Happy July & a Jalapeno Popper Recipe that Won't Burn Off Your Tongue

Things are trucking along over here.

Managed to weigh myself at the doctor's office, down only 3 lbs in about 6 weeks. However, my body shape has completely changed and I've dropped almost 2 sizes. I attribute that to this DVD workout (which is only 20 minutes and very doable, yet offers striking results).

I've also cut the carbs back drastically to try and jump start weight loss. However, without a scale handy I don't actually know if I'm losing weight, although I think I am still losing inches.

What have I been eating?

-Egg muffins. The recipe is from Mark's Daily Apple. They are not my favorite thing, but they are convenient for batch cooking and reheating throughout the week.

-Cajun bleu cheese hamburgers, which really don't reheat well, but are great fresh off the grill. Today was day 4 of those and I couldn't finish them, the taste was too 'off' from being a leftover.

-Dinner has been protein and veggie. I have a great new recipe for drumsticks, although the sauce does use jam. I am okay with some sugar in marinades and sauces so long as everything else is pretty low carb. It doesn't hurt my weight loss. Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, I'm making the drumsticks again this week so I can take a picture. That is my big downfall--forgetting to take the picture!

I'm still eating BLTs when I can, my lettuce is almost out in the garden. Time to reseed, but we'll be going on vacation soon and I hesitate to leave lettuce to summer's not-so-tender mercies without me there to provide water.

Snackwise, I am loving jalapeno poppers. However, I can't handle hot food and the first batch I made, using jalapenos, was screaming hot. So just wanted to pass on that Banana Peppers and Cubanelle peppers are a better choice for tender tongued eaters like myself. Although, sometimes they are too bland so I've taken to dicing some jalapeno and mixing it in the cream cheese for a little kick.

Emphasis on little.

So here's what you do.

-Pick your peppers based on your heat preference.

-Halve them and scrape out seeds as well as any membrane

-Fill each half with plain cream cheese

-Wrap in bacon

-Bake at 400F for 15-25 minutes until the bacon is done.

These are absolutely delicious and they look nice enough to bring to a party (sorry, no pic, although I think I'm making these tonight, so I may update). Phenomenal. Real comfort food and super quick to put together. The cream cheese does not melt and ooze all over, it stays firm and can even get a bit crusty on top in spots where the bacon doesn't cover.