Here's To The Baconator

There happens to be a lovely girl (who dominates the kids class by the way) who is known as "The Baconator." She like myself, has a huge love for bacon. I saw the idea of wrapping meatloaf in bacon on Rachael Ray; although, she made hers with bread crumbs soaked in milk and various other poison's. I made mine squeaky clean, and I have to say it was delicious! This recipe makes a giant meatloaf and was enough food for 2 dinners for hubby and I, plus lunch for me...

Spinach Fire Roasted Tomato Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

2# Ground Beef

1 C. Frozen Spinach- run under hot water in a colander and squeeze all the liquid out before measuring.

1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes- drained in colander

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp. each Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Pepper

1/2 Large onion- chopped finely

3 Cloves Garlic- minced

1 12oz Package Bacon

Mix all the ingredients together, excluding the tomatoes. Mix well and add the tomatoes last gently folding them in to keep them in large chunks.

Shape your meatloaf into a log on a cookie sheet



Cover with the bacon. I laid it across the top diagonally, slightly overlapping it. Lay strips of bacon around the bottom edge to keep the bacon from folding up on the sides.

Backe at 375 degrees for approx. 1 hour. I used a digital thermometer and cooked it until it had an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Once it is cooked through, turn the broiler on high and crisp up the bacon to your liking. I think the crispier the better!

Are you kidding me with how good that looks?!!?

Cocoa-nut vs. Cinnamon Coconut

For your snacking pleasure; in one corner you have Cocoa-nut, in the other Cinnamon Coconut Crunchies. Whats your fancy? Of course I will choose Cocoa-nut every time because I'm a chocoholic! The cinnamon flavored coconut had a warm taste and was fairly mild. Either way its a PHAT fat (hehe) and a wonderful snack.

Cocoa-Nut

1 Lb shaved coconut

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 TBSP Coconut oil

2 TBSP Cocoa powder

1 TBSP Honey- melted

Cinnamon Coconut Crunchies

1 Lb shaved coconut

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 TBSP Coconut oil

1 TBSP Cinnamon

Bake at 375 on a cookie sheet lined with foil for an easy clean-up. You will need to babysit this snack as the coconut burns quickly and easily. Bake for a total of 8-10 minutes stirring several times during the cooking process to ensure an even browning.

Curry CauliRice

This is the recipe that I made to accompany the tilapia dish from my previous post. It has great flavor and would be a good side for just about anything!

Pineapple Curry CauliRice

1 Head Cauliflower

1 C. Fresh Pineapple

2 TBSP Toasted Almonds- sliced

4 Green Onions- sliced

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Curry Powder

Salt and Pepper

The easiest way to cut a pineapple is to cut of the top, then cut the sides off using a large knife to cut the skin away from the flesh.

Cut the pineapple into quarters and cut down the middle to remove the hard center. After you cut away the core slice the pineapple into bite sized pieces.

Heat a large skillet with oil and add the pineapple, saute until it gets browned and caramelized. Meanwhile, rice your cauliflower and microwave it for 3 minutes to get it partially cooked. Add the "rice" to the pan with the pineapple. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until its heated through.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

This just in, it was sunny today!!! Finally, I think we have had 3 sunny days previous to today this whole year here in N. ID. It was nice to get out and take a walk, do a little yard work and even get the grill cleaned up and going after a long winter hibernation. This was the perfect meal for a day like today. It was light, flavorful and made it feel like summer was right around the corner. I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as hubby and I did!

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

6 Tilapia Fillets

Marinade:

1/3 C. Oil

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 TBSP Fresh Parsley 3 Cloves Garlic -crushed 1 tsp. Dried Basil 1 tsp. Pepper 1/2 tsp. Salt

Marinade the fish for at least 1 hour to reap the benefits of massive flavor. Its best to marinade at least 4-6 hours or overnight if possible. Toss em on the grill, they only take about 4 minutes a side depending on how thick they are.

Mango Salsa:

1 Diced Mango

1/2 Diced Red Bell Pepper

3 TBSP Cilantro

1/2 Onion Minced

1 Jalapeno Seeded and Minced

2 TBSP Lime Juice

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper

Chop all the veggies and mix together with the citrus juices. Let set at least an hour in the refrigerator or as long as the fish marinades.

I served the fish with Curry "Rice" that I added pineapple to, it really completed the meal by adding another touch of fruit. I will post the recipe soon.

Best Fruit Choices

The perfect Primal diet consists of lots of lean meat, healthy fats (pure oils,olives,nuts and seeds), plenty of veggies and some fruit. I am guilty of being a fruit glutton. I could eat a piece of fruit with every meal and at snack time, I just love fresh fruit. While that's all fine and dandy fruit still has natural sugars and spikes you insulin levels, a thing that is best avoided especially when you are interested in dropping a few lb's. All fruits aren't made equally, some are much higher in antioxidants and polyphenols (disease fighters). Some fruits also have a much higher sugar content than others. If you are having trouble losing weight on a primal diet or just cant get rid of that last pesky 5 lbs, you might think about taking a serious look at your sugar intake. Look at all aspects of this, the honey or god forbid the agave, fruit and especially dried fruit you are eating. Again as I have said before life is to enjoy and enjoy things in moderation including fruit. Below I included a nifty link to a graph that Prof. Loren Cordain published, it gives an in depth look at sugar content in fruits, veggies, sweeteners and a few other various items. It is a good tool to use when planning your meals or just making better choices. Fruits and Sugars Table

Tasty Balls

These balls are so good! Hubby and I had a hard time not eating the whole batch. I did share with my sisters when they were over for girls day and they loved them too! I was imagining (while shoving yet another ball into my mouth) these would be really good with a little orange zest in them, maybe a tablespoon or so? Feel free to try it and leave me a note in the comments.

Almond Date Truffles

2 1/2 C. Whole pitted dates (Freddies bulk bins have the best price in N. Idaho)

2 C. Almonds- If you want the balls to be extra tasty toast the almonds before you add them!

1 TBSP. Honey

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 C. Toasted Raw Coconut

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and let er rip until the mixture is pulverized and starts to form a big ball. (have I said "ball" too many times in this post?)

Take the mixture by tablespoons and form it into you guessed it, balls...

Roll the balls in the coconut mixture until coated well and try not to eat too many!