Apple Turkey Meatloaf with Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

This may be the best turkey muffin/mini meatloaf I've ever made. So moist and perfectly flavored. This recipe is perfect for the fall! You can easily make this into one large meatloaf and cook it longer, but they are so cute when they are baked in muffin tins. I HIGHLY recommend you serve this with a side of maple roasted butternut squash. Fall food party in your mouth!

                   

Apple Turkey Muffins

Ingredients:

- 1 lb lean ground turkey breast
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped (I used my Ninja)
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure it is mixed really well!
3. Spray a muffin tin (mine had 6 cups) with cooking spray. Evenly divide the turkey mixture into the muffin tins.
4. Bake for 25 minutes and serve!

Nutrition information for 1 turkey muffin: 149 calories, 6 grams fat,  8.5 grams carbohydrates, 15.6 grams protein

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredient:

- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
- Cinnamon
- Sugar free syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cover a baking pan with tin foil and coat with cooking spray. Spray with  butternut squash with cooking spray and toss in a large bowl with cinnamon (I use a lot!).
2. Baked for about 30-35 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and drizzle with a sugar free syrup. Toss to coat.

               

Tomato Orange Swai

This is a simple recipe that is packed with flavor. You can use almost any white fish for this dish. Comes together really quickly for an easy, healthy, and delicious meal!

Tomato Orange Swai

1 (4 oz) Swai filet
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 large orange (2 large wedges), chopped
1 teaspoon orange zest
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Ginger
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the onion and cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes).
2. Add the tomatoes, oranges, orange zest, salt, pepper, and ginger. Add spices to taste; I used a dash each of salt and pepper and a few dashes of the ginger. Cook together for about 10 minutes.
3. Season the swai with salt and pepper. Add to the pan with the sauce and cook until the fish is cooked through (it will flake easily with a fork).

Pumpkin Mozzarella Turkey Burgers

This are great for a healthy, quick, delicious meal. I used pumpkin to make the turkey burgers more moist, and used oatmeal as a healthy replacement for breadcrumb. I love mixing my cheese in with the other ingredients. It ensures that each bite is full of cheesy goodness. If you are dairy-free, my favorite vegan cheese is Daiya Mozzarella. It melts really well and tastes delicious! These are great served alongside some sweet potato fries!

Pumpkin Mozzarella Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lbs lean ground turkey breast (I used 99%, but 93% is fine too)
3 tablespoon egg whites (or one egg)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in one large bowl. Mix together well.
2. Preheat grill (I use my George Foreman). Form into 6 equal size patties (or 4 if you want a larger burger).
3. Grill until no longer pink (mine took about 7-8 minutes).
4. Eat!

Ginger Plum Chicken

These flavors are so refreshing and different. I love cooking chicken in a pan sauce because not only is it quick, but it also keeps the chicken moist. I used lemon plums for this recipe (I never knew they existed until I saw them in my grocery store today) so that is why they aren't purple! Of course, regular plums would work perfectly. I served my chicken over roasted paprika butternut squash sauteed with mushrooms, zucchini, nutritional yeast, spices, and a few splashes of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (similar to soy sauce). This was a delicious and healthy meal!

Ginger Plum Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 (4-ounce) thin sliced chicken breasts
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper
1 medium plum, thinly sliced
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth

Directions:

1. Heat a non stick pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub the chicken evenly with the ginger on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add chicken to the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 3-4 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken). Remove from heat.
3. Coat the pan with cooking spray and lower heat slightly. Add the plum slices and saute until soft (about 8-10 minutes). Add the vegetable (or chicken) broth. Cook until the broth starts to bubble and reduce (about 3-4 minutes). Add chicken back to the pan and coat in the sauce.
4. Remove from heat and serve!

Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Creamy Boca Sauce!

This is one of the most fabulous comfort food-type dinners I've made in a while! This is really something you HAVE to try. I based my recipe off of this recipe by Emily Malone. Her recipe calls for mushrooms as the bulky base of the sauce, but I already had mushrooms at lunch . . . SO I replaced the mushrooms with Boca Crumbles, left out the non-dairy creamer (partially because I didn't have any) and ended up with a savory, creamy, cheesy, stick-to-your-guts sauce. Plus, I accomplished my goal of adding a "meaty" protein to round out the meal. I really liked Emily's technique for cooking the spaghetti squash; instead of scooping out the gooey seeds and membrane AFTER baking it in the oven, she cuts it open BEFORE, scoops it out, and rubs the insides with chopped garlic and a little olive oil. So I prepared mine just like that for a little over an hour and it came out perfect. While that was in the oven, I sauteed some garlic and onion in a pan with non-stick spray. I added my Boca Crumbles, cooked it for a few minutes, then poured in about 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk. I let that cook down and thicken up a little, then I added about 1 1/2 T nutritional yeast :). I added a little more almond milk (about another 1/4 cup)and 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch that I previously mixed with some water (DO NOT add the cornstarch directly to the sauce). Finally, I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper- that's it!! I must say- I never got why nutritional yeast was described as "cheesey", and now I definitely do. This sauce is the reason I will definitely be incorporating it in future recipes.