Bacon Cheese Burger Meatloaf

We have a tradition in our household, called the Tracey Original. This is where I take what I have on hand and make a dish. The ingredients below are what we had on hand, and Meatloaf was the craving, but I wanted to put a spin on it, and shy away from the boring traditional meatloaf.

I took some photos, but I am not sure how you make Meatloaf look appealing on camera. Not to mention I was hungry, as was my family. So here is a snapshot!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of carrot, peeled, and thinly diced
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/4 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 3 pounds grass fed ground sirloin
• 2 egg
• 3/4 cup of Almond Flour
• 1 cup of Cheddar Cheese (optional)
• 4 slices of Bacon, diced
• Top with Homemade Ketchup

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Dice all vegetables above.

In a skillet fry Bacon slightly, for about 5 minutes total. Do not cook fully. It needs to bake with the loaf, and will release flavors!

In a bowl, mix eggs and spices. With hands mix in ground sirloin, almond flour, cheese, bacon, and all vegetables. 

Use Olive oil to coat two small loaf pans or one larger. 

Bake in Oven about 40 minutes. Add Ketchup on top and bake for 10 more minutes, or until done.

Serve and enjoy!!

Autumn Butternut Squash and Bacon Frittata

Halloween has come and past, and we recently went to the pumpkin patch and bought a variety of pumpkins and squashes. I am unsure which is my favorite between pumpkin and Butternut squash. Both, pumpkin and squash, are delicious, and reminds me of all the wonderful things, I love about fall. 

When I found this recipe, on the Whole Foods, FB page, I had to make it!  Of course, it has been adapted, and changed, to fit our diet. We added bacon, and exchanged almond milk in the place of milk. This dish would be a perfect Thanksgiving morning brunch treat, or the day after Thanksgiving breakfast! It is hearty, filling, and lite in calories!

A great Thanksgiving weekend treat! 

 

Nutrition:

This winter squash is actually a fruit not a vegetable, that has a rich sweet nutty taste. According to Livestrong.com , 1 cup of Butternut Squash has 60 calories, 16 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber. It also supplies almost 300 percent of your daily value of vitamin A , 50 percent of vitamin C, 7 percent of calcium and 5 percent of iron.

Not bad for one cup of extremely filling and satisfying butternut squash.

Four cup of healthy Goodness.. 1200% of Vitamin A!

Ingredients

• 4 cups butternut squash cubes 
• 1/2 red onion, cut into thick slices 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 
• 8 large eggs 
• 1/3 cup Almond milk no flavor
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• Fresh thyme
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (optional)
• 4 slices of Bacon
• Parsley to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Slice Bacon and fry in a cast- iron skillet. Remove excess grease, and set aside. 
3. Add , dice onions, and squash in  a baking pan or in cast iron skillet,  toss with the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. 
4. Roast in oven until the vegetables are browned and softened, about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk, spices and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together. Pour into the baking dish or skillet and return it to the oven.
6.  Continue cooking until eggs are just about set, 6 to 7 minutes. 
7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Turn on the broiler; place the skillet under the broiler just until the cheese melts and the top of the frittata is browned, about 2 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges and serve.

Autumn Butternut Squash and Bacon Frittata, right out of the oven

Nom, Nom, Nom! Or Violet says Nommy, Nommy!

Hearty Healthy Chicken Soup

A Chicken soup to savor!

When it is chilly outside, and you have a cold,  there is nothing more soothing than a nice warm bowl of Chicken Soup. For generations chicken soup has been said to assist the body in the healing process. For years I wondered if this was a myth told by my grandmother or a fact. Does chicken soup heal the body and soul?

According to a study done by University of Nebraska Medical Center, it does heal the body. Chicken noodle soup has anti-inflammatory properties, Neutrophil, that when activated may sooth that sore throat and assist in taking away some of the common miseries that are associated with cold and flu symptoms. 

The vegetables are an amazing source of vitamins and antioxidants! This soup has added sweet potato to replace the noodles, which adds vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium to this dish. Carrots and zucchini, which again gives the body a boost of vitamin A , and also provides cardio-protective benefits. All beneficial when you are feeling ill. 

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini 
• 8 medium carrots 
• 2 chicken breast (vegetarians leave out!)
• 2 (32oz) of low sodium Chicken broth (vegetable broth, or water)
• 1 cup of onion
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 16 small vine tomato
• Organic All Spice
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and pepper
• 16 ounces of water

Step One.

Rinse and pat chicken, slice thinly and season with salt and pepper. Slice tomatoes, thinly, line the bottom of a baking dish with tomatoes and olive oil, layer chicken on top, and top with remainder of tomatoes.  Top with a tablespoon of olive oil. Bake at 275 for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Slow roasted chicken and tomatoes for the soup

Step Two.

Pour broth and water into a stock pot. Add sliced vegetables, chicken, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a slow boil over medium high for 15 minutes, and then simmer until vegetables are tender. 

Antioxidants! 

Serve and enjoy!

Midwest soul food Fried Chicken

Lets talk FRIED CHICKEN, because I know that Keith ( My husbands co- worker) would!!!! It must be the Midwest Kansas girl in me, but I still love me some fried chicken, Okra, sweet potatoes, and blueberry pie! When my husband started eating no grains and wanted to incorporate the philosophy and eating style with our girls, I found it hard and difficult at times to find innovative ways to make food that they would enjoy and eat.

Lets face it, eating healthy is hard, and and no grain diet can be tricky at times. We all get the occasional craving for foods, which is what happened with me. I wanted Fried Chicken, and instead of making the drive out to ScreenDoor for some southern cuisine, we made best with what we had! And it turned out amazingly delicious too!

• 1/4 cayenne
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp granulated onion
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning blend
• 2 eggs
• 4 Chicken Breast

Wash clean and pat dry chicken,  at this time you may slice if you are craving Chicken strips. Next, mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix your eggs in a bowl, and coat chicken in the egg. Drip over the egg bowl for a second and then coat with the spice coating on both sides. 

For healthiest alternative cook in oven at 450, in a baking dish lined with foil and greased with olive oil.

OR, Fry that chicken, in a skillet. I used about 1/4  to 1/2 cup of olive oil. 

when done squeeze lemon on top.

Soul food Sweet Potato French Fries

Last night I made some delicious sweet potato fries to accompany my Salmon Burger. Now even tho, Sweet Potatoes are not found on the Paleo diet, there are a lot of nutrients in them. Research has found that sweet potatoes are healthier for you when you peel the skin off.   Sweet Potatoes have a high source of dietary fiber, beta carotene, Vitamins C, and B6. When picking out a sweet potato, always go with the orange colored potatoes over the flesh. It is important to know that sweet potatoes are different from other potatoes, in that they lake saponins and lectins, which are known to increase you intestinal permeability. It is important to be cautious if you are watching your glycemic index and weight not to eat too much.


My family of four split on huge sweet potato, and we were all content and full afterward!


Soul food Sweet Potato French Fries

1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar or agave
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 sweet potato


Peel and slice your sweet potato.


Mix all of the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.


Take a baking sheet and line with foil. Add about 1 teaspoon of Olive oil to sheet to grease. Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl with mixture and toss. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 45 minutes. Until soft, and that will all depend on how thinly the potatoes are sliced.

Serve and enjoy!!!!!