Bacon Studded Potato Skins (an itsy-bit lighter!)

Okay, okay I KNOW… a Potato Skin Stuffed with Cheddar Cheese and Bacon doesn’t exactly scream, “Clean Eating” BUT let us remember that…

MODERATION plays an incredible role when in comes to healthy living (or healthy eating!).  So eat just one (okay, maybe two and you’ll be good to go!)

Truth be told I wanted to swap the broccoli for bacon (something about the GREEN just makes it feel so much healthier) but my hubby requested that I NOT do this.  He wanted the classic... he wanted BACON! 

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before Beng is NOT very picky when it comes to eating.  He’ll pretty much eat whatever I put in front of him and is seldom “wowed” by any of it.  He likes it all and would be equally as happy if I gave him a deep-fried shoe lace dipped in hot sauce.  Honestly – he is that easy when it comes to food.

Now this might seem like a dream to some.  A husband that will eat it all!  Anything you give him… no qualms, no allergies, no preferences, no problems.  BUT for a girl who LOVES to cook and even more so LOVES TO FEED PEOPLE I am often disappointed as I watch my husband take a bite of the meal I have so lovingly prepared only to chew, swallow and take another bite! 

NO reaction!  NO moment of silence.  NO, “Mmmmmmmm”.  NO, “Yum!”.  NO, “Oh my God this is SO good”. 

No nothing!  Zip.  Zero.  Nothin’. 

He just eats.

And then I say… “Do you like it?  Do you like it?”  (I’m like a dog begging to be pet!).  What do you think?  Is it a keeper?

I force him to play games with with me that he could honestly care less about (but so generously engages in anyway).

For instance…
Dinner is placed on the table.  We begin to eat.  I do nearly everything but make love to my meal (I am a rather expressive eater!).  Beng chews and swallows (no reaction).

Me:  How good is that?!

Beng:  It’s good.

Me:  SO good, right?

Beng:  Yeah.  It’s really good.

Me:  Guess what the secret ingredient is.

Beng:  There’s a secret ingredient?

Me:  Well, yeah sorta… I added a little something that just gives it that WOW factor.

Beng:  I don’t know… what is it?

Me:  I can’t tell you, you have to guess!

Beng: Hmmmmm….

Me:  Okay, I’ll give you a hint.

Beng:  (so patiently playing along with my little games) Okay.

Me:  It’s an herb.

Beng:  Hmmm, cumin? 

Me:  NO!  Cumin is not an herb… it’s a spice (like, duh!).

Beng:  Oh yeah.  Hmmm… I don’t know.

Me:  Guess again.

Beng:  Rosemary? (it’s like the only herb he knows!)

Me:  Rosemary??  How could you guess rosemary… it doesn’t even taste a little like rosemary!!  C’mon B… taste it again! 

And
on we go… I’m not even kidding.  Sometimes I can’t beieve that he
doesn’t just reach across the table and bitch slap me BUT he doesn’t. 
He plays with me.  He’s a good hubby!

SO needless to say when
the man with no-culinary requests or preferences asked for bacon on his
potato skins I am more than happy to scratch the broccoli and cook up
some pig! 

And so I give you a game day snack that can be enjoyed in moderation!

I swapped the full fat cheese for part skim.

I swapped the full fat bacon for 40% reduced calorie, organic bacon.

I swapped the sour cream with non-fat Greek yogurt.

And the result?! 

An absolutely deeelicious potato skin that in the end is an itsy-bit lighter!

Bacon Studded Potato Skins (an itsy-bit lighter!)

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Ingredients

6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes (about 3 pounds)

Cooking Spray

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper

5 strips of reduced fat bacon

½ cup of part skim shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

3 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Directions

First you’ve got to bake the potatoes SO scrub the potatoes clean, poke some holes in them, and then bake them in a 400 oven for about an hour or until done.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in the microwave or in a frying pan (I prefer the microwave).  Make sure you get them good and crispy! Drain on paper towels. Once they have cooled a bit crumble them up with your fingers.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, saving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Lay potatoes skin side up on a baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet.  Spray each potato with cooking spray and then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Cook for about ten minutes and then flip skins over and season the inside before popping back into the oven for another ten minutes or until your skins are nice and crispy! Remove from the oven and let cool long enough to handle.

Sprinkle the a little cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon on each potato skin and then back in the oven they go. Cook for another two minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and then remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of yogurt to each skin and sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutritional Analysis

Sorry to disappoint BUT I did not have a way to figure out the nutritional data for a potato without the flesh.  SO my only words of wisdom are this:
ENJOY IN MODERATION!

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