Meat. Potatoes. ‘Nuff Said.

It was meat and potatoes night here at the Henricks/Friedhoff house … good old-fashioned meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans. But of course, this was healthy meatloaf and mashed potatoes … what else did you expect!

We recently found a meatloaf recipe in the September 2009 issue of Cooking Light, and while it cooked, we whipped up some quick and healthy mashed potatoes to go with it, while a side of steamed green beans rounded out the meal.

For the meatloaf recipe, we used ground beef from American Grass Fed Beef in Doniphan, Missouri … so not only was it healthy meatloaf, it was happy meatloaf too.

The meatloaf was a bit crumbly, but the flavor was wonderful; I can’t wait to have the leftovers at lunch tomorrow. This is definitely another healthy recipe for our repetoire!

Quick Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound ground sirloin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons ketchup, divided
Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl; add 1/4 cup ketchup. Mix beef mixture with hands just until combined. Shape beef mixture into a 9 x 4–inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Brush top of meat loaf with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake 7 additional minutes or until done. Slice loaf into 8 equal pieces.

Makes 4 servings; serving size = 2 slices: calories 267; fat 13.1 g; protein 25.6 g; carbohydrates 10.8 g; fiber: 0.7 g; Weight Watchers points = 6.

Quick Mashed Potatoes for Two

Ingredients:

8 ounces new potatoes, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons 2% milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes in water until fork tender.
2. Mash potatoes with butter and milk until creamy.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 2 servings; Weight Watchers points per serving = 4.

Enjoy!

I Heart The (Grass-Fed Beef) Taco

[Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry]

I love the simple, old-school taco … ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso taco seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa … all contained in a crispy Old El Paso taco shell. I grew up eating them, and I still love to eat them today.

After Chuck made a quick trip to the new Schnucks’ Culinaria at 9th and Olive for an Old El Paso taco kit, a red onion, two jalapenos, a bunch of cilantro, and limes, dinner was underway.

I made the seasoned taco meat with ground beef from American Grass Fed Beef.

Their cows are born, raised, and finished on open grass pastures in the rolling hills of southern Missouri. Their cows receive a forage diet free of pesticides as they are continually rotated to fresh new pastures, and they are never held in confinement, never fed antibiotics, and never receive synthetic growth hormones. In addition, American Grass Fed Beef practices a holistic approach to farm management that sustains and nourishes the environment through restoration and soil improvement techniques.

What does all this mean? We had tasty—and happy—meat for dinner!

As for the cheese, there are no bags of shredded cheddar in our house. Not only is it quick and easy to grate your own cheese, it’s also cheaper than buying it pre-shredded. Tonight’s cheese of choice? “Seriously Sharp Cheddar” from Cabot in Vermont; easily accessible and just right for old-school tacos!

In addition to loving the taco, I also love salsa, and one of my favorites is Chuck’s simple salsa … it’s quick, fresh, and tastes great.

Just dice a few firm, red tomatoes (ours came from the Maplewood Farmers’ Market so that may have something to do with the fresh taste!), half a medium red onion, two jalapenos, a handful of cilantro, then mix together with lime juice and salt … bright, fresh, delicious!

Now that my tacos are beginning to digest, my mind is turning to dessert … and I believe a big ‘ole bowl of plain chocolate ice cream may be in my future!