For many reasons, I’m a bit of a  fan  of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. I don’t have a lot of time to watch TV, but I love the stories of breaking old bonds and finding success in life. So many of the contestants have been hit by difficult situations and have turned to food for help. Unfortunately, that action ended up making their lives much more difficult. On the show, it’s wonderful to see each person transform their lives into something much better. Beyond the psychological bonds, often diabetics come off insulin. Heart disease patients come off their medicine. Daily meds no longer plague their lives, and I simply love that part.

Don’t misunderstand me, there are definitely times when medicine is needed. But when that can be avoided by exercise and eating right, why wouldn’t you take advantage of that option?

In one of the seasons, a contestant was at home cooking up what she called “Tara’s Turkey Mini-Meatloaf.” When I heard the ingredients, I thought “that sounds awesome!” I’ve made this recipe for every possible situation. My teenage nephews ate it up like candy–the chipolte sauce might have had something to do with that. I brought it to several holiday parties and served it in bite-sized pieces. I’ve used it as a main dish in a larger loaf. It has great flavor, it’s easy to make, and no one seems to know that it’s also good for them too.

I’ve tweaked the original recipe a bit, and you can do the same to taste. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for Meatloaf:

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 (20-ounce) package lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 egg whites

Glaze:
1/4 cup fat free and sugar free ketchup
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper adobo sauce
Option: 1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the food processor, combine onion, carrots, and celery. Pulse until finely chopped (Option: for a chunkier meatloaf, don’t chop as fine). Add chipotle peppers and pulse until just combined. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey with the pepper and vegetable mixture. Add egg whites and oats and gently mix until combined.

For muffin-sized option: Place about 1/3 cup of the prepared meatloaf mixture into 9 wells of a standard-size muffin pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Remove meat loaves from oven and spoon the topping over each meatloaf. Return meatloaf to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until meatloaf is firm and the internal temperature registers 170°F. Let meatloaf stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 9 mini loaves.

Option: For one meatloaf, place the entire mixture into standard meatloaf pan and cook until done.

Another option I use is a mini muffin pan. I use this option for parties and bring toothpicks to be able to grasp the smaller meatballs individually.

Nutritional Information per Serving for muffin pan size:
Calories: 110
Protein: 16 g
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 25 mg
Sodium: 180 mg
Saturated Fat: 0
Fiber: Less than 1 gram