Day 2: Cook Isn't My Name For Nothing!

Second recipe of my thirty days of cooking. I decided to go with something simple, but maybe a little more high in calorie. It is still a reasonable calorie intake for a dinner meal.

2 servings. Just double recipe if you need more.

Ingredients:
    * 3 Hot dogs ( I used Jumbo Hot Dogs
    * 1/2-1 cup of pre-made mash potatoes
        (milk, butter and water or whatever needed to make mash potatoes up)
    *  2 oz of cheese ( from an 8 oz. block of cheese or already shredded cheese is good.)
    * Have a cup of mild Chunky Salsa.
    * 1/4 Cup of Sour cream ( my husband I love sou cream so we use more. It also depends on how good I am counting calories that)


Directions:
    1. while thawing your hot dogs. Follow directions on the back of the package for the mash                     potatoes.
 
     2. Cut the hot dogs long ways in half. lay the halves next to each other, In a cookie sheet or baking           pan.

     3.Once hot dogs are set next to each other, spoon mash potatoes on to the top of the hot dogs.

     4. Take shredded cheese and put it on top of the potatoes.

     5. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is all melted and potatoes and hot dogs are warm at 350                degrees.

     6. Last put your sour cream on top of the potato hot dog boats and then add salsa.: both opt,

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I made mine a little bit different. I made homemade mash potatoes. (make your homemade mash potatoes the way you like them)  I Line them up in a baking dish and bake them until they are all warm and the cheese is melted.afterwards I  add the sour cream and salsa .

  

This is a delicious meal. and is pretty filling. Today I mostly counted my calories pretty well, but my husband and I are going to Jurassic park the new movie, and we both know we want popcorn. Like I said in my previous post, We are not going to get worked up if we go over our calorie limit, because there are going to be times that it is good and necessary to switch things up. 

If you are looking for a quick, and easy meal this is the one for you. it is very salty, but the sour cream and salsa help keep that at bay.

Day 1:COOK Isn't My Last Name for Nothing!

I love to cook! Do you know what I like ever more than to cook? I love to eat it. The problem is that I love to eat so much that sometimes it becomes a problem. My husband and I have decided to be more healthy. We have started calorie counting, and being better about exercising. I would like to do a thirty day blog. I want to blog about the recipes that I try. Some being healthier, some not so much, and my experience with calorie counting during that time. We both feel that we would prefer to keep all our favorite foods and treats in our diet. Taking away those things make me feel constricted, and not in a good way. Anyone who has ever dieted knows what I mean. If you do something you hate, then its not going to stick.

First recipe: Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole. Ladies and Gents, this was a keeper. My husband really liked this one, and it was so easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• (about 1.5 lbs. or 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, cooled and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 green onions, sliced (green parts only for low-FODMAP/low-fructose)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 9" baking pan or casserole dish.
2. Spread half of the diced potatoes in bottom of pan. Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the bacon crumbles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and half the green onions.
3. Spread the remaining diced potatoes on top, followed by the remaining bacon, another 1/2 cup cheese, remaining green onions and another 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour heavy cream over top of casserole and then dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes. In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake until melted. Serve.

This one, was Actually pretty easy to count. I just added up the amount of calories per item and then divide it by how many cups of food are there. The bacon complimented the chicken and cheese. The potatoes were soft, and moist. Every bite was a burst of gooey flavor. I did add an extra half cup of  heavy cream.  If you are looking for an easy, pretty quick delicious meal, this is the one for you.