Mini Meatloaf -- Muffin Size

Portion control is particularly important for two groups of people -- people watching their calories and people watching their budgets. Meat is one of the most expensive items in the grocery basket (not that you needed us to tell you that). By portioning out this expensive item and filling up the rest of the plate with cheaper fare (vegetables, potatoes, salad, etc), it can really help stretch a dollar without leaving your family feeling deprived. One muffin is a full adult-sized serving of meat (4 oz - 100 grams).  

This cooks much faster than a traditional meatloaf -- so it saves money and time. Hard to beat that combo. Better yet, these freeze very well, so make up the full batch and put some away in the freezer. They'll keep for 3 - 4 months.



Ingredients:  Makes 20 x 100 gram muffins

• 1.5 kilos (approximately 3- 3 1/2 lbs) ground beef (or use a combination of ground beef/ ground pork) 
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs or finely crushed crackers... if going gluten free, use ground oatmeal and/or crushed Cornflakes. 
• 1 cup salsa 
• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional) 
• 1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning or any favourite herb/spice. 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil or use a cooking spray to lightly grease the muffin tins. 
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients by hand until well combined. In this case, we literally mean "by hand". Roll up the sleeves and really mix those ingredients. 
3. Pack each of the muffin tins fully. 
4. Cook for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees. 
5. Let stand for 5 minutes and remove from muffin tin. 

Serving suggestion:  Top each muffin with a tablespoon of salsa for an extra burst of taste. Many recipes like this call for cheese to be added to the top. We think that in this recipe, it's a waste of cheese which is an expensive (and calorie laden) ingredient. Save the cheese for meals where it's going to have more punch.