Hot Dog!

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by cometstarmoon

I almost feel guilty dedicating an entire post on a blog about healthy living to hot dogs, but let's face it: many of us have kids (or like hot dogs ourselves), and if you buy Applegate hot dogs, they're not nearly as bad for you. (Although, they are still hot dogs...)

I wouldn't recommend eating hot dogs all the time, and the price of the healthy ones helps ensure that won't happen, but when you do indulge, it should be enjoyable! We have yet to find hot dog buns that we can eat, and my kids aren't huge fans of just putting plain hot dogs on their plates. I know, that hardly seems American. Everyone likes hot dogs, plain or not, right? I mean, I used to love hot dogs so much I ate them raw right out of our fridge when I was a kid. How gross is that?

Anyway, I digress. Back to the point. Here are some different ways to cook up hot dogs that will make this indulgent meal a little more fun for your family!

1. Hot dog octupus. Make a lengthwise cut down your hot dog, starting in the middle, then continuing to one end, leaving almost half of the hot dog uncut. Then, make another lengthwise cut down the center of each cut half. when you finish, your hot dog should have 4 dangling "legs." Drop the dog into a pot of boiling water and cook it as you normally would. As you do, the cut pieces will curl up like octopus tentacles.

2. Hot dog squid. Cut hot dogs in half. Before cooking them, insert 100% whole wheat spaghetti noodles into the dogs, then drop them in boiling water and cook as normal. The noodles will soften as they cook but remain intact, so the finished dog looks somewhat like a squid.

3. Breaded and baked. My elementary school cafeteria used to serve hot dogs like this, and they're still my favorite way to eat them! Butter a slice of bread, such as Ezekiel bread, or 100% whole grain bread (watch the ingredients--avoid sugar!) and wrap the slice of bread around the hot dog, buttered side out. You may have to use a skewer or toothpick to hold the bread in place. Bake at 425 until the bread is browned.

What favorite ways do you like to serve hot dogs? Please include them in the comments below.