Category Archives: Ground Meat

Meatloaf Skillet ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Meatloaf Skillet

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday
The taste of meatloaf but the speed of a skillet meal.

I love meatloaf. Since Michael has been allergic to beef, meatloaf has been a trial. I attempted to make it with ground turkey in the beginning but that had unfavorable results. It just didn’t taste right and I’d rather go without than to eat that.

Then I started low-carb diets and although I started making beef for me and the kids on occasion, I could no longer have the carbs that made it meatloaf.

I purchased some hamburger on sale recently and decided to fix some of it for my lunch one day. I had recently made some Swiss bread from the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook. I had this idea to add a piece, cubed to my crumbled ground beef and I was shocked how much it tasted like meatloaf! Now, if I had a stove where the broiler were in a position that I did not have to practically lay down on the floor to put anything under it, I would put some sugar-free ketchup on it and broil it until it is browned a bit.

So, without further adieu, here is how you make my Meatloaf Skillet. :)

Dice up some onion and green pepper.

Dicing Onion ~ Lifeofjoy.meI would use a small onion and about a quarter to a third of a green pepper. Add it with the ground beef to the skillet and brown it up.

Cooking Ground Beef ~ Lifeofjoy.meWe didn’t have green pepper this day so we used some colored peppers. :)

Saute onions and peppers ~ Lifeofjoy.meMy daughter made this for me on my birthday, so she did it slightly differently than I would have. Save yourself pans to clean, just put it all in the skillet together with some salt.

Next cube about a serving of swiss bread. You can make just one serving or make the whole loaf like I do and slice off a few pieces. Cut it into cubes and add it to the nearly finished browning meat. :)

Swiss bread cubes ~ Lifeofjoy.meLet the bread cubes soak up a some of the fat released by the meat and then serve.

Meatloaf Skillet Serving ~ Lifeofjoy.me

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Meatloaf Skillet

Ingredients

  • These measurements are approximates, use more or less as you desire.
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • small onion, diced
  • 1/3 green pepper, diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • THM Swiss bread, one serving, cubed (can use any "S" or "FP" bread)

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat with the onion, peppers, salt, and pepper.
  2. Add cubed bread, stir to combine.
  3. After a couple of minutes, remove from heat and eat.
  4. OPTIONALLY: Spread sugar-free (on plan) ketchup on top and put under the broiler until it is beginning to brown or the ketchup is thickened a bit.
https://lifeofjoy.me/meatloaf-skillet/

I totally love this dish! I see it in my future lunches often. ;)

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Mozzarella Stuffed Pesto Meatballs

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday, ,
Whether you use homemade pesto or store-bought, this is an easy meatball meal that is a nice difference. Add the cheesy surprise and they are a hit. :)

I found this recipe on the I Breathe I’m Hungry website when we began our keto (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) diet about a year ago. She has so many varieties of meatballs that you could fix a different recipe every night for a month and still have a couple week’s worth yet to try.  These have a piece of mozzarella cheese stuffed inside them.

They are simple to make and could probably even be baked in the oven if you wanted to. If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and get your easy pesto made. :)

Now let’s get started. I’m using ground turkey but you could use whatever ground meat you desire.

Combine the ground meat,

Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd almond flour (if you’re a carb eater, you could use some breadcrumbs instead), egg, salt, pepper, and pesto in a bowl.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meCombine it well and level it out. I like to make some kind of marks so I get relatively evenly sized meatballs. I think the original recipe makes this into only 10 meatballs but since there are four of us, I make an even 12. So first I divide it in half each direction so each section is about 1/4 the mixture.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen each section is roughly divided into 3 sections.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meTake one section (1/12 of the mixture) and flatten it out in your hand and place a piece of the cheese in the middle.Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meBegin wrapping the meat around the cheese cube.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meClose it up and make it round.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meHeat oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs (about 4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through).

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meI waited a little too long to turn them so they are more like ‘cakes’ than ‘balls’. :D

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.meServe with pesto. We served these with zoodles.

Cheese Stuffed Pesto Meatballs ~ Lifeofjoy.me

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Mozzarella Stuffed Pesto Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons pesto + more for serving
  • 2 ounces fresh mozzarella (cut into 12 pieces)
  • 2 Tablespoons or more for frying

Instructions

  1. Combine ground meat, almond flour, egg, salt, pepper, and pesto in a bowl.
  2. Divide meat into about 12 meatballs and form meat ball around a piece of cheese.
  3. Fry in heated oil, about 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.
  4. Serve hot with added pesto.
  5. We served on zoodles (strands of zucchini sauted in butter).
https://lifeofjoy.me/mozzarella-stuffed-pesto-meatballs/

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Taco Salad ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Taco Salad

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Salad, Tasty Tuesday, ,
Versatile hearty salad made with meat, cheese, lettuce and whatever else you like.

It is the middle of March and ridiculously hot already here in Oklahoma. Okay, maybe it isn’t quite that hot but our air conditioner is in need of help, a.k.a. it isn’t cooling. At any rate, it is too hot to make something in the oven for dinner tonight, so I’m changing up my menu and having Taco Salad instead. It’s good to be flexible.

This salad can be fixed in a variety of ways to meet your dietary needs. I’ll be making it TWO ways today! Yep, two ways. Since Sean, Tiffany, and I are doing keto we need high fat, so I’ll be using 73% ground beef. Currently Michael cannot eat beef or he breaks out in a rash and has difficulty breathing, so I’ll fix his with ground turkey. The only other difference will be in what ‘chips’ we use. Michael will use plain tortilla chips and the rest of us will use pork rinds. :)

So, let’s get started.

Brown the ground meat.

Browning Hamburger ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhen it is about half done, I like to season it with salt and pepper.

Seasoned Hamburger ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Now add remaining seasonings. This depends on your tastes. You can simply add a package of taco seasoning or a mix of seasonings like I do. Tiffany doesn’t like purchased taco seasoning, so I’ll use some onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and chili powder.

Taco Seasonings ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Prepare your lettuce. Wash it if it is dirty. We like green leaf lettuce; it has nutrition unlike iceberg.

Wash & Dry Lettuce ~ Lifeofjoy.me

I put each ingredient in a separate bowl so that each individual can put on the toppings of their choosing. Since this meal was not on my menu when I shopped last week, I don’t have an avocado; thus, we’ll use some sour cream (which I don’t need if we have avocado).

We have tomato, refried beans (for Michael),  sour cream, and CHEESE tonight.

Taco Salad ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Tiffany put a little carrot, green pepper, broccoli, and zucchini in the salad. Seriously, a little of each, like a tablespoon or two. Most times it is just plain lettuce. ;)At dinner, everyone will build their salad to their liking. This is mine. :) Mmmm, mmmm!

Taco Salad ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Serve with nacho tortilla chips, plain tortilla chips, or to keep it keto use pork rinds.

Taco Salad and Pork Rinds ~ Lifejoy.me

I crushed up a few in my salad.

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Taco Salad

Ingredients

  • 1-1½ pounds ground meat
  • ¼ teaspoon each cumin and garlic powder
  • heaping ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon each paprika and onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • lettuce
  • cheese, your preferred variety
  • various veggies on hand, like tomato, onion, green pepper, zucchini, broccoli, carrot, avocado, etc.
  • sour cream, optional

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground meat.
  2. Season with the listed seasonings.
  3. Tear washed lettuce leaves into bowl and add in variety of veggies or none at all.
  4. Serve salad with meat, cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips or pork rinds, as desired.
https://lifeofjoy.me/taco-salad/

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Enchilada Bake

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday
This casserole is a bit like the Enchilada Pie but low carb. It satifies that desire for Mexican food.

This is another wonderful recipe from Genaw. I usually put off making it because it is baked twice: once for the ‘crust’ and then once for the casserole cheese to melt. But when we eat it, we always remark about how good it is.

Set out 4 ounces of cream cheese to soften. Beat the softened cream cheese and eggs until smooth.

Eggs and Cream Cheese ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Add seasonings. I combine onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper but you can use your favorite taco seasoning. Mix well.

Add seasoning ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Add in 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.

Add Cheddar ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Spread evenly into a greased 9×13″ baking dish.

Spread Enchilada Crust in Dish ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Bake at 350º for about 35 minutes. It should be lightly browned but not too dark because it will go back into the oven again in a bit.

Baked Crust Enchilada Bake ~ lifeofjoy.me

Crust Baked ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Let stand for 5-10 minutes before adding the topping.

Brown the ground meat and add some more of the seasonings, the enchilada sauce, and green chiles. I like to purée the green chiles. Combine well and spread over the slightly cooled crust.

Enchilada Bake Topping ~ Lifeofjoy.meEnchilada Bake Meat and Crust ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Enchilada Bake Add Cheese ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Bake another 20 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Oops! Almost forgot to take final pictures, so this is all that was left in the baking dish at the time.

Echilada Bake Serving or two ~ Lifeofjoy.me

 

Serve with your choice of toppings: lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, avocado, et cetera.

Enchilada Bake ~ Lifeofjoy.me Enchilada Bake ~ Lifeofjoy.me

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Enchilada Bake

Ingredients

  • Crust:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Topping:
  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 8 ounce (or so) jar enchilada sauce
  • 4 ounces chopped green chiles (I purée mine)
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Beat cream cheese and eggs until smooth.
  2. Add in taco seasoning.
  3. Add in the cheese and mix well.
  4. Spread into greased 9x13 baking dish.
  5. Bake at 350º for 35 minutes or so, until it is lightly browned.
  6. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.
  7. Brown the ground meat and drain away any excessive grease. I use ground turkey so there isn't much.
  8. Add in taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, and green chiles. Combine well.
  9. Spread over crust.
  10. Top with remaining cheese.
  11. Bake 20 minutes or so, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  12. Serve with your favorite toppings. (lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, avocado, green onions, etc.)
https://lifeofjoy.me/enchilada-bake/

I hope you enjoy this one, it really isn’t difficult. Just be sure to plan to start about an hour and 15 minutes before you desire to eat. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Meaty Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Meaty Casserole

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Sausage, Tasty Tuesday, ,
Very meaty bowls of deliciousness with lots of cheese!

This is a recipe I found years ago, shortly after I’d started my first low-carb diet. I copied it out of a book from the library but have been tempted to call it pizza bowls because it has all the things I love on pizza. It’s just that it doesn’t have enough sauce to really be a pizza bowl and of course, there’s nothing replacing the dough/crust. In the end, I opted to just leave it as meaty casserole.

So this is pretty simple and doesn’t take very long to accomplish either. It is made in individual serving bowls, so can be made to order. :) Thus, the kids and I use ground beef and Michael gets ground turkey.

So begin by browning the ground meat.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meSeason it with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me(This pan already had some grease from cooking some bacon or steakumms on it earlier. I didn’t bother to get rid of it but probably should’ve since my meat is a fatty one. ;) )

Add diced tomatoes, which I choose to puree with a stick blender.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me(I add a tiny bit of baking soda so that there is less chance of heartburn later.)

Meanwhile, make sixteen meatballs out of the Sweet Italian Sausage links. I don’t know how large the links are generally but these are rather large. I ended up only using one and a half.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me I think I’ll make twice as many but half as big, next time, since it is difficult to cut them when eating them. Smaller would definitely be better. Who knows, maybe there are only supposed to be four that size. ;)

Next add additional ‘toppings’. I add canned mushrooms and diced green pepper to Michael’s and mine. Sean and Tiffany do not care for those items. Next comes pepperoni, which I cut into quarters, so it’s more bite-sized.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me Top with the ground meat, after the tomatoes have thickened. (About 5-8 minutes)

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to put some pepperoni before and some after the ground meat.

Then top with cheese.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to put them all on a rimmed baking sheet so that it is easier to move them.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Bake at 400º for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

It’s supposed to have the shredded parmesan cheese added before baking but I always forget until just about the time I go to put it in the oven and then I’m in too big of a hurry, and decide to just wait until later. ;)

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Meaty Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound ground meat
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
  • 1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic or a sprinkling of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion salt or a bit less onion powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 ounces pepperoni slices
  • 2 links Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 cups shredded cheese of choice
  • 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º.
  2. Brown ground beef over medium heat, drain, if desired. 😉
  3. Add tomatoes, which I purée first.
  4. Add 1/8 teaspoon or less of baking soda along with the other spices, salt and pepper.
  5. Cook until sauce thickens, about 5-8 minutes.
  6. Remove casing from Italian sausage and form into 16 small balls.
  7. Divide sausage, pepperoni, green pepper, and mushrooms between individual dishes.
  8. Add beef mixture to each.
  9. Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
  10. Bake 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
https://lifeofjoy.me/meaty-casserole/

I hope you enjoy these. We have. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday, ,
This is a cheesey, low-carb, complete meal in one pan, and is quick to throw together but should have some time to bake.

This week’s recipe is so quick and easy that I forget that it needs to go into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Yes! 40 minutes. However, when I forget that one little thing and need it to be done sooner, I just finish it off on the stove, which is what I did when I made it the other day and took pictures to share with you today.

Brown your ground meat with the diced onions, celery, and mushrooms. Once again I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. Since I’m on keto diet, I add a little coconut oil to up my fat content a little.

Ground Meat and Green Bean CasseroleGround Meat and Green Bean Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meNow, I made the mistake of just dumping in the drained canned mushrooms. I knew better when immediately after doing it but it was too late. My kids, even though they are grown, do not like big pieces of sliced mushrooms-I should have diced them too.

If you are following a low-fat diet, then drain your meat. If not, drain off whatever is excessive to you. ;) As I mentioned already, I added a bit of coconut oil to mine since I’m following a keto diet.

Add in the remaining ingredients and combine.

Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meIt is at this point that you put it in the oven to bake until it’s nice and bubbly. SO, if you put it in a 2-2.5 quart greased casserole dish, it will take about 40 minutes. WHEN I remember to allow enough time to bake it, I prep it in my cast iron skillet and just put the skillet into the oven. My skillet has more surface area than my 2.5 quart casserole dish, so it takes a little less time for it to bake and get all bubbly.

However, as I mentioned earlier, when I forget to allow enough time to bake it, I simply lower the heat on my burner, put a lid on the skillet, and cook until it is bubbly.

Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meServe!

Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meThose nice browned bits are because I cooked it on the stovetop and it got a bit stuck but oh so yummy. :)

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Ground Meat and Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 2 14-ounce cans French cut green beans, well-drained
  • 4 ounce can mushrooms, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced (about 2.5 ounces)
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat with the onion, celery, and mushrooms. (Drain the fat if desired.)
  2. Combine all ingredients.
  3. Transfer to a 2-2.5 quart greased casserole dish, if not using an oven safe skillet.
  4. Bake uncovered at 350º for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.
  5. Original recipe said it serves 6. This serves the 4 of us adults with a little left over.
https://lifeofjoy.me/ground-meat-and-green-bean-casserole/

I got this recipe from the awesome website www.genaw.com when I was on phase 3 of the hCg diet.

I hope you like this one.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Cheeseburger Soup

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Soup, Tasty Tuesday, Veggies,
This creamy ground meat soup is easily customized to your diet, be it low fat or high fat, with just a few tweaks. It is a low carb soup, full of flavor.

I found this soup over three years ago, somewhere online. I must’ve been on a low carb diet at the time because this one was both low fat and low carb. Now, this doesn’t exactly fit my current diet but it is close enough to adjust with just a few easy changes. The low carb works but the low fat does not, as keto is a high fat diet because you are in a state that your body is burning fat.

The recipe calls for ground turkey and this is what I used. However ground turkey is a low fat meat. Consequently, I added a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil as I was browning it. As it browns, add salt, pepper, and onion powder.

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meIf you are doing a low fat diet, drain off any fat.

Add chicken broth, basil, and veggies. When I made this the other day, I was out of fresh broccoli so I used a bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot medley.

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meBring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are tender or how you prefer them. (We do not like our cooked veggies crunchy.)

We also do not like big chunks of vegetables, so I break them up a bit. ;)

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meNow add heavy cream, half and half, or fat-free half and half depending on the level of fat you need in your diet. Also add in the shredded cheese at this time.

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meRemove the pot from the heat and stir until the cheese is melted. DO NOT return it to heat or the cheese will probably separate and not be as creamy; it will still be edible but clumpy and maybe a little rubbery. ;)

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Serve as soon as the cheese is melted.

Cheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheeseburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

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Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups each broccoli and cauliflower OR a small bag broccoli, cauliflower, carrot medley
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half and half, OR fat-free half and half
  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground meat, season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. (If you need it low fat, remove the drippings but if you use ground turkey and you need the fat, add a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil.)
  2. Add chicken broth, basil, and veggies.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are desired tenderness.
  5. Add cream and cheese. Remove from heat immediately.
  6. Stir until cheese is melted.
  7. Serve!
https://lifeofjoy.me/cheeseburger-soup/

I hope you understand the different options on how to make this according to your dietary needs and it wasn’t confusing. Enjoy!

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Fat Bomb Hamburger Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday, Veggies,
Versatile soup with lots of flavor from roasted veggies that can either be made deliciously fatty (aka fat bomb) for those on keto, low fat, or somewhere in between.

Today’s recipe is a wonderful soup that has lots of flavor added by roasting veggies. The first time I made it, I didn’t have any brussels sprouts and it was good like that as well. This time I had some frozen brussels sprouts to use. You can eliminate whatever veggies you want or substitute veggies. But this combination was really good.

There’s a lot of chopping to be done, so be sure to give yourself enough time to do so. If I were smart, I’d chop the veggies earlier in the day, so I don’t have to be concerned about time. We don’t like big crunchy veggies in our cooked food, so it takes me a little longer. ;)

Begin by preheating the oven to 350º. Cut the brussels sprouts in half or even quarters, if they are large. The ones I have today are small so I only cut them in half. Dice mushrooms into large pieces. I used about 6-8 mushrooms.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meDice a large bell pepper. I like the yellow or orange because they add a little color contrast and different colored foods have different nutrients. I got a good deal on the mixed color peppers, so I used an orange one today. I cut it into about the same size chunks as my mushrooms.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meDice about 1/3 of a medium large red onion.

Combine these four veggies on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with melted coconut oil, olive oil, or oil of your choosing. Season with salt and pepper.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meMix them up and spread the evenly on the pan.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meRoast for 25-30 minutes. Remove when they are as cooked as you like them.

Meanwhile, brown your ground meat over medium low heat. We used ground turkey which is leaner than ground beef, so we added a bit of coconut oil to it as we cooked it.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhile that is browning, get to dicing the celery. ;) We dice our celery pretty finely. Once again, we don’t like crunchy veggies, so these are rather small. Also mince the garlic.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd the celery and garlic to the cooking ground meat. If you are on keto, do NOT drain the fat. You may even need to add a little if you used a lean meat like we did. ;)

Once the celery is pretty well cooked, add the broth, tomatoes (which we will puree next time with the hand blender before adding because, we don’t like chunks :D ), tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, and either cayenne or chili powder.

Combine and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. (We accidentally put in too much tomato paste! Way too much!)

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meStir in the roasted veggies and chopped parsley and serve.

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meHamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meHamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd because everything is better with cheese, I added just a bit of freshly grated Parmesan on top of my bowl. :)

Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.me

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Hamburger and Roasted Veggie Soup

Ingredients

  • 200g brussels sprouts, cut in half
  • 125g mushrooms, diced (about 6-8 medium)
  • 200g yellow or orange bell pepper, diced (about 1 large)
  • 125g red onion, diced (about 1 small red onion)
  • 1/4 cup oil (olive, melted coconut, or your preference)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 2 large stalks celery, finely diced (about 70 grams)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, pureed (14-16 ounces)
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • pinch cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven 350º
  2. Combine brussels sprouts, bell pepper, red onion, and mushrooms on a rimmed baking sheet with oil, salt, and pepper.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring after about 15 minutes so they don't brown too much on one side.
  4. Brown ground meat in a dutch oven or large pot, over medium low heat.
  5. Add celery and garlic, cook until celery is softened.
  6. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, and cayenne or chili powder.
  7. Bring to a boil.
  8. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  9. Add roasted veggies and chopped parsley.
  10. Serve.
https://lifeofjoy.me/hamburger-and-roasted-veggie-soup/

(I like some measurements in grams because it is more precise, but usually only with baking. However the base recipe for this used grams and I forgot to re-measure into cups.)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday,
This is a lot like the filling I put in my Egg Rolls with ground meat instead of chicken breast. Since it is not in a wrapper, it is low carb.

I got this recipe from peaceloveandlowcarb.com recently and I loved it. We’ve made it a few times already and I still really like it. :) It is also really easy to make. Much easier to make than egg rolls, too. :)

Start by heating sesame oil in a large skillet.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd the minced garlic, diced onion, and white part of the green onions, sliced and sauté until onions are translucent.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meEgg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd the ground meat (it can be any meat you like: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, whatever), ground ginger, salt, pepper, and sriracha.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meCook meat through. Then add the sliced cabbage (or package of coleslaw). I add one shredded medium carrot to my sliced cabbage because that is what is in a package of coleslaw veggies. :) You don’t have to if you don’t want to, it’ll be less carbs without it.Add the Tamari sauce or soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. I don’t have rice wine vinegar so I use the seasoned rice  vinegar I do have. :)

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhen the cabbage is wilted, it is ready to serve.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meAs you can see, the cabbage melds right in with the meat. At first it looks overpowering but it really shrinks up.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Serve with sliced green onion tops and toasted sesame seeds.

Egg Roll in a Bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meI served it with tortilla chips and pork rinds last night. I meant to add some shrimp to it and forgot all about it. I bet it would really be good though. There’s always next time. :)

Print
Egg Roll in a Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 5 green onions, sliced
  • 1 pound ground meat
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 14 ounces sliced cabbage with grated carrot or coleslaw package
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or vinegar of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Heat sesame oil in large skillet.
  2. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and sliced green onion (white part)
  3. Sauté until onion is translucent
  4. Add ground meat, ground ginger, salt, pepper, and sriracha.
  5. When meat is cooked through, add cabbage (with the carrot), tamari or soy sauce, and vinegar.
  6. Sauté until the cabbage is wilted.
  7. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion (green part).
https://lifeofjoy.me/egg-roll-in-a-bowl/

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Sausage Balls ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sausage Balls

Ground Meat, Tasty Tuesday, ,

An easy appetizer with a few simple ingredients. It’s gluten-free and keto.

Thanksgiving and Big Stuff ~ Lifeofjoy.meMy daughter Tiffany’s Christmas book has been published! It is a murder mystery surrounded by the fun and festivities of the Christmas holiday and a budding romance. Get it on Amazon

I remember having sausage balls at parties. I only made them once or twice quite a few years ago and that was with Bisquick.  I recently came across this recipe over on KetoSizeMe for sausage balls that are gluten-free and legal for keto and I realized what a perfect snack these are.

You simply combine all the ingredients and drop on a cookie sheet and bake at 350º for 16-20 minutes.

Sausage Balls ~ Lifeofjoy.meBelieve it or not, the sausage is down in that bowl. ;)

Sausage Balls ~ Lifeofjoy.meI use a cookie dropper to make short work of forming the balls.

Sausage Balls ~ Lifeofjoy.meI made these with turkey sausage.

Put them in the oven on 350º for 16-20 minutes.

Sausage Balls ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Print
Sausage Balls

Ingredients

  • 1 pound breakfast sausage
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Form balls and place on cookie sheet
  4. Bake 16-20 minutes
https://lifeofjoy.me/sausage-balls/

Until next tie, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº