Turkey Cranberry Meatloaf and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I acknowledge that it has been longer between posts than my New Year's resolution allows. March was quite the month for us with midterms, plays, and an emergency trip to Salt Lake. However, I'm making amends by sharing not only one, but two of my signature, all-time-favorite recipes. First, a healthy delicious turkey meatloaf then fat-free garlic mashed potatoes. They are fabulous together!

Turkey Cranberry Meatloaf

Ingredients

19 oz. (1 pkg.) lean ground turkey

2/3 c. whole rolled oats

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. finely diced cellery

1/4 c. finely chopped green onion

2 egg whites

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (or garlic to taste)

2 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. oragano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form meat into a 9x9 glass baking pan coated with non-stick spray. If desired, shake an extra bit of garlic, parsley, and oats over the loaf for aesthetics. Bake loaf for 30-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

Notes
One sixth of the loaf  (which is a very generous serving) is 5 WW Points Plus.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
4 large ( or about 1 lb.) russett potatoes
1/2 c. fat-free sour cream (I recommend Tillamook)
1/2 c. skim milk
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Garlic and Herb Mrs. Dash Seasoning (This is my secret ingredient, but italian seasoning will also do)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Peel or partially peel, cut, and boil potatoes in a large pot of water until soft and mashable. Drain water. Mash potatoes with a masher. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Notes
One 1/2 c. serving (or one sixth of the recipe yield) is 4 WW Points Plus.

Sweet and Sour Spicy Meatballs

We tried another recipe from the Weight Watchers website this weekend. Sweet and Sour Meatballs. It was really good. As usual, I modified it significanty. This time I added some more spice, used turkey instead of beef, and changed the size they called for the meatballs to be. We took them to a church party and they got eaten up right away. Yummy, healthy party food.

Ingredients

19 oz. uncooked lean ground turkey (with 7% fat)

3/4 c. rolled oats

2 large egg whites
1/2 c. scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
8 oz canned tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp mustard, spicy brown
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large, rimmed cake pan or deep baking sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine turkey, oats, egg whites, scallions, garlic, parsley and oregano; mix thoroughly. Shape beef mixture into thirty two1-inch balls; place on prepared baking sheet. Bake meatballs until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. When meatballs are done pour sauce over meatballs and let heat about 10 minutes.combine meatballs and sauce into a slow cooker to serve and keep warm. 

Notes
Yields 3 meatballs per serving. There are 3 WW PointPlus per serving. The picture I used on this post is from the Weight Watchers website.

New Year's Resolution and Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

My one and only New Year's resolution is to post recipes to this blog at least every other week. Over the break quite a few people told me they actually read this and I became embarassed about how inconsistent I have been in updating it. So, for my few yet devoted readers, expect some awesome recipes coming your way at least twice a month in 2011!

Let's start with a delightful lasagna recipe I made last night. I was inspired by this recipe from Green Light Bites and made some modifications to accomodate my love for cheese and garlic. Also, I just made a regular lasagna rather than the roll ups for lack of time to roll each one individually, but the roll ups look like a really cute idea.

Here is my version of the recipe:

Turkey and Spinch Lasagna

Ingredients

1 19.2 oz package of lean ground turkey breast

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp italian seasoning

2 c. low fat ricotta cheese

1 1/2 c. chopped spinach

1/2 c. shredded italian blend cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozerella cheese

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 26 oz can of spaghetti sauce

20 sheets whole wheat lasagna noodles (Hodgson Mill are the only ones I know; of course regular noodles are fine)

Extra Italian blend cheese as desired

Extra Mozerella cheese as desired

Italian seasoning to taste

Driend parsley to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare noodles "al dente" according to package. During this time, brown the turkey meat and season with 2 tbsp minced garlic and 2 tbsp italian seasoning. Let cool slightly. Mix browned turkey into a large mixing bowl with ricotta cheese, 1/2 c. italian cheese blend, 1/2 c. mozerella cheese, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, and 1 tsp salt.

Spread a moderate layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a glass or metal 9x13 cake pan. When lasagna noodles have cooked, layer as follows: noodles, ricotta/turkey mixture, noodles, sauce and cheese. Repeat until your lasagna is the right size for you and your pan. Top with Sauce, cheese, italian seasoning, and parsley. Bake at 375 for about 3o minutes. Cover with tin foil if you do not like crispy edges or browned cheese. This amount made one 9x13 and one 9x9 pan of lasagna for us. Delicious! We served it to friends and still have plenty of leftovers!

I didn't get a great picture, but basically, it looks like lasagna... :)

Turkey Cranburgers

I love this recipe. It's a healthy
(well, mostly) and delicious dinner option.
Some of the ingredients may sound a little
odd, but they work together really well.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dry oats
1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
2-3 Tblsp spicy brown mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
Form into burger patties and cook on skillet or grill
Cover patties with sauce
Serve on bun (we recently discovered Orowheat
thin hamburger buns. These work really well)
Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado

Notes:

We eat this with an amazing sauce that is semi-healthy. For the sauce: Mix together equal parts spicy brown mustard and apricot jam. It really makes the burger. Suggestion: Serve with Fresh Potato Fries.