WE EAT | BBQ Meatloaf Muffins + Roasted Veggies

The best part about having a baby is the food.  Okay.. actually bringing home a newborn is pretty awesome and life changing but when your friends and family are super helpful and make you a yummy meal because your life at the moment has been consumed by diaper changes and newborn baby head smells comes in at a close second.  The last thing you think about or have time for is to turn on the oven or whip out your pots and pans- am I right?

In the weeks following Baker's birth we had a handful of people bring us a meal, and while every single one of them was delicious there was one in particular worth repeating.

Lets be real.  I'm from the South.  My mother is from the South.  I grew up eating Southern Comfort foods - we had a deep fryer in our kitchen and my mom's name is Paula (not joking).  Meatloaf was one of my favorite foods and still is.  My mom's recipe of ground chuck, regular old tomato ketchup, a couple of eggs, and saltine crackers was nothing special but I loved it anyway.

SO- when my sweet friend Andrea brought us this meal I was WAY excited to eat.

We devoured every last bite of it - I hounded her for the recipes as soon as we cleaned up the dinner dishes and here I am sharing them with you.

Probably not the prettiest meal I have ever made, but wow it was good, good, good.  The muffins make it easy for little hands to eat and to manage my portion control.

Well.. sort of.  I just felt like I was being 'good' and only eating one or two on my plate at a time but definitely went back for seconds (and thirds?!!) .. 

I digress.

This recipe makes 24 muffins - and while we probably ate more than half of them between the four of us, I was able to freeze the rest for another meal. 

Also.. I will never make roasted vegetables another way again.  I cant wait to make this with all kinds of root vegetables when the cooler weather is finally here to stay. 

BBQ Meatloaf Muffins 

(makes 24 muffins)

adapted from Rachael Ray 

cooking spray

1.5-2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

1 sweet onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

3 tablespoons milk (I used skim)

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup panko breadcrumbs 

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tomato salsa (I used a roasted tomato salsa)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup smokey barbecue sauce

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preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  spray your muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.  combine ground beef (or turkey), onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl.  In a small bowl whisk egg, milk, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Pour into the meat mixture - add the breadcrumbs and combine with your hands.  In a small bowl combine salsa, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire.  pour half of the sauce mixture into the meatloaf mixture and combine well.  Scoop meat into prepared muffin pan - filling each cup to the brim.  Top each 'muffin' with remaining sauce.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until muffins are cooked through.  

Serve immediately with additional barbecue sauce- yum!

 Roasted Veggies 

adapted from food.com

3 pounds mini gold or red potatoes 

6 cups baby carrots

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

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preheat your oven to 450.  Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour veggies onto a foil-lined pan and arrange into a single even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are soft and potatoes are crispy and fork tender, tossing half way through.