Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

Yes, bacon! The combination of bacon and sweet potatoes make this unlike any stew you have ever had! The best part? There is no precooking like the Paleo Chili, you just dump the ingredients and go!!

What you need:

• homemade, paleo bone broth (check out THIS easy way to make it!), approximately 28-32 oz
• 2.5 lbs of stew meat
• 2 carrots, cut @ 1/2"
• 2 celery sticks, cut
• 2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cut to 1" half circles (any smaller and they will fall apart)
• 5-6 pieces of bacon, cut @ 1/2" chunks
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp each, salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Turn crockpot on low. 
2. Pour in homemade bone broth. 
3. Add half the meat, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and bacon. 
4. Add thyme, salt and pepper. 
5. Add the other half of all ingredients. 
6. Mix well to combine. 
7. If your ingredients are too high up over the liquid, you can add a little water. 
8. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 
9. If you like a thick stew, you can add 1 tbsp coconut flour at the end. 

Yes, we like sweet potatoes! 

Paleo Chili..in a crockpot!

I apologize, in advance, if you read crockpot as "simple". This is not one of those crockpot recipes where you can just dump everything in and forget it...sorry! I will promise you, however, that the preparation that goes into this meal is TOTALLY worth it in the end! Best. Chili. Ever. The original recipe that I got from my mom had less meat, so I fixed that ;)

What you need:

• 8 slices of applewood bacon (cut into 1/2" pieces)
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1.5 pounds of beef or turkey 
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 red pepper (cut into small pieces)
• 1 yellow pepper (cut into small pieces)
• 3 tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste 

What you do:

1. In a large pan, fry bacon pieces. 
2. Once bacon is browned, add garlic, onion, peppers, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook until all vegetables are tender. 
3. Add ground (beef or turkey) and brown with the above ingredients. 
4. Add pork and cook until it is no longer pink (about 4 minutes). NOTE: I don't have a pan big enough to do all of this, so I cook the pork separately and incorporate it in as it cooks. 
5. Remove pan from stove and pour into large crockpot.
6. Add beet, crushed and diced tomatoes. Stir until mixed. 
7. Taste for seasoning adjustments. This is where you can add more chili powder, salt or pepper, if needed. 
8. Turn crockpot to low for 1-2 hours. It doesn't really matter how long it sits for because everything is pretty cooked anyways. I leave it on for 2 hours because it gets more flavorful.