Baking Bacon

Everybody loves a good piece of bacon, right?  I always liked it but hated making it.  It always turns into a hot mess.  If only there were an easy way...and there is!

Baking Bacon


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place bacon on aluminum foil in a single layer.

Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven, flip bacon, and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and place bacon on paper towels to remove excess grease.

Enjoy!


Making the bacon in the oven clears up room on the stove to make whatever else you are making.  There really isn't any fuss besides flipping it once and you really don't even have to do that if you don't want to.  The best part is the cleanup.  All you have to do is wrap up the foil and throw it away!

Perfectly cooked every time!

Bring Home the Bacon

Instead of bringing home a pound of Oscar Mayer's shrink wrapped pork product check out the butcher's case at your local grocery store.  They may have a better product for less money.

Here in San Diego, CA a pound of regular bacon (not on sale) cost around $8.49.  That is RIDICULOUS!  I used to only buy it if it was BOGO or a great sale/coupon.

Before going grocery shopping one day I was looking in the store ad and saw that the butcher's cut applewood smoked bacon was $1.99/lb.  I thought it had to be a typo so I had to investigate.

Sure enough, when I went up to the butcher's case there was a sign for $1.99 on the bacon.  What surprised me even more was that the normal, non-sale price was only $3.99!  I have been paying more for bacon that isn't as fresh, has more preservatives, and doens't taste as good.  Unbelieveable.

Buying the  bacon this way also gave me a great idea of how to stretch my dollar even more.  When we buy the pre-packaged stuff I just throw it in the freezer until we need it.  I cook the whole package and that's the end of it.  Since this bacon wasn't prepacked I decided to layer it between sheets of parchment paper/aluminum foil (it's double sided).  I put 4 pieces on one side then folded the paper in half and added 4 more.  I continued wrapping and stacking until I had all 3 lbs wrapped.  I wraped it again with press and seal plastic (you want to keep as much air out as possible to prevent freezer burn) and placed it in a flat, open spot in the freezer.  Once frozen, it will keep it's shape so you can put it anywhere.

This keeps the bacon slices completely free from one another so you can take out exactly as much as you need even when it's still frozen.  Now, instead of cooking up 16 pieces like I used to, I only take out 6-8 pieces that we need and put the rest in the freezer.  Not only is it saving money, it's also saving the extra calories from when I'd graze on the extra bacon througout the day.

Get the Drug Store Deals

This is one of those things that I thought was too good to be true.  I can, with 100% confidence, say that it is a very real thing.

I wanted to use a current example, and what do you know, it was the first item on the first page I looked at when I opened this morning's paper.

This is from the Rite Aid ad.  I know it's hard to read, but it says Crest Toothpaste, Oral-B Toothbrushes, and Scope Mouthwash is on sale for $3 with your wellness plus card.  The red/yellow part on the left says that when you buy any of these items you get a
$3 +UP Reward (Limit 2).

There are also coupons for $.75 off Crest Toothpaste and $.75 off Scope Mouthwash.

This is the same advertisement from their website.

Time to save!!

First things first:  you need a +UP card.  If you don't have one, get one.  It's one of those annoying little cards that you put on your keychain but it is totally worth the annoyance.

If you purchase one Crest Toothpaste and one Scope Mouthwash your total would be $6.00 plus tax.  Take off $1.50 for the coupons and your total is $4.50 plus tax.  You will pay that out of pocket but in return you will get $6.00 back in +UP Rewards (+UP Rewards are just like store credit, so it's almost as good as cash at Rite Aid).

For these two items you are making $1.50 minus any taxes you had to pay (it varies state to state).

YOU ARE MAKING MONEY BY BUYING THINGS!

Save your +UP Rewards for next week.  You get to a point where you are only spending a dollar or two out of pocket because you have so many +UP Rewards saved up.

When you start to get the hang of this it gets to be so much fun.  I haven't even looked through the rest of the paper but usually there are a lot of free or almost free items.  Getting free items is great but making money when you buy things is a feeling like no other.

Additional information:
+UP Rewards do expire a couple weeks after they are issued.
+UP Rewards cannot be use to pay sales tax and value will not be returned.  To know how many +UP Rewards you can use, ask for your subtotal.  If your total is $5.50 but your subtotal is $4.99 you can only use $4.00 in +UP Rewards and will have to pay the additional $1.50 out of pocket.

Guacamole Salad (4 P+)

Guacamole Salad
8 Servings, 15 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

4 avocados, skin and seed removed, ½” dice

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

½ white onion, sliced

2 limes, juice only

1 T fresh cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, gently mix all ingredients.  Serve immediately.

Notes:

The lime juice will help to keep the avocado from browning but can’t prevent it completely.  If storing, cover with plastic wrap, pressing out as much air as possible and refrigerate.

Guacamole (4 P+)

This is another food that everybody has their own recipe for.  I always make my guacamole with a lot of lime and salt.  Say what you will, I always get complimented on my guac!

The hard thing about this recipe is, since the vegetables always vary in size and taste, there isn't an exact recipe.  This is what I usually start with and work from there.

Guacamole
8 Servings, 15 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

4 avocados, skin and seed removed

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

½ white onion, chopped

3-4 limes, juice only

1 T fresh cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados with a potato masher.  Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

Notes:

The lime juice will help to keep the avocado from browning but can’t prevent it completely.  If storing, cover with plastic wrap, pressing out as much air as possible and refrigerate.

Fruit Snacks (1 P+)

Fruit Snacks
8 Servings, 60 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 t cinnamon
3-5 packets Knox gelatin

Instructions:
Cook strawberries and banana in a saucepan for approximately 15 minutes until strawberries have softened.  Blend fruit and cinnamon in a blender until smooth.

Refrigerate 1/2 cup of the fruit mixture for 15 minutes.  Stir gelatin into chilled fruit and dissolve, approximately 5 minutes.  Add remaining warm fruit mixture.

Fill silicone ice cube trays with mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until fruit has set.  Remove and store in an air-tight container for up to one week.

Notes:
Silicone ice cube trays should be available in the kitchen section of most stores.  The shapes shown are from trays that I got from Ikea for $1 each.

The amount of gelatin used is going to determine how firm your fruit snacks are.  Use 3 for a relatively soft snack and 5 for chewier snacks.

Other fruit can be used to make these.  Please share your favorite combinations!

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole (10 P+)

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
8 Servings, 75 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

7 ½ c chicken broth, divided

2 c wild rice mix

3 T butter

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 T flour

½ c milk

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 can green beans, drained

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

2 c cooked chicken, shredded

salt

pepper

¼ can French’s fried onions

Instructions:

In a saucepan, bring 6 cups of chicken broth to a boil; add rice and return to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for approximately 40 minutes, until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add butter, onion, and celery.  Sauté until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir and cook until flour browns slightly.  Slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups of chicken broth and ½ cup milk.

Stir in mushrooms, green beans, water chestnuts, chicken, salt, and pepper.  Top with fried onions.

Bake for 25 minutes or until fried onions are golden and casserole is bubbling.

Notes:

Change it up by switching up some vegetables each time you make it.

Breakfast Burritos (6 P+)

My husband loves to take these with him in the morning because he can throw them in the microwave before he goes to work.  This recipe makes 10 at a time but you could easily make a double or triple batch.

Frozen Breakfast Burritos
10 Servings, 30 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

8 eggs

4 egg whites

¼ c milk

salt

pepper

10 flour tortillas

1 lb ground sausage, browned and drained

12 oz hash browns, prepared

1 c cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Beat eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. 

Spray skillet with cooking spray.  Cook eggs over medium heat until cooked through.

Put tortillas in microwave for 15-30 seconds to slightly warm them (this prevents them from cracking when folding).

To build burritos spread tortillas out flat on counter top.  Start with eggs and then add sausage, hash browns, and cheese.

Roll burritos up and wrap each one in plastic wrap.

Freeze up to 1 month.

TO REHEAT:  Remove plastic wrap and wrap burrito with paper towel.  Microwave one burrito at 50% for 60 seconds then 100% for 60 seconds.

Notes:

This is another easy recipe to modify.  You can substitute bacon, ham, or even a soy product for the sausage.  You could also use all egg whites, Mexican cheese, or whole wheat tortillas.


Add sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, or other vegetables for something different.

Energizing Protein Shake (6 P+)

I like to drink these every morning.  My son has to be a part of it so I blend coconut water, a banana, and a handful of frozen berries.  I fill up his cup and then add the rest of the ingredients to the blender to  finish my drink.

Energizing Protein Shake
1 serving, 5 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 banana

4 oz coconut water

8 oz coffee

8 ice cubes

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

2 T sugar free vanilla coffee syrup

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Serve over ice.

Notes:

Throw in a handful of berries or other fruit.

Puree fruit and freeze it in ice cube trays so it’s ready first thing in the morning.

Substitute skim milk for the coconut water for a creamier drink.

If you’d like it even creamier, substitute vanilla yogurt for the coconut water.

Sushi Salad (4 P+)

I didn't grow up eating seafood and have never been a fan.  I'd take a cheeseburger over a lobster any day of the week.  Seriously...if it wasn't breaded and deep-fried I wouldn't eat anything that came out of the ocean.  I love sunfish, walleye, and almost anything else that we used to catch as kids but that's about as far as it goes.

A few years ago I went to a Japanese restaurant with two friends (at their request).  I ordered some kind of chicken and tasted sushi just to get my friends to stop bothering me about it.  It was AMAZING!!  Sushi is now one of my favorite meals.

I have made sushi for the family and it is good but it can be a lot of work.  This recipe makes it a lot easier.

Sushi Salad

6 servings, 60 minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 cup brown short-grain rice      

2 T rice vinegar      

2 T sugar      

1 T salt      

2 T pickled ginger, finely chopped      

3 green onions, chopped      

1 cucumber, chopped      

1 cup edamame, shelled      

2 t wasabi powder

1 T hot water

2 T soy sauce

1 avocado, sliced

Sushi of choice (crab, tuna, eel, etc)

2 sheets nori, cut into strips

1 T sesame seeds

Instructions:

Prepare rice as instructed on package. 

In a small pan dissolve salt and sugar in rice vinegar over medium heat.  Pour vinegar mixture over rice and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate until cool.

In a large bowl combine ginger, green onions, cucumber, and edamame. 

In a small bowl combine wasabi powder, water, and soy sauce.  Mix well and pour over rice mixture.  Mix to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. 

Lightly fold in avocado, sushi, and nori. 

Top with sesame seeds.

Notes:

If making this ahead of time, do not put in the avocado, sushi, or nori until serving.

If making this for a crowd don't add the sushi into the salad.  Place bowls of sushi out and let people add the types/amounts that they want.


Leave the sushi out and this could be a great side dish or vegetarian meal.

Tater Tot Hotdish (11 P+)

Hotdish?!?  What's a hotdish???

If you are asking yourself that question, you probably aren't from the Midwest.  That's what we call a casserole.  It doesn't include anything special; it's just a bunch of stuff in a pan that's been baked for a while.

This is a great recipe that I made up from what little I know about tater tot hotdish.  It's one of those things where every family makes it their own way.  I actually never had it before I started experimenting but I had a roommate that made it and it looked delicious.

The best thing about this dish is it is EASY!!!  Basically all you do is brown some beef, then open a few cans and throw them in a dutch oven.  45 minutes later you have a meal complete with meat, vegetables, potatoes, and a sauce.  Voila!

Tater Tot Hotdish
6 Servings, 60 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

½ onion, chopped

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can green beans

1 can whole kernel corn

Salt

Pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz frozen tater tots

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soups, vegetables, salt, and pepper.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Arrange tater tots around the top in a single layer.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until tator tots are golden brown.

Notes:

This is a great make-ahead recipe.  It can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for a couple weeks.  Be sure to remove as much air as possible before freezing and allow adequate time for thawing before cooking. 

To make this recipe healthier substitute ground turkey for the beef, fresh vegetables for canned, and use fat free or reduced fat soup (9 P+).

Baked Oatmeal (3 P+)

Baked Oatmeal 

18 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients       

2 c steel-cut oats         

1 t baking soda      

½ t salt      

1 cup strawberries, sliced      

1 banana, diced      

1 cup walnuts or almonds, chopped       

Wet Ingredients 

2 c milk

1 egg

4 T butter, melted

1 T vanilla

⅓ c brown sugar   
1 T cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.

Divide the dry mixture evenly into the muffin cups.  Top with an equal amount of the wet mixture.

Place in oven and bake 45 minutes or until liquid has set.

Notes:

The beauty of this recipe is that every cup can be made differently.  Modify this recipe by using different fruit or nuts or by adding chocolate chips or dried fruit. 

Add some sweetness by sprinkling brown sugar over the oatmeal after it has been cooked.


Wrap these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.  From the refrigerator, we microwave them for 45 seconds.


Old-Fashioned or Rolled Oats can be substituted for the Steel-Cut Oats, they will just have a different texture.

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls (8 P+)

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls 

6 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1 T olive oil

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

salt

1 t dried thyme

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 c ricotta cheese
1 c cottage cheese

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

pepper

2 c tomato sauce

1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on package.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions in oil until tender.  Season with salt and thyme.

In a large bowl combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and egg; season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Lay lasagna noodles out on countertop.  Spread spinach mixture over the noodles leaving one inch on each end bare.  Top with mushroom/onion mixture.

Fold over one end of a noodle to roll up, spinach side in.  Place in a 9” x 9” baking dish with the seam side down.  Repeat with remaining noodles.

Top noodles with tomato sauce then mozzarella cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent mozzarella from sticking. 

Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts and browns slightly.

Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Make this dish a few hours or even the night before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator.