Mini Meatloaf

I was seriously craving some homemade comfort food last night after I got sucked into a country-style cooking show on the Food Network.  The chef made her mom's meatloaf recipe & that's when the hankering hit me...meatloaf!  But I wanted something that would not take an hour to bake & that had a healthier ingredient list than the saltine crackers, mustard, & ketchup that the lady on tv had used.  Then I remembered a turkey "muffin" recipe I had seen floating around the internet & whipped up my own version.  These mini meatloaves were a hit with the kids & will be even better for lunch left-overs today!

Mini Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 large carrot, grated
1 medium onion, grated
1 medium bell pepper (I used red for color)
1 egg
1 Tbls. garlic powder (or one small clove fresh garlic, pressed)
sea salt & pepper to taste

*Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with olive oil cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon an equal amount of the meat mixture into each muffin tin.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Pull muffin tin out of the oven & top each meatloaf with one tablespoon homemade "bbq" sauce (below).

Homemade "BBQ"
1/2 cup tomato sauce (you could also use tomato paste for a thicker sauce / richer tomato flavor)
2 Tbls. blackstrap molassas
2 tsp. garlic powder
sea salt & black pepper to taste

*After topping the mini meatloaves with the "bbq," place them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

These little beauties make a great dinner & awesome left-overs.  They are compact & easily popped into a tupperware container to pack in the kids' lunches!

Click here to find more kid-approved clean eating recipes here!