I'm a firm believer in the value of sitting down together as a family for as many meals as possible, so whenever I can, I try to prepare a healthy, well-balanced dinner for my own family.  More often than not, our family meals will involve some form of turkey, whether it be turkey meatloaf, turkey burgers, turkey bolognese, turkey tacos or even a roasted turkey sandwich.  I love that turkey provides us with a leaner, more nutritious option than many other proteins, and it also doesn't hurt that my 4-year-old daughter Sadie happily eats anything I make with turkey (hence turkey's starring role in the bulk of our family's meals!).  And of course, nobody knows turkey like the folks from JENNIE-O, so when they invited me to attend an exclusive event showcasing healthy breakfast options made with JENNIE-O products, I jumped at the chance! 

I'll admit I hadn't previously thought to include turkey in my breakfast repertoire, but having sampled the amazing dishes served at the event, turkey will definitely be making its way onto my family's breakfast table.  And although I loved all the JENNIE-O products introduced at the event (including JENNIE-O's turkey breakfast sausage products and lean ground turkey), I was particularly fond of JENNIE-O's new and improved turkey bacon, which debuted this month.  This tasty new product has all that delicious bacon flavor and crisp texture you love in traditional bacon, but with significantly less sodium and fat than pork bacon.  And yes, it really does taste good.  It crisps up amazingly well and has nearly the same mouth feel and appearance as traditional pork bacon.  I'm always mindful of the ingredients in the food I serve to my family, so I was pleased to learn that JENNIE-O's new turkey bacon is free of any MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, trans fats and partially hydrogenated fats.  And it also happens to be gluten free.

So enough about the nitty gritty - let's get to the food!  Television chef and health and wellness expert Devin Alexander was on hand to impart some turkey wisdom to us and to share with us 4 delicious seasonal breakfast recipes that she'd created using JENNIE-O's new turkey bacon and other JENNIE-O turkey products.  As Chef Devin related, "When you have turkey or other proteins for breakfast, it helps with overall satiety and hunger management - whether you're trying to lose or maintain your weight, or just want to kick-start your day." 

First up was a Fall Breakfast Chili Bowl, which was one of the more unique breakfast dishes I've tried.  With hearty turkey chili, egg whites and fat-free Greek yogurt, this breakfast creation was deliciously indulgent, yet completely guilt-free.  I couldn't believe how rich the chili tasted, and I love the fact that you can make the chili the night before so that all you really need to do on the day you plan to serve the dish is reheat the chili and scramble the egg whites. 

Chef Devin next introduced a Winter Sausage & Pepper Breakfast Casserole, which was the perfect combination of bread, cheese and turkey deliciousness.  The one alteration I'd make to Chef Devin's recipe here, however, would be to omit the hot sliced cherry peppers, or perhaps swap them out for roasted red peppers, as the cherry peppers made the dish extremely spicy.   But otherwise, this was a tasty dish that has an added bonus of being something you can prepare a day ahead of time. 



Turning to spring, Chef Devin presented us with a Spring Italian Breakfast Salad.  Yes, you read that right - a salad for breakfast!  I never would have thought to serve a salad as a morning meal, and I'm so glad Chef Devin opened my mind to the idea because this salad was amazing.  From its poached egg whites (which you can make in the microwave!) to its peppery arugula to its creamy champagne vinaigrette, the salad was absolutely perfect.  But of course the star of the salad was JENNIE-O's new turkey bacon, which added a crispness and saltiness (without being overly salty) that rounded out the salad and had me and pretty much everyone else in the room clamoring for more. 


To conclude the meal, we enjoyed a Summer California Breakfast Sandwich, which was a healthy and innovative twist on the traditional English muffin sandwich.  With creamy avocado, poached egg whites and ripe tomatoes, the sandwich was indeed a healthy, vibrant verison of summer on a plate. 


You can find Chef Devin's recipes, as well as a number of other recipes incorporating JENNIE-O's products, on www.JennieO.com and www.SwitchtoTurkey.com.  But of course I just had to include the recipes I enjoyed at the JENNIE-O breakfast right here so that you could try them out asap.  I definitely plan to recreate these dishes for my bacon-loving family!  Bon appetit! 

JENNIE-O Fall Breakfast Chili Bowl

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup JENNIE-O Lean Ground Turkey Chili (see recipe below)
4 egg whites
3/4 ounce finely shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped green onion tops

Directions:
Place a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Mist it with spray and add the egg whites. Scramble.  Transfer the egg whites to a medium-shallow bowl, spreading them in a single layer.  Top the eggs with 1/2 cup chili.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top.  Place a dollop of yogurt on top.  Sprinkle green onions over the top.  Serve immediately.

JENNIE-O Lean Ground Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O Lean Ground Turkey Breast
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons chipotle chili pepper (found in the spice aisle)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or more, to taste (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a large, nonstick soup pot to medium-high heat.  Lightly mist it with spray.  Crumble turkey into soup pot.  Cook turkey as specified on the package.  Always fully cook turkey to a safe 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a meat thermometer.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, turkey is no longer pink throughout and there is no excess water in the pan, about 5 minutes.
Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, chili powder, sugar, cocoa powder, chili pepper, bay leaf and hot sauce.  Stir, then cover the pot with a lid, and cook over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Season, if necessary.  Allow it to cool to warm, then refrigerate any chili not consumed.

JENNIE-O Winter Sausage and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
6 JENNIE-O Lean Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties
1 cup green bell pepper slivers
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
3 slices whole wheat sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch pieces.
6 ounces finely shredded, low-fat Cheddar cheese (no more than 3 g fat per serving)
1/2 cup drained, jarred, hot sliced cherry peppers, finely chopped
2 3/4 cups egg substitute

Directions:
Lightly mist a 9-inch diameter (at least 2 1/2 inches deep) casserole dish with cooking spray.
Place a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, mist the pan with spray.  Add the sausage patties.  Cook them, breaking them into bite-sized pieces about the size of a small marble.  Cook turkey as specified on the package.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Reduce heat to medium.  Re-spray the skillet and add the peppers.  Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue cooking until the peppers are tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. 
Arrange half of the bread pieces in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.  Top the bread with half of the cheese, hafl of the bell pepper mixture, half of the sausage and hal of the cherry peppers.  Repeat layering.  Pour egg substitute evenly over the top.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the plastic wrap fom the casserole dish.  Bake until no longer runny when a knife is inserted in the center, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Let rest 5 minutes.  Slice into 6 wedges and serve.

JENNIE-O Spring Italian Breakfast Salad

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
3 egg whites
4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves (about 2 ounces)
2 strips JENNIE-O turkey bacon, cut in half crosswise
1/8 cup sweet onion slivers
2 tablespoons champagne vinaigrette
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese shavings

Directions:
Mist a standard ramekin (about 3 1/2 inch diameter) with spray.  Add the egg whites.  Set aside.
Place arugula in a small bowl, big enough to toss it.  Set it aside.
Heat a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Lay the bacon strips side-by-side so they don't touch.  Cook 1 minute, turn and cook for another minute until cooked to desired crispness, about 2 to 3 minutes total.  Place on paper-towel lined plate. Cut into small pieces.
Meanwhile, microwave the egg in 15-second intervals, until set through, about 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. 
Add dressing to arugula and toss.  Transfer evenly, to cover a dinner plate.
Place the cooked egg in the center of the arugula.
Sprinkle the bacon and onion over the top, followed by the Parmesan shavings.
Serve immediately.

JENNIE-O Summer California Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 egg whites
1 whole wheat English muffin
1/4 of a small avocado, about 1 ounce, cut into 3 slices
1 large or 3 small, thin tomato slices
2 slices JENNIE-O turkey bacon, cut in half crosswise

Directions:
Mist a large ramekin (about 5 inches in diameter) with spray.  Add the egg whites.  Set aside. 
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Lay the bacon strips side-by-side so they do not touch. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, turn and cook 1 minute longer until cooked to desired crispness, about 2 to 3 minutes total.  Place on a paper-towel lined plate. 
Meanwhile, poach the egg whites by microwaving 30 seconds or until set.
Separate the halves of the English muffin and toast. 
Place the bottom half of the English muffin on a plate.  Add the egg, tomato, avocado and bacon.  Cover with English muffin top.  Serve immediately.