Mornin’!
I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already – the weeks seem to be just flying by these days. Anyone else feel that way? I hate when time goes too fast, I don’t want to miss a second of it! Although, this cold weather can go by as quickly as possible. The windchill was -22 when I left this morning for my early a.m. workout!! 
I warmed up quickly though, with some good, quality cardio time. 
Here’s what I did:
- 30 minutes elliptical
- 1 minute treadmill @ 4.0 mph
- 4 minutes treadmill @ 6.0 mph
- 1 minute treadmill @ 4.0 mph
- 4 minutes treadmill @ 6.5 mph
- 1 minute treadmill @ 4.0 mph
- 4 minutes treadmill @ 7.0 mph
- Total: 45 minutes, ~4.25 miles (I was super slow on the elliptical today for some reason!)
20 minute movement challenge for Day 8 – done! How is everyone else participating in the challenge doing? These 8 days have gone by so quickly, and the only day I really didn’t want to move was last Sunday. I’m lucky, though, that my parents have a treadmill so I was able to bust a move as quickly as possible. I also found myself pretty tired around days 4&5, but my body is getting into a groove now. It’s so cool to see/feel!
At any rate, I enjoyed my last early morning workout breakfast so much, that I decided to re-create it! Blueberry Banana Smoothie.
In the mix:
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 banana
- 1/2 Tablespoon agave nectar
- 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
- Vanilla whey protein powder (I’ll review this soon!)
Blended until it was siiiiilky smoooooth.
Don’t you just love that color? I want to paint something in that shade.
I poured my smoothie into a big cup and stuck it into the freezer overnight. This morning while I was working out, it was supposed to thaw in my car, but the temps were just too cold! So, I’m eating it with a spoon which I think I actually prefer, because it’s lasting a looooong time.
The flavors in this smoothie are so yummy – you can really taste the banana, which I just love. Oh, and how much fun are frozen blueberries to eat? I popped a few while putting this together last night – they’re like flavored ice cubes!
Lunch today is some more of that awesome Chana Masala from last night.
I am actually super excited for this lunch. Stuff like this tastes even better the second day!
And I cannot stress to you how easy this was to make. Not counting the spices (which I already had all of in my cupboard, by the way) there’s basically three other ingredients!
I’ve also got the prettiest Pink Lady Apple I’ve seen in a long time. Aint she a beaut? Did I just say aint?
Oh! I have a challenge for you guys! Ben and I are going to a Bacon Fest party on Saturday (there’s actually a “real” Bacon Fest in my city where you sit around eating bacon all day and drinking beer, but tickets sold in record time!) hosted by some friends of ours, and we’re in charge of bringing a bacon dish to share! I wanted to bring bacon wrapped date (omg, SO good) but dates cost an arm and a leg around here. Anyone have any brilliant bacon recipes? Jessica – I’m looking in your direction!! 
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
~~~~~
What are some of your favorite smoothie ingredients and concoctions?
BACON FEST!?!? Can I please come with?!? I was actually going to suggest bacon wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan, but I’m guessing that’s a no go. What about a baked good with bacon? Like a scone or cookie? It may be different – but I promise delicious!
My mom fries bacon and onion with asparagus. It’s wonderful!
Costco has decently priced dates… about $8 for a large container.
I’m doing well on the 40 Day Challenge! Yet to miss a day – I even did a FIFTEEN MILE RUN this morning!! I think that counts as about five days done already
I love smoothie – oats, milk, banana, cinnamon, agave, spinach – LOVE IT! And there’s a great shop bought one round here (no added ingredients, just fruit) which has banana and coconut, it’s sooo good!!
Oh and the weeks are definetly flying by – I wish they weren’t, I have exams coming up, eek!!
Have a good day
(I don’t eat bacon so no recipes…)
An old family standby is to wrap bacon around little smokies, sprinkle with brown sugar, pop in the oven until crispy and serve! Sometimes people like to dunk them in barbecue sauce as well…..I know, heart attack on a plate, but good!
I have one that u wrap halved bacon around shrimp and grill/ broil til the bacon is cooked. Easy
I love bacon wrapped around water chestnuts and cooked in a sauce that’s equal parts brown sugar and ketchup. Such an easy thing but so good!
Ok, if you’re looking for a dish with bacon in it, try this one: http://www.imadedinner.net/recipes/red-meat-recipes/neapolitan-casserole/
Now, if you’re looking for something thats JUST a great way to cook bacon: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/maple-candied-bacon-recipe/index.html
AANNNDDDD check out my giveaway!!! As a fellow midwesterner, you’ll love it
I am loving your challenge. It is keeping me motivated. Thanks!
pioneerwoman has a recipe for bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers.
The only bacon recipes I have, probably dont have enuf bacon for u. I have an awesome broccoli and bacon salad one tho
Just to expand on the bacon/smokies post above!
-1 pack Lit’l Smokies
-1 pack bacon (maple bacon is the best, but any kind works)
-Brown sugar
1. Cut the bacon into thirds (this could vary, depending on the length of the bacon you have, but you’ll want pieces that wrap all the way around the smokies).
2. Dredge the smokies in brown sugar.
3. Wrap each smokie in one piece of cut bacon.
4. Arrange in single layer in pan (they get messy, so I usually lay down foil for easy cleanup).
5. Sprinkle more brown sugar over wrapped smokies in pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bacon is cooked (again, this varies somewhat depending on the size of the pan and how close together the smokies are. Just make sure they don’t get too crispy because the brown sugar can burn and get hard).
7. Stick a toothpick in each smokie and serve hot.
I just love those little smokies wrapped in bacon. That is good.
Such a yummy one! I’ve had this recipe at Holiday parties. Yum (and I don’t really like bacon…)!
That color is sooo gorgeous! I just love purple
You are right though, this week is going by really fast…but I don’t have a problem with that! Spring Break just keeps getting closer and closer.
I love putting raspberry sherbet in my smoothies along with frozen fruit and adding a bit of sunny d! Sooo good!!
Bacon wrapped pretzel rods!
1 lb thin-sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thirds
1 package pretzel rods
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
Dash Cayenne
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack inside of foil-lined pan; lightly grease rack.
Wrap 1 piece of bacon around each pretzel stick.
In a shallow dish, combine brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne.
Roll each wrapped pretzel in sugar mixture to coat.
Place on rack.
Bake 20 minutes, turning once, or until bacon is crispy.
Cool off of rack!
Not healthy, but super yummy!
A friend of mine brought something similar to this to a baby shower this fall. Instead of pretzels, she wrapped bacon around little garlic breadsticks.
I was going to suggest the bacon wrapped smokies recipe listed above…it’s super simple and it is ALWAYS a hit at parties! I just took it to a friend’s house two weeks ago and it was gone as soon as I pulled the pan out of their oven! SO, SO good!!!
I was going to suggest bacon wrapped pretzel rods that I had at a friend’s house but Jenna beat me to it!!!
I was going to suggest the bacon wrapped little smokies also – always a hit at parties and the first gone! An alternative I’ve done is take cresent rolls and wrap them around the lil smokie and bacon – you can add the brown sugar or not.
I have the best bacon recipe. Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into cubes, wrap with 1/3 – 1/2 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Dredge them in a mixture of brown sugar and chili powder then bake until chicken is done! So yummy!
I second the bacon/smokies and bacon/pretzel recipes above and give you one more:
Bacon brownies!! It sounds terrible but there is just a HINT of bacon in the chocolate. At first you almost don’t notice it but it goes surprisingly well with the bacon. They sell them at Carefree Patisserie, but I’m not sure what the recipe. Google can probably help.
You could make a peanut butter pie and add bacon and chopped peanuts in it. The combination sounds weird but it is soooo good!
I was able to get tickets two years ago. Loved it!
Everything with bacon is good. My favorites are the smokies, water chestnuts and jalepeno poppers.
If you want to be the hit of the party, make the Bacon Explosion that is served at the Bacon Fest. Heart attack on a grill.
http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/
I haven’t made it yet, but it’s on my spring pad: toasted cashew and bacon brittle. I tried a wedge of this served with ice cream and it was seriously amazing. http://www.chow.com/recipes/27770
LOL Jessica is definitely the one to help with a Bacon Fest!!! And I do looooove frozen blueberries too!!
Joy the Baker had a recipe for Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies a while back. I’ve never tried them, but they sound intriguing! Here’s the link:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/peanut-butter-bacon-cookies/
bacon wrapped jalapenos!! They are sooooo good!
I love smoothies with mango, it just gives it a refreshing flavor. Things like strawberry/banana are just too boring!
2 of my favorite bacon recipes:
http://www.oprah.com/food/Caramelized-Onion-and-Bacon-Tart
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/bacon-wrapped-apricots-with-sage-recipe-00000000024610/index.html
A Bacon Fest?? That just screams heart attack to me!
I haven’t cooked much with bacon, but I plan on trying out these Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies sometime! I have it saved in my Google Reader for the day I feel like buying bacon!
http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2010/02/17/candied-bacon-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
This was in cooking light this month and looks SO good! http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-easy-comfort-food-recipes-00400000057748/page5.html
Rachel at sheddingit.com made joy the baker’s peanut butter and bacon cookies not too long ago. They looked really good!!!
I also suggest Maple-Candied Bacon: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/maple-candied-bacon-recipe/index.html
I haven’t tried the recipe, but it looks great and doesn’t use many ingredients!
I made a delcious bacon, fig and brussels sprouts side dish around christmas/thanksgiving that was just sublime! You should check it out. Apart from that, I’m kind of useless – sorry!
Your chana masala looks so good! I haven’t made any all winter! Need to get on it – going to check out your recipe now!
You’ve got me day-dreaming about bacon all day.
Some potato pierogies with bacon would be good (there’s a recipe at Smitten Kitchen). I found a bacon brownie recipe (http://joininthefeast.blogspot.com/2010/01/over-top.html). Some kind of bean salad would also be good, but that’s not finger-friendly.
Cooking Light this month had a recipe for bacon, ranch, chicken mac and cheese.
[...] arm and a leg around here. Anyone have any brilliant bacon recipes ? … See original here: Call for Recipes! | Iowa Girl Eats Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 19:54 RSS feed for comments on this post Leave a comment | [...]
My friend is an amazing cook and this recipe on his blog is delicious! You could totally substitute the prosciutto for bacon
Guess I should leave you the link
http://www.drmatthewrobinson.com/?p=1095
You can wrap bacon around tater tots, secure with a toothpick, and bake in oven
or hot bacon dressing/spinach salad is awesome as well!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spinach-salad-with-warm-bacon-dressing-recipe/index.html
You’ve gotta bite the bullet and go for the dates, they are SO good! You can get the packaged kind that Dole makes, not as expensive as medjool. And you should stuff them with slivered almonds before you wrap with bacon and broil…so good.
Hey Kristin!
While I unfortunately don’t have a bacon recipe that is as fabulous as those posted above, I was browsing Tasty Kitchen earlier and noticed that their category of the week is Slow Cooker Recipes, and I couldn’t help but think of you!
Here is the link:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/
I know this is a little off topic, but I made your Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken last night and it was soo good!! My hubby LOVED it too
Your bloggy is a goldmine for awesome, healthy recipes. So thank you girl!! 
You can add bacon to pretty much anything, it’s versatile =)
I see a lot of bite sized snacks in the comments… how about a salad? One of my favorite salads is just spinach, sliced apples, and lots of chopped up bacon! And then I toss in a spicy dressing of:
- Apple Cider vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Olive Oil
- Paprika
- and a dash of Cayenne pepper
(I always just guesstimate the proportions, sorry! It’s equal parts Cider and oil, a squeeze of mustard, and paprika and cayenne to taste! But you could mix and match anything and it’d probably end up good!)
One of my favorite dessert smoothies is a pumpkin pie smoothie! Add about 1/3 cup pumpkin pie with any desired spices (nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, etc.) with some vanilla yogurt, a little water and some ice cubes! Top with crumbled graham cracker or a little whipped cream if you are feeling indulgent :O
i love all of these bacon recipes! im bummed that the festival is sold out- howd you find out about it?
I’ve never ventured past my Green Monsters – I don’t think my magic bullet can handle intense smoothies, but hopefully one day I’ll get a nicer blender.
Why don’t you make some bacon cookies?
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2009/08/bacon-and-chocolate.html
I’m sure whatever you make will be fantastic – I’m interested to hear what other dishes will be at the event!
K
how about chocolate bacon cupcakes? you could find recipes anywhere, and i am totally into desserts + bacon right now.
Paula Deen’s Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
1. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-size chunks
2. 1 pckg bacon, cut in thirds
3. 1 cup brown sugar combined with……
4. 2 tablespoons chili powder
A. wrap a piece of bacon around a chicken breast chunk, securing with a toothpick
B. Dredge in brown sugar/chili powder mixture
C. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.
SERIOUSLY — these things are so easy and disappear in a HEARTBEAT. People love them. The sweetness of the brown sugar combined with a hint of chili powder — TDF!I took them to a Superbowl party this year and Carrie Underwood hadn’t even finished singing the National Anthem and they were gone. Have fun at Bacon Fest — very jealous!
I’m not sure what kind of dates you are looking for, but I get mine at our HyVee in the produce department. They have a little section with dried fruits and nuts and they’re only $3 for a lb.
Loving the smoothie girl!!!
I would say chocolate covered bacon anything!!!
Now that sounds good!!! xoxo
Last suggestions (promise). About a million chowder/creamy soups get be bettered by bacon; some kind of pizza with bacon on it (like the bacon popper at Fong’s).
Blueberry banana is one of my all time favorite smoothie combos!
I recommend vanilla hemp protein and mangoes for your next smoothie:)
Silly Tator Tot blog just put up a bacon cake recipe. It looked great – maple, apples, and bacon. Yummy.