Can I share a total midwest recipe with you?

I know, I live in LA – land of green juice and salads – and I want to share a not-so-healthy recipe that is comprised of mayonnaise and cheese. But we can call it parmesan crusted chicken and pretend it’s fancier than it really is.

As much as I drink the “green juice and salad” kool-aid there are times when I enjoy some good old comfort food.

And an easy dinner. I know everyone loves an easy, no-fuss recipe for busy weeknights. It’s simple: mix together mayo + parmesan cheese, top chicken (or salmon – also amazing on salmon) and bake! Truthfully, it’s not made with the healthiest of ingredients, but its really not that terrible calorie-wise so I’m not concerned.

The original recipe from Hellman’s calls for bread crumbs, but I left them out both times and still loved the results! I think it is the juiciest chicken I’ve ever made. Just another reason to make it… 

Meatloaf. It’s so meat & potatoes midwest right? Well, this is not yo mama’s meatloaf. (Anybody watch that show?) This perfect meatloaf meal was inspired by a My Fit Foods meal (more on them soon) and I recreated it at home for a bunch of meals this week. I’m really trying to focus on recipes that are easy, family-friendly and don’t require “weird health foods” – the main purpose of this blog is to share ideas to make life healthier in an easy, approachable way. If you have family-favorites that you’d like a nutrition makeover for, let me know!

Lean turkey is the center of this meal, rounded out with sweet potatoes (and a pat of grass-fed butter) and steamed green beans. This meal is filling, healthy and pretty easy to pull together. The meatloaf takes an hour to bake, and while its in the oven you can bake, boil, or microwave the sweet potatoes and steam the green beans. The recipe makes 8 servings so depending on your appetite, you can freeze half of it for later like I did!