Meatloaf

My journey with food is one huge journey of substitution.  There is a HUGE list of things I cannot eat.  It seems longer than the list of ok food, although it really has more to do with the fact that it is the family style, country, comfort foods that I can't have.  Since these foods made up a large part of my life, it feels like I can't eat hardly anything anymore.  And that is where the substitution comes in, because in reality, there are a lot of foods I can eat.  I'm just not used to them or used to eating them.  So, on a daily basis, I am looking for ways to substitute what I once enjoyed with foods that settle and do not cause issues for me and still taste good.  I often do this with our evening meal, when I have the luxury of taking the time to cook.  I prefer not to make two meals, one for the rest of the family and one for me, though more often than not, that is what happens.  Once in a while, I will stumble across something that I can more easily substitute out that the whole family enjoys.  This meatloaf recipe is one of those in which I had an easier time swapping out ingredients AND it was approved by the family :)  In the original recipe it calls for ketchup and onion soup mix.  I have made it like that for years.  However, I am finding that the ingredients in ketchup do not always settle with me.  And, upon reading the ingredients in the onion soup mix, I quickly realized it is not beneficial for me either.  So, instead of ketchup, I have substituted out plain tomatoe juice and in place of the onion soup mix, I have simply put my own seasonings.

Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried onion flakes
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2- 5.5 oz cans of tomato juice

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, reserving 1 of the cans of tomato juice.  Mix together until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Shape into a rectangular loaf shape and place in a crockpot.  Pour the remaining can of tomato juice over the entire loaf.   Cook on medium heat for approximately 4-6 hours depending on how hot your crockpot cooks.  Enjoy!


A few notes:
I mix my ingredients together with my hands.  I find it more affective than using a spoon.  Also, another yummy add in would be a cup of shredded carrots.  Great way to get one more veggie incorporated :)  And last but not least, not everyone can eat beef.  I have not tried this yet, but I would venture a guess that using ground turkey would work just as well.  It tends to be a little drier as it doesn't contain the same amount of fat content as the beef, but you may be able to compensate for that by adding in an additional egg.  If you try this, let me know how it goes!  Bon Appetit!