Now, I am older and wiser, and the real food movement has opened our eyes to the plentiful and bad ingredients in many pre-made foods, including hot pockets. And so, I am making my own healthy hot pockets from scratch! (really, they are calzones, but I thought of hot pockets today for some reason and I’m sticking with calling them that. What’s the difference, really? Not much, if you ask me!)
You can use whatever fillings you want for this. I chose spinach and mushroom with mozzarella cheese, with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. I happened to have some frozen puff pastry in the freezer, and while it isn’t whole wheat, I didn’t want to see it go to waste. (I eat whole wheat 90% of the time but will sometimes sacrifice this based on taste or convenience, or in this case, to not be wasteful). Regardless, making these from scratch and controlling the fillings that go inside is much better than eating those from your freezer aisle, whole-grain or not. Next time I make these, I will probably try it with whole wheat pie crust. When assembling, seal the calzone by pressing the edges with a fork. It will make it look pretty and keep it together, and an egg wash to brushed top will make them a delicious golden-brown color.
The other great thing about this? They are easy to make in bulk, and freezable (just like hot pockets!) After baking them, allow to cool and flash freeze them before wrapping individually in a paper towel and saran wrap, like make-ahead frozen burritos. Grab one and go for lunch, and microwave in the paper towel to prevent it making a mess and drying out while reheating. You’d also love this puff pastry asparagus tart!
