February 1, 2015

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday and happy Superbowl (if you’re a fan of that). I don’t know the first thing about football, but I love getting together with my friends, eating some good food and watching the commercials.

Today’s blog post is actually sparked by a company called ALOHA – a place to say hello to good health and happiness. They inspired me to share some tips I have for staying healthy during the winter time months, and especially with all the cold and flu bugs going around, I was more than happy to list some of my favorite ways to incorporate more super foods into my diet to stay strong and healthy year round. So I’m sharing a super healthy version of the classic meatloaf guaranteed to warm you up and keeping you going strong.

Why is my meatloaf a natural powerhouse for the winter months? Because it incorporates ingredients like spinach, onions and rosemary into it. Spinach is a no brainer, well known for its high antioxidant levels, onions improve how vitamin C works in the body (which boosts your immunity to germs and viruses) and rosemary is a good source of iron, calcium and vitamin B6. Need I say more, or are you ready to make some health enhancing meatloaf?

This meatloaf even subs in almond flour instead of regular breadcrumbs making it gluten-free and paleo friendly, as well. It just keeps getting better and better.

By the way, if you want more healthy recipes to keep you going strong this winter, check out ALOHA’s healthy recipe page with smoothies, flu-fighting drinks and more.

Healthier Meatloaf:

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground sirloin (10% fat)
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (7% fat)
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c. finely chopped spinach leaves
• 1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
• 1/4 c. almond flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Creole seasoning (for a little extra kick)
• 1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Finely chop the onions and spinach leaves into small pieces, and beat the egg in a separate small bowl.
3. Combine the ground beef, ground sirloin, onion, spinach, tomato paste, egg, almond flour, rosemary, garlic powder, creole seasoning and pepper together in a large bowl. Mixing it all well with your hands making sure all ingredients are combined.
4. Place the beef mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and press down evenly.
5. Cook for 55 minutes to an hour in the oven.
6. Once the meatloaf is done, remove it from the oven and drain off any liquid that accumulated in the loaf pan.
7. Plate and slice into 6 servings.
8. Note: This also reheats beautifully for lunch during the week.