Smoky Chicken and Veggie Meatloaf and Food for Thought

Smoky Chicken and Veggie Meatloaf

Mama Pirri gave us one of those "Perfect Meatloaf" pans for Christmas.  I was dying to try it.  Let me tell you; that pan really works!  Look at this beautiful meatloaf.

What's better than a chicken meatloaf?  This one economical, too.  You can make this meal with side dishes for less than $10.00 (depending on where you shop).  A pound of ground chicken here in Florida (and that's all that I used) is about $3.59.   I stretched the meal and added healthy goodness to it by shredding up zucchini, yellow squash, and carrot. 

Add a little of that veggie mixture to frozen corn and you bump up the fiber content.  You can have your corn and eat it, too.  

Don't forget, mashed potatoes do  not have to be fattening.  Lots of ways to make them lighter, like adding in fat free sour cream or skim milk.  Potatoes are high in potassium. 

Repeat after me... "Everything in moderation.  Everything in moderation."  ;.)

Smoky Chicken and Veggie Meatloaf

1 pound Ground Chicken
2 cups shredded Vegetables (Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Carrot)
1 tablespoon grated white Onion
1/2 tablespoon Garlic Salt 
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Heinz 57 ® Steak Sauce*
1 large Egg, beaten
1/2 cup dry Italian Breadcrumbs

For the Glaze:
3 tablespoons Ketchup
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all ingredients for meatloaf well and form into loaf in loaf pan.

Mix together ketchup and smoked paprika.  Top meatloaf with glaze mixture. 

Spread evenly over top of loaf.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

There is the recipe, but I also promised that I would be "feeding" you some free motivational tips or helpful hints this year.  Tonight is about "helpful," so here we go.

If you are having trouble communicating with others, maybe it's the way YOU are communicating.  Little things like not using the word but after a compliment can make a big difference. 

"I see you made the change we talked about BUT..."  All the other person is going to hear is the negative that comes after.  If you have to use a connector, replace but with AND...  "I see you made the change we talked about AND, here is something else to consider." 

Also, embarrassing phrases such as "Why did you do that?" can put another person on the defensive.  If you really need to know the source of the information, try saying "I would like to know the source of that information so I can find out more about the details."  Otherwise, it just sounds like you are saying "What idiot gave you wrong information?" 

Maybe you really feel that way, but you don't want to make the situation worse.  Most times when we say things such as "Who told you that?"  It's because we don't know what questions we should ask to clarify so we come out with a knee-jerk reaction.

It's not always about having the right answer.  It's knowing what questions to ask.

A little food for thought...

*No product was supplied to blogger and not an endorsement.