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! ;)

Doctored Stock - For Cold/Flu Season or as an Everyday Drink!

I came down with a cold a few weeks ago. I'd say the best thing I did for myself during that time was grab a box of chicken stock from the grocery store. I heated it up in a cup and savored it like I would tea, but chicken stock has much more body to it and a cozy factor that can't be duplicated with tea or coffee...so once it was gone I was kind of bummed. Since then, I'm back to good health and grabbed a large box of chicken broths from Costco . Initially I was concerned that I wouldn't use them all by there expiration date, but that was a week ago now and I've already used 2 1/2 of the 12 cartons. I'd say I have nothing to worry about after all ;). Especially since drinking copious amounts of water in a day doesn't help me stay hydrated, so increasing my intake of sodium will help alleviate that - ergo, chicken stock replacing tea.

I love this stuff, I've doctored it up a bit to suit my dietary needs. If you need more fat, a bit more protein, more collagen and a reason to have veggieless soup (no veggieless is not a real word ;)) drink this! It's minimal prep time too! 

Doctored Stock

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What you Need:

1 cup Stock of Your Choice

1/2 Tablespoon Gelatin

1/2 Tablespoon Butter

Sea Salt to taste 

What you'll Do:

1) Heat stock in microwave for 45 seconds.

2) Remove stock from microwave and add gelatin slowly as it will want to clump, stir well. Add butter and salt if you're exercising this option, mix well. 

3) Put cup back in microwave for 15 - 20 seconds. 

4) Enjoy!

In case you wanted more reasons to add gelatin to anything...

According to Nourishing Traditions and the Weston A. Price foundation, there are various health benefits to Gelatin, including:

1. Can improve digestion since it naturally binds to water and helps food move more easily though the digestive track.

2. Good for joints and can decrease pain associated with arthritis.

3. Can help tighten loose skin. I get questions all the time on how to do this! CLICK Here for information on how to do it from Maria Emmerich of MindBodyHealth! 

4. Supports skin, hair and nail growth.

5. Great source of dietary collagen, therefore it helps reduce cellulite! 

6. Speeds wound healing: Gelatin is mainly composed of the amino acids glycine and proline, which many people don’t consume in adequate amounts as they are found in the bones, fibrous tissues and organs of animals and as a population, we don’t consume these parts as much anymore. These amino acids are needed not only for proper skin, hair and nail growth, but for a healthy immune function and weight regulation! Glycine, which makes up about 1/3 of the amino acids in gelatin powder is anti-inflammatory and evidence is finding that it can help speed wound healing.

7. Helps with sleep: Glycine in gelatin can also help improve quality of sleep.

8. Balances hormones: We are living in a “Sea of Estrogen” (yes, even men!), which can be caused by consuming alcohol, excess carbohydrates, hormones in food, phytoestrogens in soy, xenoestrogens found in plastics, heating food in plastic, even soap is estrogenic. This hormonal imbalance causes aging, inflammation, and infertility. Gelatin has anti-estrogenic effects which can help offset the effects of excess estrogen in the body.

9. Weight Loss: It boosts Human Growth Hormone production and boost metabolism. The largest surge of Human Growth Hormone is 30-70 minutes after bed

*****

As with all advice or information I post though - I encourage you to do your own research too! Everyone is at a different place in their way of eating and you need to find what works for you. 

Chocolate Fat Bomb and Links to Other Fatty Goodness!

MMMMMMMMmmmmm Fat...

Seriously eat it. It's good for you! 

Don't believe me? 

Read this...

 7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat and this...Ten Amazing Benefits of Eating Fat

And if you're still not convinced there is something to be said for doing your own research ;). 

As a quick sidebar to this recipe, when I was little I used to eat butter by the stick. It's true. I once mentioned this to a manager I worked with and he said that makes sense why I'm so smart. You *need* fat for a healthy brain! You're only about 20 minutes from experiencing how good it tastes too! (as if I really needed to tell you that ;))

Chocolate Fat Bomb

Serves a generous portion for 1
*Can also be poured into an ice cube tray for bite size options!*
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What you Need:
- 1 Tablespoon Butter (the softer the better!)
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Swerve (or Truvia)
- 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice, I use Almond Butter sometimes as well!)

Here I made two servings! One for me, one for my sister! :)

What one Serving looks like before mixing.

What you'll do:
1) Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
2) Place bowl in microwave for 20 seconds until oil or butter are mostly melted.
3) Grab bowl from microwave, note: it may be hot. 
4) Place bowl in freezer until solid, about 30 minutes should suffice.
5) Pop out the chocolate brick by scoring the edge with a spoon or knife, pushing along the sides with a spoon.

6) Enjoy like you would a candy bar without the sugar crash side effect ;).

The nut butter and the swerve provide a bit of grittiness and substance to this, so its tasty and fun to eat! I normally grab a napkin and hold onto the side of the chocolate as I eat it, it melts slightly at my fingertips as I near the last few bites. Fat melts people! ^-^ Be prepared! :D

Here are a few other fat bombs if you want to give them a try that aren't made with chocolate. ;) Options are gooooooooooood. :)

Lemon Fat Bombs by SugarfreeLee

Blueberry Frozen Fat Bombs by Buttoni

Vanilla Candy by DJ Foodie

Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs by Photosaurusrex04

Strawberry Peep Fat Bomb by UplateAnyway

Which one will you try first?! Enquiring minds (like me! :)) want to know!

Easy Green Salad - Popeye approved! ;)

So you have a protein in your meal all planned out... be it a burger, a brat, bacon or chicken... but what to do for a side? Hmmm.... think, think, think!

*Mental Light Bulb On!*

If you have (at least!) these 3 ingredients on hand, you're going places!

Easy Green Salad

What you'll Need:
- Spinach
- Pickles
- Cucumbers
- Dressing of Choice

Optional to add:
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

What you Do:

1) Grab a handful or two of the nutritious green spinach and add that to your plate.
2) Rinse off that crunchy cucumber you got from the grocer and then cut at least 1/3 of that puppy up and add to the mountain of green spinach on your plate!
3) Find the jar of pickles in your fridge and chop up about 2 tiny ones (or 1/2 a large one) letting the pieces fall liberally on top of the spinach and cucumbers.
4) Add your dressing and enjoy that goodness!

See? Pretty easy right? ...and yummy! That's why I share it with you! ;) Enjoy!

NOTE: If you need a way to get more veggies in your picky eaters diet this should do the trick! I only say that because my husband is not a fan of veggies in the least but he'll eat this! 

Good luck! :)

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Parmesan

I think you will like this recipe. Pretty sure it will be a go to recipe if you can get past handling chicken ;). This is a hands on recipe and being a crafter, anything hands on is fun for me!
Aside from being fun to make, these are really filling! 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Parmesan
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Because I was being super productive the other day, not only did I make a 9 x 13 pan of Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Parmesan BUT I made an additional 9 x 9 pan of these and set them in the freezer! I plan to pull them out some morning to let thaw and be cooked later!

Due to me functioning at high efficiency when I put this together, ;) you have options! It really all depends now on how many mouths you need to feed, or what size pan you have clean! :D

What You'll Need:

If you use a 9 x 9 casserole dish: 

Serves 4

4 - 6 Chicken Breasts
4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 Large Eggs Beaten
1 Packet of Bacon

1) Beat the eggs and put them in a shallow dish.
2) On a plate, mix the spices and cheese until combined.
3) Cut each chicken breast diagonally so it resembles a tenderloin size.
4) Wrap the chicken diagonally with the bacon. Dip the bacon wrapped chicken in the beaten egg and then take the whole mess and roll it in the spice mix.
5) Place bacon wrapped chicken in pan and line them up side by side in two rows or however you can get them in the dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is done!

Or if you use a 9 x 13 casserole dish:

Serves 6

6 - 8 Chicken Breasts
6 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
3 or 4 Large Eggs Beaten
1 packet of Bacon

Follow the directions as listed above on bake 375 for 35 - 40 minutes or until chicken is done!

As I was working this recipe up, one of the eggs I used was not like the others! 

I grabbed my phone and snapped a pic because I hadn't seen one this pointed before and thought you might thing it was cool too! ^-^

Peanut Chicken - Thai Style - Low Carb & Keto Friendly Recipe

Woo! :) I'm glad to be back sharing a few recipes with you! We've had some major house projects as of late, and then, well, trying to sell our house, etc. Which is why I've been a bit off my cooking/baking game. Sorry for the crickets! ;) Lots of changes are still on the horizon but I hope I'll be snapping pics and sharing recipes with you so you can get your delicious eat on! ;D Yes.

Alright, so Pinterest - love the stuff! I tend to use that site more than Google these days. You get instant photos with descriptions and that's great when you're looking for foodie ideas in my book :). I love me some peanut butter and chicken, well um, anything :). Lets explore the low carb/keto options for this dish shall we? This recipe was inspired by RuledMe's Recipe I did not have all items on hand so I improvised and it came out smashingly good... there were NO leftovers. Case and point ;).

Peanut Chicken

Thai Style

Serves 3 - 5

What You Need:
- 8 chicken tenderloins cut into roughly 1 inch squares
- 1 bag of frozen broccoli
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbspns Olive Oil
- 2 Tbspns Tamari Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbspn Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbspn Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 Tbspn Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Tbspn Erythritol
- 1 Tspn Macadamia Nut Oil (any oil would do here that fits your diet)
- 1/2 Tspn Xanthan Gum
- 1/4 Tspn Crushed Pepper
- 1/4 Tspn Coriander
- Salt and Pepper to taste


What You'll Do:
1) Over Medium heat, put olive oil in Medium sized pan and cook chicken until all sides are browned.
2) Meanwhile, put broccoli in microwave safe bowl, add 2 - 4 Tablespoons of water and cover. Place in microwave for 8 - 10 minutes until desired tenderness is achieved.
3) Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken. Let simmer for about 5 -7 minutes, or  until broccoli is ready.
4) Serve warm.

Something I will probably do next time is heat up the broccoli as I outlined here in the recipe, but will then mix it in with the chicken before serving.. Either way, its yummy, I just prefer most things to have a sauce on them. I'm kind of an otter, what can I say. :D

I hope you enjoy the recipe! Like I said, there were no leftovers at my house. This is a dangerous recipe ;).

Cheesy Eggs with Sausage - Low Carb & Keto Friendly Recipe

Quick and easy meal for any time of the day.

I serve this with coffee most times. If I serve it later in the day of course we switch to decaf :).

Cheesy Eggs with Sausage

Serves 3 - 4

What you need:
2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
6 - 8 oz of Ground Sausage
4 Eggs
1 Cup freshly shredded cheese of your choice
1/2 an avocado diced to top
Salt and Pepper to Taste

What you do:

1) In a Medium/Large pan over medium heat add bacon grease and sausage. Cook until sausage is brown.
2) Add eggs and stir continually until the egg whites are cooked through. Turn your heat off once the eggs are done.
3) Add the cheese on top and put a cover over the pan for a minute.
4) Remove cover and mix.

Transfer a few spoonfuls to a plate and top with avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.