Harvest Turkey Meatloaf (gluten-free and dairy-free)

This turkey meatloaf recipe is brought to you by the cooler weather we’re finally having. Not only does it have me craving comfort foods, but I’m able to go for long walks with the dogs without huffing and sweating.

Bella on a walk
Bella is always down, but since it’s taken Caro a while to get the hang of walks, it can be hit or miss. It was quite a while before she would walk on a leash –she used to ride in the wagon with Liv!– and sometimes she’s into it, while other times, it’s like trying to walk a cute bag of rocks. There’s a lot of standing around when that happens. I set out the door with the pups, and figured I could take Caro back home after a block if she wasn’t feeling it. 

She lasted the entire 40 minutes, and had the sweetest smile on her face the entire time.

Caro on a walk

Proud of that sweet pup. <3

In other random adventures from the day:

Egg burritos and watermelon. I taught Liv the classic “pincher bite” where you get a bit of tortilla and use it to pinch up your egg. She’s officially a pro now, haha.

eggs and tortilla

I ran some errands and took a trip to the mall with Liv, plus got caught up on life/work a little bit. My certs are due to renew (NASM and AFAA), so I’ve been putting everything together and getting it ready to send out. I’m also on pins and needles for labor watch, so I’ve been doing little things here and there to stay active and distract myself. I feel like I’m *busy* all day, but don’t have a ton of focus to be super productive. It’s weird. I’m just going to roll with it, keep watching The Voice (I’m finally caught up!) and frolic in the leaves. 😉

Livi and leaves

Harvest Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Since we’re back speaking of Autumn-y things, let’s get to that turkey meatloaf. I thought it would be fun to change it up and pack it full of Thanksgiving flavors with dried cranberries, fresh sage, chopped hearty veggies, and a balsamic glaze.

Harvest turkey meatloaf recipe with balsamic glaze

Meatloaf isn’t exactly the most photogenic food, but don’t judge a loaf by it’s appearance. 😉

Turkey meatloaf recipe with harvest flavors like sage and cranberries | fitnessista.com

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a whirl!

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Harvest Turkey Meatloaf

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Ingredients

Scale

For Meatloaf

  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/4 cup carrot, chopped
  • (I cheated and used the chopped mirepoix mix from Trader Joe’s, hence the giant chunk of carrot in the pic above)
  • 1 green apple, peeled and grated
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 lb of ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

For Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well-mixed.
  3. Lightly press into a greased standard loaf pan
  4. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the turkey is cooked through and the juices run clear
  5. At minute 40 of baking, add your balsamic glaze
  6. Allow to set for at least 10-15 minutes until serving

This turkey meatloaf recipe is full of harvest flavors like sage and dried cranberry. Hearty, cozy and healthy meatloaf for a chilly night. fitnessista.com

Hope you have a great humpday! <3

xoxo

Gina

Latest on the Family page is here!

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19 Comments

  1. Ali @ Peaches and Football on October 21, 2015 at 7:16 am

    The turkey loaf sounds delicious! I made stuffed acorn squash this week and felt like I had fast-forwarded to Thanksgiving. 🙂

    I chuckle when you write how it’s cooling off enough to make for pleasant walks. It’s cooling off so much around here that soon it will be TOO cold for pleasant walks. I think I need to get some posters of sunshine, palm trees and sandy beaches and hang them around the room where my treadmill is – if that helps motivate me to use it more, ha ha

    • Fitnessista on October 21, 2015 at 9:51 am

      ahhh! i need to pick up some acorn squash 🙂
      that’s so crazy. “fall” is definitely late over here this year. my brother lives in MA and it’s in the 30s already!

  2. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious on October 21, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Haha…like walking a bag of rocks. I’ve never known a dog to not like to walk. I have never made meatloaf. This may be my post Thanksgiving dinner!

    • Fitnessista on October 21, 2015 at 9:51 am

      let me know if you try it! 🙂

  3. Helene @healthyfrenchie on October 21, 2015 at 7:50 am

    I had to laugh at the bag of rocks 🙂 My pup LOVES to walk but when he sees a doggy friend or really want to check something out he lies down and refuses to move haha
    Thanks for meatloaf recipe. I’ve never made one either but I bet my other hald would like it…
    And can’t wait to see how things go with baby #2

    • Fitnessista on October 21, 2015 at 9:50 am

      that is so funny. let me know if you try the loaf!

  4. Mary on October 21, 2015 at 7:52 am

    hahah my sister’s scottie is getting a bit older and while he loves to go for walks and run around, his back legs sometimes struggle. so i’ve definitely had to carry him home on walks many times! luckily they have a stroller now, so he can just sit on part of that hahah.

    • Fitnessista on October 21, 2015 at 9:49 am

      aww! love that they have a stroller for him

  5. Rachelle on October 21, 2015 at 8:08 am

    Instead of oats could I use almond meal?

    • Fitnessista on October 21, 2015 at 9:49 am

      definitely!

  6. Amanda on October 21, 2015 at 8:31 am

    Ha your comments about Caroline’s walking reminds me of our one dog. He just spaces out and will stop and refuse to move. He’s about 65 lbs though so I definitely can’t carry him far. I pretty much only take him short distances when I know my husband is home and can rescue us in the car if needed. He is one of a kind 🙂

  7. Julie on October 21, 2015 at 10:09 am

    OMG that pic of Caro is PRECIOUS!!!

  8. Jennifer @ Tri Stuff I Like on October 21, 2015 at 10:38 am

    The meatloaf sounds tasty, especially the balsamic glaze! I’m pinning this to make next week. 🙂

  9. Amanda on October 21, 2015 at 10:38 am

    This sounds delicious!!!

  10. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul on October 21, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    Caroline has come so far! What a sweetie!

  11. cel on October 21, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    how did you do liv’s hair? (hearts in eyes emoji) I would love tutorials on all of them please haha
    (and what’s your secret to making her sit still so you can do her hair? does she like having it done? does she like the styles/braids?)

    • Fitnessista on October 22, 2015 at 5:32 pm

      oh, thank you! maybe i can do a quick video with some of our favorite styles. she just stands in the bathroom and i do it super fast. she likes having it done! when she was really little, TV was the answer. she’d sit still long enough for me to quickly do something

  12. Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me on October 21, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    I’m loving our cool weather here! It’s such a beautiful day out today! Also, I’m impressed by the amount of recipes you have cranked out recently. 🙂

  13. Keri on November 19, 2015 at 9:55 am

    Can’t wait to try this! We just did a pcs this week from Texas to Virginia, and I’m pregnant with #3. I canceled thanksgiving! Lol I think this recipe would be a nice way though to have something festive without going overboard in the kitchen. Thanks!

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