Healthy Gluten-free, dairy-free meal : )

So I just realized that I can't have gluten or dairy and I've been racking my brain about fun meals that don't have either of these. I truly feel bad for those of you who have gone through the same thing and I hope these future recipes will help you : ) Here is my meal:
Meatloaf - 
1 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow or dry mustard
Salt to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg

Glaze - 
1/2 cup of ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Honey Roasted Carrots - 
8 carrots
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
How to: Slice the carrots the long way and put in pan. Pour the oil and honey over them and stir them, making sure they're coated thoroughly.

Do It Yourself – Homemade Protein Bars

Makes approx. 16 bars (or 1 big bar :).  Depends how big you make ‘em!)

Ingredients:

Base:

2 cups nuts or seeds (almonds, sunflower, pumpkin, or macadamia.  Mixing several kinds is fine too.  Soak and dry these if at all possible.)
½ cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a blender or spice grinder) (alternatively, use rice bran or protein powder)
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened and organic if possible)
½ cup seed or nut butter (again, made from soaked and dried nuts is preferable)
3/8 teaspoon salt (I use RealSalt)
½ cup coconut oil (or alternative solid fat.  Use cocoa butter or butter for a more warm weather-stable bar)
2 Tbsp liquid sweetener –  use 1/32 tsp of stevia extract (read my post on stevia here.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

Top with either my Homemade Chocolate / Carob Bar or melted Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips (1 cup of chips per bar recipe)

Method

1.  Place nuts or seeds, flax meal, coconut, seed or nut butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor.

2.  Process until the nuts or seeds are ground into a coarse meal

3.  Melt coconut oil over low heat.  If the temperature of your home is around 76 degrees, you can skip this step and add the oil directly to the food processor as it will be soft enough to process easily.

4.  Add coconut oil, sweeteners and vanilla to processor bowl and process until well combined to form a thick, yet crunchy paste.

5.  Press the mixture into an 8×8 square pan (you can be quite flexible here.  A 9×9 will work just fine.  A larger pan will produce thin bars, while a smaller pan will yield thicker ones.)

6.  Place in refrigerator to chill.

7.  While bars are chilling, prepare Homemade Chocolate / Carob Bar, but don’t harden it.

8.  Top bars with the Homemade Bar.  Alternatively, use your own or my Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips before melting, or melt and top with those.

9.  Place back in refrigerator to chill (if you can wait that long :-)!)

10.  Cut into squares and serve.

11.  Store in refrigerator.

*I also have used xylitol and erythritol.  Here’s where to buy xylitol and erythritol.

Variations and Notes:

• Use vegetable glycerine for a low carb version.  If you don’t need low carb, use Sucanat or honey for more natural options.  If  you don’t use glycerine, then 1 scoop stevia extract is a good choice.*)
• Substitute up to the total amount of the flax meal with the same amount of rice protein for an extra punch of protein.  Nutribiotic makes a great brand from non-GMO brown rice.  You could also use some of this great grass-fed gelatin to firm up the bars and give more protein.
• Rice bran is a great nutrient-boosting alternative to the flax meal as well.
• Want to use stevia?  Try my DIY Liquid Stevia Drops recipe.

Hope you enjoy the taste and the healthy boost to your wallet!