June 13, 2020 – Day three brings us to a family favorite classified as comfort food. It’s been raining by the gallons over the last few days with a few more coming before it goes away. A feel-good food felt just right with all of the rain. Kate chose meatloaf with gluten-free breadcrumbs, tater tots, onions, and broccoli.
Tom’s glucose fasting numbers have been on the rise. We are working on reducing the quantity of food ingested in one sitting while providing quality so as not to discourage him. He loves good food. I mean, don’t most of us? We also can’t lose sight of the need to balance enough calories coming in so as not to lose weight. ALS is a big calorie burner. Meals that fit all the needs can be a challenge.
My metabolism is slow, in part due to genetics, in part due to my tender age of 60, and in part due to hypothyroidism. The hypothyroidism is well-controlled, however, it still affects the rate of metabolism, at least for me it does. It’s taking me a whole year to lose 42 pounds and I still have a bunch to go, like 28 more. I exercise hard five days a week and count calories to be sure I am on pace. Tom and I are complete opposites in our caloric needs.
Back to the meatloaf though. This is how Kate made it. The total calories per person are included.
Meatloaf
16 ozs beef – ground sirloin
1/2 cup Ian Gluten Free Bread Crumbs, Italian style, added Italian seasoning
1/4 cup milk
1 medium egg
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
27 tater tots
1 whole, red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cups broccoli
For those who prefer Ketchup, we included 3 tablespoons (1 tablespoon per person) when counting the calories
Calories per person: 686
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put the tater tots on a cookie sheet. Put the pan in the oven to get a head start on the tators while prepping the meatloaf.
Mix the beef with the 1/2 cup of GF bread crumbs, Italian seasoning to taste, 1 egg, 1/4 sharp cheddar cheese. Shape into a loaf. Line the pan with aluminum foil. Place loaf in the pan put it in the oven and cook for 45 minutes
While the meatloaf is cooking chop up the onion. In a frying pan cook the onion with the butter. We use a non-stick pan to reduce the need for gobs of butter.
Broccoli is steamed in a bag that takes 5 minutes in the microwave.
We all agree this is another keeper. Gluten-free foods tend to be dry, like breadcrumbs. We feel the cheese mixed into the meatloaf helped to keep the meat moist.
My total exercise burn between running and yoga was approximately 600 calories. If I was not counting calories I can easily see how I would overeat and why I gained so much weight over the last decade. By counting calories and adding vigorous exercise I have achieved weight loss goals I set each month without severely compromising on the food I eat: winning.
Until the next time!