What I Make

Meatloaf, Parmesan Potatoes, and Strawberries

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. ground beef (I use 1 lb. 80% lean/20% fat and ½ lb. 93% lean/7% fat. I tried using all 93% lean/7% fat, but combining the two different meats works better.)
1 egg
3 slices white bread, torn into small pieces (I’ve tried whole grain bread, but white bread works better.)
1 cup whole milk (I’ve tried skim milk, but whole milk works better.)
onion powder, to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter
4 russet potatoes
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ teaspoon pepper
1 pint strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 7 ingredients together. Put mixture in a 9” x 5” loaf pan. Bake for 1 ½ hours. Put butter in a 9” x 13” baking dish. While you peel the potatoes, put the baking dish with the butter in the oven until the butter melts. Cut peeled potatoes into 12 chunks. Rinse potatoes with water and drain. Put flour, cheese, and pepper in a zipper gallon size baggie and shake to combine. Shake half of the potatoes in the mixture in the baggie and put the potatoes in the baking dish with the melted butter. Repeat with the other half of the potatoes. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes. Flip potatoes over and bake for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. Rinse strawberries with water. Drain, hull, and quarter strawberries. Refrigerate strawberries until ready to serve. When meatloaf is done, drain grease and turn out of pan to serve. Have with a glass of water.

What I Make

Potato Salad

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
6 medium sized russet potatoes
6 eggs
6 celery stalks
1 cup mayo (I like the brand with the tangy zip)
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Directions:
Wash and peel potatoes. Cut each potato into 16 chunks. Put potatoes in a large pan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Drain. Spread potatoes out on a cookie sheet to cool. Fill a pan with enough water to cover eggs. Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat to the highest setting. When the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to the medium high setting so the eggs don’t break during cooking. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain. Put the eggs back in the pan and shake until the shells are cracked all over. Fill the pan with cold water and let the eggs sit in the water for 5 minutes. Peel eggs. The shells should come off easily. Rinse eggs to remove any remaining small pieces of shell. Slice eggs with an egg slicer. Wash and chop celery. Mix the potatoes, eggs, and celery with the mayo, onion powder, pepper, milk, and 2 tablespoons mustard. Refrigerate before serving. Have with a glass of milk.

What I Make

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef (I buy 93% lean/7% fat)
½ cup Italian style breadcrumbs (I buy a brand made with enriched flour, because I cannot find one that is made with whole grain.)
1 egg
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon pepper
onion powder, to taste
½-13.25 oz. box spaghetti (I buy a brand that has 5g fiber and 7g protein even though it is made with enriched Semolina.)
olive oil, to taste
spaghetti sauce (See note in recipe about sugar content.)
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together first 8 ingredients until well combined. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or use a foil pizza pan. Use a small cookie dough scoop to scoop the meat mixture into meatballs about the size of golf balls. Bake for 22 minutes. Then, broil on high for about three minutes so the outside of the meatballs are crisp, but not burnt. While the meatballs are cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain and mix with a small amount of olive oil so the spaghetti doesn’t get sticky. Look at the nutrition labels on the spaghetti, breadcrumb, and spaghetti sauce containers. Heat up enough sauce so that the total amount of sugar doesn’t go over 10g sugar per person. For example, I can heat up ¼ cup sauce per person of the brand I buy which equals a total of 1 cup sauce for four people. Top the spaghetti with sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle with cheese. Have with a glass of water.

What I Make

Low Sugar Snack Mix

Serves: 9

Ingredients:
7 cups multi-grain cereal that is made with whole grains, not enriched flour
1 cup pretzel sticks that are not made with enriched flour
1 cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put cereal, pretzels, and peanuts in a 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter and mix with Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Pour butter mixture over cereal, pretzels, and nuts. Stir. Bake for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. When cool, store in an airtight container. Keep serving size to 1 cup to stay under 10g sugar. Have with 4 oz. of milk or a glass of water.

What I Make

Roast, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Cooked Carrots

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Roast, any cut (I buy whatever looks good, is priced around $12 at my local grocery store, and fits in my crock pot.)
1 cup water
season all seasoned salt, to taste
12 Klondike Gourmet Petite Potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
4 carrots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
Put roast in crock pot. Pour 1 cup water over the top of it and generously season with season all seasoned salt. Cover and cook on high for a minimum of four hours. The meat should be so tender, it falls apart when you try to cut it. About 30 minutes before the roast is done, put the potatoes in a pan of water. Bring water to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Peel and slice carrots. Bring another pan of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. When the potatoes are done, drain and put them back in the pan. With the skins still on the potatoes, mash with a potato masher. Add 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter is melted, mix in milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When the carrots are done, drain and put them back in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted, season with salt and pepper and gently stir to combine. Have with a glass of water.