Meatloaf - Keto & Low Carb Friendly

Temps are dropping here in Texas.. which means its time to break out the casserole dish! 

Who doesn't like meatloaf?! I confess... I didn't used to. The kind I tried growing up was too tart for my taste. My guess is because ketchup was used, I love ketchup but the store bought kind was too sweet (I since have taken to making my own ketchup ;)). I like my meat salty. 

Even when it comes to ham. I'm not for a honey baked ham, add veggies to it for me please! :) 

In any case, this meatloaf is my kind of meaty goodness made with spiced homemade ketchup, which for this recipe, we'll call red sauce. 

Using a 9 x 13 pan there wasn't much to speak of as far as leftovers go! Which is fine, to me that means everyone got fed and got enough. :) Though I'll admit sometimes I try making a huge batch of something hoping for leftovers later! ^-^ I like cooking/baking but sometimes I'd like to just grab something from the fridge and 5 minutes later have a warm meal in front of me. :)

Meatloaf

Serves 4 - 6
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What You'll Need:

Base of Meat Loaf:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 Cup Diced White Onion
8 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Zucchini Diced or Shredded ( I dice it, every time )
3/4 Cup Red Sauce (see below)
1 Egg Beaten
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Red Sauce:
6 oz Tomato Paste
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Mustard
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Splash of Lemon Juice

To Grease Pan: Bacon Grease

What You'll Do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Combine all ingredients (less the red sauce) in a bowl. Mix well.
2) In a separate smaller bowl, combine all ingredients for red sauce. After mixing the red sauce, take about 1/2 of it and add it to the meatloaf mixture.
3) Use the bacon grease to grease a 9 x 13 pan. Add The Meatloaf mix to the pan, smoothing top of it until mostly flat.
4) Top with remaining Red sauce.
5) Bake at 350 for 1 hr 30 minutes.

SIDE NOTE: Your meatloaf may "shrink". This is normal. 

The leaner your meat, the less it will shrink. Just FYI. :) 

Serve warm and enjoy!

Ground Pork & Green Bean Stew - Low Carb & Keto Friendly

I do the grocery shopping for my family, I make a list every week in an effort to only ever make one trip. And by one trip I mean to Costco, then to Walmart or HEB depending on what the need is. The trip doesn't take very long... about an hour and a half to two hours and I'm usually back home so long as I don't dilly dally. For the most part, this plan works. Since we've moved to Texas and there are still a few moving parts to juggle that aren't usually there once you've settled into a new place I'm not 100% on my game. Which brings me to this past Sunday. I had aspirations of trying a few recipes from my pinterest board, but in perusing my fridge and cupboard came up short in ingredients, not enough mozzarella cheese for one recipe, not enough . Which was kind of a buzz kill lol :). But once I took inventory of what I DID have, well... a problem turned into an opportunity! An opportunity to be creative and make something delicious! I have 3 other adults in my house besides me, so, when I say I hit a home run with this soup I only say that because everyone liked it, A LOT. So much so, that it was gone the same day I made it. Yup. True story. Enough chatting from me though - lets get to the good stuff shall we? 

Ground Pork & Green Bean Stew
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What You'll Need: 

1.5 lb Ground Pork Sausage 

SIDE NOTE: I used breakfast sausage, if you get regular pork, 

add 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes to your recipe

2 Cans Green Beans

6 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease

1/2 Tsp Minced Garlic

1 Tsp Pepper

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 Tsp Ground Sage

1/4 Tsp Ground Mustard

1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

Optional:

- 1 Tablespoon Gelatin Powder ( I add this for the health benefits more than just the taste ;))

What You'll Do:

1) In a large pan, brown the pork.
2) While the pork is cooking, add all the other ingredients to your crock pot and set to high.
3) Once pork is browned, soon it into the crock pot.
4) Leave on high for 2 1/2 hours to let the flavors blend. You could simmer this on low all day as well and eat from it on a lazy weekend day. 

As soon as the soup is to the temperature you like it you can eat it, however the longer it sits the more the flavors have a chance to blend. This recipe would be perfect for a rainy day, or a cozy/lazy weekend. Once it's boiled at least once you can turn that puppy down to "keep warm" and let 'er simmer all day. This stew would also be a great substitute for when your family has come down with a cold. The chicken stock and the bit of pepper/garlic that's in it helps get your nose running! :D

If you are wondering what those *biscuits* are in the photos - they are none other than UplateAnyways' Almond Flour Cheddar Biscuits! Find recipe here.

 I hope you like the recipe and that it's as much of a hit with your family as it was with mine! Thank you for reading! Remember to share the health! ;)