Here’s a new take on a classic family favorite recipe, meatloaf.  I’ve replaced the red meat (generally beef or a combination of beef, pork and lamb) with leaner ground chicken.  Further, this version of meatloaf features whole grain breadcrumbs and oatmeal, yes oatmeal, to bind the meatloaf together.

It is merely the third day of 2011 and I venture to guess that some New Year’s resolutions have already been broken.  But fear not!  Just because resolutions, especially those related to healthy eating, generally are broken in short order, I have something positive to share with you for the start of 2011.

I love to cook foods when they are in season, but for us in Ohio, fresh produce is hard to come by this time of year.  In fact, unless it is grown in a greenhouse, there is virtually nothing fresh and locally grown in our produce department at the store.

Here’s a second recipe to use those frozen turkey leftovers that is far from traditional leftovers, turkey lettuce wraps. The recipe below uses leaf or Boston lettuce leaves to wrap the tasty filling, but we often use tortillas or Moo Shu wrappers for R, as he is not big into lettuce.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, minced
4 ounces shiitake mushroom, minced
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cups shredded turkey
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 teaspoon salt

I remember one year I made the unintended, but fateful decision to make a roasted chicken for dinner mere days before Thanksgiving. SPH and I were just married, and the cooler November Virginia weather inspired a desire to roast a chicken. We weren’t hosting Thanksgiving that year, and whether it be due to a stressful work schedule at the time or just a “oops” moment in menu planning, I served a roast chicken on the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

A while back I had started every Monday with a health tip, whether it be a new exercise move, nutrition tip, health quote, or anything else that I thought might make healthy living a little easier for all you readers.

I haven't posted a health tip in a while, but I thought, with the holidays approaching and everyone's schedules getting busier and busier by the day, it might be a good time to bring Monday's health tip back.

So here we are. And you'll probably find today's health tip relates to this time of year because it has to do with your diet.

People ask me from time to time if we’re still eating solely vegetarian after our spring experiment in vegetarianism. Well, yes, about 90% of the time. But truth be told we are not strictly vegetarian, but even my formerly very carnivorous husband regularly orders veggie or black bean burgers over a traditional hamburger and we eat much, much less meat.

My weekday morning mantra?: “Get as much food into my boy as possible.” Since I am never sure if my first grader R will eat a fair amount or a pittance at lunch, I feel this deep need to fill him with as much nutrition before he leaves for the bus each morning. Without going into the minutia of our morning routine, suffice it to say that we have to wake up early and don’t have tons of time before it’s time for R to catch the bus.

I’ve read the reports, stories and other information that tell me that high fructose corn syrup is not that different than sugar, but for some reason, I have this thing against it. I know I am not alone, since lots and lots of companies, in response to consumer reaction, are eschewing this cheaper alternative to sugar, and reverting their ingredient list back to good old fashioned sugar cane.

Last week I shared my recipe for homemade pesto. Pesto is an instant flavor enhancer for many different types of dishes, and recently I tried it over some tortellini.

Delicious!

I added the vegetables I had on hand in the refrigerator and the result was a quick, easy and tasty lunch that was a snap to prepare.

Although the base of this recipe is best kept the same: tortellini, tossed with a tablespoon of pesto and olive oil, you can alter the vegetables and cheese to your heart’s content.

Tortellini with Spinach, Broccoli, Peppers and Pesto