BBQ Meatloaf Minis

I know, I am behind on giving you a recipe.  Of course, the trouble was that I have not been cooking very much during the summer.  We grill out a lot and so I can be very, very lazy.

I did see this recipe in the April/May 2013 issue of Taste of Home magazine and I tried it.  It has two elements that appeal to me.  The first is that it is incredibly easy.  The second, which is really important for us, is that it is easy to get the right serving size.  

BBQ Meatloaf Minis

6 oz. pkg Stuffing Mix

1 cup  water

2 Tbsp. Hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce

1 lb. of ground beef

Combine ingredients and put the mixture in (are you ready?) a muffin tin!  Yes, a muffin tin.  Now - here is my first suggestion.  They say to put the mixture in an ungreased muffin tin.  I think that it depends on what ground beef you use.  I, of course, did not read carefully enough the first time through and I sprayed Pam over the entire muffin tin.  I think that if you use less than 90 % ground beef that you don't need to spray but with my 90%, the minis would have stuck to the pan.  Also, you could use ground turkey and then I would also spray the muffin tin.  

Okay, I forgot to take a pic so here
 are muffins in a muffin tin

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes (meat thermometer at 160 degrees).  Then take them out and cover each section with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake 2-4 minutes longer to melt the cheese.  

Serve with additional barbecue sauce.  

So, the next change is that I somehow did not have any shredded cheese.  I just took 3 slices of sharp cheddar cheese and divided each piece into 4 pieces and put one piece on each section.  An easy substitution would be to use fat free cheese.  I used a serving spoon to get each meatload mini out of the muffin tin.  

About the additional barbecue sauce, Silent Sam and I agreed that the sauce overwhelms the mini meat loafs. We thought it was fine without it.  

I was ready for SS to turn up his nose at this recipe but he didn't. We both liked it.  The stuffing mix adds enough of an herbal taste that makes it interesting.  I might fool around a little with the barbecue sauce at the beginning.  I might at 3 tablespoons just to see what happens.  You do not taste the barbecue sauce in the end product with 2 tablespoons.  

The best thing is also that the serving size is so easy.  The serving size is 2 "muffins".  With a salad and vegetable, it is plenty.  

Per serving (with recipe as written) 330 calories, 17 g fat (7 g sat. fat) 67 mg chol. 668 mg sodium, 21 g. carb., 1 g fiber, 21 g. protein. ( I think that if you changed the ground beef and cheese, you could save calories and carbohydrates) 

I hope you like it!

Thanks for reading!

Of Great Size

A mighty tree

It seems that writers are generally worried about not having anything to write about or suffering from “writer’s block”. I understand this as there are times I am not sure what I am going to write about here. In order to combat this problem, writers like to give out “prompts”.  A prompt is generally one word that should inspire you to create. 

Wordsmith Studio (www.wordsmithstudio.org), the group I belong to, gives out a prompt each week. With this prompt, you can respond in a way that is appropriate for you.  I have usually taken photographs (www.carolearlycooney.wordpress.com ) but this week, instead of posting the recipe that I was going to post (You thought I forgot about trying and sharing new recipes didn’t you?) I am inspired to use the word when writing to you. 

Since entering this diabetes community, I have been amazed by all of you. First of all, the sheer number of people with diabetes and the amount of information that is available but more than that, how nice a group of people I have been able to meet. 

Yes, the diabetes community is mighty. 

might•y (ˈmaɪ ti)

adj. might•i•er, might•i•est,

adv., n. adj.

1. having, characterized by, or showing superior power or strength: mighty rulers.

2. of great size; huge: a mighty oak.

3. great in amount, extent, degree, or importance; exceptional: a mighty accomplishment.

adv.

4. Informal. very; extremely: I'm mighty pleased.

n.

5. the mighty, mighty persons collectively.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Yes, that is the word prompt and can you see why I thought if it in relation to the diabetes community? 

We are a mighty force that can make a difference for generations in the future. We can be a mighty push for research. As with any mighty force, it just takes a small step from each part.

What will be your small step?

Each petal adds to the beauty
Each person doing just a little helps

Thanks for reading.

Exercise in hot weather

Here in the Midwest, today it is a hot and humid day.  This morning on the weather they were talking about it being 100 degrees with the heat index.

Usually we think of exercising outside during the summer months.  Who doesn't want to be outside and enjoy the sun and warmth while we can?  I don't.  I really hate sweating.  I really do.  I find nothing redeeming about it.  I try and convince myself that it is good for me and that I am flushing out toxins. (I don't know if this is true but I am going with it.)

But days like today and days with ozone warnings are not really good days to exercise outside.  So what alternatives do you have?  Well, actually swimming is one exercise that you could be doing outside on a day like today.  Either a swimming pool or body of water can be good on days like today.  I would caution you that if you are not used to swimming in a body of water (lake, river, ocean) that it is not like swimming in a pool and it is much harder.  So if it is your first time trying to swim for exercise in a body of water, make sure you allow yourself to get a feel for what it is like before you go tearing off.  (you want to make sure you have the energy to return!)

But what about moving inside?  Well, you can go to a gym or park district and perhaps they have equipment there or even a class that you could take.  I think that you will find most of those places air conditioned and exercising will be comfortable.



It is important to remember to keep drinking water while you exercise even if you are inside.  Your body needs lots of fluids in weather like this.  Keep that water flowing.

Now, what if you don't have a pool, lake, gym, or park district to go to to exercise?  I suggest that you go to your living room.  You have a few options there.  Turn on the TV and start running in place through your show.  When it goes to commercial, take a break and then start up again when the show starts.  If you do that through a half hour show, you have 20 minutes of exercise done.  WAHOO! Does running in place not sound like fun through a whole show?  So run in place part, do jumping jacks through part, and then run in place again.  Just keep moving during the show.

Instead of turning on the TV, use that Wii that is sitting on the floor.  There are fun games on there (bowling, golf) that you can play to get some exercise.  There are even exercise games that you can buy specifically for the Wii.  No one is watching to see how well you do and you might find it is fun.

Or crank up the music and dance.  Yes, I mean that.  Dance.  Shake it and rock it.  Laugh at your self.  Impress your imaginary audience with your moves.  Dance to several songs and you will know that you have gotten some exercise.  Do that for 20 minutes and you will feel it.




Try to get your heart beating a bit faster this summer.  I know it is hard to convince yourself to go out in this weather.  Don't get off track just try something new.
 
Thanks for reading!

SGLT-2 Inhibitors

This is just a quick note about a new class of drugs that have been approved for use with Type 2 diabetes.  The class is called SGLT-2 inhibitors.  In the United States the drug is named Invokana.

I don't normally talk about new drugs but I was reading about it (and you can read about it here) and found this YouTube video, which is a bit amusing.  

By the way, it is also being studied for those with Type 1 diabetes although not approved for use yet.

Have a terrific 4th of July.  Be safe!

Thanks for reading!