Super Simple Clean Eating, Slow Carb Meat Loaf

The thing that I've always loved about meatloaf is that I can get credit for feeding my ravenous carnivores "real" meat while at the same time being able to use other cheaper foods to extend the meat without any complaints.  Since meat is expensive, and we're on tight budget, AND I am cutting out grains... I had to get a little creative.

Thankfully, I'm good at creative, so don't worry, I got this.

I've made this three times, upping the amount of lentils each time.  My husband actually requests it with the lentils now, and my uber picky-about-his-meat-dishes son hasn't had one complaint (and what he doesn't know won't hurt him in this case... don't worry, I'll pass the recipe onto his future wife)  .

Ideal Recipe aka What I Intended to Make

Ingredients:
6# of lean ground beef
2-3# of cooked lentils (I cook mine in beef broth and puree before adding to the meat)
1/2 - 1 cup tomato sauce/paste
4 eggs
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Directions:

Yummy... pureed lentils.  Don't those look SO appetizing?  No?

• Mix together all ingredients (if you're not avoiding grains, you can add some ground up shredded wheat cereal to extend the meat even further)
• Form into large patties or small loaves and place on broiler pan (so that the fat will drip into the lower pan)
• Bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes (depending on the size of your loaves) until cooked through.

Topping:
Mix together one cup of the tomato paste/sauce and 1/4 cup of brown sugar Xylitol.  When the meat loaf is ALMOST done, put this topping on it and bake for another 10 minutes!

Optional Recipe aka What I Actually Made

*I was going to wait until after tomorrow and go grocery shopping so that I could make a big crapload of these for ease of use during my 90 Day challenge.  However, I got impatient and wanted some meatloaf right freaking NOW, so I used what I had on hand.  Now you have two options.  Wasn't that nice of me?

Yummy... the fun part.  Mixing this up with your hands!!!

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground beef
1- 1 1/2 cups of pureed lentils (you don't have to puree them, I just found that I didn't care for the beans randomly showing up in my meat:)
2 Tbsp of diced tomatoes (no juice)
3 eggs

Topping:
Ketchup mixed with a packet of Stevia

Bake, same as above and sit your impatient butt down and wait for them to finish.  I am doing this part right NOW.

I've also discovered that I have amazingly weird, random, witty and fun commentary going on in my head when I'm cooking, so I'm definitely going to start making cooking videos at some point.  Especially if this weight loss thing happens and I can stand to look at myself again.

Duh... I even forgot seasoning.  See what hunger does to my brain?  I REALLY need to plan ahead and have quick fix food ready!

The End.

Whoa. I'm LOSING WEIGHT. Grain Free, clean eating Pot Roast

After a solid YEAR of gaining weight (whilst trying to LOSE), I have not  only NOT gained any weight this past week, but I have lost four pounds!!! (If you see them, please don't tell me, I don't want them back)

That may not sound like much, and its not a lot... but I am telling you, after watching the scale go up for so long, it feels like a miracle to see it go back down.

Apparently my body just does not like grains.  I went a while without eating gluten, but found that even brown rice was making my digestive tract go into spasms and a form of rebellion that I honestly hope I never have to deal with again.  

So I guess you'll be seeing more grain free recipes from me for a while.  And, since we're moving within the next two weeks, the recipes will be SUPER quick or made for bulk cooking because I don't have time for anything else!

Grain Free Pot Roast & Veggies in Marinara

A pot roast with veggies and meat so tender, you can cut it with a fork!

Ingredients:

Home made Marinara Sauce (or you can buy your own, I prefer to make it in bulk at home so that I know what the ingredients are!)
Beef Broth ***I like thicker stew like pot roast, so I tend to keep it 3 parts marinara to 1 part beef broth, you can use the amounts that suit you and your family.

Round Steak/Flank Steak (I used round steak and just cut extra fat off before cooking)

Carrots, chopped in large pieces

Potatoes, chopped in large pieces
Frozen Corn (although some people sensitive to grains shouldn't have corn either)
Frozen Green Beans
Cabbage, chopped
Onions, chopped in 4ths (I keep mine big so that my one non-onion kid can pick them out)

Pretty much any other veggies you want!

Directions

OAMC:  Chop the veggies, Steak and divide into meal sized freezer bags/mason jars if you're avoiding plastic.  Add Marinara sauce and seal bag.  Freeze.

When you're ready to cook, take it out and Add 1-2 cups of Beef Broth throw it in the crock pot in the morning and have for dinner.

Regular Cooking:

• With thawed meat, put skillet on med-high.
• Sear meat by cooking it for just a few minutes on each side.
• Add marinara & beef broth
• Add carrots 
• After about an hour or so
• Add all other veggies

Cook on the stove on medium until the meat and veggies are done (at least three hours)
Bake in oven on 350-400 for several hours.

If I had the freezer space right now, this would DEFINITELY always be a OAMC recipe.  Until I get an upright or deep freezer, we're stuck with bulk cooking on the stove and then we all just eat it until we're stuffed.  

This is a slightly modified old time family favorite.  I remember eating pot roast with potatoes and carrots at my grandma's house for Sunday dinner.  Yum!

Clean Eating: Organization & Cheap Food "Cannisters" for Storage of Bulk Foods

Inexpensive Organization

• Is anyone else tired of all the bulk food bags/plastic baggies and whatnot cluttering up your pantry shelves? 
• How about paying $7.00 or more for a cannister when you need at least a dozen?
• Oh, and did I mention MOTHS!?

We have such a problem with moths at my house that I have to be absolutely religious about putting my food in moth proof bags/containers.

My Cheap "Cannisters"  Vital Wheat Gluten, Coconut, Slivered Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Red Quinoa

 I have spent many hours at the store, drooling over cool looking stackable glass cannisters, but honestly, I can't afford to spend upwards of $5-$6 per container.  I just can't justify it.  Yes, I'm cheap.

Then, I had a fabulous idea (I bet you have a clue where I'm going with this:)

I bought 1 dozen Glass Canning jars for $8.99!  That's Twelve Cannisters for less than $1.00 each!  Yay!

Almonds, Cranberries, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds



Lookie!  I have such organized food stuffs now!  No more messes of bags, boxes and a mess!



Oh!!  I forgot!  We're in a rental house, so I can't do this, but a GREAT idea is to use scews to screw the lids of smaller jars to the underside of your cabinets.  Then you can just screw the jar up on to the lid and you have off the counter storage!  This works wonders with babyfood jars for spices, or small canning jars.  I got the idea from my dad, actually, who uses this method to store all of his screws, nails and whatnot in the garage!  Thanks, dad!