Bacon Jam!

An angel appeared to me last night to inform me that the most miraculous recipe had been created. A recipe that would excite the pants off of meat-eaters everywhere, restore good levels of fat to your body and satisfy every barbell lifting, kettlebell swinging, and double-under doing palate out there. A recipe from the Crossfit God's (or... just those two hilarious blokes over at Modern Paleo Warfare).

Behold... BACON JAM!

Ingredients1 large pack of bacon (cut up into semi-medium pieces)
One tea spoon of cacao (or cocoa powder :D)
Half a tea spoon of cinnamon
Half a tea spoon of allspice
Juice of two lemons
3-4 garlic gloves (mashed)
1 quarter of a large onion (finely chopped)
2 tea spoons of chili powder or one whole red chili
one small cup of strong coffee

Directions
Fry the bacon in a large pan until the fat starts to render.  It should still be floppy after a few minutes.  Drain off the bacon fat and leave that aside before adding everything else.  Stir it well and add back a few table spoons of bacon fat to lubricate the whole mess.  Cover and keep on a low heat for 2 hours.  You have to keep checking on it though every 10-15 minutes so the bottom of your pan doesn't burn.

After two hours (I bet your kitchen smells like heaven by now) stick the bacon mush into a food processor and blitz until its the consistency you like.  If it dries up too quickly don't worry - add another tea spoon of bacon fat to the mix.

As for me? I plan to smear this goodness on everything. Meat, sweet potatos, icecream... I don't give a f-f-f-fruit salad.

The Great Bacon Debate

If you've been eating paleo or zone for awhile you should know by now how popular it is among your crossfitting peers. It's undeniably delicious. I, for one, get super excited over any dish containing bacon. But, as the world turns, so does your diet. My paleo diet is constant but there are definitely things that seem to come and go. I get hooked on foods, like bacon, and tend to overdue it. After reading these articles, I am beginning to question my love for bacon. Is it an item that is super unhealthy or something that is fine in moderation? Awhile ago I found myself having this same debate over dairy. In the end I decided to listen to my body. My stomach ultimately said "no, thank you."

Anyway, read up paleo kids. I don't know A LOT about this topic, but these articles give enough insight to make me want to further educate myself. I hope it does the same for you. I'd love to hear your thoughts, post comments!

1. Bacon: Health Food or Devil in Delicious Disguise? (by Diane Sanfilippo)

2. http://whole9life.com/2011/05/the-bacon-bummer/

Bacon-topped Spinach and Mushroom Meatloaf

Super Porktastic Bacon-Topped Spinach and Mushroom Meatloaf

Heading into another paleo weekend. Weather report says it's supposed to be cold and rainy all weekend. Perfect weather to try out a warm and cozy meatloaf.  This recipe from nomnompaleo.com caught my eye because of it's topping. I can't deny bacon. When it calls out to me I give in. Oh, so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped spinach
• 1 ¼ pounds of pork, veal, or beef
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup small-dice celery (from about 2 medium stalks)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
• 1/2 pound finely chopped Cremini mushrooms
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3-5 bacon slices
• Tomato sauce, warmed, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F with the rack placed in the middle.
• Sautee spinach until it's soft, press all of the excess water out of it.
• Heat the butter over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet and toss in the chopped onions and mushrooms, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Sautee until the liquid evaporates and the onions are softened.
• Blend coconut cream, parsley and celery until a puree is formed.
• Place the pork in a large bowl, followed by the chopped spinach, coconut flour, garlic, measured salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
• Then add the coconut cream puree, beaten eggs, onions, and mushrooms.
• Mix ingredients together with your hands.
• Transfer mix into an UNGREASED 9x5 loaf pan.
• Layer the bacon on top then bake the loaf for 70 minutes, rotating it at the halfway point.
• Broil for 3 minutes to crisp the bacon on top.
• There's quite a but of grease that pools in the pan so pour it off and let the roast sit for 20 minutes before eating.

Bacon and Guacamole Sammies

Most of you embarking on this challenge are probably finding yourself more hungry than normal. To keep yourself from reaching for sugar, try these bacon and guacamole sammies from fitbomb.com. These are the ice cream sandwiches of the Crossfit world. My mouth is watering as I type this and I'm tempted to stay up late just to make them. Holy Moly Guacamole! I typically like to add onions, cilantro, tomatoes, etc to my guacamole but if you're short on time... here is a simple recipe.

Ingredients:
4 strips of thick-cut, nitrate-free bacon
1 medium-sized Haas avocado
1 lime
salt to taste

Mash up the flesh of half an avocado, and cut up the other half into half-inch cubes. Then mix both halves together in a bowl to get a nice blend of chunky 'n creamy. Flavor it with a squirt or two of lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Enjoy!