Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs

Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs
Recipe adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen and Recipe Girl
Makes 24 appetizers

12 large eggs
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped finely
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tbsp red onion, finely grated
1 tsp granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, freshly ground

Carefully put eggs in a pot and cover with tap water until eggs are submerged with an inch of water over them. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes. While boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water. When the timer goes off, remove pot from heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer one egg at a time to the cold water. Leave them alone for 7 - 8 minutes as they come back to room temperature. Once cooled, dry them and put them in a bowl in the fridge, or peel under cold water and eat. Halve length-wise. Place the cooked yolk in a medium bowl and place the white halves on a serving platter (cut-side up). Mash yolks with a fork. Add bacon, mayonnaise, onion, sugar, vinegar, celery salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined. Use a piping bag with a star-shaped tip to fill egg white halves. Refrigerate, lightly covered, until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information (each appetizer): 43 calories, 1 carb, 3 fat grams and 3 protein grams. (could have 2 for a under-100 calorie snack!).

Review: Okay, so my first time making deviled eggs and my first time eating them. WOW. Where have I been? Loved the addition of bacon and the balsamic and grated onion really added a fun kick! Austin, a seasoned deviled egg eater really liked them, too. I also got to use my new cake decorator pump/piping tool - fun. I can't wait to make these again and can't get over how yummy it was. I even used the leftover on some crackers - WOW. If you like deviled eggs or want to try a new recipe - i'd suggest this one!

DIY Fruit Cups

DIY Fruit Cups

25 grams banana
45 grams apple
70 grams grapes
75 grams strawberries
50 grams pineapple

Lemon juice (to keep the fruit pretty)

Weigh out and cut all fruit. Add to container. Squirt with a bit of lemon juice. Shake container and voila - a perfectly portioned fruit cup.

Note: If you don't like apples but LOVE bananas, try this mix: 75 grams banana, 70 grams grapes, 100 grams strawberries and 40 grams pineapple for 145 calories, 42 carbs and 1 fat gram.

Nutritional Information: 123 calories, 37 carbs and 1 fat gram.

Review: Yummy of course! And it’s way cheaper to make your own than buying the cups in the store!

All 8 cups with extra strawberries in one!

Simple Hummus

Simple Hummus

Makes 8 100-calorie servings OR

16 50-calorie servings

1 can garbanzo beans, do not drain
3 tbsp tahini
Juice from 1 Lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh parsley, diced

Add garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic and ½ tbsp olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Nutritional Information: 98 calories, 5 fat grams, 10 carbs and 3 protein grams.

Review: I was really happy with it! A lot of the recipes I found said to drain the beans - so I drained most of the liquid and rinsed. However, this hummus wasn't as smooth as I wanted it so I edited above and suggested to not drain/rinse at ALL. I think this will make a significant difference. Again, still loved, still ate it because of the flavor, but I heart a creamy texture. I tried this with pita crisps, as well as spread on a flat out wrap with feta cheese and lettuce - wonderful snack.

Black and White Bean Dip

Black and White Bean Dip
My Kitchen Café recipe
Makes 20 Servings

1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of shoepeg corn, drained
½ cup Herdez salsa verde
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
15 grape tomatoes, quartered (squeeze liquid out of tomatoes after chopping)
garlic salt to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 400. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Also drain the can of shoepeg corn. Make sure to squeeze liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put 1.5 cups of cheese and everything else in a bowl and mix together. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and it is all warm and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information (without chips): 80 calories, 10 carbs, 3 fat grams and 5 protein grams.

Review: I thought this was excellent! Very different with all of the beans but super flavorful in the green salsa. The garlic salt definitely added a little something extra, and it bubbled up quick. This tasted good after it got cold, too, and it was good the next day. It makes LOTS of food –next time I may use a more shallow pan or pie dish so it’s not as deep.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Adapted from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes
Makes 4 servings

2 oz dark semi-sweet chocolate
20 small/medium strawberries

Rinse and completely dry the strawberries. In a medium microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Dip strawberries and place on waxed paper to cool. Refrigerate to give it a hard chocolate coating.

Nutritional Information (per serving 5 strawberries): 93 calories, 14 carbs and 5 fat grams.

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Easy Egg-Drop Soup

Egg-Drop Soup

Makes 2 Servings

1 packet Sunbird Egg-Drop Soup
2.5 cups water
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp green onion, diced (about 1 stalk)
¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

Combine water and contents of seasoning packet in a pot. Set to boil. Once boiling, stir in gentle strokes slowly adding egg. Stir for 1-2 minutes, then drop in onion and mushrooms (will still be boiling). Stir for 4-5 minutes, then divide into two bowls. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information: 86 calories, 10 carbs, 3 fat grams and 3 protein grams.

Review: SO good – Austin said it tasted like “the real thing.” High praise, my friends.

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