Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Yes, more bacon. I just finished our menu plan for this week and had to scribble out a meal because I had scheduled 3 bacon meals in one day. My oldest used to despise bacon… I wasn’t entirely sure that he was mine during his “hate bacon” phase. Now we fight over the bacon. 

Beautifully cooked bacon that tastes like meatloaf and meatloaf that tastes like bacon. Because I’m always curious about what people serve as sides, I’ll tell you that we had steamed carrots, caramelized onions, and sauteed beets.

Lay the bacon out on a cookie sheet. Overlap the pieces slightly.

Get your ground beef into a large bowl.

Finely chop the onions. Or not finely…whatever you want. Someone needs to buy me a pair of onion goggles if I’m going to be the one chopping these onions!

Add the onions to the bowl along with garlic, egg, and tomato paste.

Next, add the almond meal and spices. You might think that adding nutmeg is weird. Well, it is weird….but add it anyway. It’s only a pinch and I promise it won’t taste funky! 

On a piece of parchment paper, form the meat mixture into a loaf. It should be about the same length as the bacon so that there’s no bacon-less meatloaf. 

See? The ends of my loaf are without bacon! The horror!! Center the loaf on top of the bacon, fold the bacon over the loaf, and turn over so the ends of the bacon are under the loaf.

Cook that bad boy in a 400 degree oven for an hour (or so). Your house will smell unbelievably delicious. You might end up with extra guests for supper if you cook it with your windows open. You’ve been warned. Let it sit for 5 minutes (if you can wait that long) before you cut it. 

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf


Ingredients


1 pound bacon
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 egg
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
pinch nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay bacon on a cookie sheet, overlapping slightly.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the beef mixture into a loaf approximately 14″ long (or long enough to be the same length as the bacon all laid out). Carefully turn the loaf, centered, onto the bacon. Fold the ends of the bacon over the loaf and roll the entire thing over so that the bacon ends are down.

Cook for 60-70 minutes, or until cooked through. Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mini Meatballs

Today was hot…too hot for soup so it’s a good thing I made this a couple of weeks ago when we were getting some cooler weather. We got up early to head down to the farmer’s market, much to the delight of my 3 year old. Our plan was to pick up our vegetables for next week and then walk down to Cool Beans Bus for a morning coffee for the adults/smoothie for the little people. Anya was most excited about this morning’s plans…yelling “Cool Beans Bus! I am SO EXCITED!”.

Being able to focus more one on one with them (or two on three…) has been cool. Gavin has been enthusiastic about everything..stating how he’s having his best day ever. Oh wait, he seriously dislikes riding bikes with me but that’s easily fixed by playing Webkinz with him. Tomorrow we are going to take them to the mountains and it could, very easily, be the best day ever for him.

To see Gavin now, you would never know how difficult it was to get him to eat a couple of years ago. It was a constant battle to convince him to eat a couple of bites and he was painfully thin. Now, he’ll eat anything and has been known to finish meals first. He is the one that doesn’t cringe when we tell him what’s in the food we’ve made and will actually ask for things that have been deemed ‘gross’ by his brothers. 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mini Meatballs

Ingredients

4 large red peppers

3 large tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion

2 carrots

3 teaspoons garlic

6 cups beef broth

pinch red pepper flakes

1 pound ground beef

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup almond meal

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat broiler and raise rack to top 1/3 of the oven. Place red peppers and tomatoes, whole, onto a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes. Flip and broil for another 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are blackened and the tomato skin comes off easily. Remove from oven and cool until you can handle them.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high. Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until onions are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in beef broth and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The carrots should be very tender.

Remove peel and seeds from red peppers and tomatoes. Chop into bite sized pieces and stir into the pot. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), puree the soup until it is nearly smooth. Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

In a medium sized bowl, combine ground beef, finely chopped onion, smoked paprika, almond meal, egg, salt, and pepper. Roll into 48 teaspoon sized meatballs. With the soup simmering, drop the meatballs, one at a time, into the pot. Allow to simmer, without stirring, until the meatballs are cooked through. (7-10 minutes) 

Serve topped with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Zucchini Spaghetti & Meatballs

I think I need to come up with some comprehensive guide to restaurant eating while Primal. The thought of eating out sends me into a bit of a panic…especially if it’s unplanned. Part of the problem is that at home, I control what we eat and losing that control when we’re out is tough. I want to assume that there will be something that I can eat where ever we go but that’s not always the case.

We recently went to a restaurant where I sent my husband in first to scope out the menu. He said it was fine so in we went. I knew as soon as I opened the menu that I was going to have trouble…everything was deep fried, served on/with grains, or topped with cheese. Since it was my first day trying out the Whole 9 diet, dairy was not an option. I felt like crying while my kids were misbehaving and I tried desperately to focus on what I would eat. In the end, I had 2 options…a steak served with rice and deep fried sweet potato fries or an avocado salad topped with chicken and served with an avocado ranch dressing.

Sometimes you just have to choose the lesser of 2 evils… I chose the salad because there was both proteins and veggies. The dressing was actually minimal and I picked out the raisins but it was not satisfying nor did it settle well in my stomach. Had we planned to eat out, I would have researched restaurants in the area, checked out the menu online, and known exactly what I was going to order (and what kind of substitutions I would have requested).

It would be so much easier if there was a restaurant perfectly catered to this way of eating. If I could get a big plate of zucchini spaghetti and grain free meatballs. And if the dessert menu had a crustless coconut cream pie. Oh wow… I want a restaurant like that!

Adding this in…while I was typing this post, I stumbled on an app that helps you find paleo meals at most restaurant chains! It’s called PaleoGoGo and I might download it just to check it out!  

Zucchini Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients

4 large zucchini, julienned lengthwise (*see note)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 cup almond meal

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped

4 zucchini “hearts”, chopped (*see note)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 680mL cans tomato sauce

Directions

Fill a large stock pot with salted water and bring to a boil while you prepare your zucchini. **note** To prepare your zucchini, julienne lengthwise until you reach the seeds. Set the seedy zucchini inners aside for the sauce. Set your julienned zucchini to the side while you prepare the meatballs and sauce.

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, 1 egg, parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon oregano, salt and pepper, and almond meal. Do not overwork the mix. Scoop the meatballs 1 tablespoon at a time and roll onto a large baking sheet. The mix should make approximately 3 1/2 dozen meatballs. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and chopped zucchini hearts and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Stir in basil, salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in cooked meatballs and continue to simmer while you cook the zucchini.

When the water is boiling, add julienned zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the zucchini or it will fall apart. It should be just tender. Drain zucchini well and serve onto plates. Top with meatball/sauce and a bit of shredded parmesan, if desired.

Zucchini Manicotti

Part of the challenge of eating grain-free is figuring out how to still make my family’s favourite meals. After the success of replacing lasagna noodles with zucchini, I decided to try it out with manicotti. The rolls ended up being a little smaller but twice as good! No fussing with boiling noodles. No ripping manicotti while trying to stuff them. Just put a spoonful of filling onto a roasted zucchini strip and roll it up! 

 I added frozen spinach to the original recipe and used a homemade pasta sauce. The initial reaction from the kids was “Ewww..” but what else is new. I swear, there are meals that I have to convince them that I am NOT trying to poison them. The funny thing is, those are the meals that end up becoming favourites. 

Zucchini Manicotti

Ingredients

2-3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/8″ thick

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 pound ground beef

salt and pepper

500g container ricotta cheese

10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups pasta sauce (homemade or jarred)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange slices of zucchini in a single layer on 2 baking sheets that have been oiled with 1 teaspoon of olive oil each. Bake each sheet for 5 minutes, flip zucchini and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until zucchini is tender. Cool while you prepare the filling.

Reduce oven to 350°F.

In a large frying pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute the ground beef and onions until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain any fat, and cool.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, spinach, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir in cooled meat mixture and thoroughly combine.

Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of filling onto the end of each slice of zucchini. Roll the zucchini over the filling and place, seam side down, in the baking dish. Arrange the rolled zucchini tightly in the pan until the pan is full. Sprinkle with any leftover filling and cover with remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the sauce is bubbling, about 30-40 minutes.

Recipe adapted from The Food Network.

Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf

I have sufficient evidence to prove that my children are sucking the creative life right out of me. Need proof? Read my half brained attempts at blogging lately. Summer holidays have translated into me getting absolutely no alone time which is not a great thing. I’ve been finding Anya asleep on the couch when I get up in the morning and the big boys don’t go to sleep until after 10pm. (which, of course, is after my bedtime!)

Apparently Adam even bragged (to his friend’s parents) about how their late bedtime means that Mom and Dad don’t get any time alone as if it was a big accomplishment. This is the boy that seems to have ears in every room… He never misses anything! I’m sure my husband and I were cooking supper, talking about how we rarely get quality alone time, and Adam (who may or may not have even been in the house) used his spidey senses to overhear this. 

Our life needs a little more balance. Time with the kids is great and I realize that they are only young once but, after 10+ years of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, kids it’s time for us to do more together. Yep, balance is good. 2 layers of meat filled with a bunch of vegetables is balance as well…just, in a different kind of way. 

Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 pound mushrooms, finely chopped

4 teaspoons minced garlic

1 medium zucchini, finely chopped

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup almond meal

1 large egg

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 cup chopped spinach

1 cup cheese of your choice (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil the bottom and sides of a 9×9″ baking dish with olive oil.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and saute the red pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and zucchini until just softened (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool while you prepare the meat.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, almond meal, egg, italian seasoning, and spinach. Do not overwork the meat. Press half of the beef mixture into the bottom of the 9×9″ pan, spread all of the vegetable mixture over the beef, press the remaining half of the beef mixture over the vegetables. 

Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. If you are not adding cheese, continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the meatloaf is cooked through. If you are adding cheese, remove from oven and sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the meatloaf. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Noodle-Free Lasagna

There will be a very long winded post coming soon about the happenings in my life. But for now, there’s noodle free lasagna. One of the biggest challenges of not eating grains is meals whose base is pasta. I could have made regular lasagna and picked out the noodles but that is time consuming and messy. I searched out alternatives and found lasagna using zucchini in place of noodles.

I was thrilled to make this on mother’s day along side a regular lasagna for the kids. In hindsight, I should have just made a full sized noodle free lasagna since they all enjoyed the taste that they had. We have since made a full sized noodle free lasagna and they really enjoyed it. This recipe makes a 9″x9″ pan but you can double it to make the perfect 9″x13″ lasagna. The one thing I noticed was that this lasagna stayed together WAY better than any regular lasagna I’ve ever made. Even that first piece that is guaranteed to fall apart didn’t fall apart!

Noodle Free Lasagna

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/8″ thick

1/2 orange pepper, sliced 1/4″ thick

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced 1/4″ thick

4 large mushrooms, sliced 1/4″ thick

500g ricotta cheese

10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly

1 egg

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 pound ground beef

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup pasta sauce (or tomato sauce seasoned as you like)

1/4 cup pasta sauce (for the bottom of the pan)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Roast the zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, oiled with olive oil, for 10 minutes. Toss the remaining vegetables with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway, until softened. Remove from oven and cool until you can handle them enough to chop into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to 400°.

In a bowl, stir ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and parmesan cheese. Set aside.

In a large pot, brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain and stir in 1 cup of sauce. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9″9″ baking dish. Layer 1/3 of the roasted zucchini, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, half of the meat, half of the roasted vegetables. Repeat with 1/3 zucchini, 1/3 ricotta, remaining half meat, remaining half roasted vegetables. Top with remaining 1/3 zucchini, remaining 1/3 ricotta, and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned. 

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup

My kids weren’t always good eaters. I can recall several meals that Logan sat in front of for a couple of hours, refusing to even try a bite. One meal would be the cause of tears even before it was served….chili. Try as we might, he would not even take a bite. The times we did convince him to take a bite, he would gag it down. 

I wasn’t sure what to do… stop making chili and end the fight or keep making the chili and hope he would eventually like it. I chose the latter option. We kept making chili and we started including him in the preparation. Sure enough, he began eating it and then he even started requesting it! 

I’ve been asked how to deal with fussy kids and there doesn’t seem to be one simple answer. My advice is to keep trying. Just because your child doesn’t like something today, doesn’t mean they won’t like it tomorrow or next week. Also, incorporate new foods into something they already like. Put some chopped veggies into spaghetti sauce if that’s how they’ll eat it. I put spinach in a lot because it is so healthy and it shrinks to almost nothing. It doesn’t change the way something tastes either…when the kids eat it, I feel a little victorious.

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup


Ingredients


1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups chicken broth
28 ounce can tomatoes
6 ounces uncooked whole wheat macaroni
11 ounces spinach, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions


In a large pot, brown ground beef with onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables are softened and beef is cooked through; 5-6 minutes. Drain fat from beef and return to pot. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in chicken broth and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add macaroni; cook for 5 minutes. Add spinach. Reduce heat and simmer until the spinach is wilted.

In the meantime, melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until combined. Stir frequently until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Pour cheese mixture into the large pot and stir until it’s mixed thoroughly. Serve hot.

Jalapeno Cheddar Meatloaf

Life is full of disappointments and unfairness but the way you handle these situations is what is the most important. Did you yell and swear at people about how unfair your situation is? Or did you talk through your issues and calmly get through? 

I’ve had a disappointing day. After 3 years of house hunting, we finally found ‘the’ house. I had assigned the rooms, placed the furniture, planned the renovations, and even had my sights set on developing a second kitchen to pursue a small business. Finding out that the house we live in isn’t worth enough to leave us with a down payment was a harsh blow…especially since we have done so many renovations over the 10 1/2 years we’ve owned it. But that’s life. That’s reality. Also a reality is that the plane tickets we had intended to book today are no longer on sale. Bah. And I also cut my finger while chopping carrots. Double bah. 

We teach our kids that life isn’t fair. They are allowed to be disappointed. If I make a meal that they don’t like, it’s not okay for them to stomp and yell. Nor is it okay to make gagging noises while the rest of us enjoy our meal. The latter has become a pretty uncommon occurrence as the kids seem to be more open to trying new foods. I took notice to the fact that the meatloaf was on the spicy side (for me) but not a single one of the kids mentioned it. When I asked if they thought it was spicy, they all said “Yeah, but it’s good!”. 

Jalapeno Cheddar Meatloaf


Ingredients


1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 jalapenos, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salsa

Directions


Preheat oven to 400°. Combine all ingredients, except salsa, in a large bowl. Press into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and spread 1/2 cup of salsa over the top. Return to oven and cook for 10 more minutes, until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Healthier Chili

It’s hard to believe that it’s October already! I was driving the kids to school and felt a little overcome with how beautiful the trees were. And I realized just how much I love fall. Fall, for me, means warm, comforting foods…but warm and comforting doesn’t have to equal fattening so I try to make all of those delicious dishes healthier.

This is my ‘healthier’ chili..not to be confused with ‘healthy’ chili. What makes it healthier? The addition of zucchini, green pepper, and brown rice! The kids don’t notice and it’s a great way to get a few extra veggies into them. 

Healthier Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

3 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 zucchini, diced

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

2 packets of chili seasoning (I use Club House brand)

28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups water

2 14 ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup brown rice, prepare according to package directions

shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot, brown the beef with the onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and green pepper until cooked through. Drain the beef and vegetables. Stir in chili seasonings, canned tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Gently stir in kidney beans and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve chili over 1/4 cup of brown rice and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Meatloaf..On a Stick!

Happy Labour Day! Hopefully you all are having a relaxing, non-labourous day! 

My vision for this meal was unrolled cabbage rolls. On the barbecue. With the meat on a stick and served over grilled cabbage. My vision was far more perfect than the actual outcome, which was a burnt head of cabbage that was completely raw in the middle. When I brought the skewered meat in the house, boy #1 asked what it was. Boy #2 replied “It’s meatloaf…On a stick!”. And so it was! 

Don’t mind the disaster that is the plate in the picture. The skewers kept toppling over and I had managed to capture a single picture of them standing up. 

Meatloaf..On a Stick!

Ingredients

398mL can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup onions

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions

In a small pot, combine tomato sauce, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, rice, onions, egg, salt, and pepper. Form into 3″ long rolls around small bamboo skewers. Grill over medium heat and baste with tomato sauce for 15-20 minutes; until meat is cooked through.