Boulder Firefighters Meatloaf

My mom called this morning to ask me about the Fourmile Canyon Fire in Boulder, Colorado. Even though I live 30 miles away from the heart of the fire, it has affected us a bit.

My children?s school is in Boulder County, so they?ve been kept indoors due to the poor air quality for the past couple of days. Also, my friend works for Boulder County?s Office of Emergency Management, so I?ve been taking care of her kids after school while she works a 12+ hour shift. (Yay, two more kids to yell at about getting their homework done. Sigh.)

Last night, in honor of all the people working on the fire, I created this eggless meatloaf recipe. It was such a hit with all four kids that they asked for thirds. Needless to say, there were no leftovers.

Boulder Firefighters Meatloaf

Based on A Firefighter?s Meatloaf at Allrecipes.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 slices whole wheat bread from Rudi?s Organic Bakery in Boulder, Colorado 2 pounds ground venison 1 small onion, choppped 1 cup medium hot, chipotle salsa 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoon barbeque sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Soak the bread in warm water in a small bowl. Place the ground venison meat in a large bowl. Drain bread and add to beef along with green onion, onion, salsa, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Mix by hand until well blended. Form into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Blot excess fat off the pan with paper towels. Glaze the meatloaf with barbeque sauce. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Meatloaf is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. 

This Mama?s tips You can also use ground buffalo, turkey or lean ground beef. If you don?t like the smoky taste of chipotle, use any kind of medium hot salsa. Double the recipe and make two loaves. Freeze the second loaf or use it for sandwiches the next day. Sneak in some grated zucchini for added fiber and greens. Nutritional information Calories 354 Calories from Fat 125 Total Fat 13.9g Saturated Fat 6.2g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 148mg Sodium 521mg Total Carbohydrates 12.5g Dietary Fiber 2.1g Sugars 4.8g Protein 43.0g Iron 33%

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8

How you can help Boulder Fourmile Canyon Fire disaster relief The Red Cross cannot accept small individual donations of items such as clothing. Instead, they ask that you make a monetary donation to the Red Cross?s Mile High Chapter for Disaster Relief. If you?re in Colorado, you can call 211 to identify an appropriate location to take items you?d like to donate.

__________

Photo courtesy of striking-photography.com and thelightningman.com on Flickr.