchini/squash diced 
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 tablespoon Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil (could use Olive Oil and Fresh Garlic to taste)

** The recipe called for orzo but I chose to swap out quinoa for a healthier, higher protein option!

I used to struggle with meal planning and coming up with new and healthy ideas my entire family could enjoy! If you’re anything like me and you succeed when part of a group atmosphere join my upcoming Clean Eating Challenge group! We’ll share ideas, tips and motivation to come up with a plan that suits YOU and YOUR family! Just fill out the application for a spot!!!