Monday, April 23, 2007

Spinach Stuffed Potato Skins

If you're looking for a lighter version of the cheese laden and bacon studded potato skins served at American pubs everywhere, his WW recipe isn't going to sate that craving.

But if you're looking for good side dish, one that help reaches your veggie quotient for the day, give these a try. I love the flavors and textures of the roasted potato skin against the creaminess of the spinach filling. The salty, smoky hit from the turkey bacon studding the top doesn't hurt either.

Spinach Stuffed Potato Skins
3 medium potato(es), baked, sliced in half and cooled
1 sprays cooking spray
20 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 slices cooked crisp turkey bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scoop out flesh of potatoes, leaving about 1/4 of potato flesh in potato. (Reserve remaining potato flesh for another use such as mashed potatoes.)

Place potato halves on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. While potato skins bake, combine spinach, cream cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well-blended.

Remove skins from oven and spoon 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture into each potato half; bake until warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

Remove skins from oven and top each half with about 1 tablespoon of crumbled bacon. Yields 1 potato half per serving.

6 comments:

Lis said...

Those do sound good.. thanks for sharing!

So are you doing the points thing? If so, how's it working for you?

xoxo

Rachel said...

I think they look good!

Laura Rebecca said...

They are good, but the professional photography doesn't hurt!

Lis, I've been on WW four 14 weeks and have lost 16 lbs. (my in-laws' visit around Easter set me back a bit -- I gained 2 lbs that week happily eating Easter eggs, BBQ ribs, waffles, yadda, yadda, yadda).

I was on WW 4 years ago and lost weight but went off it(I thought I had figured healthy eating out) and gained it back.

So now I'm doing it again, but working out harder & more frequently, hoping that the reason the scale isn't moving down as quickly as I'd like is because I've built more muscle, which weighs more than fat. I think my attitude is different too -- I don't see this as something that's going to have an end point.

Which is not to say that I'm happy about that. I've never been someone who liked exercise. I like reading, watching movies & TV, cooking & dining -- not exactly calorie-burning activities! But, if I want to lose weight, and then stay at a healthy weight and be at a good fitness level, I just have to suck it up and do it and keep doing it.

But I will always crave cheese-laden, bacon studded and ranch dressing covered french fries, chocolate malts, and peanut butter cups. I just can't have them all in the same day, or even one day right after each other (so, so sad), but I CAN have them, and that's pretty good.

It's nice to see the clear progress -- clothing that didn't fit or was a bit too tight looks GOOD now, and that helps keep me motivated.

Deborah Dowd said...

These look really wonderful- a candidate for a busy weekday supper with a side salad! Thanks for the inspiration!

Lis said...

I feel ya.. now I've just got to get to your mindset and realize that this is something that has to be done FOREVER and not just a few months.

I'm terrified though.. my ass hasn't seen the seat of a bike since I was a tweenager. God.

Absolutely tickled about your progress! Keep up the good work, you are my heroine!

xoxo

Laura Rebecca said...

Deborah, we did something similar the other night. I ate a stuffed potato and with a couple of sauteed portabella mushrooms and some crusty bread -- pretty tasty!

Lis, that is so nice of you to say! I also HATE bikes (and rollerskates, skateboards, scooters, etc., etc.) after breaking my front tooth in a childhood bike accident.

The only thing I'll readily get on is a stationary bike because they're pretty hard to fall off of. (The treadmill is slightly more risky for a klutz like me, but so far, so good.)