Apple Brown Nikki

So I wasn't going to post this recipe. Because I thought it would be kinda cruddy to post a WLS friendly dessert two days after Thanksgiving. But here's the deal.

This got a command encore.

So here's how the whole thing went down. I bring my sugar-free, high-fiber dessert to Thanksgiving dinner. I advertised it as sugar-free which, theoretically, meant all non-ops would stay far, far away from it. Ate my dinner (two damn bites and I was down for the count y'all) and took a nice nap. Woke up and...found my dessert pillaged??? The culprits? The men. The very ones who recoil at the words "fiber" and "healthy." Go figure.

With crumble spilling from their mouths they managed to mumble "Grmbledeeburblebop" which can be loosely translated as "you have GOT to make this again." So I did!

I call it "Apple Brown Nikki" because a) it has apples b) it is brown c) I am Nikki and I cooked it and d) I, too, am brown

So consider this one of many Christmas presents.

Apple Brown Nikki

5 - 6 Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored, and sliced
3 tbsp Blue Bonnett Light (or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light...I'm not picky)
1 cup + 1 tbsp Splenda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal

Directions:

1. In a pan, melt "butter." Add apples, cup of Splenda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and sautee until apples are considerably softened. Set aside.

2. In a dry pan, toast the hazelnuts and walnuts until browned.

3. In a blender or food processor, combine both types of cereal, remaining Splenda, and nuts until a crumb mixture forms.

4. Place apples in a casserole dish (I used a 9 x 13). Top with crumb mixture and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until apple mixture is bubbling up through openings in the crumb AND crumb mixture is brown.

This goes well with fat-free whipped cream (pictured) OR if you are trying to use up all your carb allowance for...um...life...Wal-Mart makes a pretty decent no-sugar added, fat-free vanilla ice cream. I'm just sayin'...

Lemon-Ginger Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup

Ok...so not the best word association. But "orange" ya glad I didn't do that knock-knock joke?

(chirp...chirp...) Ok...moving on...

If you don't like vegetables, quite frankly, I think you might be crazy. Ok, that's mean. But seriously. Veggies have so much to offer in the way of flavor. And flavor is the one thing we THINK we lose in the equation of WLS but really we don't. We just have to change the way we produce flavor.

Take this little gem of a bowl here--I ought to call this beta-carotene in a bowl. But the actual contents kinda sound prettier.

Lemon-ginger butternut squash and carrot soup (long but still better than beta-carotene soup)

You are going to freak at how simple this whole set-up is.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled, roasted, and cubed
1 package of shredded carrots (or you could shred them yourself. About a cup and a half)
Juice of one lemon + 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 can chicken broth
1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
2-3 tbsp Splenda (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat, and add garlic, lemon juice and zest and ginger.
2. Once that simmers to a boil add your squash and carrots. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or so.
3. Add yogurt and, using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until thoroughly pureed. If you don't have an immersion blender, do it in batches in a traditional blender.

This is a bowl of comfort. Seriously. And it's a good way for new post-ops to get their veggies in. If you want to up the protein anty, add about a 1/2 cup - 1 cup reconstituted tvp before blending.

Ok, off to go find a stick of gum...I've eaten too much of this already!

...And the people have spoken

The analytics from this blog show an ASTOUNDING increase in hits after the whoopie pie video. And they also show that people come to this blog looking for sweets.

Ok, so I'll post more sweets - all you hadda do was ask!

But now I need to know what you like. Anything you've wanted since surgery that you have had trouble working in? Anything you thought could NEVER be sugar-free?

In the name of science I am obligated to test my hypothesis that there is nothing you can't make WLS friendly. So come friends...let us put it to the test!

If you have a suggestion or request, post it in the comments. Let's see if we can make magic together!

Protein Whoopie Pies

So I keep hearing about these things called "whoopie pies." Now some purists might say that this is a food that cannot be WLS friendly. BUT I SAY NAY!!! So I decided to try. But more than that...I decided to take you guys along with me for the ride...whether you wanna go or not!



Now I know what you want to ask having seen that. How do I make a protein brownie?!?! The recipe is right here on the blog and linked for your convenience ('cept I modified a bit. Skipped the Blue Bonnet Light and just used applesauce. Warning: these need to chill in the fridge for an hour or two to "come into" their full sweetness). Now with all that information in hand... go make whoopie people!!!! Do it for yourselves. Do it for your significant other. Do it for your country!!!

Chai Latte Protein Shake

I know what you're thinking. "Where the HELL has she been????" Well, in the span of the last month me and my little divas have all battled the flu monster--and won! Yay! So now that we are on the mend I am going to get back to the business of numminess! Look for a vid this weekend (I hope by speaking this it will motivate it to actually happen).



For this week's shake recipe, I present to you a riff on a favorite Starbucks concoction. A cold chai tea latte. As many of you know, chai is a smooth, creamy, aromatic tea from India. I love, love, love me some Chai. It is comfort in a cup.

This shake uses my new favorite bottle of Davinci--Chai Concentrate! This concentrate is easy to use. It can be mixed into hot or cold drinks and the best thing for me is that it requires no extra sweetening to "make it do what it do." From me that is saying something.

Chai Latte Protein Shake

8 oz. skim milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp butterscotch pudding mix
2 tbsp Chai Concentrate

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender and whiz it. If you like a milkshake-type shake add enough ice to break the surface of the liquid and whiz again. WARNING: if you do this it will yield a BIG shake. You might want to halve the recipe or find a friend to share the love with! If you are not using ice, cut the chai concentrate in half, a little goes a loooooong way!

Pour it in a pretty glass. Top with fat free whipped cream. Dust with cinnamon to make it look purdy and SLURP!

This my breakfast this morning and...mmmmmmmm (slurp, slurp)....I'm sorry...what were we talking about again?