Bacony Brussels Sprouts & Meatloaf

This entire meal is gluten free, dairy free, and Paleo friendly. Normally, I do not go through this extent of making a side dish, but dang these Brussels sprouts were sure worth it! They go well with the meatloaf because they both bake at 350.

 

Bacony Brussels Sprouts Directions:

Ingredients:

6 strips of bacon (natural, nitrate-free is best)

1 pound Brussels sprouts

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Ground Black Pepper to taste

 

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Dice bacon and cook it in a skillet until crispy.

3. Steam the Brussels sprouts anyway you choose for about 5 minutes. Cut off the stem, and cut them in halves or quarters depending on size.4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the sprouts, bacon, bacon grease, and spices.

5. Line a baking dish with foil, I only do this cause I hate to scrub dishes. Spread Brussels sprouts evenly in the dish.

6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through. When you are done you should have this:

Meatloaf

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef 97% lean

1 cup almond meal/flour

2 eggs

6 oz tomato paste

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

 

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Beat eggs together.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix by hand.

4. Place meat mixture into a large baking dish, or large loaf pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour, until the meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle.

 

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Chipotle’s Barbacoa Beef

Recently, my husband and I traveled to Arizona for the holidays. One of the big things for us when we travel is eating at places that we don’t have in Hawaii. Typically, In and Out Burger and Chipotle are at the top of the list. But, this time we just didn’t make it to Chipotle. Both of us are big fans of their Barbacoa Beef, so we decided to do some research online and make our own.

The original recipe I use can be found here. I used the same ingredients, just mixed up how we used them a little bit, and also how we cooked it. It makes 9 servings and is 7 Points Plus per serving if you are on Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:

About 3 pounds eye of round roast, all fat trimmed

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 medium onion

1/2 lime juice

4 chipotles canned in adobo sauce

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tbs oregano

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup of water

salt & pepper

1 tsp olive oil

3 Bay leaves

Procedures:

1. Trim fat off of roast, cut into 4 inch chunks.

2. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a large pan. Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper and brown it on high heat.

3. Meanwhile, put garlic, onion, chipotles (with a little of the sauce too), lime juice, cumin, oregano, cloves into the blender.

4. You can attempt to blend it just like that, but for me that didn’t work. I improvised by adding 1/2 cup of water into the blender. It then blended up great.

5. Add browned beef, 3 bay leaves and sauce and the other 1/2 cup of water into your Crock Pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Finally, use two forks to shred the beef and let it cook a little longer to gain the full flavor of the sauce.  I also left the lid off of the crock pot toward the end to allow the sauce to thicken.

6. Serve with rice, on quesadillas, tacos, burritos or all by itself.

Just to warn you, this really smells amazing. Just the sauce by itself before cooking smelled amazing. Since it was so delicious we will be making quesadillas with the leftovers tomorrow.

Tangy Crockpot Beef

When I was still living at home, a roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables was one of my favorite meals. Living on my own and learning how to cook, I discovered what a pain it can be to bake a roast, especially if you are working and do not have the time.

This roast is cooked in the slow cooker, so it cooks while you work. You come home to an amazing smelling house and a delicious dinner. One of the easiest roasts you will ever make. There are only 2 ingredients. Yup…only 2. You then have the option of serving it as is, as a sandwich, or with rice or potatoes.

 

Ingredients:

1 Beef Roast, eye of round or really any kind you want, trimmed of fat.

1 16oz jar of banana peppers

 

What You Do:

1. Place the roast in the crockpot.

2. Pour the banana peppers, along with all of the liquid on top.

3. Turn the crockpot on low, and cook at least 6-8 hours. I leave mine on all day and it comes out great.

4. Shred beef using 2 forks. It will pretty much just fall apart.

Makes about 8 servings, depending on the size of the roast. Each serving is 6 Points Plus if you are on Weight Watchers.
If you plan to serve it as sandwiches, ciabatta bread works best. Broil the bread a little bit first. Crisping up the bread will make the sandwich a little less messy. Top with the beef mixture.

To make it even more tasty, top it with a slice of cheese. We used light pepper jack cheese. The entire sandwich, with cheese is 10 Points Plus, and delicious!