Mini Turkey Meat Loaves (5.5 WW/Serving)

Three servings pictured.  One mini loaf= one serving.

This recipe is a good way to revamp meatloaf and add extra nutrition to it.  It is full of ingredients, like most recipes of this sort.  I am a bit of a loaf of meat person.  I think that the terminology isn't particularly appetizing.  But, I love these little loaves because they pack quite the nutrient rich punch.  I devised this recipe based off of two other recipes found in the following books.

At the end of this post I will include some info on why you should be pleased to serve you and yours this dish based on each healthy ingredient.

Mini Turkey Meaf Loaves

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.

1 c. Homemade Sprouted Wheat Bread Crumbs (You can use your own homemade or store bought)

2/3 C Wheat Germ
2 Whisked Eggs
20 oz. 93% Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Stalk Chopped Celery
1 Large Chopped Onion
1 C pureed carrot
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 C Freshly Grated Parmesan

Spices added to your own taste:
Dried Oregano
Dried Thyme
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Salt
Onion Powder
Ground Mustard
Herbes de Provence

Add all the above ingredients in a large bowl.  I use a masher, as pictured below, to help mix it without overmixing.  If you overmix you can change the texture of your meat into something less appealing.  I just lift up and down slowly and fold it all together.  You can go old school and just use your hands, but again, don't overwork the meat.

Form into 14 mini loaves and place on a foil lined baking sheet with sides.  If you want to be even healthier use a broiler pan.

Bake for about an hour or until your meat is browned on the outside and 170 degrees inside.  Make sure to bake thoroughly since you are dealing with poultry (even if it is functioning like ground beef).

My lunch today.  5.5 points all together.

Here are your nutrition fact so you can see what your giving yourself and your family to eat.
Double click each image to open up a window with a legible chart.

Calories and WeightWatchers Point Breakdown:

Calories: 3247
Fat: 141
Fiber: 27

76 Points, 14 Servings
5.5 WW Points per Serving
232 Calories per Serving
After baking each loaf is around 3.5 oz.

And each loaf has lean protein, dairy, vegetables, and whole grains!

Nutrients MATTER!

Sprouted Wheat Breadcrumbs: "Flourless bread is made with grains and legumes that are sprouted before grinding into flour. Sprouted grains have increased vitamin and nutrient content because the seed is first sprouted, making it alive and active in its growth process."

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/701909/health_benefits_of_sprouted_grain_bread.html

Wheat Germ: "Wheat germ is one of the most nutritional products available. In fact, wheat germ contains 23 nutrients, and has more nutrients per ounce than any other vegetable or grain."

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-wheat-germ.htm

Eggs: "Eggs are a good source of low-cost high-quality protein, providing 5.5 grams of protein (11.1% of the daily value for protein) in one egg for a caloric cost of only 68 calories."

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92#healthbenefits

Lean Ground Turkey: "Turkey is a very good source of protein. A four ounce serving provides 65.1% of the daily value for protein, along with 11.9% of the daily value for saturated fat, about half the amount of saturated fat found in red meat."

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=125#healthbenefits

Celery: "Celery leaves has high content of vitamin A, whilst the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty essential amino acids."

http://www.juicing-for-health.com/health-benefits-of-celery.html

Onion: "In animal studies, there is evidence that onion's sulfur compounds may work in an anti-clotting capacity and help prevent the unwanted clumping together of blood platelet cells. There is also evidence showing that sulfur compounds in onion can lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and also improve cell membrane function in red blood cells."

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=45#healthbenefits

 Parmesan: "Parmesan contains 33% protein compared to 20% in lean beef and that animal protein takes 4 hours to digest while the protein in Parmesan takes just 45 minutes. Other benfits to the digestion include Parmesan's ability to promote the development of Bacillus Bifidus, which is useful for the maintenance of a healthy gut, and also the fact that there is no lactose present - good news for the lactose intolerant or those with gastro-intestinal inflammation."

http://www.theparmesancheese.co.uk/eating_nutrition.html

Carrots: "Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. For each 100 gram, the carrot has 7.6 gram of carbohydrate, 0.6 gram of protein, 0.3 gram of fat, 30 milligram of calcium and 0.6 milligram of iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.

Carrot also offers an excellence source of beta-carotene, which is 3.62milligram (equivalent to 1981 international unit for the value of vitamin A) in each 100 gram of carrots. Many studies have shown that carrot provide us the highest amount of beta-carotene among the list of vegetables we always consume everyday.
The best thing of carrot is that it is easily assimilated by our body. Chinese practitioners said that carrot tastes sweet, and it is good for the health of spleen and stomach. It is also believed to improve impotence (lower sexual drive), sexual dysfunction, night blindness, long term cough (or call hundred days cough in Chinese medical prescription) besides strengthening kidney and eliminating excessive wind and cold in our body.
Carrot has proved its outstanding role in anti-cancer effect. The research revealed that people with lack of beta-carotene were more likely to have 2 times higher risk of cancer than normal people. It is wiser to eat an appropriate amount of carrot per day to prevent cancer. This is because beta-carotene in the carrot can be easily changed by our body into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy cell growth, strong immune system and protection against muscular degeneration."
http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-health-benefits-of-carrots/