Eat your greens.

While continuing to make healthy food choices for me and my family, we've cut out a lot of meat over the past few years. The meat we do consume is 100% organic, grass-fed, hormone free {and it tastes great}, and Ellie is still a vegetarian - so I've gotten it figured out as to how to please everyone. There are a lot of choices for cooking that don't include meat at all, and this one in particular is great. 

When I do make meatloaf, I always use turkey instead of ground beef - but the other night I made a meat-less loaf that I enjoyed 10x more than any loaf I've ever had.

Meat-less Loaf

• 1 package, (5 or 6 oz.) fresh spinach
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup mashed cooked carrots
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce, divided
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper

In a medium pot, bring 1/2 inch of water to a boil. Add the spinach, cover and boil for 5 minutes or until wilted. Drain and squeeze it dry in paper towels - get as much water out as possible. When they're dry, evenly spread them out in a large bowl - this will be your mixing bowl.

With your leaves in the bowl, add the cheese, carrots, bread crumbs, eggs, zucchini, half the tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic & seasonings - mix well.

Once combined, add your mixture to a greased loaf pan, make it even & cover with remaining tomato sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. *Let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.

I served this with some Mediterranean pasta and the flavors work really well together. This would also be great taking the place of 'regular meatloaf' next to some potatoes, couscous, or mixed veggies - and tasted good with a little ketchup or Heinz 57 on the side. Enjoy!