And now for something....completely different.

Ok - not really. I mean, we've all had meatloaf before, right? Well I wish I could tell you something is amazingly different about this one - but it isn't. Except that its cheap, healthy, and, oh, I had just spent 2 hours wrestling MY OWN MEDICAL RECORDS out of my doctor's office. Hence, not a lot of creativity on tap for dinner. However, if you're looking for a good basic meatloaf recipe, here it is.

Turkey Meatloaf
1lb ground turkey (as lean or non-lean as you would like) $2.50
2 eggs $.22 (if you're concerned about cholesterol, use one egg and one egg white)
1tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder, ground rosemary, and lemon pepper (if you don't have rosemary, you can also use poultry seasoning)
1/4 c salsa (1/8th of my $2 container) $.25
1/4 c fresh or frozen diced peppers and onions (or one or the other...or you can omit) $.10
1 T ketchup (um.....this is a tinnnnyyy cost - let's say $.03)
1/2-3/4 c bread crumbs (homeade are the cheapest - just save the ends of your bread and toast them about 15 min at 350 degrees, then crumble them into a tupperware and use as needed!) $.30

To Make: preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a small loaf pan (you can use any size, but the wider it is, the thinner your meatloaf will be. Remember, meatloaf doesn't "rise!"). Actually, if you are using a high enough % fat turkey, it doesn't need to be greased, but I say do it just in case ;-) In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs slightly. Then mix in the spices, salsa, ketchup, and peppers/onions. Using a wide spatula or your hands covered by sandwich bags, squish the ground turkey into the mixture. It may look a little watery - that's what the bread crumbs are for. Add breadcrumbs until your meatloaf has an easy-to-mold consistency, then place it in the pan and bake, uncovered, about 25-30mins - depending on thickness. Thinner meatloaf will be done sooner, while thicker meatloaf may take up to 45min. To check if it is finished, stick a butter knife into the center and push it slightly to one side. If you can see pink meat or juices, let it bake a little longer.


Easy options to pair with this meal?

"New England" Mix Frozen Veggies
1/2 of a 16oz bag boils in 1/4 c of water, covered, for 5-10 minutes. $.50

Whole Grain Egg Noodles
1/2 of a bag, boiled for 7 minutes then combined with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Spread and topped with a few shakes of parmesan cheese. $.75 (higher than normal because these were an emergency "expensive store" purchase)
TIP: For extra nutrition content, save your water from boiling the veggies and add it to the pot for cooking the noodles. It's such a small amount that it won't change the flavor, but your noodles will absorb some of the vitamins that leeched out of the vegetables.

Total Meal Cost: $4.65
Servings: 4 (we had it for dinner and leftovers for lunch)
Cost per serving: $1.16

A couple of notes:

1. Concerning pasta: Many people think that pasta is the best "cheap food" you can buy. It's quick, it's easy, and it doesn't cost much. Well that's all true, but in the grand majority of cases, it's a waste of money to buy the $.50 on sale regular pasta. Have you ever noticed how MUCH of that stuff you have to eat to fill yourself up? And then 2hrs later, you're hungry. This is assuming you didn't have meat with the pasta....which, if you're trying to eat cheaply, you probably didn't. It's a WAY better use of your money to pay the extra $.40 for the store brand whole wheat pasta. More fiber, more protein, and you can eat a smaller portion to be satisfied. If you haven't tried whole wheat pasta since the 90's....try it again. With the rise in "whole grain" popularity, the taste has been improved EXPONENTIALLY over the old earthy crunchy whole wheat brands.

2. Frozen veggies: Frugal shoppers - be not afraid! We've all heard that frozen veggies are often equivalent or superior to fresh for their vitamin content, but many of us stay away because they simply don't taste as good as fresh. I'd have to agree there, but there are some ways to make frozen vegetables palatable. Try them for yourself!

• Buy the kind you can fry! Corn, mushrooms, peppers, and onions perk up their flavor considerably in a little bit of olive oil and garlic powder for a few minutes on medium heat.
• Boil it, mash it, stick it in a stew! When frozen vegetables become part of a soup, stew, or casserole, they're hardly distinguishable from fresh. Try already cooked and mashed frozen squash (usually less than $1 for store brand) instead of mashed potatoes to top your next shepherd's pie. Or buy a bean-based soup mix (such as the Manischewitz tube soup mixes) and add some bulk with a bag of mixed frozen veggies (again, less than $1 per bag).
• When in doubt, buy the steamable option - many grocery stores now make their own brand. To keep cost and sodium levels down, opt for non-flavored varieties and serve them as a side with a little butter or Parmesan cheese on top.
  

Well, that's all for now! Good luck!

P.S. Check out my profile page for a few fun blogs that I follow....I'll try to add to this as time permits!