Recipes: Bacon-Filled Snacks You Won’t Regret Eating

B.L.T. Bites | Photo by Becca Boyd

How often do you find a snack free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar that doesn’t make you a little bit sad? It’s not often, right? Well, these recipes are all those things, and they’re delicious to boot. In fact, when eating these, generally big grins ensue with nary a guilt twinge to be found.

As you read the title of this post, the thought “Bacon — again? Really?” might’ve crossed your mind. And I agree: Things got a little crazy there for a while, what with the bacon cookies and bacon chocolate bars at every supermarket. But as it’s a food that is both salty and delicious, it’s safe to say it’s not going anywhere. And as diets like Paleo have hit the scene hard, bacon has actually become a go-to for dinner parties when you need to please guests trying to stick to their diets.

Cue these appetizers: Two recipes — bacon-wrapped dates and B.L.T. bites — full of fiber-filled fruits like dates and veggies and loved by picky eaters and regular will-eat-anything eaters alike. Even toddlers happily get in on the action (after all, dates are nature’s candy). Just a note to make your life easier: Purchase thee a squirt bottle of mayo for the B.L.T. bites – a thousand times easier than spreading it with a knife.

Recipe: B.L.T. Bites
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb. turkey bacon, cooked and sliced lengthwise
1/4 tsp. light mayonnaise
1 romaine heart, sliced crosswise into 1-inch ribbons
toothpicks

Method
1. Slice tomatoes in half horizontally. Place the toothpick through the bottom half.
2. Cut bacon strips into 1×1-inch squares and double them up. Place the two squares on top of the tomato.
3. Squirt about 1/4 tsp. mayo on the bacon.
4. Fold a piece of lettuce and place on top of the mayo.
5. Top with the second half of tomato to complete the sandwich. Repeat.

Per serving, accounting for 8 servings: 82 calories, 2 fat grams, 442 milligrams sodium, 107 milligrams potassium, 1.8 grams carbs, .5 grams dietary fiber, 1.2 grams sugar, 11.4 grams protein.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates | Photo by Becca Boyd

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Serves 6

Ingredients
24 pitted dates
12 slices bacon (usually 1 lb)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Take bacon out of the package and cut each piece in half.
3. Wrap each date in a half-slice of bacon and place seam side down on prepared sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and move an oven rack to the top position in the oven. Place pan on top rack and put oven on broil. Watch carefully with door ajar – 3 to 4 minutes or until crisped and brown.
5. Remove from oven. Place bacon wrapped dates on paper-towel-lined plate to remove excess grease; serve warm or room temperature. 

Per bacon-wrapped date: 126 calories, 7.9 fat grams, 437 milligrams sodium, 161 milligrams potassium, 6.5 grams carbs, .7 grams dietary fiber, 5.3 grams sugar, 7.2 grams protein.                                  

Becca Boyd is a wife and mom who creates healthy and delicious recipes in her West Chester kitchen. She blogs about them on her website, Home Beccanomics.

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