Day 17 - Miracle Meat Pile.

Hello, Gorgeous!

(Yes, I'm talking to YOU.)

Good news. Last night's meatloaf experiment was a shocking success. In the spirit of over-sharing, I'm gonna tell you all about it. So, I posted the recipe yesterday, but I'll tell you what I really did. Those that know me know that I'm a bit of a mad scientist in the kitchen. I really only look at recipes so I can defy them. When I was looking at this recipe, I had the Barre3 Portion Prescription in mind. Right away, I knew that Sadie would not approve of the grain to veggie ratio, so I started there.

Also, let me just mention... I realize that she can't see me. I get that. She tells me so in nearly every online workout. That being said, it is 2013 and technology has come along way. One can't be to careful.

Anyway. The recipe called for 1/2 cup each of diced carrots, onions, and celery. Trader Joe, being the visionary that he is, sells a pre-diced container of Mirepoix. I used the whole thing... effectively tripling the amount of veggies in the recipe. I sautéed them with a large orange bell pepper in some olive oil and lemon juice.

In my largest mixing bowl, I threw in 1 lb of very lean ground beef, 2 cups of cooked quinoa, an egg, and some seasonings.

 Then I combined all the ingredients by hand... which felt sooooo gross. 

Then I smashed it all into a bread pan and glazed it with organic ketchup. I baked it for about an hour at 350 just to make sure it was really done since I don't have a meat thermometer. I spent the better part of that hour washing my hands over and over again. Meat massage is enough to turn a carnivore vegan!

Luckily, all the yuck paid off. By the time the timer went off, the kitchen smelled amazing. I was half starved from all the calories I burned washing my hands... and cut right into it without taking a picture. From the top though, it looked like any meatloaf. Of course as soon as I went to serve it, it fell apart. Too many veggies to keep it together. Next time, I'll add another egg.

My husband has become a pretty good sport about this whole challenge and the lack of cooking I've done for him. He'll eat pretty much anything I make without complaint. So, even when I handed him his plate and proudly announced that I'd made "meat pile" for dinner, he politely said "thanks Babe".

We took our first bites at precisely the same moment and exchanged surprised looks of delight. "It's a miracle!" I exclaimed. The meat pile is super delicious. I can't wait to have leftovers for dinner tonight. 

I spent the rest of my evening sending texts to my friend Lesley complaining about my sore thighs. We're in this together which is wonderful. As usual, she said all the right things :) 

So, moving on to today. Again I woke up SO sore. I did Lift with Sadie this morning though just the same. The stretch series at the end was awesome. I'm really getting excited about the way my body is changing. Slowly but surely, I'm getting stronger every day. I can push myself a little bit harder with every workout. My balance and flexibility are improving little by little.

I had yogurt with berries and walnuts for breakfast while the twin's got haircuts from their fabulous Nanny:

Then I made myself a salad large enough to share... and ate it all. 

That's it for my day. I'm going to do some yoga this evening to give my sore muscles some extra love. 

Also, just as a public service... I have to tell you. Andrea from Replenish PDX had suggested Raw Chocolate if you have a sweet tooth. I found these raw cacao nibs to try and HOLY COW are they nasty. DO NOT EAT. I will send her a Facebook message today to see if she has another option. 

(Do not eat these. Ever. Not for food.) 

xoxoxo

Jenn