Bison Veggie Meatloaf – Protein Packed Post-Gym Fuel

One Step In My Journey to Health

Two years ago, I realized I was skinny fat – yep, as much as I loved fitting into my “skinny” jeans, something deep down told me I wasn’t healthy. When I hired a personal trainer, he confirmed it – I was the classic definition of skinny fat – a person who may “look” fit and healthy and have a normal BMI yet is overly thin with little muscle development. While the scale may have “told” me I was healthy, I had to realize that my addiction to being a certain weight wasn’t healthy, mentally or physically.

As a health coach, I was shocked to realize this about myself and knew that if I was to be a good coach for others, I needed to keep it real – work on myself first. My journey to add muscle began in the kitchen as I knew the right foods were needed to fuel my body. In my quest for easy, high protein, healthy meals ensued, I found I had a hard time getting a balance of good quality fats, protein and carbs in a single meal without getting bored!

I started to look for clean, healthy sources of protein and found that bison was an excellent addition to my protein sources. As I searched for ways to cook bison, I came across a recipe called Veggie Meatloaf from Whole Foods…that had bison in it. NO idea why it was called Veggie Meatloaf when it had meat in it, but nonetheless, it was worth a shot.

After almost two years of working with my trainer, I have developed stability and endurance through strengthening my ligaments and tendons so they can support increased lean muscle mass. My body has a great foundation to build upon along my journey that is the continuum to be strong and healthy. I have not only learned how to eat to support my physical goals but have learned how to build a strong balanced body to support movements for everyday activities making me functionally strong. Learning to embrace my new body has given me the mental strength I have needed so I can hit the gym without fear or trepidation. I can walk confidently into the gym and know how to handle my body weight and perform the exercises necessary to further my goals.

I have gained almost 20 pounds of lean muscle and no longer fit into my “skinny” jeans but that is OK, empowering really. I am far healthier than I have been in years and my strength is increasing weekly. They say “strong” is the new “IN” look…and while I tend to shy away from trends, this is one I will continue to embrace!

Healthy Bison “Veggie Meatloaf”

Ingredients:
2 onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked quinoa
3 med carrots, shredded
5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons chia seeds or 2 eggs
3 pounds ground bison meat
6 tablespoons Bragg’s amino acids or soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup, I prefer a spicy ketchup with habanero or jalapeños

Instructions:
Prepare the quinoa first so it has time to cool
Saute the onions and garlic so they look translucent then cool
Chop the fresh spinach and shred the carrots

In a large mixing bowl, add the chia seeds with 4 tablespoons of water – let sit for 10 min or until the seeds have become “gel-like”.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well – I have tried using a mixer and found that mixing with your hands works best.

Put mixture in the pans – I use 2 – 6″ by 8″ glass baking dishes for this amount, however, loaf pans would also work.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes – adjust the timing depending on thickness

This recipe makes 8 large portions and will freeze well. I recommend freezing individual pieces as they make a great lunch to take to the office or something easy to pull out of the freezer for dinner when you don’t want to cook but want to eat healthy!

Enjoy !