by Macki Dec 12th, 2010 // Swell Suppers

Swell Supper: Reduced Guilt Comfort Food

It’s me Macki. We love comfort food in our house, but traditional comfort food isn’t the healthiest so we decided to trade out some of the old standards like meatloaf and mashed potatoes for some modern-day versions. On the reduced guilt menu this week:  turkey meatloaf, divine carrot puree and string beans and shallots. On the not-so-reduced guilt dessert menu: homemade snickerdoodle sandwiches.

Start by making the snickerdoodles according to the recipe, or if you have some holiday cookies already in your home you can use those to make this awesome ice cream sandwich dessert. If you’ve made the snickerdoodles, let them cool while you prepare follow the recipe for the turkey meatloaf and then place it in the oven.

The meatloaf needs at least an hour to cook so now you have time to concentrate on your side dishes.  Prep the ingredients for the divine carrot puree according to the recipe.   I use my immersion blender instead of a food processor (it’s much easier to clean) and the puree still came out out beautifully.

The carrot puree is very hot and needs to cool a bit.  This leaves just enough time to prepare the string beans with shallots.  Time to ring the dinner bell! When everyone’s plate is empty it’s time to bring out the ice cream and cookies to assemble the snickerdoodle sandwiches.  Your family will have a blast with this activity, and it’s a great way to extend the family time around a scrumptious dessert.  Now doesn’t that sound swell?

BTW, before I cooked this meal I was pretty worried that the entire menu sounded like something that should be in an old folks home. Turkey meatloaf? (I love beef!) Mashed carrots? (I have teeth!) You get the idea. But, I went for it and guess what? It was a huge hit and now my family wants it once a week.! Here’s proof. Before.

After!