Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
Strips of Bacon Cooked Crispy
Optional: Top each cookie with a Hersey Kiss as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.

Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients, except the bacon. Crush the bacon and add it to the cookie mix. Add as much as you would like. I did several pieces of bacon. Put the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. Smash them with a fork.
Bake 375 Degrees for 10-12 Minutes.

Note: The cookies will acquire a stronger bacon flavor the day after you make them.

9 Carbs per cookie, if you make 17 cookies with this recipe.

1 Cup Peanut Butter = 50 Carbs
1/2 Cup Sugar = 96 Carbs
Total Carbs = 146
Total Carbs/# Cookies = Each Cookie Total

146 Carbs/17 Cookies = 8.6 Carbs Per Cookie

BLT Bites - Taste of Homes

While I was looking for low carb recipes. I found this amazingly delicious recipe. Everyone thought it was amazing. I heard things like, 'Whatever you do, don't try those tomato things, they are terrible....Hahahahaha now I can eat them all! Brilliant!'

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/blt-bites

1 Lb Campari Tomatoes (Little tomatoes, the original recipe called for 16-20 cherry tomatoes) 

1 Lb of Sliced Bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 Cup of Mayonnaise

1/3 Cup of Chopped Green Onions

3 Tbsp of Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp Snipped Fresh Parsley (I left this out since I hate parsley)

1. Cut a thin slice off of each tomato top. Cut out and discard pulp/seeds. Invert tomatoes on a paper towel to drain.

2. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon into the tomatoes. Refrigerate for several hours. 

Nutrition (Don't read, Hahaha!)

1 each: 113 calories, 10g fat (3g saturated fat), 11mg cholesterol, 206mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 0 fiber), 3g protein.

Shrimp, Corn & Chile Chowder by Land O Lakes

If you haven't visited the Land O Lakes website, I recommend checking it out. They have many recipes made my their test kitchen. Here's one I found that has been great with gestational diabetes. https://www.landolakes.com/search/?s=shrimp,%20corn%20&%20Chile%20Chowder

Prep Time 20 Min
Total Time 30 Min
6 (1-cup) Servings

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Light Butter
1 Large (1 Cup) Onion, Chopped
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Can (4 oz) Chopped Green Chiles, Undrained
1-1/2 Cups Fat Free Half & Half
1 Can (14.5 oz) Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Can (15 oz) Whole Kernel Corn with Red and Green Peppers, Drained
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper
1 Pound Fresh or Frozen Medium Raw Shrimp, Shelled , Deveined, Rinsed
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1. Melt butter in saucepan; add onion. Cook over medium-high heat 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add flour and chiles; continue cooking, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

2. Stir in half & half, chicken broth, corn, cumin, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened. (Do Not Boil.) Stir in shrimp, continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in cilantro.

Kristi Notes: I used full fat and salt everything. Next time I will try with the fat free half & half. I didn't think it was too salty, so I'd probably stick with the full salt chicken broth. I used precooked shrimp from the frozen area of the grocery store. Next time I'm cooking the shrimp ahead of time in some seasoning and butter. I topped the soup with cheese. I really liked the white American cheese from Land O Lakes on top. Finally, I'd like to try this recipe with chicken. I'd grill or cook the chicken before hand for more flavor.

Nutritional Facts (1 Serving)
Calories 240
Cholesterol 125mg
Carbohydrates 27g
Protein 20g
Fat 4.5g
Sodium 940mg
Dietary Fiber 2g

Cinnamon Egg Nog French Toast

This recipe came off the back of a Kemp's Golden Egg Nog container. We made it tonight and everyone really liked it. The egg nog flavor was slight and not overwhelming. My husband isn't a huge egg nog fan and he liked the French toast too. Also we used Land O Lakes egg nog.

2 cups of egg nog
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 eggs
12-14 slices of white bread
Cooking Spray

Combine the egg nog, cinnamon in a bowl and beat with a whisk.

Dip the bread into the batter, coating both sides.
Spray your pan with cooking spray or melt butter in the pan.
Cook the bread over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Note: I topped it with Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar butter. It added a great sweet flavor so I could enjoy a few pieces as a person with gestational diabetes. I didn't have to add any syrup!

Left Overs? No problem. You can put the french toast on a plate and cover it with saran wrap or put it in a zip lock bag. The next morning put the french toast in the toaster and eat it again. Or put the french toast in a zip lock bag and freeze it. When you are ready to eat it, pull out the frozen french toasts and put it in your toaster. Voila! Breakfast is ready!

Pizza Pasta in a Crock Pot

I made this recipe for family and friends tonight. Everyone loved it! Success!

Ingredients
1 Lb Ground Beef
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
1-1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Sea Salt
Fiesta Party Mix - Tastefully Simple
Garlic Pepper - Tastefully Simple
Small Can Sliced Mushrooms
24 oz Spaghetti Sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)
12 oz Egg Noodles
Butter
8 oz - Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 oz - Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Package of Pepperoni
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

1. Cook the Noodles as Directed, when done add a little butter and salt. The butter will keep the noodles from sticking together.

2. Brown the ground beef with the onions. Season with the Sea Salt, Fiesta Party Mix and Garlic Pepper.

3. When done cooking mix in the Spaghetti Sauce, Mushrooms and Italian Seasoning. 

4. Spray the Crock Pot with Non-Stick Cooking Spray

5. Layer the crock pot as follows:

•     1/3 Meat Sauce
•     1/3 Egg Noodles
•     1/3 Pepperoni
•     1/3 Cheeses

Repeat the layers 2 more times (You will have 3 layers).

Cook on low until heated through. 3 Hours.

**Low Carb Option - I layered sliced zucchini instead of the egg noodles in a crock pot.**