And the Verdict is...

Just checking in this evening to report back on the taste of the sweet potato protein muffins I made yesterday: DELICIOUS! And yes, the all caps are warranted. My favorite bites were the ones with the blueberries in them so when (not if!) I make these again, I'll incorporate more blueberries into the mix instead of just placing them on top of the batter. They made for a satisfying breakfast that kept me full until lunch, despite a busy morning at work. Cannot wait to finish them off for breakfast tomorrow!

I know I said yesterday that I usually keep my culinary experiments to my days off, but there's a reason I said "usually." Tonight, I wanted to make the hubs one his favorite meals: The Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf. The problem for me is that even though her meatloaf is absolutely wonderful, it is full of ingredients that I'm avoiding right now ... like bacon ... and ketchup ... and brown sugar ... and bread. So I experimented with grain-free meatloaf for myself, with a Mexican spin.

Well ... It's not much to look at, but it was tasty. I didn't feel like I was missing much by not being able to partake of the Pioneer Woman's rendition. I topped my meatloaf with salsa and served it with oven roasted brussels sprouts and half an avocado.

In case you'd like to try it on your own, here's the recipe:

• 1 lb 96/4 hamburger meat
• 1/2 C egg white
• 1 - 4 oz. can of diced green chiles
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• Cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Incorporate all ingredients by hand. (I know ... ewwwww!)
3. Pour mixture into a loaf pan, coated in cooking spray, spreading the mixture evenly.
4. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Top with salsa before serving.

This recipe makes 4 servings so I have plenty of leftovers to use for work lunches, too! If you decide to try this, send me some feedback. I'm definitely interested in hearing if you made any alterations and how they turned out!

To finish off my day, I may or may not have run up and down my stairs for 5 minutes straight to reach my daily Move goal on my Apple Watch. I wasn’t going to leave 30 unburned calories on the table when I’m on a 3+ week streak of reaching that daily goal! 

Tomorrow's Friday! Let's close out the first week of 2019 on a high note!