Back in the Swing of Living and Eating Healthy!

I must admit that returning to a healthy lifestyle is a good thing, but it definitely takes more effort to get me in the mood to workout right now. I guess that's a downfall of Jesse and I having our birthdays exactly two weeks apart as well as having Easter the following week this year.

Fortunately for Jesse and I, I'm tired of looking in the mirror in disgust and want to do something about it. Granted I have lost a nice chunk of weight, but I know I won't be satisfied until I'm near my goal weight from my earlier years. So with that in mind, I think Jesse is about ready to strangle me at night when I want to work out at 10 pm, if we hadn't worked out earlier. We both agree that it's a good habit to have and we both feel better after we get the workout over.

I can happily say that since Easter Sunday, we've run on the Mississippi River levee, Jesse has gone to Zumba while I was working out at Snap Fitness, and we've been to the gym together with plans for a workout for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning before getting ready to go to an evening wedding.

On Monday night, Jesse and I cooked up some salmon burgers we bought on our trip to Trader Joe's in Houston. Sadly, at the age of 28, it was the first time I had tasted salmon. I actually enjoyed the salmon and didn't find it too fishy. I tend to like fish either thinly sliced and/or fried to cover the fishy taste that some can have. I'm one of those picky eaters that finds thick cuts of fish ruin the flavor. I also cooked up some turkey sausage and hot dogs for an easy grab-on-the-go breakfast.

We recently tried a recipe I found for Taco Meatloaf. Growing up, I loved tacos and liked meatloaf, but when I saw this recipe, I loved the concept. However I was unsure of how the flavors would mix together. Boy, let me tell you, this was delicious!! The flavors from the beef, taco seasoning, salsa, and ketchup all coming together just blended perfectly. It might seem like a stretch when you read those ingredients, but I'll just say to try it and you'll be adding it to your favorites when you finish.

Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf (100% Beef)
Makes 8 servings of meatloaf

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

348g Calories, 16g Fat, 126mg Cholesterol, 861mg Sodium, 16mg Potassium, 23g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 16g Sugars, 29g Protein, 6.2% Vitamin A, 1.5% Vitamin C, 10.5% Calcium, 11% Iron

Ingredients:

2 lb. Lean Ground Beef 93/7

1 cup Salsa

2 Eggs

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 envelope Taco Seasoning

1 cup Partially Crushed Tortilla Chips

1 cup Ketchup

3 Tsp. Hot Sauce

4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Steps to cook:

1. Mix together ground beef, salsa, eggs, shredded cheese, taco seasoning, partially crushed tortilla chips.

2. Form a loaf-type block of the mixture.

3. Place foil in the bottom of a slow cooker with foil folding over the edges of the pot. Place the meat mixture loaf in the middle of the foil.

4. Cover the pot and cook on high for 3 hours.

5. Mix together ketchup, hot sauce, and brown sugar.

6. Spread the mixture over the top of the meatloaf and cover.

7. Cook for 1 hour on high.

8. Let stand and serve.