Breakfast Ham Sliders

Ham sliders
Adapted from Say Cheese
Makes 4 Servings

8 small potato/slider buns
8 servings Oscar Meyer black forest ham, sliced
4 slices Jarlsberg light Swiss cheese, cut in half
4 tbsp reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
2 tbsp light butter with canola oil
1 tsp died onion flakes
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Slice rolls in half, place bottoms in a baking dish. Layer ham and cheese on each roll. Spread ½ tbsp cream cheese on each roll top and complete sandwich. Melt butter and stir in Parmesan, Worcestershire and onion flakes. Brush on top of sandwiches. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Heat oven to 350, cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 412 calories, 35 carbs, 13 fat grams and 37.5 protein grams.

Review: Love these little guys! The cream cheese and swiss cheese mix so well together, making this a very tasty little sandwich. I also love how the ham, worcestershire and onion work together, adding a lot of flavor and a nice salty kick. You could serve these as appetizers, but I really liked it as a great, filling breakfast with lots of flavor and lots of protein.

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!

Breakfast Potato Skins

Breakfast Potato Skins

Recipe adapted from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Makes 5 Servings

5 medium russet potatoes
Olive oil spray
9 large eggs
1/3 cup fat-free milk
12 thin slices lean ham, diced
4 pieces turkey bacon
½ green bell pepper, diced
salt and fresh pepper
3 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar, grated

Pierce potatoes with a fork a few times all around. Place in microwave and cook for 5 minutes per potato. When finished, allow to cool enough to handle. Cook bacon in microwave per instructions. Cut potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out potatoes leaving about 1/4 inch thick wall. (Each skin should weigh 2.5 oz after scooped.) In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add pepper, ham and bacon and mix well. Spray a medium nonstick skillet with olive oil spray and cook the eggs, mixing often. Heat oven to 450. Lightly spray potato skins on both sides with oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Fill with eggs and top each one with cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information: 362 calories, 35 carbs, 12fat grams and 26 protein grams.

Review: These are great! I'd be lying if I said they weren't a good bit of work. Between the microwavable cooking of each potato, the scooping of each potato, the adding of topping to each potato, etc. - it takes a while. No lie. Here's a tip: use bigger potatoes so that once you scoop you have more room for the egg filling. If you do this, cook the potatoes longer. I have to be honest, while they are a lot of work they're VERY yummy and, to me, worth it, especially if you're cooking on Sunday/when you have time and have the potatoes going while other things are cooking in the oven, slowcooker and on the stove. They also reheated well. I served mine with 2 tbsp fat-free sour cream on the side (added 20 calories) and 'dipped' them in there. I think salsa would have been wonderful too! These are fun and you can definitely have fun with them, mixing up the filling and toppings! For the leftover potatoes (what was scooped out), I made mashed potatoes for Austin by tossing them in a pan with 1 tbsp light butter, 3 tbsp fat-free sour cream and 2 tsp minced garlic. I added some salt and pepper and stirred for about 5 minutes, then topped with chives.

Baked Mini Quiches

Baked Mini Quiches
Makes 1 Serving
Make 4 of below for 4 Servings

2 eggs + ¼ cup egg whites
1 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar, grated
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ tsp siracha sauce
1 strip turkey bacon
2 slices Oscar Mayer ham

Preheat oven to 350. Spray ramekins with nonstick spray. Cook bacon in microwave and dice. Dice ham. Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until blended. Pour mixture into a ramekin. Repeat 3 more times until you have 4 full ramekins. Bake 30 - 40 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through (when you insert a knife it should be dry).

Nutritional Information: 317 calories, 2 carbs, 15 fat grams and 39 protein grams.

Review: Not going to lie - LOVED them fresh, not a fan of them reheated. It didn't bother Austin but something about all of that egg, in a mound, behind reheated didn't sit well with me. However, they were very good fresh and I loved the flavor the meat added. These would be great for a brunch or if you had overnight guests who were staying for breakfast. They are super cute and again - WONDERFUL fresh. Just don't try to reheat them (unless that doesn't bother you - it bothered me!)

In the Ramekin

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe adapted from Erica's Kitchen Adventures
Makes 6 Servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
9-oz.package smoked ham, diced
16 oz. chicken breast, cooked in salt and pepper then shredded with two forks
4 tbsp light butter
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
14 oz can chicken broth
3 cups white rice, cooked per package instructions
3 oz. Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Then add garlic and and ham and cook for another 5 minutes until heated through. Add cooked chicken. Add butter until it is melted, then stir in the flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stir in the chicken broth, then mix in rice. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 394 calories, 43 carbs, 8 fat grams and 31 protein grams.

Review: YUMMY! It’s like a little taste of Thanksgiving! I loved the butter combined with the bacon – it made every bite taste flavorful and sinful. Ham just really gives that natural flavor. I could see bringing to Thanksgiving – it had that kind of flavor too it. I rarely make rice casseroles (when the rice has to cook in it) because they usually work out crunchy or mushy for me. But with this one since the rice was made separate it worked out great. I also liked how much food this one made. I’ll be making it again!

whole dish

Homemade Hot Pockets

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Homemade Hot Pockets

Makes 4 Servings

8 oz. Trader Joe’s plain pizza dough; divided into 2 servings
4 oz. Oscar Meyer deli selects ham; divided into 4 servings
½ cup Kroger fat-free cheddar cheese, grated; divided into 4 15-gram servings
½ tsp olive oil; divided into 4 servings
Flour to sprinkle on pan.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough into two 4-ounce piles. Roll into two small rectangles on a cookie sheet sprinkled with flour. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle in half making 4 smaller rectangles. Leaving a margin on both sides, add ham and cheese. Fold the left side over the middle, and then the right side over that. Starting at the bottom, tightly roll the filled dough stretching it gently to make a tight seal. Repeat with the other 3. Bake for 10 minutes, then smear 1/8 tsp of olive oil on the top of each pocket, then cook for another 5 minutes. (Go HERE to see step-by-step rolling directions in photos).

Nutritional Information: 371 calories, 53 carbs, 6 fat grams and 23 protein grams. If you're curious, here's what they look like on the outside - yes, I definitely need to work on rolling them better!

Review: They were SO yummy – loved, loved them! Very doughy and fabulous! I will definitely be making these again – no doubt. She said they’re good to freeze and heat up in the microwave too – nice! Also – her pictures have her making them with her children – cute! Also, they're great for breakfast.

Egg Soaked Ham & Bacon Breakfast Pizza

Adapted from Our Best Bites
Egg Soaked Ham & Bacon Breakfast Pizzas
Makes 6 Servings

6 English muffins, cut in half
4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
10 dashes Tabasco sauce
12 thin deli slices of ham (hormel natural choice)
6 slices turkey bacon (butterball)
¾ cup shredded cabot 75% cheese
1/3 cup green onions, diced
1/3 cup green bell peppers, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.In a pie plate, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and Tabasco sauce. Cut each English muffin in half and soak each inside in the egg mixture--you want the egg mixture to soak into the bread, but you don't want the English muffin to fall apart. Place the muffin, cut/egg side up, on the baking sheet. If any egg is left over, carefully pour over less-soaked pieces. Cook bacon in the microwave. Add slice of ham on top of each muffin. Rip bacon in half and add a piece on top of each muffin. Add green onions and peppers and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 296 calories, 28 carbs, 10 fat grams and 22 protein grams.

Review: I LOVED these. They really tasted like little pizzas - I especially loved the bites with the onion/peppers (upped the amount on list above). I also liked that they had ham & bacon - very tasty. And the cheese melted nicely holding it all together. LOVED. The whole "french bread" soaking in egg idea is super clever, thank you Our Best Bites! These will be a regular around here - WOO!

Ham Hash Brown Casserole

Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
Ham Hash Brown Casserole

Makes 4 Servings OR 6 Servings (recipe for each)

7 eggs
4 cups hash brown potatoes
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup 75% cabot cheese, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 cup diced onion
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups diced green and/or red pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
12 slices Hormel Natural choice ham, diced
Mix eggs and milk in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Add to a 9 x 13 dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes clean.

For 6 Servings: Add 1 cup hash browns, 1 egg and 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and use entire container of Oscar Mayer deli smoked ham (5 servings). Bake for 1 hour.

Nutritional Information for 4 serving recipe: 427 calories, 41 carbs, 13 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

Nutritional Information for 6 serving recipe: 333 calories, 33 carbs, 9 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Review: LOVE it. Lots of food - I mean really, that pan was FOUR large servings. It had great flavor though - loved the pepper and the veggies really helped break up the eggs/potatoes. I enjoyed! I could see next time adding a bit more ham and maybe an egg or something to take this up to 6 servings! (I prefer 6 serving breakfasts so I don't have to make as many!)

Ham, Mushroom & Cheddar Frittata

From For the Love of Cooking
Ham, Mushroom & Cheddar Frittata
Makes 4 Servings

8 eggs
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
3/4 cup fat-free cheddar, shredded (divided)
1/2 cup of ham, diced
1/2 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Green onion for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until tender, remove from heat & set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add 1/2 cup of cheese, ham, mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper to taste. Coat a tart or pie pan with cooking spray and add the egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top the frittata with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and return to the oven for 10 additional minutes. Remove from the oven cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 4 servings.

Nutritional Information: 266 calories, 16 carbs, 12 fat grams and 23 grams of protein.

Review: This was really good. I will say I had to cook it a bit longer than 20 minutes as it was still runny. Other than that, it was great. I served with fruit since it's a bit lower in calories, and I wouldn't suggest reheating this one.