Mini Salsa Meatloaves

These mini salsa meatloaves are great to add to school lunch or for a family dinner.  You can make them ahead of time and have them ready to eat!

Mini Salsa Meatloaves

Adapted from Kraft Canada

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups Mexican Cheese, divided
• 1 cup thick and chunky salsa, divided
• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. 
2. Reserve 3/4 cup cheese and 1/2 cup salsa for later use. Mix remaining cheese and salsa with remaining ingredients just until blended. 
3. Press into 12 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray; place on foil-covered baking sheet. Use back of spoon to make indentation in centre of each meatloaf. 
4. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until done (160°F). Top with reserved salsa and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

School Lunch Meal Plan // August 27-September 2

By Janice Burke

Sunday is meal prep day!  I'm busy getting the boys' lunches ready for the week.

Here are the recipes I used for this week's lunches :)

• Mini Salsa Meatloaves
• Fixate Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken - with gluten free flour, parmasean cheese instead of flour
• Pepperoni Salad: garden salad with pepperoni slices
• Fixate Tuna Salad

Click here for more tips and ideas check out other healthy school lunch menus!

School Lunch Meal Plan // August 22-26

By Janice Burke

I had such a HUGE request for a back to school meal plan! I had no idea my followers were so interested in packing up a healthy lunch for their kiddos! It truly excites me!! The boys and I just finished making our meal plan for the school lunches. They go back to school next Monday! They picked out new and larger lunch boxes from Target a few days ago.  My boys are 11 and 8, it's like feeding two grown men some days. 

I plan to update the blog with a new meal plan weekly! 

School Lunch Tips:

1. Let the kids be a part of the process 
2. Give them healthy options to choose from 
3. Let them shop with you 
4. Let them pick out their lunch boxes
5. Let them help you food prep and pack the lunches
6. Always add something special to the lunch they can look forward to. It can be a small piece of candy every now and then, hand written note, small toy, or gum 
7. Encourage them to try new things! The more you involve them the more open they will be to eating healthier

Click here for more school lunch meal plans and recipes! 

The Big Leap that Paid Off Big Time

Instead of throwback Thursday let's do a ....Thank YOU Thursday

By: Janice Burke

This picture is a highlight of my week!

I gotta share this "long winded" story with you so you know just how thankful I truly AM💕

When I grew up my parents both worked my dad worked A LOT😳I hated not getting to see him.  I remember in 6th grade I said "if I have kids I want to be able to go have lunch with my kids, go to all their games, never miss a school event!"

I remember starting to feel unloved, my parents never attended any event, program, games... now that I'm older I know it had nothing to do with love, it had everything to do with freedom! They didn't have ANY😔 I should of been thankful instead of complaining, at least he could afford to put me into sports😳

I humbly know how blessed I am to stay home & raise my kids ever since they were born💙... that almost came to a halt!

Three years ago my husband & I had to make a choice...either make some major sacrifices to keep me home or I would have to go back to work. It didn't take long to realize that I didn't have the experience to get a GREAT paying job & we couldn't afford childcare on what other people thought my time was worth, so we tried to find something where I could be home when he was at work & then I could go to work when he got home 😳 That thought was squashed QUICK!  We married each other to be a FAMILY! Not single parents or roommates!

After a lot of praying, worrying, & second guessing myself. Chris supported & pushed me to stay home & take my love for fitness seriously. I knew I wouldn't make a ton of money right away with my online business, it takes time, consistency & discipline to start a business... but I loved it. It's easy to apply yourself when you know the company is legit & making a difference in your own life. 

I also started teaching as many fitness classes as I could, I only got paid $20 a class, so a few classes a week wouldn't even cover my instructor fees lol, but it helped. I could take the boys with me or teach while they were in school and I LOVED TEACHING! 

I quickly realized my body couldn't keep up with that many classes & I slowly cut back my classes & increased the hours I worked on my online business. It's been LESS than 3 years. I get paid way more than anyone else could pay me! I work when I want & with who I want & the best part is I get to change LIVES!

(Thank goodness, because Chris' golf career didn't pay as well as we had thought ...YET😜)

It isn't the "traditional" way, but it is a WAY better way for us!  We still have our mattresses on the floor & live in an overpriced apartment, but I wouldn't go back & change a THING!

God has blessed us every step of the way... I know he will continue to! Even through a tiny time of being homeless; I never doubted our decision to put our priorities first!

I'm blessed with two amazing boys & a STRONG marriage & a career that I love that allows me to fulfill my childhood dream of being present in my kids lives!

SO THE REAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO MY TEAM & ALL MY AMAZING CLIENTS! 

💕💕💕💕It has been the most amazing experience to be on this journey with all of you! Thank you for trusting me to get you, all I ever want is for us all to set a goal & crush it TOGETHER💕💕💕💕💕💕

Maybe... just maybe you have read this far & your thinking... I need a non-traditional way to support & be present with my family!!! Take that JUMP it is so worth every minute💕💕

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

This tasty chicken is a great protein topper for more than just tacos!  Put in on a salad, on some quinoa, in a whole wheat pita...ANYTHING.  I love slow cooker recipes that I can quickly throw together and forget while it cooks.  Plus, it always leaves my house smelling yummy!

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Cup Water
2 Tbls Homemade Dried Onion Soup Mix (see below for recipe)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
6-8 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbls dehydrated onion
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, to taste
Chipotle hot sauce, to taste

Place all ingredients except for lime, salt, and hot sauce in slow cooker and cook 5-6 hours on low, or until chicken shreds easily with a fork.  When done, shred the chicken and sprinkle with lime juice.  Taste and season with salt and hot sauce to taste.
(Adapted from 400 calories or less with Our Best Bites)

Homemade Dried Onion Soup Mix

1/4 Cup dried minced onion
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Use in place of store bought soup mix packets or store in an airtight container for later.
(Recipe from 100 days of Real Food)

Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

I grew up on Meatloaf, it fed our family of 12 easily! We all loved it and thought it was amazing. It was probably one of the healthiest meals we had throughout the week. Smothered in ketchup with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes and we were in Heaven!

But, when my healthy mommy gene kicked in, I started tweaking almost every recipe I could find! This led to five and half years of trial and error with lots of flops and burnt results. But once I found something that worked and the family liked; It became a staple that I make over and over and over again. Each time I make a recipe I change up a few things so we don't get bored. I truly like to cook BASIC, super BASIC ...I am NOT a cook, I don't enjoy it that much either. I do love serving healthy meals though! It really does make me the proudest when I control the nutritional value of what is on my family's plates as we sit down to eat.


Just don't judge me for the Chex Rice cereal for breakfast this morning...its Friday

Before I share my tips and ideas on how to make your healthy meatloaf, know that NOT everyone in my family loves it. My husband won't eat ground turkey or chicken, although he is not a fan of meatloaf either. So I make this for Lunch. I prep a BIG batch and the boys and I eat it for our lunches. It packs well in their school lunch boxes.

Now, lets think about the traditional meatloaf and its intention. It was a way to make meat go further. So instead of using "cheap" meat, I use ground chicken and turkey, which is healthier than "cheap" meat and is known to cost less than leaner grass feed beef. So instead of adding "crap" to my meat to make it go further, I add healthy foods that will keep you fuller longer. When I first tweaked this recipe I used oatmeal instead of bread crumbs (have you ever looked at the ingredients on the back of the bread crumbs you buy? I dare you to go look if you have some on hand). Also, I don't add any sauces.




What I do add is an egg or two depending on how big the batch is. Then, I dice up any veggies on hand that I have, super small other wise your meatloaf will fall apart.  I love to grate up zucchini and carrots. I also like to add minced, onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers. .The veggies help add moisture and flavor to the meat. You can create so many different flavors. I like to use "Mrs Dash- no salt added" seasonings. Sometimes we make it more of an Italian style meatloaf with a can of tomato sauce and other times I add a Mexican spin to it by adding cilantro and a can of hatch green chilli peppers or you can use fresh peppers if you have it!


Cooking with Turkey and veggies is going to give off more juice/liquid so I drain that about half way through baking. I cut into it to see how close it is to being done.I love to turn the broiler on for the last 5-10 to crisp up the top too.


The Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350

In a mixing bowl add in no particular order:

• 1 lb of lean ground turkey or chicken
• 1 small zucchini (grated)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1/2 small red onion (chopped finely)
• 2 med size mushrooms (chopped up small)
• 1 can of fire roasted chopped green chilli (don't drain)
• hand full of fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tsp of Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime

Bake in a loaf pan on the center rack at 350 for 15-20 min till firmed up, you don't want to over cook it or will get dried out. If you cut in the center and it is not done add an extra 5 min and check again. 
The last 5 min I turn the broiler on and brown up the top. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this recipe, tell me what you think. Or if you have any "flavor" suggestions I would love to hear about it. Tuna Sweet Potato Muffins coming up Next with K.I.S.S. Recipies

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