A Savvy Mom

Just thinking about posting this recipe makes me want to go upstairs and get the leftover meatloaf out of the fridge and eat it on a sandwich. Or just cold. Or any way at all.

I’ve always been a big fan of meatloaf. I really, really, really love it. As a kid, my mom would fix it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable (green bean casserole, anyone?), and I would slather it with ketchup. So freaking delicious. I know it’s a bit proletarian of me, but hey, it’s who I am, and meat (and meat in loaves) is what I love.

I adapted this recipe from the Quaker Oatmeal Prize-Winning Meatloaf that I found on Epicurious.com.

Meat Loaf:

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
3/4 cup Quaker Oats (I use old fashioned)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp deli mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Bake on 350 for about 50 minutes.

What’s up … it’s almost February! Since it’s a short month, I’m going to put myself to a challenge again to post something each day. Sam is now going to bed around 7PM, so I have no excuse not to post a little something in the evenings.

I’m going to start posting a recipe of the week on Mondays — not because I’m a genius chef, but because every mom (and dad) need quick, easy, healthy recipes that will keep them nourished (and later, a child!). Nutrition is especially important when you are pregnant or nursing. And you need something easy and quick, right? So yes, recipes I shall share.

Last night, I prepared what will surely become a staple recipe in our house, so I’m going to share it with you. I found it on the back of a box of broth that I picked up at Harris Teeter. It looked so yummy I had to try it! I was picking up broth as a butter substitute, as I am trying to eliminate dairy (butter in this case) from my diet (Sam seems to have a reaction to it … more on that in another post). Broth is yummy and low fat, and it makes vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta, stews and soups taste really fantastic. So I snagged some plain chicken broth as well as some College Inn White Wine and Herb Broth. This stuff smells so super good, and tastes wonderful! I’m glad I picked it up on a whim.

I went off of the recipe on the back of the box, picking up what I needed while I was still at HT. I made a few adjustments to it, and will share those with you here.

Mediterranean Chicken

Cook time: 20 ish minutes

Serves: two hungry adults and a couple of Ziploc containers of leftovers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup College Inn White Wine and Herb Culinary Broth
• 1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes (store brand was what I got)
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. dried rosemary
• a dash or so of whatever tickles your fancy — I added Herbs de Provence, celery salt, black pepper
• 2 tsp. chopped garlic (I have one of those giant jars of chopped garlic in the fridge … always useful!)
• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup black olives
• rice, egg noodles, or couscous

Put your olive oil in a nice big skillet, heat it up on medium-high, and add your garlic to sizzle for a bit. Throw in your chicken cubes for about a minute. Add chickpeas and cook about 3 minutes. Add rosemary, Herbs de Provence and whatever spices you love; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and broth. Simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve over couscous, noodles or rice.

Note: If you can’t find the College Inn broth, you could add white wine to some chicken broth and simmer for a while with carrots, onions, oregano, rosemary, thyme and a bit of celery salt. Might not taste exactly the same, but I bet it would be quite good!

So VERY easy, very nutritious, and quite delightful!

For other recipes — I’m going to give a shout-out to a friend of a friend who became my Facebook friend — visit Cafe Coco. She’s got a little more on the ball than I have in the food way, so enjoy her blog!

And I hope you enjoy some Mediterranean Chicken too.