Chicken Vegetable Meatloaf Muffins Part II

Tonight I made the mashed potatoes and sauteed baby chard to top the chicken vegetable meatloaf. As far as the baby chard goes I simply chopped it and cooked it in a little olive oil and added a dash of salt. 

Mashed Potatoes
7 red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream (I use low fat)
1/2 cup of milk (I use skim milk)
1 teaspoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Wash the potatoes and quarter them. Boil the potatoes in salted (1 teaspoon of kosher salt) water. The potatoes are finished when you can pierce them with a fork. Drain the water. Return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter and begin mashing the potatoes with a hand masher.  Add the sour cream and 1/4 of milk. Continue to mash.  Add the Montreal Steak seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Continue to mix the potatoes using a hand mixer and add another 1/4 cup of milk.

You can make the potatoes ahead of time and store them in a oven safe dish.  To re-heat put them in the oven on 325 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes.

My daughter loved this tonight.  She ate close to three-quarters of this plus she had some fruit and green beans. She wasn't overly excited about the baby chard, she only ate it if it was mixed in withe potatoes or meat.  She was clapping after each bite of meat and potatoes.

Note: if you kids like more bland foods I would suggest reducing the amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning I used in the meatloaf because it does give the meat a bit of kick.

Chicken Vegetable Meatloaf Muffins

I have been looking for some new foods to try with S since we've been having a difficult time getting her to eat meat. Trader Joes sells something called Turkey Meatloaf Muffins which are mini ground turkey meatloafs topped with sautéed spinach and parmesan mashed potatoes. The first time S tried these I had to hide the meat in the potatoes in order for her to eat it but on the second try she gobbled up every morsel. Because the muffin tin is the perfect portion size for Stella I starting this about what else I could make in a muffin pan.

Today I made a chicken veggie meatloaf. I literally just started adding ingredients and was keeping my fingers crossed that it would turn out ok.  The recipe is below.

In a sauté pan, cook the following ingredients on low to medium heat:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
2/3 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons diced garlic
3 tablespoons grated carrot
3/4 cup grated zucchini
2 tablespoons diced red pepper
3 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
Salt & pepper

Cook until the vegetables are soft.   In a large mixing bowl combine sautéed vegetables with 1 pound of lean ground chicken thigh and 1/2 pound of ground chicken breast. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of Montreal Steak Seasoning, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of ketchup. Stir well to combine all ingredients.

In a separate bowl, dice 2 pieces of firm white bread (it should yield 2 cups once it is diced). Add 1/3 cup of milk and let it soak into the bread. I used skim milk. Once the bread has soaked up all of the milk combine it with the meat mixture. Stir well.

Prepare the muffin pan by spraying each section with cooking spray. Add approximately 1/4 cup of the mixture to each section of the muffin pan. Cook on 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Be sure the internal temperature is 170 degrees so that the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

S tried my meatloaf muffins this afternoon and really seemed to enjoy them.  Tomorrow I am going to saute baby chard and make some of my famous mashed potatoes to top the meatloaf. Hopefully S with still like it once I add the additonal toppings.