My Big Fat Greek Meatloaf!

Hello all. Well, first I think I should acknowledge this glorious weather we are having. Eighty degrees is crazy! The sun is shining, the skies are clear, women have dug out their summer dresses from the depths of their closets and I have finally stripped the Bundle Me from my baby's stroller-he deserves to get some sun too! (For those without babies, see image below). While we are anticipating a few rainy days (maybe even later tonight) this weekend is supposed to give us some more stellar weather. Looking forward.

JJ Cole Bundle Me via Google Images

I am getting ready for a spin class tonight at The Studio (stay tuned for my review later this week) and so I decided to be efficient and cook dinner beforehand. I must preface this with the fact that I am one of those people who learned how to boil an egg.... last year from ...wait for it.....the internet! Yes, I was that useless in the kitchen. Thankfully, "how to boil an egg" brings up many many web entries and even a  few YouTube videos with step-by-step direction for those of us more visually-inclined!

Since having a child I have felt the need to improve my culinary skills, not just because I myself want to eat healthier but also because I want to instill healthy eating habits in my own child. I have experimented with various types of fish, dozens of vegetables and have even discovered my love for baking pies! On the menu today is a favorite of my husband and myself:  Greek Meatloaf. Disclaimer: I did obtain this recipe from the food.com website but have made some tweaks!

Recipe:

Ingredients:
1. 2 lbs ground beef
2. 1 small can of tomato paste
3. 2 tablespoons of oregano
4. 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
8. 2 eggs
9. 1/2 cup of crushed crackers (I used Carr's table water crackers)
9. Feta cheese (although today I used shredded mozzarella instead because I was out of feta but feta is definitely more Greek!)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix ground beef, spices and tomato paste in a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate mixing bowl whisk the eggs and add the shredded crackers. Mix this into the beef mixture.
4. If using feta, mix this into the beef mixture and press into a baking pan
   (If using shredded mozzarella, as I did in copious quantity,as can be witnessed in the image below, then place the mixture into a baking pan and spread a layer of shredded cheese on the top based on how cheesy you want it to be).
5. Bake for 30 minutes, drain the oil, and then bake for another 15 minutes.

Final outcome (my version)

I took a few bites before heading out to spin class and it was de-lish! Enjoy!