One of my favorite things that my mom used to make for me growing up was meatloaf. I remember helping her make it when I was younger. We'd put all the ingredients in a bowl, then mix it with our hands, shape it into a loaf, and put it in the oven. It was so good. If there was any left over the next day, I'd get to take a meatloaf sandwich with me to school the next day for lunch; I'd always gobble it right down.

Now, I've had other people's meatloaf, at restaurants and stuff, but it is nowhere as good as my mom's. I think most people put way more bread or something in theirs. My mom's was simple:

ground beef (I think 1/2 lb or so. Enough to fill a loaf pan)
four slices of bread soaked with water
two eggs
minced onion (we used the dried kind from a shaker, but fresh is good, too)
garlic powder (or just plain garlic will do, too)

I don't have precise amounts on the spices. We'd just shake it in there however much we wanted.

Then there's the sauce:
ketchup
mustard
mayonnaise
worchestshire sauce
lemon juice
sugar

Put all loaf ingredients in a bowl and mix it with your hands. Because the bread is wet, it sort of falls apart, but it won't be completely uniform, like if you used breadcrumbs. Transfer mixture to loaf pan, shape into loaf. (It's better to use the kind that has the drain rack thing inside, to drain off the grease, but you don't have to. You can even just put it in a regular baking dish.)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

While the loaf is baking, mix up the sauce (don't forget to wash your hands first!) Again, I don't have precise measurements, because it was all to taste. Essentially, your base is the mayonnaise, about 2/3-3/4 cup. You add enough ketchup to get it a light pink color, then add half as much mustard, a few shakes of the worchestershire, a spoonful of lemon juice, and a spoonful of sugar.

When the meatloaf has about ten minutes left to cook, spread half the sauce over the top of the loaf, let cook about minutes until sauce turns bright red. Then put the rest of the sauce on top and let cook for remaining five.

Remove from oven and let cool.
Makes ~8 servings.

The way I low-carbed it was simple. I took out the bread completely and add two more eggs or used LC bread. Up to you. Both taste pretty good.

For the sauce, you can use LC ketchup instead of the real thing. I don't recommend using something other than real worchestershire sauce. Even though it has sugar, it's negligible, and the amount per serving is even less. You CAN however, leave out the spoonful of sugar without replacing it with another sweetener. I find that the sauce doesn't really need the sugar.

However, without real ketchup or sugar, the red color thing doesn't really happen with the sauce when it gets hot. The color does darken, though.

Low-carbed, it's mostly meat with some egg, so the carbs per serving is pretty negligible. And it's sooo yummy. For me, it's the sauce that makes it.

This is one of my favorite LC meat dishes, and it's fairly simple, and it's wonderful leftover right out of the fridge. You can also tweak it to your tastes. Add spices, mix in veggies, anything you want.

Just thought I'd share a family fave.

_____________________________
Started 2/2/04: 153/147/130
5' 3", 24 years old

"Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sounds good, Libby!

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Couch Fauxtato for Life, Redhead until further notice! ~~

Hey libby for a change have you ever tried adding ground pork (sausage) fresh or smoked in as 1/2 of your meat..

i also add fresh garlic some butter and old bay
to a small sauce pan... to let the flavors melt together... befor mixing it in w/ the meat.. i let the butter cool... and add the eggs to butter... distributes flavor even better.. i dont add bread crumbs any more to my Meat loaf... just dont see the need for it.. try adding diced mushrooms
heck i dont even use a tomato base sauce ... the ingrediants you see are about all i use..
and my husband is a pickey meatloaf eater.. first time he ever ate it was MINE... (ate it and liked it)
just some sugestions on things to try for a slight change..
TRUST ME.. no sauce needed.. (my kids like to dip it in ketcup

I LOVE meatloaf! And that sauce sounds killer.

I use either TVP(texturized vegetable protein) or crushed pork rinds in place of the bread. It works great.

I think it's about time to put meatloaf on my menu, thanks for the reminder!

Char

Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it....