Meatloaf - Veggie Filled wwpp- varies from how many you make

So I have finally decided to share my meatloaf. I have perfected this so it is really easy to put together quick and get into the oven.

I find in this day and age, that groceries are very highly priced and you must really be creative to use what you have and to stop needless waste.

I buy fresh vegetables when I can, usually a head of cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, onions, green peppers, zucchinis and anything else in season. I use them to roast and have as a side to most meals. Sometimes a fresh salad, sometimes grilled. The one thing they all have in common is that there is always some left over.

Every week or so I try to get my meatloaf on the menu, because it helps with the leftovers that I have hanging out. I go through my produce and pick out what is getting ready to go, and then I take the leftover roasted, and always I add an onion and fresh garlic to it all.

This week I had leftover grilled asparagus and even mushroom. I put it all in a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and soften all the veggies. When softened I puree them with my immersion blender. Not a real pretty site, but pretty tasty in that meatloaf.

I have been doing this for about a year now and I through no produce away, unless it is a peel of some sort.  I find that my kids love it too. I also make them into mini loaves 3"x 2". . I also will if I have plenty left over , freeze a batch for another day.

Meatloaf - Veggie Filled

* wwpp- will vary from how many minis you make. I got 10 nice sized mini loaves and one was plenty for me. I am average about 5 points per mini loaf.

Ingredients:

All leftover veggies, (if you don't have any on hand, then roast up a big pan of veggies (see one of my previous blogs) make sure you include onions and garlic, more flavor the better.

* I put 3 big handfuls of baby spinach in mine.

3 cups of oatmeal (not instant)

1 bottle of any bq sauce you like

2 lbs of ground beef (I used 93%)

Instructions:

1) If your veggies are all collected put into a large soup pot. Cook under tender.

2) When tender, I used my immersion blender to puree the whole thing. (not real pretty)

3) Pour this mix into your ground beef, 1/2 bottle of bq sauce, and 3 cups of oatmeal and mix.

4) On a foil lined and non-stick sprayed pan, mold your mini loaves. ( you can of course split this into two and make just a regular looking meatloaf. Putting one up in freezer for later. I made 10 minis and they never make it to the freezer. )

5) Take what is left of BQ sauce and smooth on top of meatloaf.

6) Put into 350 oven for 1 hour.


For a side, I bought one of the institutional size can of small whole potatoes (I was feeding 6) and tossed them with a bit of melted butter, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Roasted them with while I baked the meatloaf. Just stirring them every once in awhile. They turned out roasted on the outside with a wonderful soft inside.

Just a quick pic...

With any leftover potatoes, you can make home fries. Or save them until after St Patrick Day and mix with leftover corn beef and make some yummy hash.

I have now shared my great meatloaf..teeheee... and if you are good, just don't mention the veggies and no one will know.

I am off for now, I actually published the first 308 pages of my blog into a keepsake book for my kids.
I am so excited with it.

I am in the future thinking about working on a real cookbook. So if it finally gets done and you are interested I will be letting everyone know where they can purchase one.

Today is a beautiful day in Georgia..so get out there, enjoy you day.