MEATLOAF

Alright, I know what you are thinking...Meatloaf? Yes, meatloaf is on the menu. This is by far the best meatloaf recipe I have ever found. This is my comfort food. Oh man this stuff is good! I made this recipe and had some squash noodles with it. This makes quite a bit, so it is perfect for taking with you to work for lunch. I actually have been eating this for breakfast too:)

MEATLOAF (Sweet Cheeks)

Ingrediants:
-1 teaspoon olive oil

-6 slices bacon, chopped

-1 medium red onion, chopped

-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-1 teaspoon crushed garlic
-3/4 cup almond meal

-1/2 cup coconut milk

-1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
-1 1/2 pounds ground beef (At least 93% lean)
-1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook 2 slices bacon, stirring, until almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add almond meal and coconut milk. Let cool.


Add ground meat and egg. Dive right in with those hands and mix it up! Transfer mixture to 2, 5-by-9-inch loaf pan and smooth top. Place remaining bacon slices over meatloaf. Bake until meatloaf is cooked through, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan 20 minutes before slicing. If you don't have the patience to let it cool and you cut into it right away like I did :) It will still be delicious, just a little crumbly.

Squash Noodles

There are so many nights that I get home from a long day at work and usually a hard work out at Verve, and the last thing I want to do is cook. BUT this is one of my "go to" veggie dishes that is simple and quick. I can make a lot of this at once and it goes perfect with any main dish.

I use Squash Noodles to replace pasta and it works like a charm! With the right sauce, these noodles are amazing!

Ingrediants:
- 2 yellow squash
- 2 Zuchini
- 1 T. EVOO
- 2 cloves garlic
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Heat EVOO in skillet over medium heat.
- Cut squash and zuchini into long noodle-like pieces. I usually cut the squash in half and then cut noodles from there.
- Place noodles and garlic in skillet and cook about 6-10 minutes over medium heat until noodles are tender




Here is my FAVORITE pasta sauce of all time! It is soooo good. Trust me. Buy this! No added sugar with all natural ingrediants. Simply amazing!

Cleaning out the Fridge Salad

I have put off going to the grocery store lately and that usually results in random things left in the fridge. I decided to put together a quick salad with what I had left. It actually turned out pretty good. With just a few ingrediants, I have come up with my "cleaning out the fridge salad."

Cleaning out the Fridge Salad:

Ingrediants:
-4 large boneless chicken breasts
-2 cups baby carrots
-3 stalks celery
-2 T. olive oil
-Chili Powder
-Salt
-Pepper

Directions:-Since it is summer and I am in a grilling mood, I grilled the chicken breasts on the grill for 10 minutes on each side on low-medium heat.
-Let chicken cool completely
-I cannot stand raw carrots, so I always roast mine. (But feel free to use raw carrots if your heart desires.) Turn oven on broil and place carrots on baking sheet. Sprinkle olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste. (I love chili powder, so I used about 1 T.) Place baking sheet in middle of oven and cook for 10 minutes. Stir carrots and cook for additional 10 minutes till carrots are tender.
-Let carrots cool.
-Cut celery, carrots and chicken into small pieces and place in bowl.
-Pour over dressing (recipe below)and add salt and pepper to taste.
-Chill in fridge or serve warm in lettuce wraps:)

Dressing Recipe:

Ingrediants:
-2 T. Olive Oil
-4 T. balsamic
-1 egg yolk
-salt and pepper
-2 T. mustard

Directions:
This is a recipe that I literally just made up. I didn't measure anything, so the above measurements are a guesstimate. Please add more or less if you find necessary.
-Whisk olive oil and balsamic vineger together. Mix in mustard and egg yolk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thats it! Yes, it's a simple dressing to give the salad a little extra kick. I am not really a fan of ranch, blue cheese or anything like that anymore, so it is fun to experiment to find new healthy dressings. Oh and don't be afraid to add anything else to this salad that you happen to have hanging out in the fridge:)

Enjoy!

BBQ Beef

This is a new recipe that I tried today and fell in love with...Crockpot BBQ Beef! It was easy and absolutely amazing! With summer in full swing, I have been craving some good BBQ, BUT most of the BBQ sauce you buy in the store is crap. About 99% of store bought BBQ sauces use high fructose corn syrup as their main ingrediant. Awful. So today, I swept the internet for a healthy, but tasty BBQ sauce and I found it! Courtesey of Civilized Caveman. You will notice this has no sugar! This is a great recipe to make and then take to lunch during the week. Enjoy!

Crock Pot BBQ Beef:

Ingredients:3-5 Lb Boneless Chuck Roast
1 Large White Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Orange Bell Pepper
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Dried Basil (I didn't use because I didn't have it)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Beef Broth

Directions:
-Mix all of your dry spices together in a mixing bowl and set aside
-Cut up your onions into large chunks and cut your peppers into long slices
-Toss all of your cuts of meat in the seasoning mixture and ensure you coat all sides of every piece of meat
-Using half of your vegetables, line the bottom of your crock pot and then place half of your meat on those vegetables
-Put the other half of your vegetables in your crock pot and then put in the rest of your meat
-Pour in your beef stock, cover and cook on low for 8 hours
-When the meat is done, remove all the meat pieces and vegetables and drain the crock pot
-Place all the meat back in and shred with two forks
-Pour in a whole batch of BBQ Sauce (recipe below) and mix well
-Cover and place on low for 30 minutes to let all the flavors mold together

BBQ Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:3 Tomatoes, Diced
1 White Onion, Diced
4 Cloves of garlic, Diced
1 6 Ounce can of Tomato Paste
1 Cup Beef Stock
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Cayenne

Directions:
-Combine all ingredients above in a sauce pan and place on stove over medium heat stirring frequently
-Once your sauce starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 60 minutes
-Once your sauce has simmered, turn off the heat and pour your sauce into a blender or food processor and run until you get a nice smooth sauce consistency. (This is completely optional. I did not do this because I am lazy and it still tasted amazing.)
-Return to the pan to keep warm or place on the food of your choice
-Store in the refrigerator

MIA

Yes, Yes…I know! It’s been far too long. Although I have been completely slacking on my posts, I can assure you that I have not been slacking on life. I have been guilty of being a lover of life lately. It’s summer time, which means the mountains have been calling my name. I have God’s playground right at my backdoor. How lucky am I?



Even though I have been content with my life and I can’t really complain doesn’t mean I have had a few slumps along the way. I won’t get into the details of these less than spectacular events because they are irrelevant. However, what is important is the outcome. I’m fine! Yes, I got through it. And you know now that I think about it…I have been able to get through a lot over these past 24 years. All of those problems that I thought were so hard and I would never get through it alive…. turned out to be ok after all. My point is no matter how many times we hit the rough spot and we think our troubles are going to break us…they never really do. We are still here. Still breathing. And that in itself is a reason to cause celebration. Life throws EVERYONE curve balls. Some more than others. Is it fair? No, but its life. It’s like the old saying, “If everybody put their troubles in the middle of the room, you’d take a look around and pick your own back up again.”

It is easy for us to get caught up in our own issues that we forget everyone has them. For most of us, these issues go unseen. We keep them hidden. So here is my proposal…Smile, laugh, love and don’t forget to give a hug. Simple jesters can make a world of difference. After all, we all have our troubles and there is no reason why we can’t go down the beaten path together.