Middle of the Pack

So part of the challenge is the Leaderboard.  Crazy overachievers are out ahead, then there are people who after a week and a half in haven't logged a single point.  THAT was a waste of $50 page 221!  Then there's me, happily plugging away on page 165 right in the middle of the pack.  Just average and ok with that. Likely I will never be at the front of the leaderboard but I sure as hell won't let myself slip to the back either.  I've found GREAT enjoyment in trying all kinds of different foods.  Some have been a HUGE hit....CAN YOU SAY FUDGE BOMBS!!!! (recipe later, I promise!) and then there are some that I will eat, but likely won't make again (Balsamic Chicken in the crockpot).  I love food and I love eating and I love cooking and watching my kids enjoy healthy foods that don't spike their blood sugar and yes, you may have a fudge bomb BEFORE dinner because there's no sugar or appetite spoiling CRAP in it.  In fact, you could have fudge bombs FOR dinner if you really wanted to! LOL.  One thing I noticed yesterday while enjoying said fudge bombs was that I didn't have this overwhelming urge to devour every single one.  I had a couple here and there, but it wasn't any big deal.  Yes they were good...ok good isn't the word...AMAZING is much more fitting, but it wasn't like the crack chocolate that is found in manufactured, brightly packaged, "food" that spikes your blood sugar and leaves you wanting NOTHING else but more of the same thing.  It's absolutely amazing to have a treat like that.  In fact, so much so that I went to the grocery store and bought a TON more dates to make more of them for a party I'm attending this weekend.  I don't plan on enlightening ANYONE on HOW healthy they are until after they try one and fall in love like I did!

Another one of MY favorites were the Mexican Mini Meat Loaf Muffins...say THAT three times fast.  They had SUCH amazing flavor to them without any chemicals, preservatives, etc.  I will NEVER go back to prepackaged/premixed seasoning EVER again!  I'm hooked on making my own!  The aroma and the taste of making your own surpasses anything I've ever had in the past and considering I don't have to worry about getting cancer or any other gross weirdness from them...EVEN BETTER!

So here my friends are my two favorite recipes of the challenge so far.

Mexi Mini Meatloaf Muffins

1 TBSP olive oil (or fat of choice)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed
2 eggs, beaten
2 lbs of ground beef (I only used one because it's all I had thawed, but did not alter the other ingredients)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cayenee for added head if you desire (mine turned out too spicy for the kids, but *I* loved it!)
2 carrots, grated (I used my chopper instead)
1 bell pepper, grated or finely diced (chopper again and I used 3 mini peppers)
1/4 - 1/2 c fresh cilantro (I totally forgot this part *pout*)
1 can/jar pizza sauce (I used some leftover red pasta sauce I'd made a couple nights prior)
1/2 jar of salsa
1/2 c nutritional yeast (has a cheesy flavor) - this is my own addition

Heat over to 400

Sautee onions and garlic in fat of choice until browned, set aside

Mix red sauce with salsa, set aside (to top muffins)

Grease muffin tins

In a mixing bowl, whip the eggs and spices together, add meat, carrots, peppers, cilantro, and onion/garlic mixture.  Mix well until combined.  My daughter LOVED this part - she got to get messy (we used our hands).  Top with sauce (I forgot to top mine prior to putting them in the oven, so I topped them when they came out)

Press in to muffin tins and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Next time I plan to make them in to meat balls and dip them in the sauce.  Either way they were amazing.  I questioning what in the world I was going to have with them because there were already so many vegetables in them, but I added some steamed veggies on the side.  You can never have too many veggies, right?

Alright folks, here's the next one - a chocolate lover's dream come true, but you have to kinda play this one by ear and I'm sorry if you are not the improvising type.  I had to play around a little bit and add some stuff to this one....

FUDGE BOMBS!!!!!!!!

1 c whole pecans (I used already chopped ones)
1 1/3 c pitted dates, about 16 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract (I skipped this because I didn't have compliant vanilla and didn't miss it)
4 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
to garnish: coarse sea salt, shredded coconut
2-3 Tbsp peanut butter (my own addition and I used my homemade kind)

Put dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder in a food processer and process until "dough" is created (this is where my peanut butter came in, because mine didn't make anything close to dough).....add peanut butter as needed to create desired consistency.

Add pecans to processor and process until nuts are finely chopped (I will NOT be doing this step next time - mine ended up crumbly because of the nuts I believe, so I'll garnish with them next time instead).

Roll in to balls - I pressed mine in to mini muffin tins and garnish.

Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes

Enjoy!

Well there you have it.  It's Wednesday and I'm in the office tomorrow!