Baked Bacon

 

 

I hate making bacon.  It splatters when you pan fry it and it never really gets crispy when you nuke it.  Enter baking.  Now the only down side to this is the length of time it takes which is usually about 20-30 minutes.  So if you're making it to eat at the moment, not you best method.  I make a batch for the week so I'm usually doing and cooking other things at the same time anyway.

 

Start with a rack on a foil lined baking sheet.  Trust me on the foil part.

 

 

Place the bacon as close as possible but don't overlap.



 

 I bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  I also like this method because the bacon stays flat which is perfect for a BLT.

 Now you have nice crispy bacon for all your bacon needs.

 

See all that grease in the pan?  If you're so inclined, you can drain it off and save it for whatever you do with bacon grease.  If you're like me and sadly trying to avoid tasty, bad for you things, stick the whole pan in the fridge and roll up and toss the foil after the grease has hardened.  Just make sure you crumple the foil kind of like a little package so if the grease melts you wont have a mess in the trash bag.

 

 

So there you have it, baked bacon!



Tortilla Roll-ups or Pinwheels

I had a function at work where we were to bring in finger foods.  I was feeling lazy so I looked for something easy that didn't need to be kept warm.  I see these all the time on Pinterest in various varieties.  I looked at many ideas and really just threw 2 different kinds together.  I used the same base for both which was cream cheese and ranch dressing powder.

For the BLT version, I just diced tomatoes and cooked bacon and mixed in the cream cheese mixture.  Then I spread it out on a whole wheat burrito sized tortilla.

 

Then I covered it with romaine lettuce.

 

Then rolled it up tight in plastic wrap.

 

The next morning I cut them into slices.  



 

This is the turkey and provolone version I did with the same cream cheese mixture.  They looked much prettier, but both tasted good.

 

 

 

This will be my go-to for me now if I have to make something quick.  There are so many variations you could do.

 

Enjoy!



Microvave Potato Chips

 

A few months ago I saw a pin on Pinterest for microwave potato chips.  There are actually a few, so if you want to see them just search.  Anyway, I tried them and they were ok.  Using a mandolin speeds things up as far as slicing.  The only thing is, it's time consuming to do 1 plate of chips at a time.  They also took way longer to actually get crispy.  I never did it again.

 

Then, at work, someone brought in a Pampered Chef catalogue.  I glanced through it just to look.  Then, I saw their microwave chip makers.  Long story short, I got them.

 

The nice thing is, there's 2 that you can stack so nuking goes way quicker.  The only thing I didn't like was that the recommended 3 minute time was way too short.  This just may have been because my microwave is a bit older and maybe not as powerful. 

 

Not shown, but I also did sweet potatoes which took a little less time than the white potatoes and were really good.  Next time I might sprinkle a little cinnamon on them.

 



I think I used Yukon golds.  I was thinking cooking time might be lower with Russet or another lower moisture potato.  These are out on paper towels and lightly salted with sea salt.  Also patted on top with another paper towel layer.

 

First layer.

 

Two layers in the microwave.

 This is after about 3 minutes which is what the instructions say is the max.  As you can see, they're just a little translucent.

 

This is after 7 or 8 minutes.  You can see how they're browning a little, but it doesn't affect the flavor.  At this point, they're nice and crispy.  Now I'm not going to try and lead you to believe these taste like store bought bagged chips.  In fact, if you're a dip lover, these would be a  perfect alternative for dipping.  A lot better for you than greasy chips.

 

Of course Calli needed to get in on the action...

 

 

and munched away.

 

I also did some apple slices.

 

They didn't end up crispy, but would still be a good snack with some cinnamon sprinkled on them.

 

7

Chicken Parm Enchiladas

 

These were really good.  I just kind of took the idea of enchiladas and the craving for chicken parm and went with it.  I really didn't want to make your usual chicken parm.  Too lazy.  This is basically sauteed onions and garlic mixed with your choice of jar sauce and shredded chicken that came from a whole chicken I did in the crock pot the day before.

 

Rolled up chicken, sauce, garlic and onion mix in whole wheat tortillas and sprinkled shredded "Italian blend" cheese I had.  First spread some sauce on the bottom so the tortillas don't stick.

Roll up until pan is full and mix is used up.

Finish pan, spread some more sauce over top and cover with more cheese.

Bake for about 20 min at 425.

This is yummy.  The tortillas get pretty soggy, but not in a bad way.  I portioned leftovers for lunch and it was good. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Spaghettios

 

I saw this and knew at once I had to try it.   I loved Spaghettios and Chef Boyardee as a kid and even into adulthood.  I only stopped eating them when I had to watch my sodium.   So when I saw this recipe for Homemade Spaghettios I had to give it a go. 

 

 

Ingredients for sauce.

Sauteing veggies.  This was one of the reasons I wanted to try this recipe.  I was intrigued by the use of veggies in the sauce.

Cute pasta!  Wish I could have found the real rings.

Everything simmering together before blending.

Finished product.  Outcome?  Not Spaghettios.  Tasty?  Yes.  I added some diced chicken instead of the meatballs in the recipe.  Will I make again?  Probably not.  As I thought about the memory of the taste of Spaghettios, I remember the sauce pretty much tasted like Campbell's tomato soup.  I would like to test the theory, but as I said, I have to avoid the sodium so I might try it down the road one day.

Don't let my opinion keep you from trying this.  It would be a great meal for kids I think with the fun pasta and sneaking some veggies in with the sauce.  And making the meatballs in the original recipe would make them fun too!

Matzo Pizza

I don't know why I never thought of this.  I love pizza.  It would be my last meal for whatever reason I was given a last meal.  I will eat any type of pizza.  I prefer thin crust though.  Less dough equals the ability to eat more.  The sauce and cheese and toppings are the star.  The crust is just a vehicle to carry those toppings to your mouth.

Now that you've heard my philosophy on pizza, on to the tastiness.  Here is the source.  All you need-

Matzo crackers

Sauce

Cheese

Toppings - turkey pepperoni for me

Throw it in the toaster oven on broil for a few minutes.

 



Perfect.  Just starting to brown and get bubbly.

 



 

This was good.  So good, in fact, in fact, this will probably sabotage my plans of loosing any more weight.  The site this came from is great.  It's called Slender Kitchen.  There's loads of recipes categorized by Weight Watchers Points.  I don't do WW but it would be very helpful to those who do.

 

Enjoy!

Yummy Protein Bites

So I've been looking for a granola type recipe that I can make easily.  I've tried 3 or 4 baked and not baked.  I've bypassed this one a few times because I thought, this can't be good.  It's just dates and nuts and seeds and chocolate.  Boy was I wrong.  These are great.  The original poster made them into bars but I found the mix too thick and sticky to do it that way, so I rolled them into balls.  You can find the original recipe here. 

 

 

The only thing I did different was add chia seeds.

 Ingredients

 

Mixed and rolled

 

The hands - very sticky mix but easy to wash off.

 

Yum

 

These are awesome.  I plan on making more versions with a date base and other nuts and seeds.  I'll also add oats and bran in the future. They have also stayed in an airtight container in the fridge for more than a week. Enjoy!