Quick and Easy Meatloaf Muffins

These easy meatloaf muffins took less time to bake in the oven than the traditional method of baking in a loaf pan or cast iron skillet. I had a kitchen assistant to help me bring this meal together. You may notice a sweet 5 year old in the background. Maggie was very serious and actually, very helpful. She surprised me with all that she could handle.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKE TO MAKE THIS MEAL

• 1.5 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup crushed crackers
• 1 Lipton onion soup mix envelope
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• PAM Professional High Heat cooking spray

PREHEAT OVEN 350F degrees.

Place 12-15 saltine crackers in a one cup food processor and pulse into rough crumbs. Set aside.

It may cost a little more, BUT it's so much better for our health and it's cheaper than heart surgery. I ALWAYS BUY LEAN (93/07) GROUND BEEF. (It makes for an easier clean up later.)

Place the meat, onion soup mix, cracker crumbs, eggs, water and ketchup in a large mixing bowl.

Mix well with hands, but try not to mash the meat together.

VERY IMPORTANT FOR EASY CLEAN UP LATER: Spray the muffin pan with PAM Professional High Heat cooking spray. This stuff is GREAT! I've been using it for over a month now and I can't go back to the regular cooking spray.

Have your kitchen assistant fill each muffin cup with about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture. Do not pack it down, but gently press the top flat.

Add an extra dollop of ketchup to the tops and have your assistant spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.

BAKE for 30-40 minutes, until meatloaf muffins pull away from the sides. While the muffins are baking, you'll have plenty of time to make home cooked mashed potatoes and heat up a can of ready to eat baked beans. Transfer hot meatloaf muffins to a large serving bowl and you're ready to eat!

Monday Night Meatloaf

Monday night dinners are served later than normal around my house these days. My son's karate class is conveniently scheduled at the same time I prepare dinner. Do you have this schedule too?
Eating out is not an option on Mondays, we save that luxury for Friday night, maybe. Eating something quick & cold is not an option, either. My family wants a hot, hardy meal for dinner most of the time. So, what's this Mom to do? Plan & choreograph!

HERE'S HOW I PULLED IT OFF

Meatloaf & karate class both take up one hour. Thirty minutes before we had to leave, I peeled and chopped my potatoes and left them on the stove top in large cooking pot, covered with salted water.

I yelled for the kids to get dressed and find their shoes, then I preheated the oven to 350F degrees.

Using my favorite Lipton Onion Soup, Souperior Meat Loaf recipe, I quickly put all the following together in a large mixing bowl.

I turn the meat mixture into a medium size cast iron skillet and press down evenly into skillet. I add a little extra ketchup to the top, covering evenly. (If you don't have a cast iron skillet, the Lipton box says to use a 13x9-inch baking or roasting pan, and shape into loaf, bake 1 hour.) I will bake this for 50 minutes.

I holler out to the kids to find out if they have their shoes on, then call them into the kitchen for inspection. The four year old will, more than likely, have her shoes on backwards and my son will need help knotting his belt.

Right before we walk out the door, I put the meatloaf skillet into the oven and set it to turn off in 40 minutes. Then we are out of there!

When we arrive back home, I set up the cooking pot full of potatoes to boil and prepare as normal. In 25-30 minutes, we are chowing down. Now, I'll admit that I could have prepared the mashed potatoes BEFORE we left, and had them in a microwave safe bowl for reheating. That would have had us eating as soon as we walked in the door! But honestly, I didn't think of that until just now. I'll do that on the next 'Meatloaf Monday.'

How do you balance cooking dinner for your family when there's other stuff going on? Please share it here, I could use all the help I can get!