Meat Loaf Cupcakes & Other 4 Side Meals
Do your kids get up at night and say they are hungry? Well mines do. I have three boys and every night, without fail, someone come does stairs and says the words I hate to hear: "I want some more food." After they're pajamas are on, teeth are brushed and the house is quiet I find myself making oatmeal, or a sandwich or a bowl of cereal so that me and my hubby can quickly get back to adult time. That is until I found out about the beloved "4 Sides" strategy. With every meal I serve 4 sides, and every night is salad night. Here are some of my meal make-ups:
1. Spaheghetti w/ Meat Sauce, Salad, Breadsticks & Potatoes
2. Meatloaf Cupcakes, Salad, Dinner Rolls, Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli -- I love this recipe because the kids don't know its meatloaf until they bite into it. (Scroll Down for the recipe)
3. Stew Chicken, Rice, Vegetable Wraps, Cabbage & Baked Potatoes -- This is a great recipe if you want to make some chicken in less than an hour that taste great. I get rave reviews on this meal.
4. Panini-style Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit Cup, Salad & Lil Debbie Snack Cake -- This might sound like a mix-up & it is but it's the perfect meal for Friday &; Saturday. If you don't have a panini maker (cause I don't) just put the bread in the toaster.
So now if the kids come downstairs saying they're hungry after all of this food, you'll know they're full of he-double. Good Luck!
Meatloaf
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped carrot
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- minced garlic to taste
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Mashed Potatoes
- Get a box of mashed potatoes & make them. Just make sure they're thick enough to act as an icing. If you can't make mash potatoes from a box, I can't help you -- read the directions.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot,dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup.Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Once your meat loaf is done cooling, put the potatoes into a pastry bag (or grocery bag that you can substitute by using one of its corners) with a wide star tip and pipe the mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and chopped chives.