Low Carb Recipes Meatloaf

Meatloaf is often a family dinner staple and can be put together quickly and easily for a simple and healthy dinner solution.

Here is my recipe for healthy meatloaf. Not only does it taste delicious, it is lower in carbs and gluten free by using the right kind of breadcrumbs.

Ingredients:

1 pound Grass Fed ground Buffalo or Beef
1/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs (they are made from rice and I found them at the health food store)
1/3 cup organic ketchup (yes, this adds in some sugar so be careful if you are very sensitive to sugar)
½ red onion finely chopped
Lots of the following spices: dried parsley, oregano, basil, and garlic powder (I know “lots” is not a measurement but I’m not sure how much I put in there but I do know it was a good amount of each.)
Celtic Sea Salt and black pepper
1 organic egg

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf baking pan with organic, unrefined coconut oil.

In a mixing bowl, mix all the above ingredients together

Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and shape into a loaf

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until done. Allow to stand 5 minutes before slicing.

I hope you enjoy this meatloaf as much as my family and I did!

Can being sleep deprived cause you to gain weight? Yes! Many people don’t realize the many health implications of sleep deprivation. It may even be hindering your fat loss efforts.

How does sleep (or sleep deprivation) affect your weight loss efforts?

Here are just a few reasons why sleeping may be the missing link to your weight loss efforts:

1. When you’re tired, it is so much harder to make healthy choices. I’m not sure if this is more about psychology or physiology or a combination of both. However, I know I have experienced it firsthand. When I get a good night’s sleep, sticking to my regular exercise and healthy eating routine is a cinch. But when I’m sleep deprived, I somehow think that chocolate and sugar will make me feel better. The truth is, it never does! It actually makes me feel worse. Much worse, because the blood sugar highs and lows makes me more tired and cranky than before I ate the sweets.

2. Now for some science. Researchers from several separate studies have found a link between sleep and the hormones that influence our eating behavior. Two specific hormones are involved. Ghrelin is responsible for feelings of hunger. Leptin tells the brain when it’s time to stop. When you’re sleep deprived, your ghrelin levels increase at the same time that your leptin levels decrease. The result is an increased craving for food and not feeling full (a hormone disaster as far as staying on track with a healthy eating plan). Nothing is worse than craving food and being hungry at the same time.

3. Many people don’t know this, but your body adjusts itself based on your circadian rhythms and the amount of sunlight outside. Without getting too deep into the science, these rhythms and light tell your body to physically recover approximately between the hours of 10pm-2am and to mentally recover approximately between 2am-6am. If you aren’t getting to bed until 12am, you are missing out on 2 crucial hours of physical repair. This can result in all sorts of aches and pains that do not get better, no matter what you try. I have seen clients relieve bad backs and aching joints by just getting to bed by 10pm. I have even seen people get smarter by sleeping til 6am (ok, I made this last statement up but wouldn’t that be great?). All kidding aside, I have seen people act consistently sharper when they are well rested.

How are you going to get a good night’s sleep to ensure you are not sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

Here are a few tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

1. Don’t watch TV before bed. You may not realize how fired up the news or your favorite TV show gets you before bed time. Instead grab a book or your favorite magazine and read in bed. This works wonders, especially a good fiction book that will help you forget the day’s events.

2. Cut your caffeine intake early in the day. An afternoon coffee or tea can still be racing through your blood stream at 10pm. Cut out your last caffeinated beverage by noon. This includes all coffee and teas (except herbal teas). Once you catch up on your sleep, you won’t be so dependent on your afternoon java kick.

3. Avoid Sugar before bed. (You were avoiding sugar anyway right?) Consuming sugar right before bed leads to a blood sugar roller coaster ride, potentially waking you up in the middle of the night due to a blood sugar low.

4. Put your work away before bed. There is nothing worse than a racing mind before bed. Crunching numbers and reading work documents right before bed may lead to dreams about work (or nightmares). End all work at least 2 hours before bed. If this is not possible for you, you may need to reassess your work schedule a bit.

Whatever the adjustments are for you, remember, sleep may just be the missing link in your nutrition, exercise and health regimen. Stick to your Diet Solution Meal Plans and tuck yourself in at 10pm each night and you will be well on your way to fat loss success.

Get started on your own Easy Fat Loss Meal Plans right away

Is your morning coffee an ok option on your healthy eating plan? If coffee really bad for you or is it actually good?

Healthy Caffeine in CoffeeI get these questions about coffee and health all the time and as a coffee drinker myself, it is smart to take a look at both the good and the bad.

Now, I’m not here to tell you that coffee is good for you. If I did, I would be telling only the good side of the story and I’m no politician. I am here to give you the good and the bad and tell you how you can incorporate your favorite coffee or tea into your healthy meal plan.

The Ugly Side of Caffeine

Most coffee and tea contains a lot of caffeine. This is usually the primary reason people make coffee their drink of choice in the morning. Caffeine is a drug like any other and comes with a long list of side effects. Have you ever tried not having your coffee in the morning? Yeah, pass the Excedrin, right? The headache that comes on when you try and kick this habit can be brutal (just like with other drugs) and creating a dependency and addiction like this is harmful to the body.

Second, coffee is extremely acidic. Our bodies function at optimum levels when they are slightly more alkaline (the opposite of acidic). It is best for us to greatly reduce any foods that will drive our body’s pH to be more acidic and eat more foods that are alkaline (like fruits and veggies). An acidic body pH is like a magnet for all kinds of illnesses. Also, an alkaline body has a much stronger immune system, making illness much less likely.

Last but not least, the caffeine in coffee and tea is abuse to your adrenal glands. Your adrenals release your “fight or flight” hormones basically giving you a nice “boost” when needed. Unfortunately, people who drink coffee all day long are consistently beating on their adrenals. This is the equivalent of whipping a tired horse even when he is exhausted. Eventually he will not move at all.

The Pretty Side of Caffeine

Coffee tastes oh so yummy and makes me feel great in the morning. (What? Is that not a good enough reason to drink it?)

Many studies have shown that coffee can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illnesses as varied as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinsons’s disease and more. Although, I don’t believe coffee would be the cure all to any of these diseases, many ancient cultures did rely on the coffee bean to cure a long list of ailments. Not to mention, small doses of caffeine can increase performance and mental focus.

Green tea is also a great drink to include with a long list of benefits. If nothing else, green tea is a wonderful source of antioxidants which are important in cancer prevention. Green tea has even been found to raise metabolism and aid in fat burning. Before you go take a green tea bath, its effects are really minor when compared to the effects of sound nutrition and exercise plans. Now that I’ve said that, don’t think you can eat junk food and just wash it down with green tea!

What is a coffee and tea drinker to do?

1. Limit your coffee and tea intake to 2 – 8 oz cups per day. No, not 2 of each, 2 total. Any more than that is considered as a heavy addict. (I know. I’ve been there).

2. If you are currently dependent on a lot of caffeine each day, replace 1 or 2 cups of coffee with green tea instead. Green tea has much less caffeine than coffee and will help combat the ugly detox symptoms.

3. Do not jack up your coffee with sugar, milk, syrup and whip cream (So I guess that means no Starbucks, huh?). Use stevia or xylitol to sweeten and avoid all the empty, harmful calories. A teaspoon of half and half won’t hurt either. Please oh please, do not use any of those flavored creamers. They are closer to someone’s chemistry experiment than they are to real food.

4. Make sure to make your food choices healthy. Avoiding other acidic foods like sugar, artificial sweeteners and processed foods will lighten the acid load on the body.

5. Make sure the coffee you drink is organic. Conventional coffee is filled with pesticides and chemicals and should be avoided at all costs.

There is no need to give up your morning coffee but it is important to drink the right types of coffee, without the added unhealthy extras and, as with most things, in moderation.

Get started on your own weight loss goals right away with these
Healthy Weight Loss Meal Plans.

Beef Taco Recipe

I know what it feels like to work a long day, walk into the house exhausted, only to have a bunch of starving eyes staring at you asking “What’s for dinner?” As much as I would like to just respond “I don’t know, whatever you cooked for me I guess”, that’s often not how it works. I always keep a couple a super easy and fast recipes on hand or in my brain to solve the dinner dilemma in 10 minutes flat.

Here’s an “emergency” dinner solution my family absolutely loves. We sometimes even make it in non-emergency situations when we are feeling like a bit of “Mexican”.

Taco Seasoned Beef or Buffalo

6 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Cumin
4 Tablespoon Paprika
3 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper (this makes it spicy. add more or less depending on how you like it)

(I know there are many stores that even carry ready-made taco seasoning. I have tried a few of these and some are tasty but I still prefer my easy to make, home-made version.)

Sautee the ground beef or buffalo in a large pan. I often don’t even need to add any oil as the natural fats in the meat help it cook without sticking. Make sure to stir and cut up the meat in small pieces with your spatula as it cooks. Once the meat is cooked through, add 2 Tbsp of the above Taco Seasoning (or Taco Seasoning of your choice.)

What can you do with this taco seasoned meat? I love to put it over a large salad of romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and celery and add salsa on top. My husband loves to put it on Sprouted Grain Tortillas, Spelt Tortillas or Rice Tortillas that we purchase at our local health food store. A good friend of mine uses large leaves of Romaine Lettuce and makes “Lettuce Taco Wraps”. If you have a bit of time, you can even add some fresh guacamole to your salad or wrap.

Oh, and did I mention this taco meat freezes and re-heats really well? You can make a big batch and freeze in smaller containers for later use.

More Healthy Recipes

Coconut Oil is a wonderful healthy food that has been shown to increase metabolism and assist in burning unwanted fat off your body. It is a wonder food that has been around for centuries and a great addition to any fat burning meal plan.

Unfortunately, some people have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not “fattening” or “dangerous”. We have all been falsely led to believe that fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only true half true. Some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils do contribute to heart disease and weight gain but good fats like coconut oil, butter and olive oil are actually great fats for our bodies. Think about how much healthier people were in the late 1800’s and very early 1900’s. Heart disease was almost unheard of back then.

Let’s put some of these MYTHS about coconut oil to rest right now.

Myth #1 – Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.

Truth – Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this tattooed on my forehead). Certain fats do cause weight gain but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body and accelerate your metabolism.

Myth #2 - Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.

Truth – Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. Saturated Fat has been falsely accused and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Numero Uno (It is worse than the Joker in Bat Man).

(To read more details about how fats can be healthy and the history of dietary fats, read Butter: Good Fat or Bad Fat?)

Myth #3 - Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease

Truth – The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different than many other oils in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFAs more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Now isn’t that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies. We can all use some of that.

I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for all of their cooking needs. 1 – 2 tsps for most cooking is more than enough. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes OH SO DELICIOUS! I usually have about 2-3 total TBSPs per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan. While it’s really good for you, there’s no need to go overboard.

If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket, I buy mine here:
http://wildfamilynaturals.com

Now go right ahead and enjoy your coconut oil and reap the fat burning effects right away.

To learn more about Coconut Oil and get started on your own fat loss goals, download your healthy meal plans right away.