1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 pkg. crackers, crushed or 1 c. bread crumbs, plain or flavored
1 med. onion, chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 med. apple or pear, chopped
1 tsp. pepper, black or red
1 tsp. low sodium salt
Ketchup or barbecue sauce
Your favorite cheese
3 slices bacon (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the bacon. Now, here comes to fun part. Pretend you're a little kid again and squish everything together. It fells real gooey between your fingers. After you have had enough fun place half the mixture in a small rectangular baking dish. Place the slices of cheese on to the mixture and then place the rest of the mixture on top of the cheese.

If you choose you can place the bacon on top of the meatloaf. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the mixture in the oven and bake for about 1 hour.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.