I’ll be totally honest: the idea of meat loaf used to totally gross me out. We just didn’t eat it growing up and I always thought of meat loaf as just that. A loaf of meat. Ew. And then when I was pregnant with my son I saw a commercial that talked about meat loaf and I craved it like crazy. Totally random. So I busted out the The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook we received as a wedding gift and made the Better Than Grandma’s Meat Loaf. It was love at first bite and I’ve been making a version of it ever since.
A few years ago I had the idea to make the meat loaf with ground turkey instead of ground beef. Again, it was love at first bite. Trust me, it’s so flavorful that you won’t miss the beef and, of course, total bonus that it contains less fat. My husband LOVES this recipe and asks for it often. I usually serve it with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable and it’s just about the most delicious meal ever. Enjoy!
The Best Turkey Meat Loaf Recipe
Adapted from recipe in First and Forever Cookbook
Ingredients
2 t Vegetable Oil
1 small Yellow Onion, chopped
1/4 c Milk
1 c fresh Bread Crumbs*
1 c Ketchup
6 t Worcestershire Sauce
1 pound Ground Turkey
8 oz Ground Breakfast Sausage
1 Egg, beaten
1 1/4 t Mrs. Dash Seasoning Mix
1/2 t Garlic Powder
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Combine milk and bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. *To make fresh bread crumbs, place 2 slices of bread or a roll in a food processor and pulse until crumbled.
4. Combine 1/2 cup of the ketchup and 4 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce in another small bowl and set aside.
5. Add the ground turkey, sausage, the remaining ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, the egg, seasoning mix, garlic powder, and bread crumbs to the bowl with the onions. Mix until just incorporated.
6. Place the meat loaf mixture in a loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour off some of the fat. Spread half of the set aside ketchup mixture over the top. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf registers 160 degrees, about 30 minutes more.
7. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Use remaining ketchup mixture as extra sauce because it’s so good. It’s also perfect to put on bread for a meat loaf sandwich made with leftovers.
My number one piece of advice for new moms shopping for strollers is do not buy the stroller that matches your car seat just because it matches and creates a travel system. Rather, invest in a stroller that you love, that has all the features you want and create your own travel system that you will actually use for years and years. If you’re looking for features galore, luxury styling and a stroller you will be thrilled to use until your child outgrows it, look no further than the Mamas & Papas Mylo Stroller.
Meet Mylo
For the parent who wants to look good, Mamas & Papas have created MYLO. Sleek, stylish and guaranteed to turn heads, MYLO is the stroller to be seen with about town. With a range of fashionable accessories and innovative features, MYLO means you can be a model mom without compromising on style.
MYLO has the lightest steering, making it easy to navigate around the mall or busy sidewalk. Both the seat and the bassinette give the best in baby class for comfort and luxury, whether it’s walks in the park or visits to grandparents. Seat faces both ways – face mom and dad or face the world.
Mylo Specifications
MYLO includes: chassis, seat unit, canopy, and shopping basket
Suitable for birth to 50 pounds
Mylo Weighs: 28.6 pounds
Size: 43” tall, 24″ wide, 46″ deep
Size Folded: 9″ tall, 24″ wide, 30″ deep
Travel system compatible with the Graco, Maxi Cosi/Cybex, Peg Perego and Primo Viaggio car seats – adaptors sold separately
The Mamas & Papas provides an exceptionally smooth and comfortable ride for babies. The Chassis Seat is made from a unique, soft molded material that is very smooth and subtle. The five point harness has padded shoulder straps and keeps baby secure. All four wheels have suspension to provide a smooth ride so baby won’t be bumped to and fro while on a walk.
We love that the seat can face both ways and the switch from facing parents to facing the world is very easy. There is no fiddling and fussing to move or remove the seat – simply push the large paddles underneath and it removes from the stroller frame. The seat has several recline positions, including a near-flat recline perfect for naps. The footrest is also adjustable and when raised creates a cozy bassinet atmosphere for infants. The Mylo canopy is adequate when the seat is upright, but we wish it were larger when the seat is reclined. If you live in a particularly sunny or warm environment, we think the additional Sunshade & Insect Net is a must have.
Features for Parents
As comfortable as the Mylo is for babies, it is just as user-friendly and fabulous for parents. First, you simply can’t beat the gorgeous aesthetic of the Mylo. It looks unique and modern and we get compliments on it every single day. The leatherette handle is adjustable for a comfortable push for short and tall parents alike. The quick and easy one-handed fold can’t be beat. Mylo can fold with or without the seat attached and even with our Maxi Cosi car seat adapter attached. When the stroller is folded, it is relatively compact for a full-size stroller. There is no automatic lock when folded, but there is a small clip that you can connect around the frame to keep it folded. Frankly, we rarely use it for that purpose as it’s easy enough to get it in and out of the back of our car without it. But, it turns out the clip makes a great stroller handle for our walking preschooler!
Speaking of our preschooler, the stroller can accommodate children up to 50 pounds and can be used with every child from our 2 month old to 5 year old. It’s super easy to adjust the fit from child to child. The straps can be rethread to adjust the shoulder strap height with a few twists and only takes a moment.
The Mylo weighs about 26 pounds but it pushes like it weighs nothing. It is seriously the most maneuverable stroller we’ve used. It handles like a dream. It’s a one-handed steer and can navigate crowded malls as easily as wide open spaces. The wheels aren’t air-filled which means no maintenance or flats to worry about, but the tires don’t quite live up to the luxury of the rest of the stroller. The front wheels swivel, which help with the steering, and you can also lock them inline when on rougher terrain.
The shopping basket isn’t particularly big, but it unzips on the side to allow easier access. The basket will accommodate a small bag and essentials for a day out, but it’s not big enough for a large diaper bag.
To Buy or Not to Buy
To Buy… The Mylo is an exceptional stroller that will please kids and parents alike. We love the way it looks, the way it moves and its ease of use. We love that it can accommodate babies from birth through preschoolers who weigh 50 pounds. It’s easy to adjust the stroller for the best fit and most comfortable, safe ride for every child. The Mylo can be a super fashionable and practical travel system with an affordable car seat adapter. No doubt, the stroller is an investment, but it’s one worth making.
Or Not to Buy… We wish the Mylo had an option to grow with your family; for example, we’d love to see an optional ride-on board like with other luxury strollers. The sunshade isn’t the biggest and we’d love more coverage when the seat is reclined.
Shop! The Mamas & Papas Mylo comes in four fun colors: Welly Green and Lime Jelly, Plum Pudding and Raspberry Ripple, Dove Grey and Sandcastle and Black Jack. The suggested retail price is $699.99 and it’s available for purchase from our affiliate Amazon.
As I prepared this post I realized the last time I shared What I Wore I was 34 Weeks pregnant. The last month of my pregnancy I apparently wore nothing of note, unless you consider yoga pants and maternity t’s high style. And, just when I thought dressing couldn’t get more difficult, I actually delivered my baby and realized I had to dress my postpartum self. This presents many challenges: I don’t fit into my pre-baby clothes so I have a limited selection, I’m sick of maternity pants and breastfeeding-friendly tops can be less than cute.
The result? This is the first outfit that is post-worthy.
I am obsessed with The Shops at Target. This dress is from The Webster collection and I am tempted by just about everything available online. (There’s a lot more online than there was at our local store.) I wore the dress with Espadrilles from Target I bought last year so the outfit cost a grand total of $60.
Almost forgot to mention my white tank top peeking out. I wear a tank constantly while nursing. Constantly. And luckily the tank matches my pasty white legs. Score.
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Because I was dressed in something that I didn’t mind having photographed, I made the kids gather for a picture.
We’re only one week into the pool season and I’m already sick of my daughter’s totally adorable one-piece bathing suit. It’s just NOT practical for a three year old girl to wear a suit that has to come all the way off every time she has to use the bathroom. The situation is even more dire if you’re dealing with a potty training girl – “Must.get.on.potty.NOW!” Two piece suits are a great option, but we’re not into bikinis on little girls. We’ve rounded up the best non-bikini bathroom-friendly bathing suits for girls.
Click on each small scrolling image to see larger picture and name of bathing suit.
DownEast Basics Girl Crustacean Cutie Tankini
Lands' End V-Neck Side Tie Tankini
Snap Me Swimwear
Old Navy Rash Guard & Boy Short
Swim Zip Ruffle Me Pretty
Old Navy Butterfly Tankini
Gap Striped Tankini
Lands' End Tiered Top Tankini
Shop! Check out the links below to shop these styles.
Baby sleep is one of those things that we moms tend to obsess about. I know I’ve spent more than my fair share trying to get babies to fall asleep, to stay asleep and to get on a schedule. This time around I’ve been much more relaxed with Max and really followed his lead. If he falls asleep, he sleeps. If he is content and awake, he’s awake. I have learned to read his cues pretty well and can tell when he needs help falling asleep and lately he’s developed a pretty consistent bed time. The craziest part is that he falls asleep on his own! I can place him in his Stokke Sleepi Mini and he falls asleep. This is miraculous! I don’t think my first son did that until he was, like, nine months old.
Sleeping in the Sleepi at 1 Month Old
One of the best features of the Stokke Sleepi Mini when using it with an infant is that it is on wheels. So when Max is asleep and I head to bed, I roll the Sleepi closer to my side. I don’t think you can beat this mom’s eye view.
Sleeping in the Sleepi at 2 Months Old
Not only do I have a great view of Max from my bed, but my older son has a pretty good look at his little brother after nap time, too.
Max won’t be in our room for much longer. We’re only in Montgomery for another month and when we move into our house in Germany, Max will get his own little nursery. Part of growing into his own space means growing from the Sleepi Mini to the Stokke Sleepi Bed. The Mini easily converts to the Bed and will be a larger version of the sweet crib Max is familiar with. As much as I love his nursery area in our master bedroom, I can’t wait to put together Max’s space that will be all his own.
My dad passed away one year ago today. How is it possible that he died 365 days ago?
My dad passed away of leukemia less than a month before his 61st birthday. He died before Max’s birth day. He died before we knew Max existed.
My dad’s 3 and a half month battle with blood cancer was heart-wrenching and we all felt helpless. Clearly I can never get my father back or cure cancer, but I like to think that I am now doing what I can – no matter how small – to fight for less cancer.
And you can, too.
You, yes YOU, can do something as simple as walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. And you really should. The Relay For Life is a life-changing event that helps communities across the globe celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. I can tell you from experience that this sort of walk / gathering is empowering, heartwarming and a tremendously rewarding way to spend your time.
There are Relay for Life events scheduled all over the country. Even if you can’t commit to a walk, you can donate a luminary, like those in the beautiful video above, for only $10. A pretty good way to spend two day’s worth of Starbucks money, if you ask me.
Please, please consider joining the American Cancer Society - and me - in the fight for less cancer and more birthdays. Check out Relay For Life.
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This post is sponsored by the ACS. We will be donating the fee directly back to the American Cancer Society in the form of luminaria at the Relay for Life in my dad’s hometown which takes place 2 days before what would have been his 62nd birthday.
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Sleeping in the Sleepi at 1 Month Old
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