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 Chicken Legs with Bacon Veggies

I’m trying something a little different for this post. Lots of pictures which means it took twice as long to actually make this meal but it also means that you don’t have to read 3 paragraphs of our family’s antics before getting to the good stuff. Hit me up in the comments and let me know what you think!

We are firm believers in the theory that “Bacon makes everything taste good”. I’ve made roasted chicken and veggies before but it’s been bland. Bacon to the rescue!! This meal is very easy on the primal pocket book…total cost was under $20 (including a sauteed swiss chard on the side) to feed a family of 7. If you’re not a family of 7 then you’ll have plenty of leftovers!

First, cut the carrots into even pieces and then slice them lengthwise. If you love carrots, feel free to add a few extras in there. 

Halve the onion and slice it into even strips. If you’re lucky enough to get a juicy onion like me, keep the tissues handy. *sniff sniff*

Use a garlic press to crush the garlic. Check out the size of this garlic that I found at the farmers market! I had to halve them just to get them into the garlic press! And boy, were they strong smelling fellas!

Cut the cauliflower into large pieces. If you cut them too small, you will end up with mushy cauliflower. Mushy cauliflower is only delicious when it’s supposed to be mushy. 

Ahhh…the money shot…BACON! Cut the bacon into pieces. I considered frying it before putting it into the dish but there’s no physical way for me to resist cooked bacon. 

Toss all of the vegetables and sweet, sweet bacon into a large roasting pan. My roasting pan is capable of holding a gigantic turkey (just to give you an idea as to how big a pan you’ll need). Pour the olive oil over top and sprinkle the seasoning over top. Mix it up well.

Lay the chicken legs over the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining seasonings. Those legs are ready to hit the oven! Stick them into the 400 degree oven and do your thing.

50-60 minutes later…delicious browned chicken legs with veggies that taste like bacon! I should warn you that there may not be leftovers. 

Roasted Chicken Legs with Bacon Veggies


Ingredients


5 large carrots, sliced into sticks
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 head cauliflower, cut into large chunks
1/2 pound bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
5 large chicken legs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the carrots into evenly sized sticks. Halve and slice the onion. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic cloves. Cut the cauliflower into large chunks. Combine all vegetables into a large roasting pan. Mix in chopped bacon. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture and top with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Mix well.

Lay the chicken legs on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Cover and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Honey Garlic Barbecue Sauce

3 days into the Whole 30 Challenge and I feel okay. Not great, not bad…just okay. I’m regretting my timing on this challenge because it coincided with the first day of school. I have forgotten how exhausting this routine is… get up early, shower, enjoy a quick moment of silence before waking up the clan, making breakfast, packing up lunches, rushing out the door, … The only difference is that, this year, the 3 boys are in school full time. 

I admit that dropping off my 3rd child for his first day of Grade 1 was tough. I cried. I asked if he would prefer to just stay home with me forever. I offered him chocolates if he would…and he said “No way..chocolate would make me sick!”. It was a very lonely day without him.

Their going back to school just solidifies the fact that summer is over. I know plenty of people who barbecue in the winter but it just doesn’t feel right to me. Having to shovel a path through 3 feet of snow… *blah* We’re enjoying the last couple of weeks with our barbecue and now that I’ve figured out how to make my own barbecue sauce, I can enjoy it even more! Dry ribs are fine, but saucy ribs are superb! 

Honey Garlic Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons honey

5 1/2 oz can tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

In a medium sized pot, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are softened and opaque. Reduce heat to medium and stir in honey and tomato paste until the honey is runny. Stir in beef broth, mustard powder, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.

Simmer over low for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce thickens (to your liking). Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.