Shamelessly Jacked Kids Menu - Grilled Cheese

When I decided to start this blog I wanted it to be about how we are fitting in here in Cali but also how I cheat the system into eating what I want by making the things I love with better ingredients.

I hate to say this is a "recipe" because it's not. What it is really is a combination of low calorie ingredients that you can use for an easy lunch or dinner. Plus, I write about things that taste good and this certainly qualifies AND it's a dinner for two so win-win. 

Last time I was in San Diego I was there for work and flew in early. I was at a swanky hotel and starving so I made my way down to the hotel's restaurant to eat alone. Because I either have no fear or my shame button was turned off, I ordered the most bizarre lunch: a glass of wine and a grilled cheese sandwich.

Now before you judge me: it was grilled cheese month AND that's a real holiday I did not make up AND if you're eating alone you better do it like a boss and have a glass of wine. I don't care if you've just ordered off the kids menu.

The PTA meeting at the table next to me was in full judge mode and I can tell you I did not care one bit. That grilled cheese was DELICIOUS.

It was so good I went home and started ordering grilled cheese everywhere. I can tell you that in Baton Rouge one of my favorite grilled cheese sammys is from The Bread Box on Essen. It's called the "Grown Up Grilled Cheese" and it's like a heavenly cheese explosion. 


So a week or two ago I started to crave it again and just knew that I'd be tossing it a lot of calories between the cheese, butter, and bread. Add to this I also wanted tomato basil soup. I'm greedy like that!

If you want a low cal Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup option pick up these ingredients:

4 slices Sara Lee 45 calorie bread
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter (or less)
2 slices low calorie Pepper Jack
Campbell's Harvest Tomato with Basil 

(DO NOT get their tomato soup...you want this one! Trust me. It's delicious and I could have pretended it was homemade and Husband would have never known the difference!)

This will not, I repeat will not, taste as good as the grown up grilled cheese at The Breadbox. Lower those expectations...

Basically you make the grilled cheese sandwich the same way since the dawn of grilled cheese time and you heat the soup on the stove.

This makes two sandwiches and the soup has two servings (real servings, not pretend ones that food companies put on packaging that do not reflect what a normal person would eat. I'm talking to YOU Girl Scouts of America!)

With these options your grilled cheese AND soup will come out to be around 350 calories. That's absurdly low. And it's pretty filling. I mean I could eat another sandwich cause it is delicious, but I never have. 

I made it this week because I was sick and I couldn't bare the thought of cooking or eating chicken noodle soup. I have to say it was a winner!


If you have any other cheats to a lighter, delicious, easy meal - let me know!

XO,
Andrea

Accidental Taco Soup. A Slow Cooker Miracle!

Nope. No post yesterday. I was doing so well, wasn't I? It's been a strange week. I haven't been feeling 110% percent. Still looking for something to do with my time (apparently blogging about your health is NOT a viable career). Also, I have been a little obsessive about the dog since the incident chronicled in the post: Dog Pounds.

Not to mention my mother-in-law will be in town this weekend coming back from an extended stay in the Philippines AND it's her birthday AND two of my nieces are getting their black belts. I have some very special, very high calorie desserts planned for this weekend. Definitely more Cajun than California. So clearly I am happily, joyously busy! I've had this weekend in the planner for a while!


Before I get into the sweet of the weekend, here's a little savory.

Preface: I was not trying to make soup, thus the name Accidental Taco Soup. I was TRYING to make seasoned chicken that I would then put in a tortilla and eat with said cheese and sour cream. In my wild imagination the slow cooker KNOWS what I'm trying to do when I turn it on and I just throw things in there willy nilly. That's the truth. Once I discovered the slow cooker I just went wild. The result is that sometimes I end up with a crock pot full-a-crazy OR amazing awesomeness...


Accidental Taco Soup

Servings: 4 Time: Prep 5 minutes. 4 hours in the slow cooker on high or 6-8 low.

Bowl-Fulla-Awesome

Per Serving Stats: 
(depends on how much chicken you use AND does not include sour cream or cheese)

Calories - 210
Carbs - 36g
Fat - 15g


WHAT YOU NEED

Frozen Chicken Breasts

Taco seasoning packet

Salsa (1 cup)

And if you like:

Shredded Cheese

Light Sour Cream

Some people weigh their chicken breasts. I just look at them and know, ya know? I put in 4 big ones or 5 little ones. There are low sodium taco seasoning packets out there. Get them!


WHAT YOU DO

-Spray the inside of your slow cooker for easy clean up.

-Place the frozen chicken in the crock pot and cover with a cup of salsa.

-Mix separately 2/3 c of water with your taco seasoning and then add to the slow cooker.

-Walk away

-Periodically check on the chicken and start cutting it with a metal spoon while it's in the slow cooker.

-Serve in a bowl with shredded cheese and sour cream if you like!

 

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THESE INGREDIENTS?
There are no specialty ingredients here. Yay!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
It's delightful. Easy. And in case you missed it pretty high in the carbs and kinda high in the fat. But also cheap! Three out of five ain't bad right? 

XO Andrea

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