Egg & Veggie Breakfast Pockets

Egg & Veggie Breakfast Pockets
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Makes 4 Servings

5 eggs
2 tbsp egg substitute, divided
1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic
½ cup chopped onion
1 package reduced fat crescent rolls
1 ½ cups baby spinach leaves
¼ cup fresh basil, diced
4 tsp grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. fat-free feta cheese
½ cup low-calorie spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan, 1 tbsp egg substitute, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add spinach and basil, then pour egg mixture into skillet. Cook without stirring until mixture begins to set around edges. With a large spatula, lift and fold partially cooked egg mixture so the uncooked portion flows underneath. Cook until heated through. Unroll crescent rolls on wax paper, and separate into 4 rectangles. Press seams together. Divide egg mixture into four, and place one serving on each crescent rectangle. Top with feta, then pick up one side and fold over to the middle. Pick up the other side and do the same. Press together the new seam, and fold over the ends, using your fingers to press the sides closed. Repeat with the other three. Brush top of each with egg substitute. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Serve each with 2 tbsp spaghetti sauce.

Nutritional Information: 325 calories, 27 carbs, 16 fat grams and 18 protein grams.

Review: Love this flavor! This was my first time having spaghetti sauce for breakfast but wow - it works great with this! The pocket was just crispy and soft enough - the onions added nice crunch and the spinach mixed in well. The garlic helped give it a bit of kick, and the egg filling went well in the crescent. All in all a good breakfast. Yes, a bit high in fat, but it kept me full for hours. It also reheated very well - it wasn't as crispy but it was just as good and didn't lose its flavor.

the outside before cutting!

Easy Ham & Cheese Breakfast Pockets

Easy Ham & Cheese Breakfast Pockets

Makes 4 Servings

1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
1 9 oz. container deli ham, thin, divided
2 oz. cabot cheese, sliced and divided

1 jalapeno, finely diced
1 tbsp egg substitute

Preheat oven to 375. Spread out a sheet of wax paper, and open crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Press down on crescent rectangle (2 triangles) to make larger rectangle. Press jalapeno pieces into dough, then add 1/4 of the ham on one side. Roll halfway, then and ½ oz. cheese. Finish rolling and repeat process with remaining three. Add to cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Brush egg substitute on top of each. Cook for 12-14 minutes until top is golden brown.

Nutritional Information: 279 calories, 25 carbs, 11 fat grams and 19 protein grams.

Review: Um, yum! Huge fan of these little guys. Loved how easy they were to put together -I had everything on hand and it just sounded good, so I whipped it up in under 10 minutes. They were also pretty - and the ham made them juicy which made them taste bad for you. Love that! I also liked how well the cheese melted in the crescent. I will definitely be making these again, and have no doubt they will reheat well! I would suggest serving them with a side of fruit to add some sweet and some color. I would do strawberries & pineapples!

Note: If you prefer, you can make 8 smaller ones instead of 4 bigger ones. I think it's easier to do 4 big ones, but it's all what you prefer! Also, if you wanted to add turkey bacon or more cheese to up the calories I think there is room for it, just be careful about upping the fat more than it is!

Chicken & Cheese Crescent Pockets

Chicken & Cheese Crescent Pockets
Recipe inspired by Blog Chef
Makes 4 Servings

1 (8 ounce) can reduced fat crescent rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can fat-free cream of chicken soup
½ cup cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Filling:
2 ounces fat-free cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp light butter with canola oil (softened)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
16 oz. chicken breasts, cooked in salt and pepper and shredded
¼ cup Cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
¼ tsp seasoning salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
Topping: ¼ cup Cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese; optional topping: fresh parsley flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a rectangular casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a saucepan mix cheese and soup. Heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. To make the filling- in a bowl mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add garlic powder. Add in chicken and cheese. Mix until well combined. Add mayonnaise. Stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a small amount of the chicken soup mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Unroll crescent rolls on wax paper, and separate into 4 rectangles. Press seams together. Divide mixture into four, and top on each crescent rectangle, then pick up one side and fold over to the middle. Pick up the other side and do the same. Press together the new seam, flip it over and put it seam side down in the dish, then use your fingers to press the sides closed. Repeat with the other three. (make sure to put the four pockets as far away from each other as possible in the pan). Drizzle remaining soup mixture on top and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 453 calories, 32 carbs, 16 fat grams and 43 protein grams.

Review: Loved! So creamy and fabulous. I used to eat a recipe similar to this in college - but it was all-fat! I liked combining the crescents into one large (rather than two small) -it made the filling stand out more and it was more fun to eat. The shredded chicken went well with this, and the garlic powder gave it a nice kick. I also couldn't get over how creamy the mayonnaise and cream of chicken made this dish - it was definitely comfort food to the max an something I would crave if I was ever tired or just wanted something "bad for me." :) I could see myself doubling this and freezing half!

Upside Down Pizza

Upside Down Pizza
Recipe adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients
1 pound 96/4 ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups jarred low-calorie spaghetti sauce
125 grams (a little over 1 cup) fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (divided)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
1 (8 ounce) light crescent rolls
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 egg white
Dried basil for garnish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large pan. Add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add onions and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add beef, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until beef is no longer pink, 6 – 8 minutes. Once done, add spaghetti sauce and stir. Add salt if desired. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread a layer of sauce. Top with half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan cheese. Add remainder of sauce then remainder of cheeses. Top with crescent rolls, pinching seams together. Brush egg white on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is brown. Sprinkle with dried basil as garnish.

Full pan cut and ready to eat - 6 servings

Nutritional Information: 367 calories, 24 carbs, 18 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

Review: We loved it! I was a little worried about crescent on top and truth be told I probably could have closed the seams better, but I was ready to stick it in the oven and try it! The sauce mix with the layered cheeses was really good - almost tasted like a parmesany spaghetti. And the breaded top added a lot to it - the crescents really baked up when on top, whereas i'm sure if they were on bottom it would have been much less doughy. We really liked it and wouldn't change it a bit - i'm glad I added the red pepper flakes and seasonings - the extra heat made it even more appealing!

Big Pigs in a Blanket

Big Pigs in a Blanket
Recipe by Hungry Girl
7 Snacks

1 package reduced fat crescent rolls (will not use 1 triangle)
7 Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dogs
2 wedges laughing cow cheese
7 dashes garlic powder
3 strips turkey bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside. Cook bacon in microwave and dice into small bits. Put bacon bits on a plate. Slightly stretch out one of the triangle-shaped portions of dough. Evenly spread with 1/3 a wedge of cheese, and then sprinkle with a dash of garlic powder. Place hot dog along the base roll it up. Squeeze dough gently to ensure it’s secure around the hot dog. Press dough-wrapped dog into bacon on one side, then set on pan. Repeat 7 times. Press any leftover bacon into tough. Bake for 15 minutes until dough is browned and crispy.

Nutritional information per snack: 153 calories, 12 carbs, 7 fat grams and 3 protein grams.

Review: YUM! Super flavorful and fabulous! I’m a fan. Honestly, I might remove the cheese next time – it was flavorful enough without it. And if you're feeling SUPER lazy, don't even do the bacon - just wrap those dogs in the roll and call it a day.

Brunch Pizza Squares

Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Brunch Pizza Squares

Makes 6 Servings

10 oz. Jimmy Dean Light Sausage
1 tube (8 oz.) reduced fat refrigerated crescent rolls
4 eggs
2 tbsp fat-free milk
2 oz. cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Unroll crescent dough into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Press dough ½ inch up the sides and seal the seams between triangles by pressing down. Sprinkle with sausage. In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper and pour over sausage. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted (may need to cook for another 3-5 minutes).

Nutritional Information: 310 calories, 18 carbs, 19 fat grams and 17 protein grams. So yes, pretty high in fat, but having it on days when I have lower-fat meals planned for lunch and dinner will balance it out.

Review: We both REALLY liked it - great size serving and very filling. Also - YUMMY! And inexpensive - the crescents were $1 and the sausage was $2.20 - throw in eggs and some cheese and you're looking at like $.75 a serving - love it! This has really become a family favorite and quick, easy standby.