Not really eating

I’ve been so busy this week. Nothing sounds good for meals. I don’t have the time or energy or inclination to cook. 

And so I’m back to protein shakes for a while. At least that way I get calories and protein, even if I’m not “full” all the time. 

I did eat once today and will likely eat dinner. So there’s that. 

Also, why won’t Teacup sleep???

August-October

One month

In 3 weeks!

I could not find the first half of this photo because I was looking in the September file. But no, this was THIS month! Only 3 weeks of time, but what a difference!

This looks amazing!

This recipe was posted on my board a bit ago. Sounds wonderful!

Kaddo Bowrani (Baked Pumpkin) from The Helmand Restaurant in Baltimore

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

For pumpkin:

1 small pumpkin (baby or spookies work best)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Cinnamon

For Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon fresh-cut diced garlic

Dash salt

Slice pumpkin and remove seeds. Peel outer skin. Slice 2-inch pieces lengthwise. Place oil in skillet pan and heat to medium heat. Add pumpkin. Cook on medium heat covered for approximately 10 minutes, turning once. Remove from pan and place in small roasting or baking pan. Sprinkle the pumpkin with the sugar and cinnamon. Cover tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minute or until soft. Time may differ according to the hardness of the pumpkin.

For yogurt sauce, stir ingredients together until smooth.

Serve pumpkin warm with yogurt sauce.

 

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2010/09/the_great_pumpkin_appetizer_re.html

Cooking Plans

So, in a few short weeks, we’re going to take a trip to the farm for Thanksgiving. I love it there. There’s no pressure. Very little technology. Just family, space, a fire… sometimes snow. I already can’t wait!

BUT this year I won’t be able to do one thing we ALWAYS do there, which is eat until you’re uncomfortable from the moment you wake up until you pass out. No pie, no bread, no stuffing for Avery. Sigh.

So today I decided what I’m going to do; I’m going to make several WLS dishes to share. I won’t add obscene amounts of protein powder to anyone else’s food, but I will make some no sugar, very low carb, high protein, seasonal meals. It will be great for J who is diabetic. It’ll be great for Teacup who is a baby and doesn’t need pie. And anyone else who wants it can have some, too.

Here is my menu so far:

Pumpkin Soup (I’m still perfecting this. Tonight’s is… missing something. Possibly chicken stock)

Green Bean Casserole

Some Pumpkin dessert

Turkey salad (after the big meal, of course)

Mashed cauliflower

Deviled eggs

There will be so much other food as well, but this will at least give me some things to eat that are holidayish, so I won’t be left out. And I hope people will like them as well!

(I also plan on being able to eat turkey, ham, and veggies.)

More Recipes

Gyro Bites (Eggface)

1/2 cup cooked Spinach
5 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cooked Gyros Meat (great use for leftovers)
1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Kalamata Olives, chopped
1 Teaspoon Oregano
a few twists of Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. Saute spinach. Set aside to cool. Mix all ingredients together. Be sure spinach mixture has cooled slightly before adding to egg mixture. Spoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) into a lightly greased non-stick mini muffin tin. Bake for 30 minutes or until centers are firm. Makes 24.

 

Shelly’s Grilled Veggie Lasagna (eggface)

1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef (could also use ground turkey)
1 cup Marinara Sauce
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Parsley, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese (Mozzarella, Parmesan, etc.)
4 Zucchini, Summer Squash, sliced lengthwise and grilled

Slice the Zucchini and Summer Squash lengthwise and grill on the BBQ. Set aside.

Brown onion. Add garlic. Cook for 1 minutes. Add ground beef. Cook till meat is no longer pink. Add marinara. Warm through. Set aside.

Mix ricotta, 1 egg, parsley, and Italian seasoning together. Set aside.

Spoon 1/2 of meat mixture into casserole dish. Layer 1/2 zucchini and squash. Spoon 1/2 Ricotta mixture on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the Italian Blend Cheese. Repeat. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

Shelly’s Sun Dried Tomato & Artichoke Chicken (eggface)

1/2 yellow Onion, diced
2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced into strips
1 cup yellow Summer Squash, sliced
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
1 can Artichoke Hearts, 13.75 oz. can (non-marinated type), chopped
2 Tablespoons Sun Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, diced.
2 Tablespoons Pesto Sauce (I use the refrigerated Trader Joe’s or Buitoni)
1/4 cup Alfredo Sauce (jarred)
Butter
Olive Oil
For marinade: 1/4 cup Italian Dressing

Marinate chicken in Italian Dressing for at least 4 hours in refrigerator. Discard excess marinade. Saute the onion till slightly golden in a touch of butter and olive oil. Remove from pan, set aside. Drain chicken from marinade but do not rinse. Saute marinated chicken till golden. Remove from pan. Add squash, zucchini and steam saute till fork tender. Add chicken and onions back to pan. Add artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, pesto sauce and alfredo. Stir till combined. Heat through. Serve.

 

Nik’s Cheesesteak Scramble (bariatric foodie)

Ingredients

2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped green pepper
2 oz. lean, thin sliced deli roast beef, shredded
1 large egg (I use the whole egg nowadays), beaten
1 wedge Lauging Cow Light cheese (I used the French Onion kind)

Optional (pictured): diced tomatoes and a dollop of low-fat mayo mixed with some ground chipotle pepper.

Directions

In a sprayed pan, sautee chopped onion and green pepper until soft.

Add shredded beef and sautee until warm (I like it crispy but not all pouches are down for that).

And the egg and turn with a wooden spoon or spatula until egg is nearly done. 

Plop (yes, plop) your cheese down on top and fold it into the egg mixture so that you get cheesy goodness throughout. 

Transfer to a plate and top it as you wish. 

 

Nik’s Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast (bariatric foodie)

Ingredients

6 oz. nitrate-free, lean roast beef (if nitrate doesn’t bug you, go for regular lean roast beef)
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp light butter stick (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Carbquik or Atkins Baking Mix (in the absence of either, use multi-grain pancake mix. It’ll be higher in carbs, but it’s more complex carbs)
1/2 – 3/4 c. skim milk (depending on how thick you like your gravy)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: A dash of Worcestershire sauce (I never add this but most conventional creamed gravy recipes do)

Directions:

Spray down a skillet with nonstick then add your butter stick and let it melt. Add onions and cook 1-2 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile dice up your roast beef. Like so:

 

Cook the beef about 3-4 minutes or until it just starts to crisp up. Then add your “flour” and stir it in completely.

 

 

Slowly add milk, stirring as you do so. Continue to stir until all the beef is coated.

 

Set pan on low and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes then remove from heat.

 

Gravy will thicken upon standing.

 

 

For you purists who believe your chipped beef gravy HAS to be white, you can make the pan gravy with the butter, flour, milk, Worcestershire sauce and some black pepper in a seperate pan and then add the beef to it (not the other way around). Personally, I like the extra flavor the gravy picks up from the “crud” on the bottom of the pan.

 

(I would have to skip the toast)

 

 

 

Nik’s “Egg-chilada” (bariatric foodie)
(This is for one Nik-sized one. If you can’t eat that much, I understand! See the tips in the recipe for scaling it down.)
Ingredients:

1 medium egg + 1 medium egg white
(If you are newer out, just go with either one whole egg, two egg whites or 1/4 c. of egg substitute)

Your favorite innards (I used 2 oz. deli rotisserie chicken meat that I sauteed, but other options are ground or shredded chicken meat, steak, etc. This is probably a good way to use leftover meat!)

2 tbsp your favorite salsa

2 tbsp. shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt

Directions:

If you’re using eggs, put them in the bowl, then spray a pan down with nonstick cooking spray and set it over medium heat. You want your pan nice and hot.

Meanwhile, beat your eggs well. If you are using a whole egg with whites, the entire mixture should be a pale yellow and be sort of the consistency of a loose cake batter. Do NOT beat them until they froth.

Pour out your egg onto your pan (I use a flat griddle pan) and allow it to naturally form a circle-esque blob of whatever size it wants to be. Now here’s the important part…the part where most people go wrong…

 

Leave it alone for a minute or two! You want the edges nice and set before you do anything. I like to add a generous sprinkle of black pepper to the upside while it’s setting. When it’s all set, slide a spatula all the way to the middle of your egg “pancake” lift it up (don’t worry if some egg pours off at this point) and then directly flip.

Cook on the other side for about two minutes or until done and transfer to a plate (or cutting board in my case).

Now comes the fun part. Technically you can fill an egg-chilada with whatever you want. The important thing to remember is to not overload it or it won’t hold…and what fun is that? I used some sauteed lunch meat and half my cheese.

 Load up one end of the egg pancake with your fillings and then roll it into an enchilada shape.

 

Top with salsa, remaining cheese and Greek yogurt and you are good to go!

This all sounds more complex than it is. The whole process takes about 5 minutes (aside from the meat sauteeing or reheating time, which is about another 3 minutes or so) and it’s a yummy, yummy way to start any day!

 

 

 

Eggs Rosettes (bariatric foodie)
(after the taping I found that this made 8 rosettes)

• 1 egg +2 egg whites, beaten
• 1 oz. light cream cheese
• finely diced onions, green peppers, _____ (<–Insert your fave ingredient)
• 1 oz. finely cubed asiago cheese (or your fave cheese)
• about 24 slices thin cut deli meat (I used Hillshire Farm Deli Select Brown Sugar Ham)

Directions:

• Spray muffin tin with non stick. Layer 3 pieces of deli meat together, making sure all gaps and holes in meat are covered. Press into muffin slot. Continue on to make 8 meat cups.
• In a sautee pan, cook your veggies until tender.
• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and cream cheese until well blended. Add veggies and cubed cheese.
• Spoon mixture into meat cups, filling them a little more than halfway
• Cook in 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes. Edges of meat may char a bit. That’s actually a good thing.

 

 

My idea: deviled eggs with protein powder added?

 

 

Jen’s Mushroom and Smoked Cheddar Frittata (bariatric foodie)


Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup milk (whatever fat percentage you use)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium sweet onion (I used Vidalia) chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter 
1 1/2 cup grated smoked Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence (you can substitute 2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried sage, and 1/2 tsp dried rosemary if you don’t have the Herbs de Provence)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, yogurt, and seasonings with a whisk. Beat well until thoroughly combined, you don’t want lumps of yogurt in your eggs. Mix half of each kind of cheese into the egg mixture and set aside the remaining cheese.

Preheat a non-stick oven safe skillet, add the butter substitute and olive oil. Let the butter melt, then add the onions and cook them until soft and translucent. Once the onions start to brown, stir in the mushrooms and cover so it can saute together for a couple minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

Pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir the egg mixture and veggies until thoroughly combined.  You want the eggs to be about 2/3 done but still in a solid mass (think omelet) and not in pieces like scrambled eggs.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the eggs.  Remove the skillet from the stove top and place it in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.  Let it cool slightly before cutting it into wedges, that gives the eggs extra time to set up so it comes out in one piece.  Makes 8 pie-slice sized servings.  

 

 

 

 

Brocolli Cheese Rice Casserole (no rice)

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, grilled and chopped into small pieces

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cups of cauliflower rice

1 package of frozen broccoli pieces (not florets…pieces…there is a difference)

1 can (10 oz.) of lowfat cheddar cheese soup

½ c. milk

1 c. each shredded sharp and mild cheddar cheeses

Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and any other spices you like

 

Directions:

1. Fistly, if you don’t already, check out my no fail tender chicken marinating technique (included in this post) before preparing your chicken breasts.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Boil your broccoli until it is the desired consistency then drain.
4. Sautee your onion in a pan with nonstick and add any desired spices
5. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, cauliflower rice and cooked broccoli pieces. Add soup, milk and half of each kind of cheese and mix well.
6. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melty.

If you are not cleared for cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower yet (or worried that these might upset your system…or just don’t like broccoli and cauliflower) zucchini works great in place of broccoli and spaghetti squash in place of the cauliflower. It is still yummy and so comforting you won’t miss the carbs!

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie)Nik’s Chicken & Veggie Alfredo

2 c. of whatever veggies you want to use, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 chicken breasts, cubed

Salt and Pepper

1 jar of low-fat Alfredo sauce

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in a sprayed pan until done through, then remove to a bowl

2. In that same pan, add veggies (so they get all that chicken love stuck to the pan) and garlic and cook until tender

3. Return chicken to the pan, stir thoroughly and add Alfredo sauce

4. Simmer for 15 minutes

If serving with noodles, boil them separately, drain them and then toss with the chicken mixture. 

 

 

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie) 

Jen’s Cuban Sandwich Spread

 

Ingredients:

 

1 can Lite Spam (yes, Spam! it grinds up more smoothly than regular deli ham.  If you are categorically opposed to Spam, by all means use deli ham instead.)

4 heaping tbsp Dill Pickle relish (or chop up whole dill pickles)

2-3 tsp of dill pickle juice (from the relish or pickle jar)

6 oz (3/4 of a block) of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup 0% Greek Yogurt

1-2 tbsp mayonnaise

3-4 tbsp yellow prepared mustard (or Dijon works, too)

 

Directions:

 

Cut the Spam into blocks and put it in the bowl of your food processor,
then pulse until it is well chopped.  

Now add in the other ingredients and process until it becomes a smooth spread.  You don’t need to add ANY salt AT ALL.  

Taste it and adjust the mustard/Greek yogurt/mayo ratio to your taste.  Store it in a covered container in the fridge, or dive right in and get your Cuban on.  

You know you wanna!

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie) Nik’s Reuben Ramekin
(makes two 3 oz. ramekins or three 2 oz. ramekins)

Ingredients

2 oz. deli sliced corned beef, sliced into strips
2 oz. pastrami (I used Jenny-O turkey pastrami), cut into strips
OR you can simply use 4 oz. of whichever of the above two you like best!
½ c. onions, either finely diced (for newbies) or in slivers (for further outs)
2 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese (I used Sargento)
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 heaping tablespoons reduced fat Thousand Island (or Russian) dressing (I used Fit & Active)
¼ c. canned sauerkraut

Directions:

In a pan sprayed with nonstick, sautee your onions until slightly caramelized and then add your meat and sautee. If you are a newer post-op, only sautee until the meat is warm. I personally like my meat a bit crispy, but I’m three years out. You do NOT want to get anything stuck, so stay soft newbies! (NOTE: If you don’t want to use onions, a few shakes of onion powder on your meat works from a flavor perspective)

Lay out your Swiss cheese on a cutting board and, using either a biscuit cutter or an empty ramekin, make two round cheese discs and set aside. Dice up the rest of the cheese from each slice.

In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, dressing, and diced cheese. Add hot meat/onion mixture and sauerkraut and stir.

Fill ramekins with meat mixture and top with cheese disc.

Bake at 350 (and I didn’t even bother with the oven for this, opting to use my toaster oven instead) for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned and melty.

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie)

Nik’s Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground meat (whatever you use)
1 small zucchini, diced (I leave the skin on for extra fiber)
1 small yellow squash, diced (same deal)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 envelope of taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans (I used the spicy kind), drained and rinsed
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 can tomatoes and chiles (or canned diced tomatoes if you don’t like the heat)
2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese (you can do reduced fat or regular but NOT fat free!)

Optional toppings:

Unflavored Greek yogurt
Salsa

Directions:

In a sprayed pan, sautee veggies with garlic until they are softened. Drain any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl. 

Brown ground meat, drain and then transfer to the same bowl and mix with canned beans and tomatoes and chiles.

Mix in taco seasoning thoroughly and then transfer mixture to a 13×9 casserole dish.

Evenly spread out fat free refried beans on top (this may be easier if you heat them in a microwave safe bowl for a minute or so. 

Top with cheese and then bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is oozy, melty and slightly browned.

 

 

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie)Nik’s No-flour Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Dry ingredients:

1 c. quick oats, halved
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Wet ingredients:

1/2 stick low calorie baking butter substitute (equivalent of 1/4 c. or 4 tbsp. I used Blue Bonnet Light)
1 egg
1 c. no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda. If the kind you use doesn’t measure 1:1 with sugar, use the amount your sweetener suggests for a cup of sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Additions:

1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional – I didn’t use this time)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place half your oats in a blender or food processor and blend into a flour.

 

Place in a bowl and combine with your other half cup of oats. Add baking soda, salt and spice and blend. Set aside.

Cream together “butter” and sugar substitute. Add egg and mix until thoroughly combined (with Splenda this is going to look more mealy than creamy. Finally, add vanilla and mix well.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until dough forms. Add your raisins in (and nuts if you’re using them).

 

Using a spoon (of whatever size you like, but remember, the smaller the spoon, the more cookies you’ll yield) scoop out dough and form a ball. Line your balls up on a sprayed cookie sheet then mash down into a disc with a spoon (like many no-flour cookie recipes, these don’t spread on their own).

Bake for about 8-10 minutes. And here they are!

Yes, my baking sheet is a hot mess. I bake a lot. Let’s focus on the BIGGER picture here.

This recipe yielded exactly 12 cookies with a small spoon, 9 with a larger spoon. I think I like the larger spoon one better. Three for me, three for each diva! YUM!

 

 

 

 

(bariatric foodie)

Nik’s No-Flour Almond Butter Cookies

1 c. almond butter

1 c. Splenda (if you don’t use Splenda, use the amount of your preferred sweetener equivalent to one cup of sugar)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter extract 

OPTIONAL: Raw almonds for decoration

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer, making sure egg is fully incorporated. Dough will be loose. 

 

Use a large spoon to roll your dough into a ball. Transfer to a sprayed baking sheet then mash down your dough ball with a spoon to form a disc.

 

Bake about 8 minutes then remove from oven. Place an almond on top of each and press into the cookie while still soft (for a bit of extra flavor, try a lightly sweetened almond from a 100 calorie pack or a cocoa almond!). 

Allow to cool on a rack before eating. Cookies will be crumbly…but YUMMY!

 

 

There! That’s a lot of food!

If you’re wanting to know who the heck eggface and bariatric foodie are, here are the links to their blogs. They’re awesome!

 

Eggface

Bariatric Foodie

And it fits!

This is the first piece I’ve had in my closet and shrunk into, which is a new kind of happy!  Now if only it was for the right season!

34 inches

This is arbitrary and silly, BUT if I add together all of the inches I’ve lost from my waist, hips, ribs, ankle, calf, thigh, arm, neck, and wrist, it’s 34 inches!

Of course, that’s 1 of each limb…

A better number would be something like, I lost 6.5 inches off my belly. Or 9 inches off my boobs (sigh). Or 6.1 inches off my hips. Or 4 inches off my thigh!

Or I could say, I’ve lost 4 pants sizes (going on 5!)

Or I could say, I’ve lost 3 shirt sizes. 

Or I could say, I’ve lost almost HALF of my goal. 

So, I’m shrinking. 

3 Months Down