After catching my kids watching Family Guy the other night while I was working upstairs, I’ve been searching for more family friendly TV and movie fare. That’s why I signed up to be Friday Night Ambassador to tell you about the latest Family Movie Night show, Who Is Simon Miller?, premiering Saturday, August 6th at 8/7c on NBC.
I had a chance to sit though a special pre-screening. Even though Who Is Simon Miller? is a spy action movie, it’s perfect for the kids. (Think Spy Kids without the special effects.) Dad goes missing and his family figures out that he’s a spy. His wife, Meredith and their two kids, Sarah and Kevin, figure out where he is and get mixed up in an international spy ring. It’s hard to tell who’s a good guy or a bad guy, and it’s interesting to watch the story unfold.
Frankly, the plot’s rather unbelievable at times. Mom’s too young, slim and pretty. Sarah, who’s only 18, speaks Spanish and French fluently. And Kevin, even though he’s a geeky genius, has the most clear skin I’ve seen on a 15-year-old. Also, I doubt an intelligence officer would bring the family along on his or her mission.
However, the iCarly crowd will love it, while their parents will be happy that they’re not exposed to gratuitous violence or adult sexual situations a la James Bond. There’s lots of touching family moments, too, along with discussions about trust and honesty.
Who is Simon Miller? is perfect viewing for a quiet Saturday night at home after a long summer day at the beach or amusement park. Learn more about Family Movie Night on Facebook or check out a preview below.
Healthy Family Movie Night snacks - Bacon Caramel Popcorn
Summer’s a great time of year for healthy snacks. There are fresh berries and cherries on sale at the grocery store or at the farmer’s market. You can make ice pops or other frozen treats. You could also do veggies and dip, hummus and pita chips, or apple slices and grapes. However, there’s nothing that says “movies” like popcorn.
I recently attended a party where everyone brought a bacon-themed dish. One couple brought a fabulous bacon and caramel popcorn dish that featured vegan bacon. Though their dish featured nuts, it was very similar a recipe from Vegan by Valerie.
Not only is this bacon flavored healthy snack vegan, but it’s gluten free. I’ve tweaked it to use products that fit with my food sensitivities like coconut palm sugar. However, feel free to make your own substitutions. You can also add nuts, dried fruit pieces or even chocolate chips to the popcorn. Bacon Caramel Popcorn is as healthy – or decadent – as you want it to be.
Bacon Caramel Popcorn
Based on a recipe from Vegan by Valerie
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cups good quality popcorn, unpopped
- 1 3/4 cup bacon bits made from your favorite type of bacon (vegan, turkey or pork)
- 1/2 cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light or other soft buttery spread
- 1/4 cup Madhava Amber Agave Nectar – amber, light or raw
- 1 cup Sweet Tree Coconut Palm Sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Hain Pure Food Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
- 2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark bourbon
- 2 teaspoon pure, gluten free vanilla extract
Directions:
- Fry up your bacon until crispy. Let cool and crumble.
- Pop popcorn using Alton Brown’s microwave brown paper bag method or an air popper.
- Combine the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, agave nectar, and coconut palm sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, and boil for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining caramel ingredients (salt, baking soda, bourbon, and vanilla).
- Pour the bacon bits over the popcorn and stir.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and gently stir to combine.
- Spoon the popcorn onto two large baking sheets.
- Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stopping every 15 minutes to stir.
- Let the popcorn sit for at least 30 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.
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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate
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You had me at bacon! Yum! Great idea!!!
A little goes a long way with bacon. Thanks for stopping by Carla!
Great snack ideas. I’m always looking for movie snacks to change things up, we’re big popcorn eaters.
Looks delicious! Glad you found my recipe so I could find your blog
When I made it I found that it was a love/hate recipe… my husband hates sweet and salty foods so thought it was pretty weird, but most people thought it was addicting!
Val, your recipe was super close to the one I had at the bacon party, so I’m assuming they probably used it and added the nuts on their own.
It was totally addicting and no one realized it was vegan bacon until they told people…at the end of the night.
This is such a creative snack idea! I love that its something different than the norm and that it’s probably a good source of fiber. I’m always on the look out for good tasting, fiber-rich foods to add to my day.