Buffalo chicken meatloaf

Let me start out with saying I swore Blockette was going to turn her nose up at this. After the first bite she exclaimed, "Mommy, you gotta make this again!" That kid, she's always full of surprises. I didn't even have to pull out the big guns and tell her this was something they eat on The Biggest Loser. Boy does she love that show. It's a great bribe. I can't count how many times I've said, "If you don't ____ you wont be able to watch The Biggest Loser." Strangely Mrblocko and I weren't that jazzed about it. The meatloaf was on the soupy side before I put it in the oven. It needed to cook for 45 minutes before the juices ran clear. It hadn't set like a normal meatloaf so I let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto cutting board. It didn't fall apart, but it wasn't dense like a regular meatloaf. I'm guessing it is due to all the veggie add ins.

If Blockette wasn't so over the moon about this meatloaf I probably wouldn't make this again. How can you say no to a healthy meal that a kid wants to eat? She even requested the leftovers the next day.

I think Mrblocko and I will like the meatloaf more if it holds together better. To achieve this I'll use less milk, probably use a 1/3 cup instead of a half cup. I'll also try using only one egg white. If during the assembly process the mixture doesn't seem to hold up as well, then I'll add the second egg white. Both Mrblocko and I thought this meatloaf tasted best right out of the oven, so instead of making it in the normal 9x5 pan, I'll use 2 mini loaf pans. We'll eat one loaf right away and freeze the other one for another meal. This was not a microwave friendly leftover, and not great cold like a normal meatloaf. If I freeze the other half of the meat mixture, we won't have to worry about reheating the leftovers.

As always, Mrblocko smothered his portion with more hot sauce, and a bit of ranch dressing. Blockette and I ate ours without any sauces or dips. Blockette usually has to have some sort of dipping sauce on her plate. She didn't even ask, not even for the leftovers. That speaks volumes on how much she liked this meal.

Buffalo chicken Blue Cheese Meatloaf (from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook)
2/3 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c skim milk
2 1/2 T hot sauce
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 c finely chopped celery
1/4 c shredded carrot
1/4 c finely chopped sweet onion
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
2 oz (1/2 c) reduced fat blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9x5x3 inch pan with cooking spray. Mix oats and milk in a medium bowl. Let stand 3 min, until the oats soften. Stir in hot sauce until mixed well. Add chicken, celery, carrot, onion, egg, and salt. Mix well. Gently add in the blue cheese crumbles. Spread mixture flat into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cut into 8 slices. Serves 4.