The Perfect Roast Chicken!

~~posted by Jen

Well, you know all about roasting now, whether you want to cook vegetables or meat.  Now, as promised, here are the instructions for making my "Perfect" roasted chicken! Your family will love you even more than they already do, I promise!


Jen's Perfect Roast Chicken


Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6 pound) fresh Roasting Chicken (may be called a "roaster/broiler")
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
garlic powder
1 large bunch fresh Rosemary (or Thyme, or Italian Parsley, whatever you prefer--I used Italian Parsley & Chives because that's what I grew this year)
2 lemons, quartered
2 onions, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons unsalted (1/2 stick) softened butter (Or you can use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, your choice--both work fine)
***NOTE:  If you've never tried it, Adobo is a Latin combination seasoning that has salt, pepper, garlic all combined and you can get it with or without oregano.  I use this often as a 1-spice fits all for savory dishes.***

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry with clean paper towels. Place 1 of the quartered onions in the bottom of a large roasting pan to serve as a "rack" for the chicken. Lay the chicken, breast side up, on top of the onion. 

In a small bowl, combine the butter, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and stir to blend well. Remove any rings, watches, or bracelets you might be wearing prior to this next step, you will thank me later. Wash your hands if you didn't already, now comes the "play with your food" portion of the program!

Run your index finger gently between the skin and flesh of the breast to loosen the skin covering the breast of the chicken on both sides. Working carefully, divide 4 tablespoons of the butter evenly between the skin and the flesh on the 2 sides of the breast, spreading it evenly over the breast halves. 

Rub the remaining butter evenly over the outside of the chicken, and season the chicken well inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the herbs, lemon, 2nd onion, and the garlic. After handling raw poultry, always remember to wash your hands well with hot, soapy water.  

Buttered, Stuffed, & Ready for the oven!

Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil and place in a 400 degree oven for 45-55 minutes.  Remove the foil and set aside to re-use when the chicken is done. Baste the chicken with the pan drippings, coating the whole top of the bird so the skin will brown and crisp.  Return the chicken to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes until the skin is golden brown. 

The recommended cooking time for a whole chicken at 400 degrees is 22 minutes per pound. My oven is brand new, natural gas, and cooks pretty fast, so an hour and 15 minutes worked perfect for me. Since cooking times vary depending on your oven and the altitude, check for doneness now before you turn your oven off. 

The "old wive's method" is to take one of the drumsticks by the bony end and jiggle it, if it moves loosely at the joint, it is done. You can also insert an instant-read meat thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh, it should read 160 degrees. The third option is to cut into the leg and thigh joint, the juices should run clear.

Remember, it has retained the heat from the oven, so if it is really close to 160 degrees (like 155), don't cook it any longer. It will continue to cook with the heat retained, this is known as "carryover cooking." Allow it an additional 10 minutes of covered resting time (30 minutes total) and re-check the temperature before you slice it.

If the chicken is not done (juices are still bloody or it's less than 155 degrees), re-cover it with foil so the skin doesn't over brown and return it to the oven at 400 for another 10 or 15 minutes, then check it again. When it is done, remove it from the oven, re-cover the bird with foil and let it rest on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.  This allows the juices time to re-distribute before slicing.

The easiest way to carve the chicken is to cut the drumsticks & wings off, then remove the thighs at the joint.  Slice the breast right along the bone on each side and remove it as a whole piece from each side, then cut it crossways so everyone can get a piece of breast meat.  

Store leftovers in a plastic storage container, be sure to drizzle some of the pan drippings over the meat to keep it moist in the fridge. Here's how I enjoyed some of my leftovers today, on a Pop-rice with Amish Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese! NOM!!

Pop Rice topped with Sundried Tomato Spread & Leftover Roast Chicken

BF Basics: Roasting Part 2: Meats & Poultry

~~posted by Jen

Yesterday in Part 1, we learned all about roasting vegetables, so today we'll cover roasting meats, seafood, and poultry. Roasting meats is no more complicated than roasting vegetables, although the cook time is a bit longer in some cases, except seafood.

The tools and ingredients you'll need are the same, with the exception of some additional spices & produce you might want to have on hand.

Additional Seasonings/Produce for Roasting Meats & Poultry:
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Adobo Powder
Seasoning Salt
Paula Deen's Butt Massage (for pork)Onions
Whole Garlic Cloves
Fresh Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Italian Parsley)
Celery Stalks
Carrots

I'll start by covering one of my absolute favorite roasted proteins: shrimp. Shrimp are super easy to roast, and it makes a quick and healthy WLS-friendly meal. Once you taste them roasted, you'll never go back to boiled again!

Roasted Shrimp with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

To roast shrimp you follow the BF Basics Instructions for Roast vegetables from yesterday, except you only roast them for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. That's it! Perfect party food for a crowd, if you catch a good sale on shrimp.

You CAN roast scallops, but in my opinion they are just better seared on the stove, so don't bother. Oysters you can roast in the shell right on the grill, I've never attempted them in the oven but see no reason why you couldn't. They'll pop open when they're done, as will mussels or clams.

Roasting poultry, whether chicken or turkey, follows the same basic method. The rule of thumb is 22 minutes per pound at 400 degrees, or 25 minutes per pound at 350. I have detailed, step by step instructions in my Perfect Roast Chicken post. I use the same method for turkey as for chicken, and it turns out moist, juicy, and delicious every time.

Beef and pork, I usually tend to roast larger, less expensive cuts of each. My favorite cut of beef to roast in the oven is beef brisket. Not corned beef!  It's the same cut of meat, without the brine/curing that corned beef has.

The best method to cook brisket in the oven is what I call "Low and Slow", you can also use this method for large cuts of pork such as pork shoulder (substitute Paula Deen's Butt Massage seasoning for the Steak Seasoning & Adobo).

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Rinse off the brisket and lightly pat it dry, you want it a bit damp so the seasoning mix will stick. Combine equal parts Montreal Steak Seasoning and Adobo Powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle liberally over the brisket and massage it in. (Yes, I said rub your meat, get your minds outta the gutter!)

Make sure to season all sides. Place the roast in a graniteware covered oval roaster and put the lid on. Roast at 225 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. The meat will be juicy, succulent, and fall apart. No knives needed!

If your family likes barbecue, shred the meat (whether beef or pork) and use your favorite BBQ sauce. Perfect way to use up the leftovers!

Questions, need help? Hit us up via email, or leave a comment below and we'll holla back!

BF Basics: Roasting Part 1: Vegetables

Roasted Baby Carrots

~~posted by Jen

Let me start by apologizing for the delay in posting this. My plan was to post it last night after dinner, but I had some slight technical difficulty with Wi-Fi access and couldn't get back online to finish it.  This morning I had to call my good pals at Verizon to get my wireless card re-activated, but now I am back in action!! So this week's focus is on roasting.  Since it's kind of lengthy and detailed, I am splitting this week into 2 posts, Vegetables and Meats.

 I have a deep and abiding love for roasting, whether it's meats or vegetables. I totally blame Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. The first time I saw her roast asparagus, I fell in love with the idea, and off I went. Now that the weather is cooling off (at least in most of the country), it's finally not too hot to fire up the oven again. Yesterday I happened to be roasting a whole fresh chicken that I got from my friends the Amish on Saturday, so I'm going to tell you  all about that in the 2nd segment of this week's feature. (Wow, am I sounding all official now, or what?)

Roasting is basically a dry cooking method, typically done in a 400 degree oven.  Most vegetables take about 15 minutes or so, depending on your oven and the size of the vegetables.  Meat cooking times vary by the size cut of meat you are cooking.  If it is a less expensive (read: tougher) cut of beef or pork, roasting it low and slow (225 degrees for 8 to 10 hours) will yield a succulent, juicy, fall apart piece of deliciousness.  I typically use the low and slow method for beef brisket, london broil, and pork shoulder for barbecue.  NOM!

There are some basic tools and ingredients needed for roasting, most of these items are probably already in your kitchen.  If you have any questions or need further help, feel free to hit us up via email, or leave your question in the comments below.

Roasting Basics:


What you'll need on hand:
Olive Oil (light Olive Oil is fine, doesn't have to be Extra Virgin)
Salt
Lemons or Lemon juice
A good roasting pan for meats or poultry
A graniteware oval roaster with lid for larger cuts of meat
A jelly roll pan for seafood or vegetables


How to roast vegetables:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash your veggies and trim them if needed, then pat dry with paper towel or clean kitchen towel. If you're using zucchini or any veggie that you have to cut up, make sure to cut it into same size pieces so they will cook the same length of time.

Spread them evenly on the jelly roll pan and sprinkle liberally with olive oil to coat. Using your hands, toss the vegetables in the oil until they are completely coated, then salt them.You can add other seasonings to your taste, but I prefer just salt and lemon. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the veggies, then place the pan in your 400 degree oven.

 Most vegetables take about 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't scorch. I usually let them cook for 8 minutes, then take them out of the oven and flip them over with a spatula before the last few minutes of cooking. After the first 10 minutes, check them every couple of minutes to make sure not to burn them. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon half over the vegetables just before serving.  They can be served hot from the oven or even at room temperature.  Baby carrots are especially good with a splash of balsamic vinegar on them instead of the lemon juice.

Some of my favorite veggies to roast are asparagus, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, to name a few. I've made roasted asparagus for lots of my friends who didn't even think they liked asparagus until they tasted it roasted. This is a perfect party snack, you can roast several bunches, stand them up in a pretty glass and voila~~ delicious appetizer!

So, what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and play with your food! Let us know what creations YOU come up with! Part 2 of this segment will be posted tomorrow morning, featuring my *perfect* roast chicken!!

Naked Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

~by Nikki

Hey guys,

Jen had your "BF Basics" on roasting tips all ready to go...and then the "wonky wireless network" troll visited her house!

So look for that later today or early tomorrow. Until then...please accept this offering to tide you over. :)

One of the nice things about being further out from surgery is that I can get enough protein in a day to allow for the occasional vegetarian meal. This makes me very happy.

What also makes me very happy is when that meal is very, very simple. Because prepping food can be dangerous. I have a certain amount of time, from start to finish, before my "nosh-o-meter" kicks in and I start nibbling my way into my next meal. This is bad. For many reasons. But mostly because by the time I'm finished preparing my beautiful meal, I am too full to eat it!

I love the whole "5 ingredients or less" movement I see happening. There's even a Food Network show dedicated to teaching folks how to make simple meals with 5 ingredients or less.
This recipe did not come from that show.

Rather it is the hybrid of an idea I saw on tv and one of my own imagining. Either way, it's simple and GOOD.

Nik's Naked, Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

Eggplant, sliced about 1/3 inch thick (think drink coaster...and you can use as many slices as you like. If you are just cooking for you, use one or two. If for others you can make this on a bigger grill and make more)

A few rings of yellow onion

A few slivers of green pepper

1/2 c. good spaghetti sauce

1/4 c. Italian blend shreded cheese (make sure there's Parmesan in there!)

Free Ingredients (by virtue of the fact that they are usually household staples):

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about a tablespoon if just for you. Adjust accordingly for more people)

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

If using a grill pan, spray with nonstick and get it to heating up. If using a Foreman grill, you can skip this process and go straight to #2.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of eggplant, then brush both sides with olive oil.

If using a grill pan, lay eggplant on the pan and cook five minutes on both sides. If using a Foreman grill, do five minutes total. If using a regular grill, do five minutes each side in the hot zone of your grill.

Alongside the eggplant, lay onions and peppers and let them soften. Remove when veggies are caramelized.

Heat (either in a microwave or a small saucepan) your spaghetti sauce.

Place eggplant on a plate and ladle hot spaghetti sauce over it. Sprinkle with cheese (the cheese will melt with the heat of the eggplant and sauce). Top with veggies.

I swear on my pet gerbil's grave...you will NOT miss the breading. The great thing about this recipe, to me, is that it is customizable. If you are early out, use a slice of eggplant from closer to the stem. Further outs can use a bigger slice. You can add or take away whatever spices you like. And it's not completely devoid of protein. Eggplant has a little and so does the cheese. If you want to try this recipe and need more protein, I highly suggest this unflavored protein powder which stirs well into sauces.

I can eat two of these and it's a pretty satisfying meal. And yummmmy. Now I have a confession to make. I like mine with skin on, but once I took the skin off and told my children it was chicken. AND THEY BELIEVED ME!!!

(Yes, I am evil)

Introducing......BF Basics!!

~~posted by Jen

Roasted Shrimp and Brussels Sprouts

Nik and I have talked about our different styles and approaches to cooking quite a bit over the years. As most of y'all may know, she didn't really cook all that much prior to WLS. Post-op, cooking became a necessity in order to make sure her nutritional goals were met. I've always loved to cook (maybe THAT's how I got to 495 lbs lol), so we come from kind of different perspectives. As we've done more Pouch Parties and support group meetings, we discovered that lots of our Poucher friends were just like us! Either they loved to cook and always had, or were just starting their kitchen adventures. We were surprised to discover that the vast majority of of our post-op WLS friends never really learned to cook, even the most basic techniques.

With that in mind, we decided to create a new weekly post called Bariatric Foodie (BF) Basics. It will be posted every Sunday and include different types of cooking techniques and ways to use those off the wall ingredients we'd never heard of prior to having weight-loss surgery.  Today I happen to be roasting a chicken for dinner, so this week's feature is Roasting.  Keep an eye out for that a little later this afternoon. Just to whet your appetites for future features, some of the upcoming BF Basics posts include:  Pie Crusts, TVP, and Greek Yogurt. Hit us up if there is something specific you'd like to see featured here, whether it's an ingredient or a technique. Play with your food, people!!

...And then there were three (bon-bons that is)

~by Nikki

Bon-bon madness is catching on. Have you made yours yet? No? Well maybe a nice testimonial from our friend Lucia in Rhode Island might convince you. She says:

I love this recipe! To shake the pieces of banana in, I didn't have any of the things you listed. So I took some Fiber One twigs and a little cocoa powder and (somewhat) pulverized them in the food processor. This mix worked fine. Also the only syrup I had on hand was SF chocolate. So mine are nice and chocolaty!

And they look like it too. Thanks Lucia!

In other news, I think Jen just coined the latest in a LONG list of Pouch Party sayings. We have quite a few because, as a company, we have to be able to describe what we do in a few words. Here's a few that we already have going:

• "Cooking Big, On a Small Scale"
• "Your surgeon tells you how to eat, we show you what to eat."
• "There's no excuse for making a nasty protein shake!"
• "There's NO food that can't be made weight loss surgery friendly!"

Those are all nice, but Jen said something yesterday that so perfectly described our goal at Bariatric Foodie that I nearly fell out of my chair when I read it. Wait for it...wait for it...

"Play with your food people! And then let us see what you did."

Sounds simple but THAT is what we hope you'll do with our recipes. Play with them. Take out things you don't like and replace them with what you do like. Add some more stuff to them if you want to. We're always here to answer your questions and we love, love, love when you send us pictures of your BF-inspired creations. Truth be told, we love to see what you're cooking in general. So if you came up with something really great that you want to share, hit us up!

Shaking up Your Salad!

~~posted by Jen

So usually I eat a salad with some protein on top for lunch or dinner, but one of my favorite "go to" snacks is veggie sticks with Greek Yogurt Ranch dip.  Let's face it, you can only eat so much meat and cheese before you start craving "vegabulls".  Yesterday afternoon I made myself the little crudite snack pictured above, and it got me thinking back to my early post-op days when I would have sold my soul for a salad.  Then, the inevitable light bulb went off in my head.  What if we could make a salad into a protein shake???

I know, I know, it sounds crazy.  But one of my fellow pouchers and Facebook friends, Ruby Sue, was doing just shakes for a few days to detox from carbs (she's a couple years out) and one day she did a protein shake with veggies.  I know our good friend Tara, aka Miz Crunchy Granola, frequently makes her kefir smoothies with veggies too.  Of course I had to try it.  Y'all know me, when I get an idea in my head I can't rest until I try it!

So, I did.  First I used my vanilla soy protein powder, as Ruby had used vanilla in her version.  Let me just say this.  All the ranch dip mix and garlic powder in the WORLD would not mask that dang vanilla flavor.  Believe me when I tell you!!  I even had my non-op guinea pig tasters try it, and they agreed.  Salad + dessert taste, not a good combo. In the interest of science, I schlepped to Whole Foods in Princeton and got some unflavored soy protein powder.  (See the lengths I am willing to go to, ALL for y'all??!!)

Annnnnd, what do you know?  With the unflavored protein powder, it tasted....wait for it.....JUST LIKE A SALAD!!!!  This is a recipe two-fer, for those who didn't already know the trick with ranch powder and greek yogurt to make your own dip or ranch dressing, and the shake recipe.  Without further ado...

Ranchy Greek Yogurt Dip:

Ingredients:
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 pack Ranch Dip Mix (I use Hidden Valley Ranch brand, but whatever kind you like)

Directions:
Combine with a whisk until well blended.  Perfect dip for veggies, or I even dip deli meat & cheese rollups in it sometimes.  To make it into ranch dressing, add milk or buttermilk until it thins out to the consistency you like for salad dressing.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.  It may separate after a couple days, so just whisk it again before using.


Now for early outs who aren't cleared for veggies, or for those who are sick of sweet protein shakes...

Jen's Salad Shake: 


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
4 oz milk or soy milk
1/4 packet Ranch Dip Mix (start with 1/4 pack and adjust to your taste, it is kind of salty)
1 scoop unflavored protein powder
1 small tomato, peeled and cored
1 small cucumber, peeled
Handful of fresh spinach leaves (optional)
sprinkle of garlic powder (optional)
black pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in your Magic Bullet or Blender and pulse until protein powder and dip mix are thoroughly incorporated into the yogurt and milk.  Add your veggies and blend for about a minute or so until they are completely pulverized into the shake.

*Note: I used tomatoes and cucumbers twice, added spinach on the 3rd try for extra vitamins.  Use whatever veggies you have & like, blending time will vary.  Broccoli and carrots would be good too, I think celery would be the wrong consistency since it's so stringy it won't blend all the way down.  Spinach WILL change the color, do not freak out because it's greener.*

Taste it before you pour the whole thing in your glass, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.  Enjoy!!

Sugar-free, low(er) carb coconut macaroons

by Nikki

Ok, so let me run down my theory about cookies. They are not evil. They're not the devil incarnate. They were not put on this earth to destroy me. HOWEVER, they are very easy to overeat. So I have cookie rules:

1. Nik only eats sugar-free cookies (an obvious one)
2. Nik only eats cookies in the presence of others (no squirreling the cookies)
3. After Nik gets her pre-determined portion of cookies she gives the rest away very, very quickly

Such was the case last week. I was going to OH Conference in Cincinatti and I promised to make my friend Pam some sugar-free coconut macaroons. This is one recipe I don't have to worry about overdoing. Firstly, the divas LOVE macaroons so I barely get one when I make them. Secondly, I have finally come up with a recipe that yields an amount that isn't hard to get rid of. I have two, I bag some up for the girls lunches and away we go!

So it occurs to me as you all are beginning to pack up school lunches for your kids, this might be a good option. I try to feed my kids good food but they want dessert like every other kid. So why not make it healthy and yummy?

Nik's Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (I get mine from the Amish...but you can also find it online. Most storebought brands are sweetened - read the label!)
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Carbquik
1/2 c. Splenda
1/2 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
1/2 c. liquid egg substitute
3-4 pumps of your favorite sugar free syrup (I used Davinci sugar-free French Vanilla)

Directions

This is the world's SIMPLEST cookie recipe.

Throw everything in a bowl. Mix it together. Lump onto little piles on a sprayed cookie sheet (mixture will be loose). Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes, or until the coconut is nicely browned. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Ok...so reality time. While these cookies are lower carb (from using only half the chocolate chips and using Carbquik instead of flour), coconuts have a good bit of fat in them. So can I say it enough? MODERATION! If you have cookie rules, employ them! If you can't handle having cookies around, my feelings won't be hurt if you refrain from making these. K?

Alright, now for those of us with kids heading back to school next week, let's count down: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR!!!!

More Bon-Bon Madness!

~by Nikki

We have another contender in the bon-bon challenge!

This time it's my good friend Pam. Instead of sending me a picture, however, she blogged about her bon-bon making.

Click here to go to her blog, but be warned: there is some SERIOUS food porn going on over there.

So what are YOU waiting for? Bon-bon with us!

Product Review: Pepperidge Farm Very Thin Bread

~by Nikki

Not that we eat bread or anything. Nooooo...I don't eat bread! Do you eat bread? (well maybe just a little...)

In all honesty, I do occasionally eat bread. But the main reason I don't most of the time is because it's bulky, it takes up too much room and it makes my stomach hurt!

On the way to Cincinnati OH Conference with my friends Nessa and Deb, however, I experienced some bread that was very, very different.

This slice of bread is RAZOR thin. 40 calories a slice. It takes three or four slices to equal the thickness of your standard slice of bread. I am not kidding. Lookit (not my hand by the way):

Now I know we're all about the Arnold Thins in our community, but consider this: have you ever tried making French toast out of an Arnold Thin? (Side note: I have. It's not bad...just not the same). And raise your hand if even the Arnold thin is too damn much (raises hand). This little guy is so cute and he gives me the ability to eat a complete sandwich with less calories and carbs than a normal sandwich AND it doesn't make my tummy hurt.

(It's hard to believe I don't get any kick back from this review, but I truly don't)

So anyway, check it out if you see it in the store. This morning I made poached eggs and toast with them. My next venture is to figure out a higher protein/lower fat creamed chipped beef and toast recipe to slap on these suckers (but don't tell Jen...stuff like that is a frickin institution in the South and she might disown me...)

The first bon-bon contender!

~by Nikki

From my lovely friend Dee. Remember I told you she had a bit of trouble due to my...erm...technical difficulties? Well her bon-bons still turned out pretty decent. She does, however, have some advice to future bon-bon chefs.

She said you might think about cutting them smaller so as not to be so hard on the teeth when eaten. Good advice! Everytime I've made them the bananas were wayyyy overripe so they never really achieved total frozen status and weren't hard to bite into. But I think smaller pieces might be easier to handle.

All in all, she said they tasted delicious and her husband (whom she has affectionately nicknamed "Beast" enjoyed them very much). I'm so glad!

I'll post pics as I get them and advice that comes in on preparation. Thanks Dee for taking the challenge and sharing your bon-bons!

Banana Bonus: Protein Banana Bon-Bons

~~by Nikki

Ok, so here's the deal. Life has been sort of crazy lately. And I've been promising these bon-bon's FOREVER. You've lost faith in the fact that I'll ever post them. I understand. If I were you, I would have too.

So first off let me apologize for that! The hold up is that I don't have a pic. I don't have a pic because life has been crazy! It's an endless cycle!

BUT we have an opportunity here to do something fun. For those of you willing to try your hand at this recipe, I am willing to reward you for doing so!

Yes, people, I am *paying* you to do my job for me.

So here's how it's going to work. The recipe is below. Try it out. E-mail me if you run into any difficulties. Jazz it up! Make it your own! Then snap a pic and send to me.

What's in it for you? Welllll...since my life has been rough, many of my generous hearted friends have sent along goodies ranging from protein powders I could never afford to buy myself to syrups to snacks. I have waaaaaay too much stuff. I try stuff before I recommend it to you all though. But having a gamillion protein bars might not be the best thing for my continued sucess.

SOOOOO...those who make the bon-bons and submit a picture will get the opportunity to hand pick a care package (which I WILL pack with mine own hands instead of violating child labor laws like I usually do) of things from my arsenal...erm, stockpile of protein goodies.

Ok, so deadlines. One week from today...which would be August 31. So, just to re-iterate, three easy steps.

1. Make the bon-bons
2. Snap a pic of the bon-bons
3. E-mail the bon-bon pic to me (along with your OH name or FB name)

By sending me your pic you are also giving me permission to post here on the blog and on our Facebook page. All entrants will be plugged into a random name selector and I will post the name of one winner on Sept. 1st.

You game? Here's the recipe:

Edited to add: My wonderful friend Dee made them this evening and had some trouble. I quickly learned why. I ommitted a whole chunk of the recipe (damn delete button). I've added it back in italics along with some tips from Dee.

Nik's Protein Banana Bon-Bon's

Ingredients

3 large, ripe bananas, chopped into one inch long “nuggets” (Dee suggests smaller since you are eating them frozen)

1 cup unflavored 0% Greek yogurt

½ package sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

1 tablespoon Splenda

3 pumps sugar-free Butter Rum syrup (if you don't have any, whatever you like will do)

2 tablespoons of either soy flour, Carbquick or whole wheat pancake mix

A box of tooth picks

Directions

In a bowl, mix together yogurt and protein powder. Mixture will be thick.

Add pudding mix and mix again. Mixture will be even thicker. Add syrup and Splenda and mix some more!

Place flour or pancake batter in a baggie and shake the banana pieces in them and shake them until well coated. Trust me, in the end you won't taste this but you'll thank yourself for doing it.

Place banana slices on toothpicks and submerge in mixture (this may be easier done using tongs) then transfer onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or wax paper, which is what I used - Dee didn't use anything and said she wishes she did!)

Once done you can either leave the toothpicks in (in which case you’d have a mini-frozen banana pop) or take them out (for a bon-bon).

Freeze for two hours or until coating is set. When going to eat it might be good to let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften up a bit. My girls personally liked them just from the freezer. If your banana is super ripe it should be soft to bite into. Use your best judgement!

I tried and tried to tweak this so you only have enough coating for the bananas and somehow I ALWAYS have more than that. With my diva chocolate lovers, though, this is not a big problem because...the coating...when you put it in the fridge...makes the most awesomest chocolate mousse EVER!!! Thick, rich, creamy and delicious. Just watch your portion sizes! A half a cup of this stuff is more than enough with all the protein it has. With a dollop of whippage...OF COURSE.

And of course...for you stats people, here is the LiveStrong diary entry! (even if you don't use LiveStrong this will show you the stats for this). For our purposes a serving is 2 bon-bons.

Better'n Peanut Butter?

~ by Nikki

I will admit…I was skeptical about this stuff. But when my friend Nessa’s hubby, Brian, picked up a jar of the stuff at Trader Joe’s, I gladly joined (read: forced myself upon) him in giving it a try.

The stats on it are pretty good. Lookit:

Yes, yes…I know…PB2 has lower stats. BUT…PB2 isn’t peanut butter, no matter WHAT you add to it. And peanut butter is SO much more than peanut flavor. It is stickiness, gooeyness, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth-ness. And you just can’t replicate that in powdered form. Sorry. You can’t convince me!

So back to the task at hand. Since becoming a devotee of a certain mama who is melting, I have learned there is a method to doing these things. Because if you don’t follow the method, and blindly stick something in your mouth…disaster could ensue (and yes that pun WAS intended).

First, we sniff. Communally. ('scuse my decidedly un-glamorous look...you just can't Paris Hilton all the time, y'know?)

Smells like peanut butter. Looks like natural peanut butter and regular commercial peanut butter got together and had a baby. There was a teeeeenie bit of oil on the top but not much.

Next we taste. Our weapons of choice. Brian being the consummate portion control expert, chose tiny spoons. Which is good on the whole. Because your girl can put away some peanut butter and I’d already had about 10 lbs. of cheese on the way home from the Cincinnati OH Conference. I didn’t need no more fat in my life! So we toast!

The verdict? Well…it’s interesting. First off, it’s sweet. To me, really sweet. But not in a bad way. It sort of tastes like one of those Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake things. Which made me yearn for two squares of chocolate to sandwich this stuff between (still deciding if that’s a good or a bad thing). Brian agreed with the Kandy Kake comparison. But we both like it. Nessa even took a nibble and liked it too.

So then we abandoned the spoons and went full force with one of these babies:

Pumpernickel pretzel stick! Woo doggie! Now newbies…don’t fret. Cuz I know you’re hyperventilating right now. I understand. I personally cannot keep pretzels in my house (except for the divas lunches which are bagged pretzels and come with the shame of eating food from your baby’s mouth…). But Nessa and Brian…wow…they seem to hold onto some food so I don’t worry for them. And I don’t worry for me when I am at their house and a pumpernickel pretzel rod covered in Better’n Peanut Butter HAPPENS to find its way into my mouth.

Cuz it happens sometimes…

OH! And for those PB2 purists, I should note TJ’s also has a product called peanut flour, that is the exact same thing as PB2. Even has the same stats (once you de-code the fact that the portion size is different). And it’s like $3 with no shipping charges. So…I’m just sayin’…a revolution might be in order here.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Fluff

~~posted by Jen

OK, we know it's not even Labor Day yet, but Summer is winding down and we've been thinking about Fall.  Of course, we had to poll our friends and see what Fall recipes you are most looking forward to!  Debby B, one of our FaceBook fans, responded to the Poucher Poll today and asked about Pumpkin in Greek Yogurt.

Luckily, I happen to have a recipe in what is left of the archives in my brain.  It's super easy, delicious, and has LOTS of protein.  You can even make a shortbread crust and pass it off as a pie to your non-op family and friends!  (Yes, I have done this and never even told them, don't judge me! LOL)  So, without further ado, here's my answer to Debby's request!


Jen's Pumpkin Caramel "Cheesecake"


Ingredients:
1 cup Greek Yogurt
3 tbsp Sugar Free Instant Pudding Mix--Cheesecake flavor
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (PLAIN canned pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie mix)
6 packets of Splenda (6 teaspoons, adjust the amount to your taste)
3 pumps DaVinci Sugar Free Caramel syrup (you can use the pumpkin pie flavor if you have it, but I prefer the caramel)
Dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Directions:
Using a whisk, mix the protein powder and pudding mix into the Greek yogurt until thoroughly combined.  In a separate bowl, fluff the pumpkin puree with a fork, then stir in the pumpkin pie spice and Splenda until completely mixed.  Add the Davinci syrup to the pumpkin puree and combine it, then fold the greek yogurt mixture into the pumpkin puree with a rubber spatula until it is completely incorporated.

You can add cream cheese for a more rich texture, but if you're early out I would stick to just the yogurt until you get closer to your goal.  This yields 2 servings for me, or 2 slices of pie if you're putting it in a crust.  So if you want to make an 8 serving pie, quadruple this recipe and pour it into your pie crust.  Refrigerate it for awhile before serving so it is easier to serve.

The protein powder is optional, sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't.  When I make this for family holidays, I do add the cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, it makes it more like a cheesecake texture.  This is a cool taste of Fall, perfect for a warm Summer day.  Enjoy!

BF Review: Muscle Milk Chocolate

~by Nikki

So, as many of you know, because I have a HUGE mouth, I have been going through some things lately.

The only thing that amazes me more than how much “stuff” life can throw at you is how generous people can be in response. Folks learned I needed protein powder and I got boxes and boxes of the stuff. (I am stocked back up now, by the way – thanks so much!)

When folks extend generosity to me, I feel like it’s the least I can do to pay it forward in whatever way I can.

Having said all that, I got a few protein powders I’ve always wanted to try but couldn’t really afford. So…my blessing shall also be yours because I plan to review them all!

Now you guys know me. If I commit to doing something in a certain period of time, Murphy’s Law kicks in and the sky falls, my dog gets whooping cough or SOMETHING that prevents me from honoring the timeline. So at this point I’ll say look for them frequently but no promises as to how frequently.

First up…Muscle Milk Chocolate! This came by way of an old friend of mine (in respect for those generous souls I’ll refrain from using names) in a big Ziplock bag. Being the consummate tracker that she is, there was a label included that told me that a serving is a scoop containing 150 calories, 6g fat, 8g carbs, 16g protein.

I’d tasted MM ready to drink before, so I was curious about the powder. Would it be different? Better? Worse? So since I needed an afternoon snack, I loaded Hamilton Jr. up with:

8 oz. skim milk

1 scoop MM Chocolate

..and gave it a whirl. Usually when using new powder I taste it before adding ice and make tweaks. Verdict: good but if it was to survive the “ice down” it would need a bit of a chocolate boost. That came by way of some no calorie chocolate syrup (I use U-Bet) that my friend Pam (my exception to the no-name rule) sent me.

Threw in some ice, blended it up and…

WOW WOW WOW WOWEEE WOW WOW!!!

Can we say WENDY’S FROSTY???? OMG. The Triple X method TOTALLY transforms this thing into some naughty little treat that you aren’t supposed to have. It’s like having George Clooney as the “milk man” in the afternoon (if you know what I mean and I KNOW you do…).

BF Top 5: You can take it with you!

~by Nikki

Life moves pretty fast. And these days you have to keep up with it if you want to be successful.

So now we’ve all become kings and queens of multi-tasking! Why just the other day I chewed gum while doing the dishes (chirp…chirp…). And just as we’ve taught our brains to be able to serve many functions on the go, we gotta stock ourselves with tools that take our new healthy lifestyles right along with us!

That’s why we’ve come up with our top 5 ways to take your weight loss surgery with you!

#5 Portable Digital Food Scale



We’d say this doesn’t exactly apply to new-newbies…and we’d hope by the time you are approaching WLS “old age” that you’ve learned to eyeball pretty accurately. Even if you didn’t, and especially for those in the middle, we suggest this little baby. It has a tray to measure food with a to-the-gram accuracy for up to 16 oz. (that’s a pound of food y’all…you won’t ever come close to maxing this thing out). The tray doubles as a lid for traveling and it’s super light. Now…we just have to work on your technique of whipping it out with pride! Because no matter WHAT they tell you, food consciousness is sexy…

#4 Resistance bands





One might not think of this an “on-the-go” tool, but they come in handy! There have been many times when I could not make it to the gym and whipped these suckers out of my trunk and fashioned a workout from them. I remember one time in particular, when my job was crazy busy, I brought them into the office, stationed one foot on the tightest band, and arm curled my way through my frustrations.

#3 Portable Blender



My family has a history of going overboard for Christmas. Well last year my brother asked what I truly wanted. I told him I wanted one of these. It was cheap and it fit in his budget. Of all the fancy schmancy gifts I got, I use this the most. It blends up my protein shakes perfectly wherever I am and the “pitcher” is a travel cup that fits in your car cup holder. What could ask for more?



#2 Ipod Touch



Yes, we know we put this in the last top 5 too! We cannot say enough how useful this thing is. When you need an impromptu workout, you can go to this thing, that is loaded up with your favorite grooving tunes, and just walk it out. No matter where you are and what you are doing there is usually ALWAYS room to walk, yes?

#1 Pouch Party Tips!

Yes, this is shameless self promotion. Cuz if you can’t promote yourself, who can promote you? Text “follow @pouchparty” (minus the quotes) to 40404 and get our tweets sent directly to your cell phone! (standard text messaging rates apply) I follow a couple of useful folks by text and find that their tweets come through right when I need them the most!

So there you have it, five solid ways to take your lifestyle with you on the go. Now what are you waiting for? Move it!