One Ring to Rule Them All - Low Cal Bacon, Egg & Cheese Ring

Breakfast isn't really a big deal in our house. We almost always eat the same things for breakfast over and over again and inevitably I say to myself, "Self, can't we have something better?"

If you too have come to realize the facts of life (not the Miss Garrett & Tootie variety) you know that breakfast foods are usually heavy on the delicious and even heavier on the calories. Thankfully, many a health nut has tried to remedy this with swaps and solutions. I'm about to combine a few of those to create today's recipe...

Don't actually slap ya mama...please

The Low Cal Bacon, Egg & Cheese Ring

Serves: 8 (or 4...be honest with yourself. You're going to eat at least two)
Time: Approx. 30 minutes
Per Serving Stats: (For 8)
   Calories - 142
   Carbs- 11g
   Fat- 9g
  

WHAT YOU NEED
1 Can of crescent rolls
Shredded Cheese (.5 cup)
Turkey Bacon (3 slices)
Egg Whites (4 eggs)
Seasoning for your tastes

Notes: 
I used Slap Ya Mama seasoning. It's from Ville Platte, Louisiana and I love it. It's probably not easy to find outside of Louisiana but you can also use other Cajun seasonings you can find. It's high in sodium so I just sprinkled it over the egg whites. A little goes a long way, but for this girl's southern palate I need a little more than salt and pepper. If you're watching your sodium intake may I suggest Mrs. Dash seasonings. No salt, but still really good.  

Turkey bacon is the only kind of bacon we buy. Somewhere along the line Husband informed me that turkey is a superior meat and that's how we we've been operating since. 



WHAT YOU DO

1) Preheat the oven based on the crescent roll can directions. 

2) Start scrambling and seasoning the egg whites.

Steps 3-7. 

     I did not have the little milk carton egg whites. I had 4 eggs that were days away from going bad. I cracked them and fished out the yolks. It's a little lame but it works. 

     I'm not going to go into detail about how I scrambled my egg whites. I was taught to scramble eggs by my father who grew up on a farm in Iowa. You would think that he would be a master egg scrambler. Negative. He cracked his eggs, put them in a bowl, stirred them briskly with a fork and then nuked them in the microwave. DO. NOT. DO. THIS. That man is crazy and very busy. So I guess if you're in a rush it is effective.

3) While the eggs scramble- Prep the ring!
     Lay out the crescent rolls on a sprayed or non-stick baking pan. Make sure to overlap them. This will help keep all the ingredients inside. 

4) Chop the bacon and place it on the ring.
     You don't have to chop the bacon, but if you've ever eaten turkey bacon you know that it's a little chewy. If you chop it ahead of time it'll be easier to eat. Just a little F.Y.I.


5)When the eggs are done add them evenly around the ring

6) Top with .5 a cup of shredded cheese. 
     Many schools of thought are "more cheese = better" and I tend to agree. This was enough cheese for us. I actually used the extra cheese as a topper on the completed ring but in hindsight I prefer the melted cheese inside better. To each his own.

7) Pull the points in to create the ring.

8) Bake according to directions (10-12 minutes)


WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THESE INGREDIENTS?

One ring to rule them all! Shout out to the dorks...

Most of these ingredients are pretty simple but for the turkey bacon if you have to buy it in bulk you can use them not just for breakfast but also for sandwiches. You can also cook and chop them to create a topper for baked potatoes or whatever you want. I mean, it's bacon.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

This is delicious. I only had two pieces but Husband ate THE REST OF THE RING. In one sitting. It's that good. He did add Sriracha because he adds that to anything he eats containing meat. If you're going to be serving to a bigger group you can easily double this although keep in mind that the bulk of the calories are coming from those oh-so tasty crescent rolls. So enjoy this delicious, better breakfast.

XO,

Andrea

Lazy Cheaper Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

I can't believe I'm about to write my first recipe that includes a positive note about mayonnaise, but that's what's about to happen.

I am a long time mayo hater. To the core. Back when the internet was invented (did it exist before you found it?) I even found a website called nomayo.com. The site no longer exists but the underground world of mayo haters is alive and kicking.

Even this precious bear has strong feelings about mayo!

I don't know why but the thought of mayonnaise has always just made my skin crawl and I assume it's because of some childhood trauma. Maybe it's because supermarket sandwich trays always assume that you want each little triangle covered in mayo. Nay, I say. Some of us consider ourselves to be mustard loyalists.


As I've gotten older I don't mind mayo as much anymore. By "mind" I mean if it's an ingredient and isn't overwhelmingly in my nostrils or taste buds I can handle it for the most part but I'm not about to douse a slice of innocent bread in it.

A few months before we moved from Louisiana, Husband and I started spending our Friday evenings at Bonefish Grill. The pearl of the Bonefish oyster is none other than their Bang Bang Shrimp. The sauce is amazing and if you've ever had it you understand why we would go back week after week and order the same thing. Bangin' indeed.


Due to the beauty of Pinterest I discovered some sweet angel made a copy cat recipe called Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp. Her recipe is indeed skinny. It's also fancy. Fancy here is defined as "jumbo shrimp on skewers." I guess I do have the time to cook shrimp on sticks, but I'm not going to. Thus a new recipe was born out of sheer laziness...


Lazy Cheaper Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp. Ya welcome!

Serves: 2
Time: Barely 30 minutes
Per Serving Stats:
   Calories - 301
   Carbs- 12g
   Fat- 7g
 

WHAT YOU NEED
Light Mayo (2.5 tbsp)
Scallions -also called green onions by less fancy people (2 tbsp)
Sweet Chili Sauce (1.5 tbsp)
Sriracha (.5 tbsp)
Frozen Tiny Shrimp (16 oz. or about two cups)
Romaine lettuce


Why am I not using her suggested 40 large shrimp? While that is perfect for skewers, this version is more of a salad. Also the little nugget shrimp are cheaper. You get more for your money and if you're making this for more than two people then you will appreciate that you can get a big bag and just double the sauce.


WHAT YOU DO

-First cook those nuggety little shrimps in a skillet with light oil. They'll turn a pink color.

-Mix the scallions, mayo, chili sauce, and sriracha in a bowl. I did not measure the scallions cause who has time for that? I just cut enough to satisfy me. They are low cal so probably won't break anyone's calorie counters.

-When the shrimp are finished, drain them and then dump them in the mixture bowl. Stir until they are covered.

-Serve over lettuce.


WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THESE INGREDIENTS?

My biggest gripe with most recipes is that you sometimes have to buy big bottles or packages of something for such a little amount. I never know what to do with the extras. Here's what you can do with the rest of some of the less common ingredients.

Scallions-  Put them on anything. I think they work best in Asian-style soups/dishes.

Sweet Chili Sauce-  I will literally eat this over rice. By itself. It's heaven.

Sriracha- For you brave souls like Husband you can put it on anything. He mixes it with his mayo and eats it on sandwiches. Whatever floats your boat!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

This will not replace the amazingness of Bang Bang Shrimp, believe me. At first this was a disappointing realization but considering how low calorie this substitute is, I think it's worthy of remembering and saving. That being said, the sauce is a lot thinner than you would expect to find in a restaurant. Overall I'd give this a thumbs up and think it would make a really easy make-ahead, sandwich replacing lunch. 

XO,

Andrea