Meatloaf Mix
2 beaten eggs
3/4 c. milk (or soy milk, almond milk, hempmilk, etc. We are dairy-free)
1 slice of bread, cut up into teeny-tiny cubes (we use gluten-free bread)
1 tsp olive oil, cooking spray, butter (just use a fat of some sort)
1/4 c. minced onion
2 tsps. garlic,minced
1/4 c. shredded carrot,minced
2 tsps of dried herbs (I usually use Italian-type)
1 lb. very lean ground beef (I use 90-ish % lean. Why pay for fat you are going to drain off anyway?)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground hot italian sausage
1 small container baby food sweet potatoes (I add this in to boost nutrition. You can use spinach, too. Or leave it out. Up to you.)
In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk and bread cubes, set aside. Saute up all the veggies with the fat over med-high heat, just until soft. In a large bowl, mix all the meats together, along with the baby food (they will never know it's there, I promise). Throw in the veg and the softened bread and mix well. If you are like me and hate getting your hands dirty, you can try mixing it all up with a potato masher.
and now for the 3 ways part...
Divide the meat mixture into thirds - 1/3 for an actual loaf of meat, bake at 350* about 1 hour.
1/3 make into meatballs- I use a small melon baller or a tsp to measure my meatballs. Then they are all uniformly sized and bite-sized. I hate huge meatballs, but do what you like. Bake off in the oven (350* for about 10 minutes, tops). After they have cooled, freeze them until solid, maybe an hour, then bag them up into a gallon-sized freezer bag or some other container. Super-handy to have on hand for impromptu parties, for spaghetti w/ meatballs, meatball pizza...
1/3 form into equal sticks of meat, or use a mini loaf pan, or do what I do and use muffin tins. About 1/3 cup equals 1 muffin cup. Bake @ 350* about 20 minutes.
Here is my glaze:
1/4 c. ketchup
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce (you know...the hot wing sauce)
