Food and Drink: Low Fat, High Fiber Bacon Bean Soup

If you are looking for a quick and easy meal idea you may want to consider this soup. My husband loves it. It is high in fiber, with a whopping 8.9 g per 1 cup serving. It is also low in fat with only 4.25 grams per 1 cup serving. And, it is delicious! It is a sneaky way to get more fiber in to your husband's diet. This serves 4 - 6 people.

Bacon Bean Soup

2 14 oz cans  navy beans
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper
2 slices smoked bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon flour

Cut the bacon in half and dice it in to small pieces. In the bottom of a large pot, add the olive oil. Turn heat on medium high and cook the bacon until just nearly done. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain off all fat except for about 1 Tablespoon. Add in flour and whisk around until blended. Then add one can of the chicken broth, slowly, whisking gently, giving the flour time to absorb it and thicken slightly. Then add rest of broth and beans. Add back in the bacon pieces. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
That's it! Each one cup serving has 235 calories.

Alas, there is some bad news, well, maybe not bad for everybody but you might need to know. Since this is made with canned products there is a lot of salt. I hate to even show the amount but in the interest of health I will. There is a huge 1171 mg of salt per serving. Any time you use canned anything...except fruit, which has it's own problems with sugar...you will get a lot of salt.

You can cut back on the salt though by using low sodium versions of beans and broth. But for those of us who don't have high blood pressure, or fluid retention problems, having this soup every now and then isn't going to hurt you.

The Lowly Navy Bean is Packed With Good Stuff: Nutritional Value Chart

Everything Else: Credit Card Insanity

I got a credit card offer in the mail today and I must say, I was stunned at the utter stupidity of it. It was one of those offers where they say they will give you X amount of credit and then in the very small print they say well, they MIGHT give you that much, but they won't give you less than $300. In this case they were offering me a "whopping" $1500 in credit. That is not even three car payments, not that I would pay my car payment by credit card but you get the picture. My credit is not all that great, but it is getting better, and one of the main reasons it was really bad in the past was credit cards. So, I always like to see what the wonderful credit card people are "offering" me when I get this stuff in the mail. Here is what I could look forward to if I were to accept this offer:

First, I get to pick a card with a really cute puppy or kitten on it. Awww..

Second, I get to be saddled with a HUGE APR of 23.90 %...at first I thought this must be for cash advances but, no, it was for everything.

Third, I have the wonderful opportunity to pay $75 annual fee (for the first year) and thereafter it will be $99. AND if I add an authorized user to the account I get to pay an extra $19 per year. So, this means that I will be paying $100 per year just to hold this credit card in my hand...make that $119 per year if I add someone else to the account.

Huh? You have got to be kidding me! So, lets say I accepted this offer and I didn't get the $1500 credit line...lets say they only gave me $300. Lets say I then add an authorized user. So, that means that I would only really have $206 credit. And, I could actually hold that card for a year and not use it at all and still have to pay $75! or $94 if I have that extra user added.

But, wait, there's more! I might just get that $1500 credit line which I would surely max out in a very short time. Then I would be paying 23.90% interest on it plus every year $100-119 would be added on top of it!

I just had a vision of a rat in a trap.

The sad part is there are people out there who would accept this offer!

WAKE UP! WAKE UP!

Federal Trade Comission Credit Education

Food And Drink: Bacon and Eggs in The Microwave

I love a good bacon and egg breakfast but I hate having to cook it. The bacon is just a pain...the grease spatters everywhere, and the smell lingers for hours and hours. Even cooking the bacon in the oven on a baking sheet isn't much better. The eggs are easy but you still have the skillet to clean. Well, I am here to tell you that you can cook your eggs and your bacon in the microwave and have a nice, hot breakfast in about 5 minutes, or thereabouts. And you don't need some special bacon rack or egg container. Here is how it is done.

Start with the bacon.

Cover a microwavable plate ( I usually use paper plates...but no styrofoam) with a paper towel or two. Place bacon on the paper towel. I usually cut the bacon strips in two so they won't hang over the edge of the plate. Then cover the bacon with another paper towel. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Lift paper towel and check bacon, maybe flip it over. Microwave again for 1 minute. Check bacon again. Keep doing this until bacon is done to your liking. It is best to do it 1 minute at a time since microwaves vary. Adjust the time accordingly until you get it right. I can cook about 4 slices of bacon in about 3 minutes total. Total time will depend on how many slices and thickness of bacon as well as on your microwave settings.

I usually cut the bacon in half.

Place on paper towel lined plate

Perfectly cooked bacon after a total of about 3 minutes

For the Eggs.

Depending on the number of eggs you are cooking use either a microwave safe bowl or cup/mug. For one egg I use a coffe mug. Coat container with a quick spray of butter or oil, I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. Crack in your egg and beat it lightly. Add salt and pepper if desired. Place in microwave and cook on high for 30 seconds. Then stir the egg. It should be starting to puff up. Go another 30 seconds. One egg is usually done after a total of about 60 seconds but, again, it varies so go slow and keep your eye on it. The egg will be puffy so I just chop it up with a fork.
And there you have it. Bacon and Eggs in about 5 minutes. Because the bacon is covered with paper towels your microwave stays clean. Your kitchen will still smell like bacon but it won't be as strong as with stove top or oven methods.

An egg, a coffee mug and cooking oil spray or butter

Beat lightly with fork

After first 30 second round the egg should be beginning to puff

Scrambled eggs from the microwave after just under one minute

And there you have it. Bacon and eggs from your microwave. Easy, fast, tasty!

Household Helps: Sink is Sunk

After much frustration it has become clear that a plumber is needed. Sigh. Sink is draining but very, very slowly. There is something wrong that no amount of baking soda and vinegar can clear. We even tried the old stand by ...Drano and the plunger. Both helped somewhat but did not last for any amount of time. So, hopefully, I can move on to more interesting topics. For instance...did you know you can cook bacon and eggs in the microwave? Yep. And you don't need special dishes or racks either. Stay tuned for pictures and instructions.

Household Helps: Clogged Sink Saga

Well, I gave in and bought the hard stuff. Even though my kitchen sink's drainage had improved, a little, it was still obiviously clogged. I tried the baking soda and vinegar treatment several times, which accounts for the improvement, but decided it was time to bring in the big guns. I bought the Drano gel and snake kit. First, the snake is a joke and is extremely difficult to get down a kitchen sink drain. The gel worked a little better but evenso I ended up using the plunger...with my husband doing the plunging while I held the plug on the other side. This worked best of all and we could actually hear the water glubbing faster and faster as it drained out of the sink. Mind you, it's not 100 percent which leads me to think we have bigger problems, perhaps in the drain field since it is a septic system. But, for now, things have improved enough.

Household Helps: Clogged Sink Continues

Well, after many (probably at least 6) treatments with the Clogged Sink Recipe, my problems with my kitchen sink continue. I will say that it is draining better but still way too slowly. I think the treatments have cleaned out some of the gunk that is slowing it up but not anywhere near all of it. So, I think it is time to take the next step, a plumbers snake. I would say that this treatment recipe  probably works best on sinks and pipes that just need a good cleaning, maybe not so much on real clogs that are actually plugging up the pipes. Might be a good preventive measure once or twice a month or so. Short post, I know, but I am off to find a plumbers snake. I will let you know how it goes.

Everything Else: Commenting on Blogs

Got my first sarcastic comment on one of my blog posts. Yes, yes, I know, if I have it set to accept all comments, from anyone, I am going to get a few sarcasic, mocking and/or mean comments. People are sometimes buttheads. It shouldn't bother me, but, I confess it did...a little bit. I do, however, have my commenting feature set to not post any comments until I approve them, so I just hit the delete button and that was that. But, it makes me wonder why people are so inclined to punch perfect strangers in the nose like that? Oh, of course, they always do it anonymously. Rarely do you ever see a mean or sarcastic comment signed by the author. If you don't like a certain blog, then don't read it, if it seems silly or stupid to you, then don't read it. No one is holding a gun to your head making you read such silly, useless bunk. Go read the Washington Post instead.

What do you think about this? Any comments?