Water Chestnuts and Bacon

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” 

― Julia Child, My Life in France

I made this appetizer for our friends Super Bowl Party and it may have created more conversation that the absolutely horrible football game. Their is just something supremely satisfying about the saltiness of the bacon combined with the crunch of the water chestnut and the sweetness of the brown sugar glaze that just makes me want to eat the entire batch and make a second for everyone else. I procrastinated making this dish that I found on Emily Bites because for some reason I was intimidated by the entire process. Michelle and Kevin have been my testers many times so I thought their house would be a safe place to experiment. Now that I have made them, I will never be intimidate by them again because it was soooooo easy! For having bacon they are not as many points as I thought they would be.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 12 servings, 2 weight watchers points plus. 67 calories, 12g carbs, 1g fat, 2g protein

These did not last long!

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 oz) canned Sliced Water Chestnuts, Drained
• 12 Strips Center Cut Bacon, Regular Thickness
• 1/3 c Ketchup
• 1/3 c packed Brown Sugar
• 1.5 t Fat Free Yogurt (The recipe calls for plain but my store did not have plain so I used Apple Cinnamon.)
• 1/2 t Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 t Hot Sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
• 36 Toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Harissa Eggs in Purgatory

This is a great breakfast meal or even better a breakfast for dinner meal! I found Harissa at Whole Foods and Mariano's (you can also find it online) it gives this dish a slight kick. If you want more of a kick you can purchase it in spicy but I have not done that yet. This is such an easy dish that I found on skinnytaste that it can be made for a weeknight meal or for a weekend breakfast when everyone wakes up at the same time. Eggs In Purgatory is a dish that the eggs are poached in tomato sauce instead of water so there is no waste! This can be served over a crusty bread, rice, quinoa or my favorite hummus. I made a garlic hummus that paired perfectly with this once I make it again I will post that as well I have also served this with Sweet Potato Fries which I am posting on Wednesday. Each serving contains one poached egg and one fourth of the sauce.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 4 servings, 2 weight watchers points plus. 103 calories, 5g carbs, 5g fat, 7g protein

Ready to serve!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 t Olive Oil
• 2T Minced Red Onion
• 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
• 2 T Harissa
• 4 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 t Fresh Chopped Parsley and/or Chives (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute Onions in heated Olive Oil until they start to turn golden brown. It should be about 2 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

With Football, Hockey and Basketball back in full swing it is the perfect time for some game day food. I found a recipe on SkinnyTaste that has all the flavor of buffalo chicken and packages it in an easy to eat potato skin! When I saw this I had to try them right away because I love potato skins and buffalo chicken and the thought of combining the two makes them even better.

Servings 12 (1 Skin per serving)

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 2 weight watchers points plus. 82 calories, 7g carbs, 2g fat, 8g protein.

Ingredients

• 6 medium Idaho Potatoes
• Cooking Spray (I use an olive oil mister)
• 12 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1/2 Onion, cut into 4 chunks
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 16 oz Fat Free Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce (or other hot pepper sauce)

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I love, love, love  Buffalo Sauce. So when I ran across this recipe for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs on Emily Bites I couldn't pass it up. These meatballs were a great side for my Cheddar Beer Risotto which I will post soon. I am planning on creating a sandwich out of them soon but just wanted to try the flavors first! Makes 12 meatballs at 2 points plus per meatball.

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Chicken Breast (I generally put 1 lb of chicken breasts in the food processor and grind it up.)

1 Medium Carrot (shredded on a box grater.)

1 Medium Stalk of Celery (shredded on a box grater.)

1/2 cup Plain Dried Breadcrumbs

2 Eggs

2 T Skim Milk

1 t Garlic Powder

1/3 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

12 oz bottle of Buffalo Wing Sauce

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except wing sauce.

Broccoli and Smashed Garlic

This is my favorite side dish to make and it is sooooo easy to make. I am not sure where I found it because I just make it from memory because I have made it so many times. Plus it makes 6 servings at only 2 Point Plus per serving.

Ingredients

1 head of Broccoli

8 Garlic Cloves, Smashed

2 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees