Top this!

It has come to our attention that some folks have a deep and abiding longing for "fruit on the bottom" yogurt.

You got problems. We've got strategies!

Here are a few tips to get your fruit/yogurt love thang happening without all the unnecessary sugar.

• Sugar-free preserves: I do this a lot. I nuke the preserves for about 10 seconds to soften them, then stir into my yogurt. NUMMY!

• Frozen fruit: this works best for you 9-5 lunch packers. Put some yogurt (we like the Greek variety) in a container and toss some berries in there along with a packet or two of your favorite sweetener (trust us, you don't need much!). Carry it to work, put in the fridge. This works especially well as an afternoon snack. The yogurt and the fruit get together and do the magical mambo (yeah...ok...I'm in the gutter with you...it happens...) and your yogurt becomes INTENSELY flavorful. And it has the added benefit of having pretty swirly flavors.

• For those of you who aren't DIY'ers, we like several brands of no-sugar added varieties: Publix makes a no-sugar added fruity-on-the bottom. And if you just plain like flavored yogurt, we keep hearing about this Carbmaster stuff and are endeavoring to get to a state where we can buy it!

Thai Chicken Skewers

by Nikki

Last week when I was at the farmer's market I saw something that made me very, very happy. A child devouring a big ol' hunk of meat on a stick. I thought to myself "summer must be coming."

Meat on a stick, to me, evokes memories of state carnivals, funnel cakes and other types of summer time fun. Sigh...I love the summer.

(Focus!)

Mmmmkay! So the day before I got to live out my skewered meat dreams at Debbie's Grillin' and Chillin' Pouch Party where we made Thai Chicken skewers. These skewers were a hit with the whole crowd. I make it with a peanut sauce that my kids absolutely love!

I would like to point out that the method used to marinate this chicken is not exclusive to Thai chicken. You can substitute whatever marinade ingredients you like and it'll work just the same! So try it...especially if, like me, you like your meat...good and tender (ew...ok...brain scrub...mind was in gutter...it's all Jen's fault!)

Thai Chicken Skewers

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup unflavored Greek yogurt
2 tsp  minced ginger
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tsp. minced garlic

Equipment:

A grill
Skewers (if using bamboo, soak in water one hour before grilling...grill fires are no fun!)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or resealable bag. Marinate for at least 3 hours (or up to overnight).

Place 1-2 tenderloins (depending on size) on each skewer and grill for 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with...

"Easy Peasy" Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 c. creamy peanut butter (no not PB2...peanut butter...but if you're looking to up the nutritional ante, try this)
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Mix well.

Nuke for 30 - 60 seconds.

Garnish with whole sesame seeds if desired.

And if you like this recipe, you'll probably love our recipe for Thai Iced Tea and "Ghetto Pad Thai."

Chocolate and Strawberries, Better than Sex?

~~Posted by Jen


I love chocolate.  I mean deeply and truly.


So, like we say at Pouch Parties, we don't mandate anyone. Everyone is the master of their own pouch. I personally subscribe to the "all things in moderation" philosophy, because I know what works for me and what doesn't.  


If I get into the "diet mentality" and start listing things I can and cannot have, then the little voice in my head (or the devil on my shoulder, maybe?) gets all, "Hey Y'all, watch this!"  Seriously!  I know it sounds crazy, but then I never claimed to be anything less than at least a little bit crazy.  Wrap it up in a Southern accent, and you'd be amazed the things you can get away with saying to folks!

S'anyway, back to the topic at hand.  You know how sometimes you just want CHOCOLATE??  But you don't want to blow your whole plan on one or two bites of bliss.  Am I right?  Not to mention if you dump on sugar (which I don't, but Nikki does), that opens up a whole other plethora of issues. What's a post-op WLS'er to do?  For starters, get in your kitchen and mix up a batch of this! Stat!


Jen's Chocolate and Strawberries "Better than Sex" Dessert


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Fage (or your favorite brand) 0% Greek Yogurt

5 medium sized fresh strawberries

3-4 tablespoons Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
4 packets (or to taste) Splenda
Sugar Free whipped cream (or whatever type of whippage you prefer)

Directions:

1. Cut 4 of the strawberries into small chunks, and slice the 5th one.  Set aside the sliced one to use for garnish.
2. Whisk together the Greek yogurt, chocolate syrup, strawberry chunks, and Splenda in a mixing bowl until well combined.
3. Pour mixture into a serving bowl and top with as much whippage as your little heart desires.  If you want to get all fancy, or are trying to impress someone, layer the chocolate mixture and whipped cream in a parfait glass
4. Arrange the sliced strawberry on top of the whipped cream and drizzle a little chocolate syrup over the top.
5. Grab your spoon and dig in!

Sometimes I use the chocolate mixture and dip whole strawberries into it.  You could also use this as "icing" for a chocolate protein cake and top it with the strawberry slices.  OMG So good!!!  

Lady of the Rings

Certain popular websites for girls who happen to be hungry claim this recipe, but it's been around forever. I got it from somebody who got it from somebody who got it from somebody else which is probably the same place THAT chick got her recipe from. She was just smart enough to market it.

That being said...

I was in the mood for onion rings yesterday. This gets me over the hump. One word about these onion rings though. They don't pair so well (to me) with ketchup. Considering the "breading" it all comes together to be too sweet. I much prefer a nice Greek yogurt based ranch dip for these.

At any rate they are notoriously easy to make and have the added benefit of fiber which MANY of us desperately need (and you know why so don't make me say it...I'm trying to keep this blog about food only!)

Fiber CRUNCH! Onion Rings

1 large onion, sliced into quarter inch rings (a piece of advice...going back to the sweetness issue. Don't use Vidalia. A nice white onion works well)
2 cups Fiber One Original cereal crushed into crumbs (do it in a food processor)
1/2 c. liquid egg substitute
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste

Directions:

1. Mix cereal crumbs with spices and parmesan cheese
2. Set up a dredging station with the liquid egg substitute in one bowl next to the cereal mixture
3. Dip each ring into egg, then cereal and repeat.You should have a thick coating and good coverage.
4. Lay out on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes

YUMMY! I also do mozzarella sticks this way (thanks Shari for that recipe!) using light string cheese. My children LOVE these things. And I can have my little plate of them and not feel like I wrecked my whole day.

Notice some in the picture are lighter than others. This is because my 24 year-old "I don't eat that healthy shizz" brother insisted I make him some using bread crumbs. I snapped a pic of all the ones that I made but the darker ones are the ones I ate. But I have a little secret. Come close...closer...so he doesn't hear you...i used whole wheat bread crumbs and a little bit of Fiber One anyways! Bwahahahahaha!!! He loved every minute of it.

Here's some other ways we like to use Fiber One:

Rocky Road Pie
Protein Cheesecake
Apple Brown Nikki
Zucchini Fries

Tony H.'s Peanut Butter Crepes

Hey kids! This is the first in a series of guest posts we're doing over here at BF. Cuz we're not the only ones with good ideas or inspiration to share! This one comes from Tony H. our Zumba-loving, Click-drinking friend from OH. Tony wrote to me about this recipe and at first I was lukewarm. He has since convinced me of its nominousness. He was MUCH more modest in the titling on his blog, simply calling the post "Peanut Butter Crepes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese." But doesn't Peanut Butter Love Haze sound positively purple (purple to me = Zen).

S'anyway out at his blog "The Shrinking Titan" and if you make this recipe, holla! I am still on PB restriction so I'd LOVE to know how it tastes. So without further adieu..heeeeeere's TONY!

Excuse me while I type this… I’m suffering from after glow right now…

I just made the most nomalicious dish. I’m stuffed, I’m satisfied, and if I didn’t make it myself I’d feel guilty.

Before you say “OMG I can’t make crepes… wtf are you thinking child!” Trust me… you CAN do it. You WANT to do it… Your carb deprived stomach is singing a chorus of Natural Blues begging you to make some of this. (AND THIS IS PRETTY MUCH A NO CARB CREPE!)

First of all… you MUST use a non stick pan (the ones with the nice black teflon coating.. not the shiny silver ones) You need to get it hot first (medium heat) and you need to spray it down with cooking spray every time you make a new crepe.

My friend sent me this recipe (his skinny ass keeps on a low carb diet)

I vamped it a tad bit for my liking

Crepes:
1 Egg
6 egg whites (I used 1 cup of egg whites from a carton)1/2 tsp vanilla (um… I used 2 tsps)
1 1/4 TBL Splenda
2 TBL all-natural peanut butter, creamy (I used 2 TBL of kroger crunchy peanut butter)

Mix up your eggs with a blender or a strong wrist held whisk until they are all emulsified and foamy

Mix in the vanilla, splenda, and peanut butter (not sure how, but the peanut butter does dissolve nicely… if you’re paranoid about the nuts and you used crunchy, you might want to run this mixture through a strainer)

Again, Hot non-stick pan sprayed down..

Less is more with crepes… gently coat the pan with a thin layer of crepe mix. (If you screw up, so what, it’s part of the learning process… you can still eat it, it just won’t be pretty… your tummy won’t care)

Let the crepe cook for about a minute… If you did it perfectly you probably won’t have to flip it because it will have cooked through.. if not, go ahead and flip it and let it cook for about 30 seconds more.

Now… about that flipping thing… If you sprayed the pan down well enough you might luck out and be able to flip it in the pan with a flip of the wrist… (like in the cartoons!) Otherwise I suggest using a pair of tongs and a flipper to flip it (again… practice young padawan)

Now that you have your first warm and delicious peanut butter crepe goodness… you’re ready to top it!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz fat freecream cheese (1/2 block)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 vanilla extract
1 1/2 TBL splenda

Mix that goodness up nice and smooth and slap it on your warm crepe.

It’s enough to make you wanna slap yo mama

I was only able to eat one of these (GOD I LOVE FOODS THAT FILL ME UP!!!!)

I put the rest in a baggy and plan to make another later. This time I’m going to blend up some blackberries that I have in the fridge, boil them down with some splenda, and top my crepe.

(fruit is always being boiled down with splenda in my house… you can turn anything into dessert ith a little fruit sauce!)

I don’t think I’ve ever shared a recipe on here.. but this one was just so surprisingly good that I had to share!

Shown above with a dab of whipped cream, mint, and cinnamon/splenda powder.

Rocky Road Protein Frozen Pie

Cuz it's a ROCKY ROAD baby!

So here's the quick and dirty version of how this dessert came to be. It started in church (doesn't everything?). I was greeter so essentially my job is to hand out the church programs to people coming in. There is also this magazine for kids and pre-teens called "Pockets from the Upper Room." Well I usually flip through it with my oldest daughter every month and every month they have some yummy (totally not WLS-friendly) recipe in there. This month's recipe was a cookies 'n cream pie.

Fast forward to this evening. I wanted to make dessert. Cuz if I don't then I have to watch people eat dessert that I can't eat which makes me very grumpy. Sooooo...I began to think. About pie. But I didn't want cookies 'n cream. And for that matter I had no cookies (danger food for me ya see...). So I began to think what I had on hand. Chocolate pudding? Check. Whipped topping? Check. What else? Let's see...sugar free chocolate chips...nuts...sugar free marshmallows...DING! Idea! Light bulb! And so ths idea was born.

WARNING: This is the kind of dessert that makes me very happy that I live with other people. If you live alone, invite others to share this with you. Trust me...you do NOT want to be alone with this pie. I was alone with it for 30 minutes and the damn thing drove me from my home! I hadda sit outside until others joined me.

Nik's Rocky Road Pie

Ingredients:

1 package sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding
2 scoops of your favorite chocolate whey (I use this)
1.5 cups skim milk
1 tub of fat-free whipped topping (I use Fit and Active from Aldi's)
1/4 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
1/4 c. nuts (I used chopped walnuts but slivered almonds work too)
4 sugar-free marshmallows, sliced into mini-pieces (I find this works best using kitchen scissors that have been sprayed with nonstick)

For crust:

2 c. Fiber One twig cereal, crushed
1.5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp Splenda
2 tbsp sugar-free chocolate syrup
3-4 tablespoons butter spread (or butter if you can swing it...I use Blue Bonnet Light)

Directions:

1. To get your crust started, combine cereal crumbs with unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda and whisk until thoroughly mixed.

2. Add syrup then butter then mix (I find it works best by hand) until a coarse meal forms.

3. Press crust into a pie plate and bake in preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes

4. In a bowl, combine pudding mix and protein powder and whisk until combined. Add milk and beat with hand mixer until fully mixed (be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl). Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

5. When crust is done, remove from oven and allow to thoroughly cool (this works best on a wire rack)

6. When pudding mixture is slightly set, remove from refrigerator and add chocolate chips, nuts, and marshmallows. Add entire tub of whipped topping and gently fold using a spatula or scraper until fully mixed.

7. Pour mixture into pie crust and spread evenly. Freeze for about 3 hours. Remove from freezer a few minutes before serving and put any leftovers back into the freezer.

Oh...sweet Lordy this is good! And the stats aren't bad either. Again, this assumes MY ingredients. 'Cept the marshmallows which weren't in "le database." For those add an additional 2.5 calories and .98g of carbs per slice. The stats assume 1/16 of the pie which is what I eat. Your family would probably eat 1/8 but still...not bad at all in comparison to what they COULD be eating...doncha think?

Mexican Lasagna

So ok, before we start one note of caution: when you're cooking chew gum. Seriously. Cuz I made this one this evening so I could photograph it and I was just a'tastin' the ingredients. Now it is done...and beautiful...and yummy (I had a small nibble) and I'M TOO DANG FULL TO HAVE A SLICE!!!

Moving on...


Nik's Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, whatever)
Optional but I used: 1 cup textured vegetable protein
1 small can of mild green chiles
1 small onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 packet of taco seasoning
2.5 cups 2% Mexican blend cheese
1 can fat-free refried beans
1/2 a jar Enchilada sauce
Either 4 small low-carb, whole-wheat tortillas OR 2 Flat-out wraps (I used the Fit and Active brand multi-grain wraps from Aldi's)
6 oz. chorizo sausage, either sliced or casings removed (I went for the latter)

Optional toppings:

Unflavored greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Salsa

Directions:

1. In a sprayed pan, sautee onions and green peppers until soft, add green chiles and warm through.
2. In a sprayed skillet brown ground meat and chorizo.
3. In a separate large bowl combine TVP with an equal amount of water. Add salt and pepper and stir to incorporate.
4. Combine meat mixture, veggie mixture and TVP in the large bowl with taco seasoning.
5. In a 13x9 casserole dish spread a layer of the meat mixture. Top with a enchilada sauce, refried beans, then cheese cover with one of your wraps (trim it if it is too big for your casserole dish). Repeat your layering so that you end up with the top layer being cheese which should come level with your casserole dish.
6. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
7. Extract and remove from heat. Allow to cool about 10 - 15 minutes before cutting

Just finished lasagna out of the oven. Mmmmmm...

This stuff is YUMMY. Now for the carbophobes out there, you CAN substitute the wrap/tortilla action with something like zucchini but I wouldn't. Why? If you use flat-outs or the Aldi's brand you are getting not a lot of carbs (You use 2 for the whole lasagna and each has 17g of carbs, 9 of which come from fiber. And 100 calories. So really, you're not getting many calories OR carbs and in return you are getting good fiber, k? So breathe and eat yer damn carbs!

For those of you obsessed with stats, here are the stats using MY INGREDIENTS. Yours may vary.

And if your mouth is watering at this, check out some other Mexican inspired favorites of ours:

Fiesta Tuna boats
Chicken enchiladas
Taco casserole (scroll down for the recipe)

Next up: We travel down to the bayou to offend the sensibilities of good Cajuns with WLS friendly shrimp 'n grits!

The "Official" Triple X method post

I needed one central place for the Triple X method to be so I could link back when the need arises. So here it is kids…(doesn’t this feel like when you’re in the car and you started singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the wall” and you get to 92 bottles and you are SO over it?)

Nik’s Triple X method to perfect triple thick shakes every time

Step 1: Load your blender with your liquid base (this assumes milk. It works to thicken water based shakes but it never quite achieves “triple thick” status), protein, and any flavor additives (sugar-free syrup, pudding mix, Splenda, whatever. But not frozen fruit yet).

Step 2: Turn your blender on.

Step 3: Walk away for two minutes. Yes two whole minutes. Trust me this works. Go write a check (preferably to me…kidding…kinda…), check your voicemail, check your e-mail. JUST GO DO SOMETHING FOR TWO MINUTES.

Step 4: Turn blender off. If it has gone long enough you should get a phenomena that I call “Gurgle Pop” wherein a very large air bubble comes to the surface and bursts. The shake will already be thick and creamy looking but it’s not totally there yet.

Step 5: To get it triple thick you gotta add some ice. How much is up to you. I add ice until 2 cubes break the surface of the liquid. But I drink freakishly large protein shakes. So if you have smaller pouch capacity than me (and 98.7% of you do), play around with your amounts and find what works best for you.

Step 6: Blend again on ice crushing mode until your blender begins to purr like a kitten (mmmmm…that thought makes me sleepy…).

Step 7: Pour in glass. Add whippage or anything else as you see fit. Live. Love. Be happy.

K?

SOME DISCLAIMERS:

-Two minutes is a LONG time in blending time. If you have other people in the house who are sleeping and, if you like me have a blender that rivals a jackhammer in decibel power, you might want to plan your escape route before starting this process (shout out to kilmarlic on OH for that tip)

-As I said before, but bears repeating, your shake will be large. Make accommodations! Perhaps go back to that fateful day in kindergarden when your teacher taught you the "s" word...(share, people, share!!! What kinda kindergarden teachers did YOU have?)

Kahlua and Scream!

I have been having such fun playing with the protein products I plan to demonstrate at the Protein Shake Pouch Party for Dr. Von Reuden’s support group later this month. If you are a patient of DVR and want to attend, call in to the office and reserve your space today! (/end shameless self promotion)

So this morning I wanted to try something a little different with my Vanilla Click. Yes, I know I sound like a broken record but I really like this stuff. It is so versatile. With the mocha you are sort of attached to the chocolate flavor. Vanilla? You can bury that flavor in a million other things if you try hard enough.

If any of you have checked out my protein shake list, you may have noticed my “mudslide” protein shake. I modeled it after the drink at Applebee’s which is a concoction of chocolate, Kahlua and cream. Now I’m not much of a drinker, but to my understanding there is a drink that is simply Kahlua and cream. I think this protein shake speaks to those who loved that particular drink and hence it’s name.

Nik’s Kahlua and Cream protein shake

8 oz. milk (I use Hood Calorie Countdown)

1 scoop cookies ‘n crème protein powder (I used Max Protein this time but usually I’d do Body Fortress)

1 scoop Vanilla Click

3-5 pumps Davinci Sugar-free Kahlua syrup

2-3 packets of Splenda (to taste…you all know about me and sweetness)

Ice (however much you use)

If you like the thickness, use the Triple X method—mix protein, syrup and milk for 2 full minutes in your blender. Yes, two minutes. The whole two minutes. Then add ice and blend again another minute or two until everything is nice and crushed. I like to top with a little poof of whippage. Use your own discretion on that one. For newbies, you might want to halve this recipe (and for that matter you might want to hold off on the Triple X method) as this makes a pretty large shake that is over 40g of protein and it just may be too much for you.

But boy is it yummy…OMG…now having never tasted actual Kahlua and Cream (I was a hopeless square as a pre-op) I can’t attest to its proximity to the original but I know one thing for sure: this is SO becoming protein ice cream this weekend!

Banana Protein Cheesecake

Ok, first of all...how come everytime I'm about to post something really good my camera starts to act stupid? Let's discuss THAT. (or not)
Protein cheesecake...YAY!!!

There is one benefit to my being so late with this. I ended up having to make another one (the sacrifices I make for youse guys!!!) and this time tried one with a hint of banana. OMG...serious yumminess going on here.

So here's the set up:


Crust

2 cups Fiber One Original cereal (the twiggy kind)

2 tbsp light butter spread (I use Blue Bonnet Light)

2 tbsp Splenda



Directions for the crust:


Using a food processor, grind together cereal, butter spread, and Splenda until a course meal forms.

Press into a springform pan (or if making cheesecake squares, into a foil lined and sprayed 9x13 baking pan)

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and allow to cool

Cheesecake Ingredients

Two 8 oz. packages of Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cheese)

1 cup 0% unflavored greek yogurt

2 eggs

either 2 tsp of lemon zest OR 2 packets of True Lemon

3 scoops of your favorite vanilla protein powder (make sure the calorie range is somewhere around 100-120 calories but no higher)

1/2 c. milk

1 c. Splenda

For the banana hint:

1/2 package of fat-free, sugar-free banana cream pudding mix

Garnish shown above:

3 slices of banana
1/2 tablespoon sugar free caramel sauce

Directions:

In a bowl or cup, mix protein powder and milk until a smooth paste forms

In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and protein mixture and beat on low until incorporated (it may be lumpy...hell it will probably be lumpy...don't worry...it'll be fine)

Add lemon (or True Lemon), Splenda, and eggs and beat again on medium until everything is incorporated. Again, it will probably be fairly lumpy unless you're using protein that has been formulated for baking. Again, do not freak out. It's okay!!!

Pour mixture over cooled crust and spread to make an even layer.

NOW...if you are making in a baking pan you'd pop it in the oven and bake for 35 minutes

HOWEVER

If you are doing this in a spring form pan you do the following:

1. Line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil

2. Set the pan in a larger pan (like a roasting pan)

3. Fill the roasting pan with warm water until it goes halfway up the springform pan

4. THEN put it in the oven

Keep an eye on it...especially if you are one of those perfectionists that doesn't like cracks in their cheesecake. Personally? So long as it tastes good I'm good to go.

Once the 35 minutes is up, prop the oven door open and keep the cake in there until the oven cools. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool another 20 minutes before refrigerating for about 3 hours (this is NOT a quickie treat).

It is...quite simply...lovely...

My next endeavor is to incorporate soft tofu in here somehow and remove some of the cream cheese. Stay tuned for that. Until then...enjoy!

NOTE: These slices are way bigger than I eat. I usually cut mine into 1/16th of the whole cake (these are cut into 1/8ths for the divas consumption). If you make squares they make about 24 good sized squares but as always it's flexible. Cut them as big or small as you like!

Stats: for the basic cheesecake recipe (not including the banana pudding...cuz I was just too lazy to do it up...later...maybe...)

For a round cake cut into 16 pieces: 126.25 calories, 11g carbs, 3.6g fiber, 8g protein

For 24 squares: 84 calories, 7.3g carbs, 2.4g fiber, 5.3g protein

*Note: if you use different ingredients than me, you may end up with different stats, always double check through your own food journal program.

Any way you slice it...much better stats than traditional cheesecake!