Bacon wrapped blue cheese dates

I'm not going to lie, this is a little labor intensive project, but the reward is well worth it.  The combination of salty/savory/sweet is a perfect balance.

I had a party last night and ended up making 40 of these guys, but you don't really need to measure anything.

• Dates, pitted and sliced down the middle
• Bacon
• Blue cheese

Stuff the dates with a little bit of blue cheese and wrap with bacon, securing with a toothpick.  I cut a slice of bacon into thirds.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven on a rack on a cookie sheet so the grease drips down into the cookie sheet.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Sweet potato hash

So I bought a couple of sweet potatoes a while ago and I keep trying to figure out what to do with them.  I thought about making sweet potato hash from Everyday Paleo, but I didn't have sausage.  I thought about making twice baked sweet potatoes from PaleOMG but didn't feel like doing all the work, so I did a combo of both and the end result was amazing if I do say so myself!

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated (use a cheese grater or the shredding disc on your food processor)
• 5 slices bacon
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Sea salt (to taste, I just did several grinds right in the pan)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Cinnamon (I didn't measure but I'd estimate I used maybe 1-1.5 teaspoons?)
• Dash of cumin
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

In a large skillet, cook the bacon.  Remove and set on a paper towel to absorb excess grease and chop roughly

Toss the sliced onion and garlic into the skillet (use the bacon grease that's in the pan) and saute until onions are tender.  Melt in the coconut oil and add the sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cumin and stir until the potatoes are tender (mine took maybe 5 minutes).  Add the bacon back in and combine everything.

The cinnamon and coconut oil lend a sweetness to the potatoes, while the bacon, salt and cumin add a salty/smoky flavor.  I can see this going into the rotation of post-WOD snacks, a great balance of healthy carbs, fat and protein!  My only regret is not making a double recipe, I am going to devour this!

Green beans with caramelized onions and bacon

Super quick and super easy side dish alert!

I'm having dinner tonight with two girlfriends, we've started monthly paleo dinners and it's really nice to have other people who eat how I do, so we can get together, eat some healthy, delicious food and catch up with each other :)  Juliana is hosting tonight so I threw together a side.

• 1 bag frozen (or fresh if you've got them) green beans.  I bought the frozen french cut green beans, they just look a little fancier ;)
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4 strips of bacon
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat fry up your bacon.  When it's finished removed and put on a paper towel to absorb grease.  

Turn the skillet down to medium low and add the garlic and onions and saute until the onions start to caramelize (and your kitchen smells completely delicious)

Add the green beans and stir to combine everything.  You can use the beans straight out of the freezer, or you can let the beans thaw in the bag and drain the excess liquid.  I did an in between and there was some water in the pan, so if you have that problem, then just let it simmer until it's absorbed.

Meanwhile, turn your broiler on to high.

When the beans are almost finished, toss in the bacon (that you have no doubt crumbled while you were waiting for the onions to caramelize).  Then, wrapping the skillet handle in foil if it's not oven/broiler safe, stick under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or until the beans get crispy and slightly browned.

Season with salt and pepper.