Hidden Beef Heart Mini Meatloaf with Hidden Spinach Muffins 

Sometimes, the fear of something “new” holds us back. New food is small on the scale of “new” and “scary” in the grand scheme of life, but trying new foods is a daunting task for many, from children to adults. Organ meats are at the top of the “I do not want to try that” list for many, but most people have yet to learn they would enjoy organ meats if they tried one of our delicious recipes. Sometimes, trying something without knowing what it is is the first step into something you find out you enjoy. We present Amy Slater’s Hidden Beef Heart Mini Meatloaf to you. It is a nutritious take on a classic that your whole family will love, and have zero idea organ meats are included! As a bonus, Amy shares her hidden spinach muffins. Two recipes fueling your family with quality ingredients that taste amazing!

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Amy’s recipes fuel families with nutritionally packed ingredients while making prep and cooking accessible in our busy lives. Ensuring your family meets their nutritional needs can be something other than another full-time job – It can be a fun adventure for the whole family! With some creative thinking, planning, and help from Amy, you will soon see and feel the difference that fueled-focused family eating will bring.

 

Hidden Beef Heart Mini Meatloaf with Hidden Spinach Muffins 

Recipe By: Amy Slater | December 2022 Featured Chef

USWM Shopping List: Ground Beef with Beef Heart

Beef Heart Mini Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground beef 55% lean with beef heart
• ⅓ cup almond flour
• 3 Tbsp organic, unsweetened ketchup
• 1 tsp mustard powder 
• 1 Tbsp italian seasoning 
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a 12-slot muffin tin with parchment liners or use a silicone 12-cup muffin pan. 
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with your hands until all is well incorporated. 
3. Scoop the batter evenly into your prepared muffin tin filling each liner to the top with the mixture. 
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the meat is cooked through in the center. Allow the meatloaves to sit for 5 minutes prior to eating. 

*If the 55% ground beef is too heavy for your family’s digestion, pair it with a lean ground beef, veal or ground pork. You will still be soaking in nutrients! 

Hidden Spinach Muffins

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats, blend in the food processor until it becomes a fine flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder 

Wet Ingredients

• ¾ cup whole milk plain greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 medium very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup raw grated carrots 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a 12-slot muffin tin with parchment liners or use a silicone 12- cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. 
3. Add all the wet ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. 
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Use a spatula to gently stir together until all the flour is wet. The less you stir the batter, the lighter and fluffier your muffins will be. Fold in your grated carrots. 
5. Divide batter evenly into a muffin cups.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

*These will last in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

 

The Why – Food Is Fuel

If you think about a bang-for-your buck meal…you will knock it out of the park with this one! US Wellness really nailed it with this offering that is a simple hack for moms who want to flood their kiddos with nourishing ingredients. My 13-year olds literally gobbled up this meal and could not wait to have another portion for a snack the next day! 

 

So…let me tell you about WHY this meal will not only leave you and your kids satisfied but also help them build a healthy brain and gut! First, I recommend reading all of Nutrivore’s post on Beef Heart Nutrients you will LOVE the huge amount of information and literally feel like you are wearing a cape in the kitchen nourishing you and your family! Here are a few key points! 

 

Beef heart is considered a “super nutrient-dense food” with its concentrated source of too many nutrients to list. In just 3.5 ounces, you get 17.7 grams of protein, 3.9 grams fat and only 112 calories. If we think about nature’s energy food…beef heart should be it with its abundance of B vitamins. A serving of 3.5 ounces of beef heart contains 356% DV of Vitamin B12 which is responsible for supporting mental health and reducing fatigue, among other roles! Other B vitamins important for supporting health, immunity, mood and energy include B1, B2, B3 and B5. Coenzyme Q10 is also found in beef heart which is essential for energy production and needed to produce ATP which is the primary source of energy within the cells. 

 

Check out our blog post on The Wonderful World of Organ Meat to learn more!! 

 

The thing to remember is that nutrients and food quality are by far your best investment in your health and the health of the family. That is why everything from the almond flour to the garlic in this recipe will have a positive impact on your health. 

 

Touching on the Hidden Spinach Muffins with Oat Flour, you are furthering the nutrient benefit! Nutrivore ranks spinach as “one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet”. Yes please, this twin mom twice says…I will plant it, eat it and hide it in everything I can until my kids (and husband) will also eat it!! So, if you think about a nourishing food for the gut which then translates to brain and mood, you should think of spinach! It contains more than 50% DV of carotenoids and polyphenols which are essential for building diversity within the gut! It contains 241%DV of Vitamin K which essential for blood clotting, bone and heart health. 

 

Stretch this meal with a side salad, broccoli, lentils, black beans or even some winter squash! Remember these nutrients impact body system that work together as teams to support each other. As a mom, the teams that I care about most for my kids’ health that impacts everything else are gut microbiome and brain health. Literally everything is dependent on gut health and nutrient absorption and brain health translates to mood, energy, decision making, stress resilience, sleep quality, drive, motivation, etc. 

 

Note from team USWM: Amy’s recipes inspire us to take a deeper look at our meals and ask “how can we maximize what we have on hand to make this meal fuel us the best we can?”. A few more recipes we love by Amy we highly recommend you to try: Homemade Spaghetti O’s with Liverwurst, Beef Heart Kabobs, White Bean Pork and Kale Soup.

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