Meat Loaf - not your mothers kind. It's whats for lunch in the new year!

One of the hardest things I've found to do when eating clean/paleo is having food ready to eat.  Because you are not eating "processed" foods, the ability to pop something in the microwave and eat 3 minutes later is nearly impossible without some pre-planed meal prep time invested.

Meat Loaf.  Yes I said meatloaf.  But not the kind your mother use to make.  Loaded in breadcrumbs and smothered in ketchup.  Yuck.

I have found meatloaf to be an easy meal to make and then have for a quick reheat meal in the days after.  I also found making it in my jumbo muffin pan worked even better and it didn't take as long to cook!  Winning!!


I followed this recipe but as always had to change a few things.  I noted them below.
http://www.everydaymaven.com/2013/paleo-meatloaf/

First off, I did not use the hard boiled eggs as suggested in the recipe. I didn't  have any ready and it really didn't interest me to have eggs in the middle of my meatloaf.  Just saying.

MEATLOAF:

• 4 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano (I used an Italian seasoning mix instead of just oregano)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅔ cup almond meal
• 2 large eggs, beaten  (next one I'll use three)
• 1½ pounds lean ground beef  (I had 1lb of ground elk and 1lb of ground sirloin)
• 1 carrot, finely chopped - I added this ingredient because I had some in the fridge.

I did use my food processor as it suggested.  Way quicker and everything was small enough, it made the meatloaf blend together well.  Once I had it all mixed together and mushed with my hands, I rolled into large balls that fit into my jumbo muffin pan.  It made six perfect little meatloafs.

I did not take the time to make the tomato/ghee topping in the recipe either, but the next one I might give it a try.

We had this for lunch not only today, but I took it to work Monday and Tuesday. It heats up great in the microwave!  Good portable, quick meal.

Breakfast for The New Year!

Happy New Year!!!  

It's 2014.  Time to reset and have a great year!   New Years resolutions only work if  you write them down and announce them to the world.  So here's mine.

Do not stray from a whole, clean, paleo"ish" lifestyle.  This means never having pizza again?  NO.  It means have pizza, in moderation, only when special occasions warrant the need.  It means not choosing to order it for dinner.  

When I started Crossfit in Feb 2012 I had no idea what proper diet and nutrition was.  I thought I did, but the reality was I had no clue.  So in my first year of Crossfit I tried it, failed at it, tried it again and again.  Most of the year was educating myself and attempting to purge the bad foods from my lifestyle.   Success.

The second year of Crossfit in 2013 was taking what I had learned and applying it on a more consistent basis while at the same time trying to fool myself into thinking I didn't need to eat this way all the time.  For example, I would spend weeks planning, preparing and eating clean in preparation for an event or competition.  Then once it was over I'd slip back to old eating habits and kill any progress I may have made.  Then doing it all over again the next month.  What I learned in a year?  You can't do this and expect any change in results. 

I expect myself in 2014 to take what I've learned over the two years and commit to it.  I know what my body responds well to and what it does not.  I know that grains are not a friend of my body in any way shape or form.  I'm 100% sure of this.  I know my body needs more protein and less fat and I have to find ways to adjust this in 2014. 

So.....what did I have for breakfast today?   (Sorry no photo)

Three eggs.  One full egg, two whites.  Scrambled with salt/pepper/garlic powder
About 2 oz (half slice) Harvati cheese melted on top
Sautéed onion, spinach and parsley
(I cooked a whole onion, about 2 cups of spinach and about 2 Tbls of parsley chopped in aprox 1 Tbl of bacon grease. I ate about 1/2 cup with breakfast)
Baked butternut squash (about 1/4 cup) plain
1 C fresh squeezed OJ
and a piece of bacon.

All easy stuff, no fancy recipes. Basic good food.  Although I need to get rid of the bacon grease somehow.....it's just so good.




 What's your lifestyle resolution?  Write it down, announce it to the world.  Comment on my blog and share it with me.   I'd love to help keep you on track!!