Yesterday was a very busy Father's Day that ended with a backyard BBQ of burgers, hot dogs, ribs, coleslaw, and some good probiotic sauerkraut. I wanted to make a little something special for the great dads in my life! Jalapeño popper's for the papa's seemed like a cute idea! 

Note: Wear gloves when handling jalapeños so you don't make the mistake of rubbing your eyes after handling these spicy treats!

Par-cooking the bacon is an important part of these Papa's Poppers!

Ingredients:
2 jalapeños
4 oz cream cheese
4 slices par cooked bacon
Shredded cheddar
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder (just a sprinkle)
Garlic Powder (just a sprinkle)

For the bacon: Par cook in the oven at 375* for 20 minutes. You want the bacon to stay pliable. 

For the cream cheese filling: Soften 4oz of cream cheese. Mix in a little salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. 

Slice the jalapeños long ways. Scrape the seeds and ribs from the pepper. This is where the heat of the pepper lives. Be careful when doing this jalapeños tend to “spray” a bit when you’re scraping the ribs.  
Fill each jalapeño half with the cream cheese mixture. Top each half with a sprinkle of cheddar. Wrap each pepper half with a slice of bacon. Wrap each individual popper in foil to keep it together. 

Throw on the grill for 30 minutes away from the flame until the pepper is soft. Open the foil to allow the bacon to crisp up. 

If cooking in the oven cook on 375* on a cookie sheet until the bacon is cooked, and the pepper is soft (around 30 minutes). 
 

You know how sometimes there is a recipe that has all the right ingredients, in the right amounts, that makes you BELIEVE?!?! This is that recipe. One of the very first truly keto recipes I ever made, and was blown away. This is the recipe that let me know this keto thing was serious, and for life! Give it a try. Tell me it's not life altering... And yes. That's how I say it. one word chickenbaconcheddarranch

Chicken Bacon Cheddar Ranch Casserole.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
16 oz bag frozen broccoli cuts, steamed and drained
1 TBS Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
Sprinkle garlic powder
Sprinkle onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
5 pieces cooked bacon (Chopped up. Mix 3 into the mixture, 2 for the topping)
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. sour cream
2 oz. mayo
8 oz. shredded cheddar
Green Onions (White part for the mixture. Greens for the top)

Preheat oven to 350*
 

Season chicken with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders. Bake till cooked. Once cooked cube it up. Steam broccoli and chop it up. Add broccoli, and chicken, 2 pieces chopped bacon, 6 oz cheddar to a large bowl.

Mix the cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream with the ranch seasoning, and the white bottoms.  (Try not to eat this straight out of the bowl!) Add this to the chicken, broccoli mixture. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to a baking dish. Top with one piece chopped bacon and the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown at 350* Once done garnish with the green parts of the green onions. 

Tip: Poached chicken works well here as does the meat from a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket

Calories: 247 Fat: 19g  Net Carbs: 4g Protein: 13g

Fat bombs of course!! Is there a bad way to enjoy guacamole? I firmly say "NO". Now I usually use bacon as the chips for my guacamole, but these little guys are a fun new twist on what we all know is "extra". The guac is always extra! 

^^Do you relate?^^

Guac Bomb

Ingredients

3 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ large avocado
¼ cup butter at room temperature (Not melted)
½  clove garlic finely minced. (I used a microplane to make sure I don’t get any large chunks.)
1 TBS lime juice (added a little at a time to make sure it’s not too ‘wet’)
Pink himalayan sea salt to taste (Add a little at a time. You can always add more but can’t take it out.)
1 scallion. The white part. Very thinly sliced

Optional: cilantro finely diced. (I use scissors)
 

In a bowl, mash the avocado with the butter, garlic, and lime juice. Make sure it’s evenly incorporated. Stir in the onion and mix ½ of a piece of the bacon into the guacamole mixture. Cover tightly and refrigerate for so minutes so it can firm up. 

Once firmed up, use a large ice cream scoop or spoon, and divide the mixture into 6 even balls. Form the balls in your hands, and roll in the remaining crumbled bacon. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 126       Fat: 13      Carbs: 2      Protein:2