Beef. It's What's for Dinner

Dinner time was a smashing success this evening! Landon rarely eats meat and when he does it is usually just a few bites. This evening I made meatloaf and Landon went back for seconds and thirds! He gobbled every last bite down. I'm not a meatloaf fan unless it is Paula Deen's bacon cheeseburger meatloaf. In fact, I'm not a big fan of anything other than chicken, but I made it in hopes that Landon would like it. I found this amazing cookbook at the library called "The Milk-free Kitchen" and it is filled with hundreds of recipes that I am dying to try. The meatloaf was one of them. It was so simple to make and such a big hit with Landon that I thought I'd share it with everyone in case you are needing some ideas. The meatloaf consisted of:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (I omitted this part)
• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I substituted ground turkey)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 slices uncooked bacon (I used turkey bacon)

Mix the rolled oats, salt, pepper, and onion together. Add the ground beef and mix lightly. Spread the meat mixture into a 5 by 9 inch loaf pan and then top it with the ketchup and bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. I added 1/2 cup of carrot puree to the meatloaf mixture as well. I also paired it with Landon's favorite side dish- chicken rice-a-roni with broccoli and carrots. 

Landon loves tuna fish so tomorrow night I am going to try making the tuna fish casserole that is in the cookbook. We'll see how it goes. 

I made rice krispie treats for dessert, but Landon refused to try them. I made them with his vegan butter and it didn't alter the taste at all. I know he would like them if he tried them, but he won't even try them. Kellogg's cereal was BOGO this week at the store and when you purchased two boxes of cereal you received a free Kellogg's reusable shopping bag. Landon picked out the Tony the Tiger bag and I purchased Fruit Loops along with the Rice Krispies thinking that Landon would like those. Apparently, Landon hates Fruit Loops. I'm beginning to think that he is not my child! To this day I can eat an entire box of Fruit Loops in just a few days time. Add in the fact that Landon hates rice krispie treats and pop tarts and I am beginning to wonder where he came from!