Turkey Kale Meatloaf!!

It's just one of those days where a nap sounds good! Not because I particularly need a break from the world, those naps are quite necessary. But just because it's cold and things have been so busy around here lately. It almost felt like Spring was on its way for a few days but the snow decided to grace good ol' Michigan with its presence again. I can't say I am surprised so I am having to learn to appreciate the fact that Winter happens for a reason and the blanket of white snow can look rather pretty outside my window. Alas, I am sitting here with my homemade latte (Starbucks cinnamon coffee, a little brown sugar and steamed milk) writing instead of taking a nap.

I started reading a book called "7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow" by Bob Merritt. I have enjoyed it so far and am learning about how to better live a disciplined Christian life. I hope to discuss it more in the future but wanted to say that it is also helping me to be more productive. For example, I was able to start the week by getting everything done that I had planned for that day. Because of this I have a menu planned for the week and was able to spend time yesterday developing a new recipe as well as modifying another. Today I want to share my recipe for turkey meatloaf with kale. I made turkey kale meatballs not too long ago because I had some kale that needed to be used up and they turned out so well that I was inspired to create this meatloaf recipe.

A few notes before we continue: When it says to finely chop the kale, I mean it. Chop your little heart out until you can't anymore! The smaller pieces will mix better and you won't have those unpleasantly large pieces in one bite. Also, I had some roasted red pepper sauce that needed to be used and thought it would go well with this. Since it is obviously Italian inspired, the typical ketchup topping for meatloaf didn't really seem appropriate. However, if you don't like the extra spice from red pepper sauce or don't want to use it, try marinara instead. You could even add a little dry red pepper flakes to your marinara to give it some kick.

Source

Turkey Kale Meatloaf

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup oats
• 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups kale, finely chopped (about half of a bunch)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano 
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 slices provolone cheese 
• Optional: marinara or roasted red pepper sauce to serve over individual portions

DIRECTIONS

1. First, place the milk and oats in a bowl so that some of the liquid is absorbed in the oats. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Mix remaining ingredients except the cheese and sauce until well combined. Press into a 1.5 qt loaf pan. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 45 minutes.
4. Remove foil. Place the cheese slices on top of the loaf. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. 
5. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
6. Serve slices with sauce of desired. 

Click here for a printable version

As you may notice, I haven't really changed anything on the blog yet. It is still a work in progress and as I said above, I am learning to be more disciplined which will take time, but I am working on it. Let me know if you've had any successful kitchen adventures lately, I'd love to hear about it!

~Ashley :-)

Fresh Start

Source: www.crosscards.com

It has been quite a while since I have posted here! I've been itching to get back to doing some writing for a while so I hope to start posting more soon. A lot has changed though and with that the blog will change some as well. I'm not totally sure what that will look like but I do know I still want to be able to post about home things like cooking, crafting, frugality and that sort of thing but also heart issues as well such as finding balance in life, filling voids with Christ first instead of looking to food or trying to look better just to name a few things that have been on my mind lately.

Over the coming weeks or so I'll update some things around here and post more about what I hope to do with the blog. I am crafting a vision for what I want the purpose of this to be and I'm not totally sure right now what that is but wanted to get this out there to hold myself accountable to actually do something about it. For now, here's a few things that have been going on with me since I last posted...

• My husband was laid off from his job in August and is still looking for a job. He's applied to many places and had interviews, but not been offered anything yet. We've been blessed though, in the sense that God has gotten us through unemployment once before and is doing so again. We've also been able to tithe, pay all our bills and put food on the table so we praise God for that! 

• I've been trying to find a job as well. When my husband became unemployed again, we decided that we both need to try and find work.This is a step of faith for me as I am still not sure what I am called to do. I truly desire to be a stay at home mom one day but also face the reality of student loan debt and would rather work for a while now then with kids down the road. I'm trying to learn to trust God in this area as he knows what is best, not me. I've applied to a lot of jobs and had one interview but haven't gotten anything yet. 

• My husband and I starting leading a community group with our church. We have been discussing whatever was taught during the sermon on Sunday. It is a huge blessing for me to have such a great group to get together with. I look forward to our time together every week.

• I'm learning to crochet. It has been fun and something that I can do while sitting with my husband watching tv or a movie. It's also quite relaxing...well except when my yarn decided to get severely tangled.

• I've been struggling with feeling tired a lot. I've been taking a higher dose vitamin D supplement as suggested by my doctor since August but know I need to make some lifestyle changes as well. I think part of my issue is lack of movement and improper diet so I am trying to get better with that. I am putting this here to keep myself accountable to being healthier so I can feel better. 

• I'm doing the Good Morning Girls Luke study with an online group. We are about halfway through now and I hope to continue to dig into it and grow spiritually through it. 

Well, I guess that is it for now.  As I said before, I hope to post again soon but I can't promise much yet. I do like blogging though and want to get back to it soon.

Be Blessed,

Ashley :)