New year's motivation and Bacon-wrapped meatballs with dates

Are you going for a Whole30 or other paleo challenge this month?
I must say, doing a Whole30 is a really good way to give yourself a healthy start to the new year, especially when you haven't exactly been paleo all through December. I did a Whole30 in December, with day 30 being December 24th; Christmas eve.
I didn't eat any nuts, no bacon and hardly any fruit and got my carb cravings under control once again. This month, I'm going to continue eating healthy and paleo, like I always did. But I am going to try a different approach when it comes to food choices though. Meaning I will limit my fruit and nut intake; they make me crave for carbs more and more and mess up my blood sugar. Not exactly how I want to feel.
I won't be eating bacon every single day either, simply because I could eat healthier foods. Don't get me wrong: I will be eating bacon. (just like I did in the recipe below) I'm not going to put myself on any strict diet/challenge rules anymore. It doesn't work for me. I do have a little fat I would like to lose, but a strict diet is exactly what stresses me out. And stress means: no fat loss.


Therefore, I'm going to do my best. Because happiness is what I want to achieve. I'm not going to do that with just food, I'm going to do so by doing my best in life. In every choice I'm going to make, I'm going to ask myself what would make me happy.
A bar of chocolate won't make me happy, nor will not working out or going to bed really late every night. If most decisions I make will make me happy, I believe I will actually become happy. I won't be perfect, but I will be happy and that's what counts.


Here's a recipe to give you a good start to the new year ahead, I'm not telling you to eat this every day, but it does taste good. And the fact that I made this and I liked how it turned out, surely made me happy today. Enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped meatballs with dates (serves 2)


Ingredients:
- 3oog ground beef
- 1/2 tsp beef seasoning
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 8 dates, pitted
- 8 strips of bacon
- 1 tsp coconut oil


1. Mix the ground beef and spices well, using your hands. Divide into 8 equal balls.
2. Flatten the balls, put a date in the center and fold to close. Gently knead the ends together to create solid meatballs.
3. Wrap each ball with a strip of bacon.
4. Heat coconut oil in a skillet or frying pan and fry the meatballs over medium heat until browned and cooked through. This takes approx. 10 - 12 minutes. Turn regularly.
5. Serve with veggies of your choice or as a snack. Enjoy!