All Kale Bacon!

Okay, I have had some exciting things happen to me in the last couple of weeks.  First, I got this beauty:

Yes, that is a cup holder.

I finally got to go Stand up Paddle Boarding with my friend Joyce:

Me working those abs!  They are there somewhere.... I swear.

Then an even MORE exciting thing happened to me:

That's right it is Girl Scout cookie season!   I can't resist those cute little girls at the grocery store who say "Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies ma'am?"  I ignore the ma'am of course and then buy myself a couple of boxes that magically disappear*.


*Since I couldn't stand to post a close up picture of me on the paddle board I realized I had to lay off my cookie eating (don't judge).  I was super pumped to discover that you can now buy them and the Girl Scouts ship them to the troops!  This way I can still buy them and feel good and not consume them, you know one or two at a time......


I decided that I should actually cook a meal for myself before I turned from "ahhhh, poor Megan" to "um, that is pathetic and I can't read anymore".    I have to tell you this was a struggle for me to do.   I am now going to be eating the bag of kale I bought for a week.  This would be fine since I love me some Kale except that means dirtying some dishes and having to turn on the stove.  I have the Pinterest bug like several of us beauties.   I have had my radar up for anything with Kale in it.  I am also cheap these days.   I have to admit some of the reason for my lack of cooking at home is that I have to buy every single ingredient.   It gets expensive!  I finally found both an easy and cheap meal to throw together:

Kale Carbonara

You can find the original recipe on a different blog: Kale Carbonara.  This was really delicious.   It turned out exactly like I was hoping for: cheap, easy, and good (nobody comment on that please).  How can you go wrong with some top food favorites: pasta, bacon, cheese, and red pepper flakes?


Kale Carbonara

Ingredients

1 lb whole-wheat thin spaghetti

3 pieces thick-cut bacon, diced

1 bunch Lacinato Kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped

2 eggs

Garlic

1 cup grated parmesan chees

salt and pepper to taste

1 package of mushrooms

red pepper flakes

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat
3. Add diced bacon, and saute until crispy
4. Remove half the fat from the pan, and add the kale, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan with the bacon
5. Saute kale until wilted
6. Whisk eggs together in a bowl with the cheese and some salt and black pepper (and red pepper if you want spicy)
7. Once pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the kale and bacon.  Turn off the heat
8. Immediately add the egg/cheese mixture to the hot pasta, kale and bacon.  Stir to combine.  If it appears too dry, add some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up a bit.

Fun Beauties Fact:  Rachel, Jolie and I shared an apartment for 3 years in college.  Rachel and I would  often make pasta, throw in some butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic and eat it right out of the pot.  When I graduated college, I had to throw out several of my shirts due to the butter stain in the exact same spot.  That is how I roll!