Thursday, January 08, 2009

Recipe of the Week: The Six O'Clock Scramble

Healthy Meals, 30 Minute Meals, Quick Easy Dinner Recipes, Family Meal Planning

The Six O’Clock Scramble® is an online dinner planning service.

AS A SUBSCRIBER YOU’LL RECEIVE EACH WEEK:

  • Five family-tested, healthy and delicious and quick DINNER RECIPES THAT TAKE 30 MINUTES OR LESS TO PREPARE
  • An ORGANIZED GROCERY LIST so you can grocery shop just once per week
  • A SEARCHABLE DATABASE where you can customize your weekly dinner plan
  • Your own personal RECIPE BOX where you can save your family's favorites 30 minute meals
  • A newsletter with USEFUL TIPS for easier mealtimes, snacks and lunches
  • NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for each recipe to help you take charge of your health

For folks like me constantly casting about for something different to fix for dinner, especially if you're stuck in a rut of the same seven meals week after week, this service seems well-worth the price of $5 a month. They advertise themselves as 'family friendly', and a cursory glance shows them conservative in the budget department as well.

Here is their mini meatloaf muffins recipe: (printable version)

MINI MEATLOAF MUFFINS
    Servings & Prep Time

    Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 · serving size: 2 muffins

    Special Features
  • Dairy-free
  • Kosher-style or Kosher Alternative
  • Nut-free
  • Low-Sodium
  • Make ahead/Freezable

My friend, Kirsten Thistle, shared this fun recipe for mini meatloaves. Both of our families gobbled these little cuties right up. One advantage of making the meatloaf in muffin tins is that they cook in half the time of a big meatloaf. Serve it with baked potatoes and steamed green beans with mustard-lemon sauce.

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow or white onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 1-2 carrots, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic, (1 - 2 cloves)
  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs, or use crushed crackers
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

(If you are making baked potatoes in the oven, start them first.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, carrots, oregano and garlic for 3 - 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove them from the heat and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then add the onion and carrot mixture, and stir thoroughly.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon the meat mixture into the individual cups, dividing evenly (each mini meatloaf should completely fill a muffin cup). Bake the meatloaf muffins for 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the green beans, if you are serving them.) Remove them from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes before serving, or refrigerate them for up to 2 days before reheating and serving.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Serve the meatloaf with barbecue sauce.

Tip:

You can make the meatloaf mixture in advance and bake them just before dinner, or bake them up to 2 days in advance, as meatloaf gets even tastier after a day or two.

SERVE WITH BAKED POTATOES & GREEN BEANS WITH MUSTARD LEMON SAUCE

To make baked potatoes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce 3 - 6 russet potatoes in several places. (If you don't have time to bake them, prepare the potatoes in the microwave: Cook them on high for about 10 minutes, flipping them once, until they are tender when pierced with a knife. If they are not done after 10 minutes, keep checking every 2 minutes.) For baking: For a crispier skin, rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt before baking. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake them for 50-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork, turning them once. While the potatoes are cooking, make a sauce with 1 cup low fat or nonfat sour cream or yogurt, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions or chives. Slice the potatoes in half, and serve them topped with a thin layer of butter or margarine and with the sour cream sauce.

To make the green beans, trim 1 lb. of green beans and cut them in half crosswise. Bring 1/2 inch of water to a boil. Add the green beans, cover, reduce the heat and steam them for 6 - 8 minutes until they reach desired tenderness. Drain them, return them to the pot, and stir in 2 tsp. butter or margarine, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, and the juice of 1/4 lemon. Serve immediately.

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