Every New Year’s Eve when I was a kid, we had pigs in blankets, chips with dip (see my makeover, Fixed-Up French Onion Dip, on page 100), and mini-pizzas. And that was pretty much the only time we ever had them, so I have such warm, celebratory memories associated with these foods. The very first time I was on Good Morning America, it was on New Year’s Eve and I was showing America how to throw together a last-minute, healthy New Year’s Eve party. I made bite-sized pigs in blankets. Here, I’ve sped up the preparation time so you can eat this favorite in minutes any time of the year. Be sure to buy biscuits with only 1.5 grams of fat or less per 2-biscuit serving. I’ve found that many private labels make them (so be sure to check those), as does Pillsbury.

　　

Ingredients

makes 5 pigs

　　Olive oil spray

　　5 low-fat beef hot dogs (I used Hebrew National)

　　1 can (10-count) refrigerated buttermilk or home-style biscuit dough (1.5 g of fat or less per 2-biscuit serving)

　　5 tablespoons mustard, optional

　　

Step 1

Prehead the oven to 375°F. Place a sheet of parchment over a medium baking sheet. Lightly mist it with spray.

　　

Step 2

Using 2 biscuits side by side, wrap each hot dog so only about 1 inch of the hot dog is exposed at each end. Roll the wrapped hot dogs back and forth on the cutting board to tightly seal the seams. Place the dogs at least 1/4 inch apart, seams down, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake them until the dough is lightly browned and the dogs are hot, 13 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with your favorite mustard for dipping, if desired.

　　

nutrition information

Step 3

Each pig has:

　　

Step 4

Calories: 145

　　

Step 5

Protein: 9g

　　

Step 6

Carbohydrates: 23g

　　

Step 7

Fat: 3g

　　

Step 8

Saturated Fat: 1g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 15mg

　　

Step 10

Fiber: 1g

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 760mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.