Alexander and the Terrible No Good Very Bad Day has Nothing on Me!  And after I tell you about it I’ll share a Recipe . . .

Yesterday was one of those loaded, jam packed days with absolutely no wiggle room to spare.  Today was going to be a pretty jammed up day, too, so for things to go well, I was thinking as I lay awake at night, I would just have to make sure I got from one thing to the next and have all my “stuff” together, if you know what I mean.
So, yesterday began like this:
Take Third Son to airport at the ridiculously early hour of 7 am for a school trip.  Zip back home shower and dress and get the Second Son out of school for a doctor appointment followed by a scheduled driving test.  Yep, he just turned the magic number.  From there we were going to go straight to the DMV for his license.  That was until I realized I’d forgotten the birth certificate.  So, back home we go and then BACK to the DMV.  This was a wee bit stressful as I had a dental appointment I couldn’t miss.  Some how, some way, short of a miracle,  we were able to leave the DMV in time to get him to school and me to the dentist. . . . where I sat far too long in the chair getting a root canal on a crown waaaay back in my mouth.  Ever had one?  Then you know it couldn’t have been a good day!  I left there feeling a bit “discombobulated”.  And, yes, that is a word because one of my friends looked it up.  Recovering from the numerous shots and all over numbness and wooziness I hustled to the grocery store.  I had to prepare two appetizers as a host of my Garden Club that evening.  Got all that together, actually made myself look presentable and loaded my goodies in the car and off I went to the hostess’ home.  When I drove up I was a little surprised because there were no cars. . . and the house was dark.  Well, that was because the meeting was on another day.  I had missed it.   Ugh.  Back home I go.  Undressed, visited with The Husband and the newly driving son and attempted to just get over the day.  Then, the tooth that had been so traumatized by the darn root canal, waaaaaaay back in my mouth popped out.  (Did I mention that my own father was a dentist AND that I had rather clean toilets than go to the dentist)  Really?  So, that was my day.  In retrospect it could have been worse.  Things can ALWAYS be worse.  For example, if yesterday,  I had gotten the speeding ticket that I got THIS MORNING ON THE WAY BACK TO THE DENTIST, that would have been worse.     
Please don’t tell The Husband about that one.  
I’m sure you have had days like this.  We all have them.  I was going over it last night with a friend and she said I had such a good attitude.  I’m not so sure about that but I do know I just have to laugh at these kind of days because being grumpy surely wouldn’t change it.  And, as my brother always said, It’s All About the Stories!  So, that was my story of my most recent bad day! 

NOW, to what I had planned on sharing today . . . .

I’m back on a modified version of the 21 Day Sugar Detox I have shared with you before.  Check it out here.  I’ve pulled the book back out and am using some of the recipes again.  Sometimes it’s  just a good thing to get back to the basics, or for me it is!
The original recipe calls for making mini meatloaves, but I just made one big tasty loaf.  I also used elk meat instead of ground beef.  Elk is a healthy low cholesterol option – and what I had in the freezer.  Other than that I followed the recipe exactly, so I am just sharing it with you exactly as it comes either on the website or in the actual cookbook.  This recipe is grain free, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.  I hope you give it a try.  I’m not a big meatloaf eater, but even I enjoyed it!

MEXI-MEATLOAF   –   from 21 Day Sugar Detox 

for the sauce topping:

• 4oz tomato paste
• 4oz water
• 2 Tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 tsp cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• black pepper to taste

ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil, duck fat, or bacon fat
• 1 small onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or grated (1/2 Tbsp)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp corriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper – or more to taste
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 bell pepper, any color, grated (or very finely diced)
• 1/4 c cilantro, chopped

preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, combine the tomato paste, water, bell pepper, cilantro, chili powder, sea salt, and black pepper and simmer for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients into the meatloaves – stirring occasionally to prevent burning. If your sauce reduces too far and looks like it may burn, add more water 2 tablespoons at a time and whisk to combine. The sauce should have a fairly thick consistency, almost like ketchup, not loose like a pasta sauce.
• In a medium skillet, melt the duck fat and sautée the onions over medium low heat until they are translucent and the edges begin to brown. Add the minced garlic and stir for about a minute.
• In a large-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and then place the ground meat into the bowl with the beaten eggs. In a small mixing bowl, combine the spices, carrots, bell pepper, and cilantro. Then add the spice and vegetable mixture to the meat and egg until well combined.
• Divide the meatloaf mixture into 2 parchment paper lined mini loaf pans (or use 1 large tin, baking time may vary), filling them up and slightly over the top as the mixture will shrink a bit in cooking.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup of the sauce onto each loaf, spreading it into an even layer to coat the top and reserve the remaining amount for dipping after the loaves are baked.
• Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 160 degrees F.