Breakfast sandwiches

 I've been awful. I'm sorry. I'm running out of apologizes and excuses. The past week or so has been a whirlwind. I got some awful news that i'm going to need surgery. Surgery will mean I won't be able to cook myself for at least a month, unless I do it single handily. Ha. I can still make jokes. I went through the phases of self-pity, despair, anger and acceptance. I can only hope it will make me better and not cause new issues. With acceptance, I came upon a recipe that is so easy even a one handed woman can do it.

LC's wannabe Egg McMuffin


1 egg per sandwich you want to make
1 slice of 2% american cheese per sandwich
I Can't Believe it's Not Butter light spread
2 strips of center cut bacon per sandwich. (3 pieces totals 70 calories. Hooray!)
1 whole wheat english muffin, toasted

 Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin pan, only greasing the cups you plan on using. Crack one egg into each cup. You can cook it as is, or stir up the yoke and white for even distribution. If you do this, I suggest you mix it into a glass and then transfer it into the pan. Place into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until desired firmness. I usually stick to 15 minutes.

  While your eggs are cooking, it's time to multi-task. Cook your bacon in whichever method you choose. Toast your english muffin. After taking it out of the toaster, immediately apply a small amount of ICBINB on each half. Quickly put your slice of cheese on whichever half you want. It's key to put it on quickly because that way the heat melts the cheese slightly.

  Once your eggs are done cooking, gently run a knife around the rim of the muffin cup. Lift gently to remove the egg from the cup. Ta-dah. That's what I call magic. Place the egg onto the cheese.

 Bam. Add that bacon. You could do a sausage patty if you wanted to, bacon just happens to be our vice of choice.

 Guess what? Now you don't have to leave your house to have a delicious, satisfying breakfast sandwich. Thumbs up for not having to change out of PJs on Sunday morning. This meal is easy to slim down. The english muffin I use is 120 calories, the cheese is 40, the egg is 70 and the bacon is ~45. That's 275 calories for a sinful sandwich. I would call that a great start to the day! These also freeze well. Enjoy!

Breakfast ala Ramekin: Eggs, bacon AND an english muffin for under 250 calories!

  I've always been fascinated with the concept of using a ramekin to portion control. I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I begin to imagine all of these smaller portion guilty baked goods I can make. I simply couldn't bring myself to shell out the money for a set. When we were at Target the other day, my husband bought me two ramekins.

 
 His and hers, respectively. I've been plotting over the past few days what to do first, and what I could do with what I had as far as stuff in my fridge. I love breakfast. There is an understatement. It's easy to go overboard with calories though. Thanks to my ramekins, I was able to tweak a recipe to make a fantastic, filling egg bake for under 250 calories per serving!

  Also before I go on, I apologize for my absence. I've been running around to a lot of doctors, and thus have been making a lot of repeats for dinner in my medical fog. I promise these ramekins will definitely fuel an onslaught. Remember that apple pie I showed a few weeks back? Think that.. but in an acceptable size!

240 calorie Oven-baked Egg with Bacon
Adapted from Epicurious.


1 egg
Half an English Muffin. (The type I used is 60 calories for half, but there are even ones that are only 50.)
2 strips of center cut bacon. (If you use turkey bacon, you can shave another 40 calories off, my husband is just serious about his bacon haha.)
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste.

  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

 Feast your eyes upon my ugly skillet. Just because it's ugly doesn't mean it's not functional! Start to cook your bacon on medium low heat. I'm making two servings of this recipe, thus the four pieces. You will want this to be very crispy since you will be crumbling the bacon later. While you are cooking the bacon, go ahead and toast the english muffin half.

  After cooking the bacon, reserve the fat. Using a baking brush, coat your ramekin with the bacon grease. This will help keep your egg from sticking, and also add a little extra flavor.

  Now that your ramekin has been prepped, place your english muffin within the well, split side up. You can see I substituted a piece of 50 calorie bread for my husband's, since it fits better into the well. Take note you can follow his example if you want a bigger serving size. Using a spoon or your fingers, press a little well into the center of your english muffin. This will help make a space to keep your egg from running away.

  Crumble the two strips of bacon over the top of your english muffin. Both serving sizes shown have only two pieces, and it was sufficient.

 Carefully, crack an egg and place it into the well you created without breaking the yolk. As long as it doesn't break completely, the dish will turn out fine.

  Drizzle a tablespoon of heavy cream over the top of the dish. Salt and pepper to taste. Don't overdo it though. Keep in mind you can add more after cooking. Place into the pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the eggwhite is mostly set.

  Breakfast is served! For how easy this dish is to make, it has a fantastic presentation. I also want to note that prior to baking, make sure your ramekins are oven safe to 400 degrees. This will help prevent some chaos. This dish has changed my perception of breakfast, and is easily one of my new favorites. Enjoy!

Oven Baked Bacon Ranch Chicken

  Sometimes you are going to judge me. I am totally fine with that. I also have a confession to make.

  Sometimes I beat my meat with a hammer. You should be proud, because prior to the hammer I was using a maglite like a rogue cop. When you can't find a meat hammer, it's amazing what you find that works! I'd just like to think of myself as creative, with a tinge of crazy. Either way, it makes making dinner a little more fun.

  We love chicken in my house, and I probably know how to prepare it in over a dozen ways. Most of those ways are in the skillet, so when I found a recipe to cook it in the oven I was a little curious of what the outcome would be. I find that cooking in the oven leaves you with a breast that is very tender, and cooked more evenly than in the skillet. (Not to knock the skillet, because it is still great!) One of the big things on my journey to eating better is that I did not want to sacrifice taste in my quest to lower calories and eat better. I'm not the type that can survive eating like a rabbit, or even try to pretend I love it. I still have rare encounters with salad, simply because I know there are better options! And what would life be like without bacon? It would definitely be a much sadder place.

Oven Baked Bacon Ranch Chicken
Slight variation of Hungry Girl's Ranch-o Bacon Chicken.
Serves.. as many as you want! This recipe can be made by the breast.
Calories per breast 186!


1 lean chicken breast cutlet
1/2 teaspoon of dry ranch dressing mix
1 tablespoon crumbled real bacon bits. (The type I use is Oscar Meyer. Don't get the fake ones!)


Switch it up!
  If you feel like mixing this recipe up a bit, you can substitute the 1 tablespoon of bacon bits with 1/2 tablespoon of French's Fried Onions and 1/2 tablespoon of bacon bits. The calorie count will remain about the same and give it an extra boost of flavor.

  Start by preheating your oven to 375. Have a cookie sheet prepared with either aluminum foil, or you can just add a little oil to your pan and coat it evenly.

  Now you are going to take your chicken breast and pound it until it is nice, flat and even. I usually do this by placing a sheet of clingwrap on my work surface, placing the chicken in the middle, then draping half of the cling wrap over it so the chicken is completely enfolded. I then beat it with my wonderful hammer until it has spread out a little bit and appears to be even. Unfold the clingwrap and place your chicken breast onto the cookie sheet. Repeat for remaining breasts, if you have any.

  Next you are going to take 1/2 a teaspoon of dry ranch mix and coat the top of the chicken breast with it. I find it spreads better if you almost use a sifting motion with your measuring spoon so it sprinkles onto it, then spread it a bit with your hand so it is evenly coated. Some will collect in the crevices of your chicken, but that is okay!

 
  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of bacon bits over the chicken. Once you have done this, gently press the bacon bits into the breast so they are sticking to it pretty well. Most of the top of your chicken should be covered in bacon at this point. Yum! If you noticed, the second chicken breast in the photo has less bacon, but that's because I added 1/2 tablespoon of French's to switch it up a little. Repeat this for all of the chicken you are cooking.

  Place the cookie sheet into the oven. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes. For my oven, I leave it in for the full 25. Your house is going to smell amazing within the first five minutes, and make you wish those 20 minutes were over!

  This dish is an excellent example of how you can have something indulgent, without adding a ridiculous amount of calories. Baking in the oven really makes the flavors combine well with the meat, and also helps drain excess fat. I usually pair this with green beans, but I bet a baked potato would be fantastic too. Enjoy!