Day 27 ~ Italian Meatloaf in a (Freezer) Bag

Making meals ahead of time saves time, energy and stress as I discussed on Day 12. This is another meal that I prepared a few weeks ago when I made ten meals for the freezer. This recipe won my families approval so I can now share it with you! :)

In a freezer bag combine: 2 lbs of ground beef (or turkey if you wish), 1/4 cup oatmeal, 2 T. Wildtree* Hearty Spaghetti Blend, 2 T. Wildtree*Rancher Steak Rub, 2 eggs. Now here's the fun part. Squish it all up to distribute the herbs into the meat. Label the bag and store in the freezer. Easy. Gathering supplies (if already on hand) and assembling this meal takes less then 15 minutes. The hard part is remembering ahead of time to take the meatloaf out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. This is where sticky notes on the refrigerator come in handy.

When ready to bake, form into a loaf and bake for 50-55 minutes. Add marinara sauce during last 10-15 minutes of baking.

While baking the meatloaf prepare the "topping" (I did not use the marinara sauce recipe because I know my family and knew that they would prefer ketchup on top of our meatloaf. It's what we're accustomed to.)

Marinara Topping:

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 T. Wildtree Hearty Spaghetti Blend*

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat in sauce pan while meatloaf is baking. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add to the top of meatloaf and continue baking for 10-15 minutes.

I was going to accompany the meatloaf with beets and baked potatoes however my garden potatoes were on the small side so I diced potatoes and topped them with Wildtree* Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil and Wildtree* Rancher Steak Rub. I baked the potatoes for 30-45 minutes.

NOTES:

~ The seasoning was a bit "strong" and the Rancher Steak added a bit too much "salty". I don't use salt much when cooking and this is simply my own preference but next time I will cut back slightly on both seasonings.

~Wildtree products could be substituted by similar brands that you use. If you are interested in Wildtree products you can check out the website HERE. If you are interested in ordering, please contact me.

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