A slushie and muffin of a different variety

Yesterday morning we woke up to five inches of slushy snow.  Sure, it made our backyard look like a winter wonderland, but it also made for an awkward running session.  Have you ever run in thick slush?  No, of course not, because who would choose to do that? 

It was like having snow cones in my shoes.  Blech. 

I should note that I am training for a half marathon this spring, and I really hate running on the treadmill.  Bring in on, soggy socks.  I also knew that should I slog it out outdoors I would reward myself with a great dinner of meatloaf & mashed potato "muffins."

I wish I could take credit for this concept, but I've seen it on a few different websites now.  Easy to prepare, and the leftovers are a snap to pack away for later.

Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup dry oats
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup chili sauce
Pinch of salt and pepper

Mashed Potatoes
3 large potatoes (we're talking much  bigger than the palm of your hand- I like Yukon golds), peeled and cut into quarters
4 oz Neufchatel/reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp garlic-from-a-jar

Fill large stockpot filled half-full (not half-empty, har har) with water and bring to a boil.  Add your potatoes. 

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray either a regular 12-cup muffin pan or jumbo 6-cup pan with some nonstick cooking spray.  Using your hands, mash up all the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  Divide meat mix into your muffin tin, but be sure to not fill it all the way full.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165 (cook time is longer for bigger "muffins" so be warned). 

Now go check your taters and make sure they're cooked until tender.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  Add block of cream cheese, yogurt, and garlic.  I used a potato masher, but you could certainly use a stand mixer to blend until creamy.  You may want to add the milk, but be careful to not add too much- you want a pipe-able consistency.  Add salt to taste.

When your meatloaf muffins are done you can pipe the potatoes on top pretty much right away.  Once I was done, I returned them to the oven for a few minutes so that the potatoes could heat up again.  I sprinkled some chives on top for added decoration.  Serve with chili sauce. 

These are seriously cute.  Maybe I should've saved them for April Fool's Day and passed them around as carrot muffins with cream cheese frosting.  Shhh- don't let anybody onto this evil plan.  But really- no one would be that disappointed 'cause these are super delicious.

Per muffin: 300 calories, 31 g carbs, 10 g fat, 22 g protein