Apple Raspberry Crisp

Posted on July 19, 2013 by bg_admin

This is an adaptation of my Apple Crisp recipe only with fresh raspberries and oatmeal (for fiber). It doesn’t have to be served hot and on a 90 degree day (like today), it’s a perfect fit with a couple scoops of ice cream.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh raspberries
4 large apples, peeled and sliced
8 teaspoons Splenda sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup quick cook oats
1/4 cup “I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”, softened
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

How To

Mix apples, raspberries, Splenda sugar, flour and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a bowl. Transfer to a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.

Use the same bowl and combine oats, brown sugar, margarine and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Evenly distribute over the fruit in the baking pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let’s talk calories. This dish will serve six to eight people. A one cup serving is in the neighborhood of 153 calories.

Bunyan Backwoods Bologna Breakfast

Posted on December 9, 2012 by bg_admin

I’m not certain who cooked it, where it was or even when it was, but I vividly remember the taste of fried bologna sandwiches as a kid. It would blacken in the cast-iron skillet while pan-searing. Oh so crispy, and oh so good. Where am I heading with this?

Well…the other night I spotted a package of bologna in the fridge. It was purchased to make sandwiches for the grandkids. Unfortunately, they aren’t nuts about bologna and I wasn’t going to waste an entire package of bologna. A revised game plan was needed.

Fried bologna, fried potatoes and fried eggs dance around in my head (not really, but I just wanted to say it). This is a campfire breakfast. Something Paul Bunyan might have eaten before cutting down an entire forest. Hence, the name Bunyan Backwoods Breakfast. At least that’s the story I’m sticking to. My end results proved worthy of the idea and effort. Even the wine guy had a helping (or two).

I use dehydrated hash browns (you add hot water and soak 10-12 minutes before cooking) and add freshly diced onion. Once the hashbrowns were a nice golden brown 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar was added and topped with 3 eggs.

Season with salt and pepper. Place a cover over the skillet and kick up the stove top heat to ensure the eggs cook through.

You can also cook the fried eggs separately. Plate hashbrowns and top with pre-cooked fried eggs.

Or, how about an egg scramble? Beat 3 eggs just as you would for scrambled eggs. Mix into hash browns and cook until the eggs are a nice yellow color, flipping or stirring halfway through.

Whatever egg variation used, the key ingredient is the blackened bologna. If you seek something leaner and lower in calories, consider turkey bologna.

A number of ingredients can be added to this dish. I selected chopped tomato and fresh spinach leaves as my garnish. But, banana pepper rings, diced red pepper or sliced mushrooms are other options.

Serving size is 1 cup of potato/egg mix plus (1) slice of fried bologna. It generously serves three and is in the neighborhood of 350 calories. Substituting low-fat cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup of cheese) and reduced-fat turkey bologna will bring the caloric intake down to 300.

Use non-stick cooking spray to cook the potatoes and pan-sear the bologna. Reserve the cherished olive oil for dishes where it really makes a difference in taste. This isn’t one of those meals (my opinion).

Mummy Sausages

Posted on October 28, 2012 by bg_admin

Looking for a fun breakfast item to serve to the kids on Halloween morning? The boys at my Halloween camp out loved these mummy sausages. I used low-fat turkey sausage to reduce calories and fat grams. Each little mummy with the dough wrapping is in the neighborhood of 77 calories. Look for reduced fat crescent rolls in the can. I purchased the Pillsbury brand. Serve with scramble egg beaters (40 calories).

The How To

Wrap 16 turkey link sausages in strips of crescent roll dough. I only used 7 of the eight crescent rolls. Purchase 18 turkey links if you want to use up all the dough.

Start at one end of the link and wrap the strips like a candy cane stripe. Then wrap another strip in the opposite direction. Place the mummy links on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking oil.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the crescent strips have nicely browned. Remove and serve. Plan on two sausages per person. With egg beaters, you have yourself a breakfast under 200 calories. And, a yummy one at that!

NOTE: You can always dribble the sausages with ketchup once they have baked. Kids like the blood effect (go figure).

Breakfast for Mommy

Posted on August 3, 2012 by bg_admin

There’s no better way to start a Friday morning than breakfast by the infamous four-year chef, Fischer. My special buddy spent an overnight, but not without an “over-exhausted, played too hard, no afternoon nap” melt-down at bed time. Never underestimate the strength of a four-year old in full tantrum mode.

He wanted to go home and see mommy. In the gospel according to Fischer, I was the bad guy because, “I never let him see his mommy”. I found his episode (as I call it) quite entertaining. The drama was better than any TV show I might have watched.

A peaceful settlement was made when we agreed he could make breakfast for Mommy in the morning. And then, as if nothing had happened, he asked me to read his favorite Max Lucado book, Twelve Days of Christmas. And when the sandman finally took him to the Land of Nod, I whispered YIPPEE and crashed.

It’s truly amazing how a good night’s sleep changes the world as we perceive it. I was no longer the bad NeeNee, instead I was greeted with hugs, kisses and a reminder that a Mommy breakfast was on the agenda.

It is important to note, waffles without LOTS of syrup and butter is considered a misdemeanor by anyone under age six.

As you can see, Chef Fish had no problem applying the appropriate amount of syrup to each waffle. In fact, he emptied the remainder of the bottle. Thank goodness, it was “sugar-free”.

The calories weren’t as bad you might think. One waffle (with syrup/butter) and the fruit pictured is 155 calories. Add two servings of scrambled egg beaters for only 60 more calories.

The next time your little peep wants to make you breakfast, I suggest toaster waffles. It’s ideal for kids four-years and up. There is beaming pride when they present the dish. Forget about all the dripping syrup on the counter, or the butter that dropped on the floor. Create a memory. You can clean up sticky messes with soapy water, but you can’t recreate memories.

Scrambled Brain Eggs

Posted on April 22, 2012 by bg_admin

Now here’s a new take on scrambled eggs…brain eggs. This morning my honey-man (the wine guy) made this egg scramble for our 9 year old grand son, Carson. When ketchup was squirted on the eggs, it looked like brains Ala mode (go figure, he’s a boy and that kind of stuff excites him).

Nothing complements a brain egg dish better than green ham. I am certain there is a story line in here somewhere. I just have to figure it out.

Kids love when you are creative with food or any other activity. They will dive in wholeheartedly if you make it fun.

It was an unexpected Sunday morning with the grand kids. It’s what the wine-guy and I live for… the little peeps remind us life is good.

Happy Sunday, my friends.

Breakfast of Champions

Posted on March 31, 2012 by bg_admin

This was my 9-year old grandson’s breakfast this morning before a trip to Tennessee to visit his “other” grandparents. Poppy, the wine guy, was in the kitchen at 5 AM to make these special pancakes using the apple crisp the kids made on Thursday.

You’ll find the apple crisp recipe here.

Pictured are three pancakes, a generous scoop of apple crisp topped with sugar-free applesauce and fat-free whipped cream. A teaspoon of no-sugar maple syrup garnishes the pancake layers.

Calories are in the neighborhood of 325 calories. Lose one pancake and save yourself 39 calories.

NeeNee’s Apple Crisp

Posted on March 31, 2012 by bg_admin

There are two stories behind this apple crisp dish.

Story #1
My grandsons stayed overnight on Thursday. Carson got into a little trouble and was grounded from TV and Wii. Blimpy Girl NeeNee decided we could we could work together in the kitchen. We made an apple crisp (a favorite for Carson). We enjoyed our project and the boys learned something new.

Story #2
I discovered an apple crisp recipe dating back to the early 1970’s. I’m fairly certain the recipe book was a wedding gift from my first marriage (my daughter’s Dad). My grand son loved that I used this recipe while married to his Poppa.

So, with stories shared, here is the recipe (not exactly Blimpy Girl style, but heck… call it a splurge).

Spread in pan:

4 cups sliced apples (we used a grater since the boys are too young to handle a kitchen knife)

Sprinkle apples with 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a separate bowl add1 cup sugar (I used Splenda), 3/4 cups flour and 1/3 cup butter (whipped-low fat kind). Mix with a pastry blender until crumbly. Spread mixture over the apples.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve while warm. Makes 6 servings. Calories… you don’t need to know, it’s a splurge item *wink*.

The apple crisp receives a thumbs-up.

Cheezie Egg Scramble

Posted on March 30, 2012 by bg_admin

I ordered new egg shaped dishes for an upcoming Easter brunch. I threw together this egg scramble to pre-test the new dishes. Double cheese WOW is all I can say about this egg scramble. The cool egg dishes were found at Oriental Trading (of course, they are now sold out).

I used egg mate substitute because it’s low in calories and cholesterol. Plus, egg mates are packed with protein and potassium. A great way to start the morning.

I must admit there is no recipe. I just dug around in the veggie bins of my fridge and pulled out food items I thought would work. After my scavenger hunt, I ended up with the following ingredients. You can adjust to whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients

Baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Egg Mate per serving, plus 1 teaspoon water
Diced tomatoes
Portabella mushroom, chopped
Yellow bell pepper, diced
Scallion, finely chopped
Roasted red skin potatoes (chopped). I used leftover red skins from this Blimpy Girl recipe I prepared earlier in the week.
1 wedge Laughing Cow Swiss cheese (if you don’t want the double cheesiness, cut the wedge in half).
Salt & pepper to taste

How To

In a microwaveable cup or egg dish add:

1 tablespoon chopped spinach, pinch of scallions, 1 tablespoon roasted red skin potatoes, pinch of yellow pepper and 1 teaspoon diced tomatoes. Microwave for 45 seconds. Remove from microwave. Add 1/4 cup Egg Mate and Laughing Cow cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Return dish or cup to microwave and heat for an additional 45 seconds.

Tip: Spray cups/dishes with non-stick cooking spray before adding ingredients.

Here’s the scoop on calories. Surprisingly, this cheezie egg goodness is a mere 70 calories. If using one-half of the Laughing Cow cheese wedge, calorie intake is 50. For me, the extra cheese is a treat.

I added two Morning Star soy sausage links (on the side) to this egg scramble. Two links are 80 calories.

Shakshuka: Blimpy Girl Style

Posted on March 6, 2012 by bg_admin

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If you’re not familiar with Shakshuka, let me inform. This incredible dish is Mediterranean in style and consists of eggs cooked on top of a spicy tomato base. You can add so many different ingredient types to this dish which is why I embrace it.

Shakshuka (pronouced shahk-SHOO-kah) can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It makes an ideal brunch dish when served with fresh fruit, pita bread and hummus on the side. If you have a vegetable and herb garden, this is a must-have recipe. If you raise chickens for their eggs, you would be stupid-o to not have this recipe on file.

My Blimpy Girl recipe version includes fried potatoes, shredded zucchini, chopped spinach and diced garlic. The hash browns are topped with shredded low-fat sharp cheddar.

I prefer to use fresh diced tomatoes. Some recipes call for canned tomatoes. I guess it’s a matter of time and convenience. But if you have garden tomatoes, why not use them?

My choice of seasonings included cumin, paprika, parsley and salt/pepper. These are all fairly standard additions to the Shakshuka sauce base. I’m awaiting feedback from my daughter as this was her lunch today. My honey-man, the wine guy, can be very particular about what he eats. His tasting palate far surpasses mine, but this dishI may score point with him.

You can use freshly grated red skin potatoes, or cheat (like I did) and use dehydrated hash browns. Both work equally well in my opinion.

Now let’s talk calories. Potatoes, eggs, cheese, sauce… it still only adds up to 270 to 280 calories per serving. It’s a pretty generous serving based on my appetite. Add side dishes as suggested and you may be up to 350 calories.

Protein, carbs, dairy, veggies and fruit all in one dish. Grab Recipe

Three Cheese Apple Bacon Zuc Frittata

Posted on January 17, 2012 by bg_admin

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I am falling in love with “Frittata” dishes. They are quick, great for using up leftovers and generally low in calories. A generous slice of this frittata will only cost you about 200 calories, less if you use low-fat cheeses. I didn’t have any low-fat Swiss cheese on hand, so used regular Swiss.

This dish will take you about 20 minutes to prepare. Yes, it’s true… 20 minutes. The egg filling includes chunks of portabella mushroom, turkey bacon, apple, and three different cheeses. I added a diced zucchini just because it needed to be used up. Fresh strawberries are a perfect pairing with the 3 cheeses.

I used egg substitute plus one “real” egg, only because I didn’t have enough of the egg substitute. It worked great. If you want the frittata to be more light and fluffy, use water in place of the milk or cream. Grab the Recipe

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