Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook Review: Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies

In an effort to start eating lighter and healthier, I bought the new cookbook Cook Yourself Thin. I kept hearing good things about this book and it was only about fourteen dollars, so I decided to give it a shot. The book's recipes are prefaced by information on eating lighter, eating habits, calorie contents and other "dieting" information. This portion is good for someone who wants/needs to educate themselves on eating lighter. It is good at helping you uncover your eating habits, both good and bad.

The recipes are broken down into three categories: Breakfasts, Mains, and Sweets. There are many beautifully plated pictures in this book, but not of every recipe. I was impressed that the recipes actually included whole foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lean meats) in lieu of non-fat, no-fat, sugar-free nonsense. The only substitutions you will see in this book are for low-fat cheeses, which is perfectly fine with me.

I bookmarked over twenty-five recipes to try and decided to start with these mini turkey meatloaves with roasted veggies. My husband and I love meatloaf, so I doubled the recipe. I was lucky enough to have found ground turkey breast on sale for $1.99/lb, so it was also very economical. Let me go ahead and say that this recipe blew me away! It was so good, especially considering the calorie content. I would eat this meal any day of the week, whether or not I was watching the waistline. This is definitely a five-star recipe, especially if you love meat and potatoes.

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies -adapted from Cook Yourself Thin
Serves 4, but can easily be doubled
Calories per serving- meatloaves - 227
Calories per serving - roasted root veggies - 121

For the meatloaf:
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
5-ounce bag baby spinach leaves *don't omit - this is what keeps the turkey moist*
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey *I used ground turkey breast with awesome results*
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (omitted due to picky hubby)
Note: I added a couple cloves of sauteed garlic

For the glaze:
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the roasted root veggies:
3 large carrots, cut on the bias
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut on the bias
1/4 cup asparagus (about 4 stalks) * I subbed out sugar snap peas (picky hubby again)*
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange oven racks to accommodate two dishes being cooked simultaneously. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet, preferable nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted about 30 seconds(This is where I added in my garlic and sauteed briefly). Transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Combine the mixture with your hands until well mixed; it will be quite wet. (It was quite wet, but turned out just fine).

Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup, invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the moundn to smooth its shape. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake mini meatloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes
Note: If you are not opposed to foil, you may want to line your baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup. My baking sheets were very hard to clean after this recipe.

While the meatloaves are cooking, make the glaze: in a small bowl combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Brush over meatloaves as soon as complete.

To makes the roasted root vegetables: On a baking sheet, toss all the veggies in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven along with the meatloaf and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring midway through baking. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Notes/Results: I was extremely happy with this recipe. The only complaint I have about the book is that I wish it listed all the nutritional information for each recipe. Instead, it only lists the calorie contents. It would be nice to have protein and carb counts. At any rate, I highly recommend this recipe. The glaze for the meatloaf is zippy, tangy and slightly spicy and pairs great with the meatloaf and the veggies. I was a little worried about roasting sugar snap peas, but they turned out fine. This is very pretty on the plate and I felt great about eating it, especially since the whole meal was less than 400 calories. Since I doubled the recipe, I took some to my mom and she loved it. She was even more surprised to find it was so low in calories. I plated up the rest to have as leftovers and they were gobbled up in no time. Don't be afraid to use ground turkey breast instead of plain ground turkey, the end result was excellent and probably even lower in calories!! Can you tell I'm excited?? I can't wait to cook up the next recipe.

Stay tuned for more recipes from Cooking Yourself Thin. Next up will be Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (200 calories each) and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (456 calories for 3 enchiladas)!!