The Grain-Free Family Table GIVEAWAY and Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf Recipe

This Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf Recipe is from The Grain-Free Family Table cookbook, and is delicious to serve for a fabulous family dinner. I love the presentation for Valentine’s Day, too! Plus, we’re giving away 3 copies of this beautiful cookbook!

Do you have that one recipe that everyone in the family asks for over and over? It always turns out perfect, and is loved by all? My family has always loved a good meat loaf, and today I’m sharing a brand new recipe, Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf, from my friend Carrie Vitt’s new book, The Grain-Free Family Table. I think it’s a pretty dish to also serve for a Valentine’s Day family meal!

When my boys come home from college, I love it when they say, “Mom, this is the best meal – ever!” And you know, nothing in a restaurant can compare to a home cooked meal!

So everyone in the family loved this recipe I’m sharing today!

The Grain-Free Family Table.

In Carrie’s beautiful full-color cookbook, she provides delicious, family-friendly recipes for a workable unprocessed, grain-free lifestyle. Our family isn’t even grain-free, and I can’t wait to try more of her delcious recipes, like Zingers, Ham and Egg Cups, Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna, Pork Carnitas Breakfast Crepe Tacos and Grain-Free Biscuits, Avocado with Mango-Shrimp Salsa, Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo with Chicken and Vegetables, and Cauliflower “Fried Rice” and the Slow Cooker Sunday Roast!

When Carrie Vitt was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, she was able to reverse it after being put on an elimination diet that cut out gluten and grains. Failing to find recipes that followed her strict diet guidelines but didn’t sacrifice flavor and variety, she began experimenting at home, creating grain-free meals and snacks that not only satisfied her own palate but pleased friends and family as well—including her two young daughters.

By the way, I met Carrie years ago in Atlanta, at a conference and we’ve been friends since. She blogs at Delicously Organic, if you’re not familiar with her blog.

Pantry and budgets.

Carrie shows how she keeps her pantry stocked, which ingredients and kitchen tools she uses, plus tips on how to adapt and transform recipes from magazines and books—and make them grain-free!

Main dish recipes make up the bulk of most family food budgets, and she also explains how to create these healthy recipes, but not break the bank!

Cutting costs.

Here’s some of her tips on cutting costs (which she goes into detail on in the book).

-Buy food, not packaging.
-Buy in season.
-Order pantry staples online.
-Grow your own herbs.
-Buy your meat straight from the farm.
-Buy in bulk.
-Plan your meals.

Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf Recipe.

The recipe today has liver! Yes, liver!

For most people, liver is at the bottom of the list of desired foods, but it’s actually the most nutrient-dense of all foods with vitamins A and B and iron, so it’s a great addition to the diet.

Like Carrie, I made this meat loaf with liver, and everyone loved and complimented this dish! (But guess what, you can also leave the liver out if you want!)

Started with the large loaf in a 9×13 pan.

Added the criss-cross bacon.

Then the maple syrup. (Yay, for Wagner’s Pure Maple Syrup from Wisconsin that my friend, Barb, sent me!)

We all agreed it was a great way to add in the extra nutrients.

Giveaway!

Carrie is generously giving away 3 copies of her beautiful book today! Contest ends 2/17/15 at midnight. Winners will be emailed. Share on your social media and come back and tell us for extra entries!

Thank you, Carrie! This recipe is sooooo good!

Comment to win!

What’s your secret ingredient for making a delicious, moist meat loaf?

Print Recipe

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Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf

From The Grain-Free Family Table Cookbook. I also made this recipe without the liver with white flour. Delicious either way!

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp. 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 2 large eggs gently beaten
• 1/4 pound 4 ounces beef liver
• 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 6 bacon slices
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the rack to the middle position.
• Heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until soft. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the salt and thyme in the center.  Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir the seasonings into the vegetables. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
• Place the eggs and liver in the bowl of a food processor blender and blend until smooth. Place the ground beef, almond flour, and liver mixture in a large bowl. Add the cooled vegetables and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into a 9×11 baking dish and form into a large loaf.
• Arrange the bacon in a crisscross pattern on top and use a pastry brush to brush the top with maple syrup. Pour 3/4 cup water in the bottom of the pan. (This keeps the meat loaf moist.) Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until golden brown. Let the meat loaf rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• PALEO/DAIRY-FREE ADAPTION: Use 3 Tbsp. coconut oil in place of the butter.

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