This is looked forward to every Easter, it is so delicious – just as much as the Easter Ham!

Ingredients

• 1 package Turkey bacon
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese. light
• 8 eggs or to make even lighter – equal amount of egg beaters
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package organic frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7×11 inch casserole dish.
2. Fry the turkey bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.  Crumble.
3. In a large bowl beat together eggs and milk. Mix in cheese, bacon, onion and green pepper. Stir in the thawed hash browns. Pour mixture into prepared casserole.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes until eggs have set.

Enjoy!

Have a stress-free holiday

Weight Watchers can make losing weight fun again – check out their guest post

Think back to third-grade science class, where your teacher tried to make learning fun through experimentation and hands-on projects. You probably learned a great deal about fish by watching the guppies in the aquarium, and explored the insides of a flower stem by splitting it open and peering right in. And the same can hold true for weight loss. Just because you’re not eight years old anymore doesn’t mean that exploration has to be a distant memory. And just because weight loss is a real challenge doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun!

Discover the Fun in Weight Loss
You probably already know the importance of variety in your weight-loss plan. Keeping things interesting can make losing weight much more enjoyable. And in order to really be successful at losing weight, it sure does help to enjoy the ride. Read on for more ways to make and keep your weight-loss journey enjoyable and fun:

1. Explore new foods. Maybe you try a new food item because you find out it’s low in PointsPlus® values or is on the Core Food List. Or maybe a friend prepares a vegetable that you saw in the grocery store but never knew what in the world to do with. But whatever the reason, do try them! Trying new foods is a great way to add variety to your diet and keep you interested in continuing on with your weight-loss plans. Have you ever tried jicama, quinoa, a mango or an artichoke? If not, you might be missing out on your new favourite food!
2. Explore new cooking and preparation methods. Do you bake just about everything you eat? Next time try to stir-fry your chicken or poach your fish with some lemon. When’s the last time you tried a new marinade, sauce or condiment? Teriyaki sauce adds a nice kick to veggies, and fresh herbs can make an ordinary meat or pasta dish taste divine.
3. Explore new activities. Did you know that ballroom dancing, gardening, bowling, snorkeling and even cleaning are all considered exercise and can help you rack up activity PointsPlus values?
4. Explore what’s been fun for you. At your last weight-loss milestone, did you happen to notice a bone you didn’t know you had, a muscle group that you’re dying to show off, or that you can finally fit into your favourite pair of jeans again? Have you enjoyed learning about your Comfort Zone or realising that you have amazing self-control? Keep these things in mind, and always be on the lookout for more self-discoveries. They might just be the best motivation you could ask for.

I made these cabbage rolls last week.  I had a huge craving that I could not put out of my mind.  I decided that I did not want to add rice or beef but wanted to increase the vegetables.  These were so good that I have made them twice since than.  Each time I vary the spices and seasonings.  Sometimes you just crave comfort food and these do the trick.  You don’t even miss the ground beef or the rice.  Next time I make them I think I will try tomato sauce  instead of the canned soup, due to the high sodium content in canned soup.   

• 12 cabbage leaves
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg and 1 egg white, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 2 grated carrots
• 1/2 cup or more of frozen peas
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

Directions:

1. Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, carrots, peas, onion, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
3. Divide the turkey mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and place seamed side down on grease casserole dish.
4. Repeat until all rolls are wrapped up.  Pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover with tin foil. Place in over at 375 for about one hour until the turkey is cooked through. 

YUM!  How do you make your comfort food more healthy?

Since it is the new year, here is another new favorite quote to leave you with….

I make this dish almost every Sunday morning and than I have a super quick healthy breakfast for the rest of the week!  And did you know?  Spinach is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help protect your body for life.

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed thoroughly to remove liquid
• 6 eggs or equivalent egg substitute or use egg whites only for even low calorie dish
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese – optional but it makes it taste really good
• 3/4 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions with some green tops
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and fill with the spinach mixture.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and set. Let cool for 20 minutes, cut in wedges and serve.

You could change it up as much as you like.  I have added broccoli, different types of low fat cheese, different types of mushrooms.  The list is endless. 

Happy Weekend!

This post is an oldie from the archives but it is worth another look!

A few weeks back, I  posted about Potato Chips in the microwave.  I had so much feed back wondering if you could use sweet potatoes, so I knew I just had to try.  Some were also wondering how you got the potato so thinly sliced,  I simply used this side of my grater, as seen in the picture.

I followed the same directions except I peeled the sweet potato.  If you missed the recipe, here it is again switching to the sweet potato.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato peeled

Directions:

• Slice the potato really thin.  I used the side of my cheese grater and they came out paper thin.
• Spray them with oil spray(season with preferred flavoring)
• Spread on a single layer on parchment paper
• Place them in the microwave on high heat for about 5 minutes until start turning brown.  Depending on your microwave, you may need more time.  Keep a close eye on them.

I only seasoned them with salt.  I didn’t want anything to interfere with their lovely naturally sweet taste. 

Yum-O!  My only regret is that my darn microwave was not bigger so I could make a bigger batch.

Also another portion control warning: only 3 oz of chips makes for a one point weight watcher snack!

Be Fit Be Ready Be Inspired Be Strong

Blogging out until next Saturday~Sian