Low Carb Cheese Stuffed Meat Loaf

I’ve made various keto and low-carb meat loafs over the years. This recipe represents a combination of my favorite elements of the many recipes I’ve tried. Bacon topped? Fresh mozzarella stuffed? Yes and yes, please! Sauteed mushrooms and shallots help keep the loaf moist. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 cup diced mushrooms (white or baby bella)

• 2 medium shallots, diced

• 1 tablespoon diced garlic

• 3/4 pound 85% lean ground beef

• 3/4 pound ground sausage (spicy, if you like!)

• 3/4 cup low-carb flour (I use: Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour)

• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (or make your own mix with of some or all of the following: dried basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 8 oz. package fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (I use: BelGioioso Cheese Mozzarella Fresh Sliced)

• 12 oz. package center cut bacon

• Sugar Free Marinara Sauce

How to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x8 baking dish.

2. Saute mushrooms, shallots and garlic until soft (5-8 minutes).

3. Mix together the ground beef, pork, Parmesan cheese and dry ingredients. Use your hands — they really are the best tool for this step!

4. Mix in the eggs and Worcestershire sauce.

5. Layer as follows into a meatloaf pan or 9x9 baking dish: spread half the meat mixture in the pan, add a layer of sliced mozzarella, cover the cheese with remaining meat mixture, and top with a layer of sliced bacon.

6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

7. Warm marinara sauce (microwave or stove top) while loaf cools for five minutes.

8. Cut the loaf into 6 or 9 servings, depending how hungry ya’ll are. And pour sauce over. Enjoy!

Cheesy Spicy Low Carb Crackers

I’m experimenting with a new Paleo-friendly, low carb flour mix: Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour. My first experiment -- these super yummy cheesy crackers have a nice spicy bite! By the way, if anyone’s paying attention… I might be a bit into cheese lately. :)

How To Make It

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. hand shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1/2 cup room temp salted butter

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon mustard seed

• 1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour

Mix the cheese, butter and Dijon mustard together. Separately, mix all the dry ingredients together (all the remaining ingredients). Next, in 3 or 4 phases fold the dry ingredients into cheese mixture.

Separate the dough into three balls. Take each onto about a 14 inch layer of plastic wrap. Roll the ball out along the plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese log completely and manipulate the log until it’s about the width of a quarter (I use my hands to roll it out until it gets to the size I want). Place the cheese logs in the freezer.

From here, preparation takes about 25 minutes. So, when you’re ready, pull a cheese log from the freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let it soften a little. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the cheese log into 1/4 inch disks. Place on cookie sheet (use a Silpat or parchment paper to avoid sticking) spaced at least 1/4 inch apart. Check after 10 minutes, they should be slightly brown around the edges. If they’re not, bake for another couple minutes or so.

Let them cool and enjoy the cheesy yumminess!

Brooke’s Birthday Cake Pops

It was such a fun birthday party for Brooke and I made 100 cake pops for the celebration! Red Velvet Cake with Chocolate coating and Yellow Cake Orange Essence with White Chocolate coating. I’ll add the recipes later. Happy Birthday GF!

Low Carb Turkey Pot Pie

This low carb turkey pot pie was made from Thanksgiving leftovers. The crust is so delicious and definitely does not taste low carb!

How to Make it

I modified the recipe I found on Kyndra Holley’s blog, Peace, Love and Low Carb, for low carb chicken pot pie. The recipe as I made it is shown below:

Ingredients

Pie Filling:

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup onion, diced (about 2.5 oz)

• 1/2 cup celery, sliced (2 medium ribs)

• 1/2 cup carrots, slices (about 2.5 oz)

• I package sliced white mushrooms

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 12 oz turkey, cubed small

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened/room temp

• 1/2 cup grated, fresh Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Pie Filling:

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Next, add the onion, celery, carrots and a little salt and pepper to the pan. Sauté until the vegetables are soft.

2. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté until is is cooked though.

3. Add the heavy cream, chicken stock, and Dijon mustard to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4. Mix in the cheese until melted.

Pie Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine.

3. Mix in almond flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt and black pepper. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

5. Spread the dough pieces out into large flat circles on parchment paper or a silpat.

6. Divide the pot pie filling between four mini pie pans or oven safe ramekins.

7. Top each one with a piece of dough, folding it down around the edges.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Easy Easter Brownies

These Easter brownies couldn't be easier. Grab your favorite brownie mix and ready made frosting from your grocery store, along with a decorative topper (I used Easter color jelly beans).  These easy treats were a big hit after Easter dinner!

How to Make It:

Follow the instructions on your brownie mix and poor into a mini cupcake pan with liners. Pipe on some ready made frosting (add a little pastel coloring if you like). And top with a pretty little jelly bean.