Pear Infused Iced Tea



Call me a dork diva, but I really, really like fruit cocktail. LOVE IT. I love it so much I've been buying it and hoarding it and eating it for dessert.

The motivation for this wonderfully refreshing beverage.

What does this have to do with this post? Well, I seem to have inherited the soul of a mother of 13 during the Great Depression. My mind is always chewing on how not to waste. How to use EVERYTHING to the last drop, crumb or morsel.

That's how this tea was born.

I feel bad calling this a recipe as it's so darn simple yet REFRESHING. I don't have a photo because I am packing up my house and my good glasses are all packed up! Lo Siento!

Nik's Pear Infused Iced Tea

Ingredients

Juice from 2 cans of no-sugar added fruit cocktail in pear juice (or 2 cups NSA pear juice if you can find it)
2 sleeves of Iced Tea with Lemon Drink mix (extra points if you get the decaf version)
4 quarts of water (I make a big thing of this as the divas will drain me dry!)

Optional: If you're an iced tea purist, by all means make some brewed tea using your favorite recipe (sweet vs. unsweetened). I think this would go nicely with a green tea personally.
Directions:

Pour juice into your pitcher. Add drink mix and water. Stir. Enjoy.

As the weather gets warmer, I look for various ways to jazz up my drinks. Hydration is important. So drink up!

Thai Shrimp Salad

Are you gearing up for that family BBQ yet? If you’re early out (or if eating around non-ops works your nerves), be sure to check out my survival guide to summer BBQ’s to help you deal.

In the meantime, let’s move forward with recipes you might pass. This one is for folks who have families that like (or are receptive to) international cuisine or those who have “adventurous palettes.”

It’s a spin-off of a submission by my friend Dee who remade a similar chicken salad of mine. So in this one post you are actually getting THREE choices on two different variations of this recipe. Aren’t choices grand???

Nik’s Thai Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. of steamed shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small onion, finely diced
½ cucumber, finely diced (you can peel if you want, I did not)
1 c. matchstick carrots
½ c. unflavored Greek yogurt
1 heaping tbsp low-fat mayo
2 tbsp PB2 (powdered peanut) OR 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 packet of no-calorie sweetener
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
1 tsp lime juice (I used the squeezy kind that you get in the produce section)
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Optional: (and not recommended for new post-ops), 1 stalk of celery, finely diced.

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients, plus celery if you are using, in a bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together the yogurt, mayo and powdered peanut. If you using peanut butter, nuke it about 15 seconds to soften it up.

Once that’s well mixed, add your spices and mix again. Taste. The peanut taste should come through and it should be tangy (from the yogurt and lime juice) and just ever so slightly sweet and spicy. If it is all those things, you are good to go.

Heap dressing on top of the shrimp mixture and mix it thoroughly.

Refrigerate until ready to eat!

This stuff is sooooooo GOOD! I put the recipe for a small batch of it (just in case you’d like to make it for yourself). It’s easy to double it and I would suggest you do because it’s not going to last long on the picnic table! I’d serve it with Bibb or Iceberg whole lettuce leaves to make a lettuce wrap. That’s always fun.

Your Best Hot Dog Options After WLS

Barbecue season is coming. Now aside from the mental preparation of surviving a family barbecue, I thought it might be nice for us to…contemplate our options with regards to traditional grilling choices.

First up…the hot dog. I looooooove a good hot dog. Especially that one that the cook left on the grill too long so it looks like a fourth degree burn victim? Yep, that’s my dawg!

Did you know you CAN have a hot dog after weight-loss surgery? Honestly, you can. You can even have a chili dog.

These days I go for a regular dog (or polish sausage) and split it with one of the divas (regular hot dogs = animal fat = my pouch doesn’t like more than a few bites). But if you want to watch the content of your dogs, you also have options. Here are a few of my favorites.

Nik’s “Best in Class” Dog Competition

Best beef frank: Hebrew National 97% Fat Free hot dog

That's not how much they cost at my local grocery store, by the way. This is not my image. I am sort of afraid to lurk the grocery store with a camera. To me that says I've taken this whole thing a bit too far...

I liked this dog a lot. The only thing is it is about as skinny as I WANT to be. I like a plump dog. Flavor-wise, this grills up nicely and SMELLS like a hot dog. To me, the pleasure of a hot dog is about 75% in the smell of it. There is just nothing like it. For my non-American readers…if you don’t grill hot dogs you can’t get this one. But trust me…it is heavenly. At any rate, it is 40 calories a dog, 6g protein. Not bad for a hot dog. Not bat atall...

Best "Junk in the Trunk" Beef Dog: Ball Park Fat-Free Franks



Normally I am diametrically opposed to fat free hot dogs. It just seems wrong. Like fat free peanut butter. But these are actually good. These I actually tried specifically FOR this post because I wanted to give an option that wasn't a skinny dog (it's the dog in yesterday's chili dog post). I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor is nice, the skin crusts up nicely when I "put the burn on it" and under all the stuff I put on hot dogs, it held its own. Nice job, Ballpark! At any rate, it is 50 calories, 6g of protein.

Best non-beef frank: Jennie-O Turkey Franks

I got a pack of these at Save-A-Lot and, having gotten them from that particular store, didn’t have very high hopes. (Sorry…I’m on team Aldi!) But I was pleasantly surprised. Jenny-O managed to come up with a pretty good dog on the overall. This, to me, is a good dog to top with stuff. It doesn’t have that strong of a smoky aroma or flavor that you’d get with a beef or pork dog but the seasoning is nice and at 70 calories, you can put other stuff ON it and still come out with a meal of reasonable calories. My suggestion? Some kickin’ hot dog chili and a sprinkle of cheese. I skip the bun but if you feel like you can handle it, I suggest Arnold flat hot-dog buns. It gives you the bun experience without all the extra stuff in the middle.

Best vegetarian dog: Smart Dogs

How in the WORLD does a soy dog manage to beat out a meat one in protein AND calories? I know not, but Smart dogs does it. 45 calories and 8 grams of protein (and it’s fat free)! I’ve had these once and wasn’t told it was a soy dog. I couldn’t really tell (this, arguably, could be because me eating a hot dog is really like me eating toppings with a SIDE of hot dog). It even sort of smells like a hot dog. Mind you, it isn’t the oily, smoky, savory-ness that is a traditional hot dog, but I liked it very much. And my pouch did not hurt from eating a whole one. As with the Jenny-O hot dog…you can pile stuff on this one and be ok calories wise.

Chili Dogs (WLS Style)

I'm not playing with your emotions. Tomorrow I am going to go over my picks for the best nutritional value for hot dogs but first we have to discuss something important. Chili. Hot dog chili. As in...to make...a chili dog.



I know, I know what you're thinking. "Chili dogs, Nik??? Frickin' chili dogs???"

No, I promise I am NOT playing with your emotions. There IS a way for you, too, to enjoy chili dogs. (But not the way I have shown above...sorry...)

My thoughts on hot dog chili are simple. It's not a horribly objectionable thing to eat hot dog chili from a can, if that's what you like. There are some good varieties out there. I came up with this one on a day when I THOUGHT I had some in the cupboard and found that I did not (don't you hate it when that happens?). Now, I make it because I like it better than any canned I've tried. And it takes like 15 minutes to make. Here's how I do it.

Nik's WLS-friendly Hot Dog Chili

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground meat (I used turkey, you use whatever your heart desires)
2 lean turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed (Hot or Sweet. Doesn't matter but I really must insist on the turkey to cut down on saturated fat which is, and always will be, be bad for your heart)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp chili powder
1 can of tomatoes (I used tomatoes & chiles)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions



Brown up your turkey and sausage in a pan, breaking it into very fine bits (no big chunks).

Once cooked, drain of any excess fat (there won't be much) and drop in tomato paste. Mix thoroughly before adding water, then chili powder.



Drain tomatoes and chiles (or tomatoes if you're just using them) and add to your pan. Bring the whole thing to a boil (this will happen quickly as you don't have much water in your pan) then reduce to a simmer and simmer about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat. If there is excess liquid, it will thicken upon standing.

Now the above dog belonged to one of the divas. It is sandwiched in a 100% whole wheat hot dog bun and sprinkled with some cheese. I served it alongside a garden salad with some light ranch dressing and they were happy.

But me and buns? A different story. But check me out:



YES! I made a chili dog ramekin!!!



Basically I cut my hot dog into pieces (for newbies you might use half a dog and dice it instead of slicing it), put those pieces into my ramekin, covered it with chili, covered that with some cheese and let it melt then covered the whole thing in diced onions. NOM!



So like I said...you too can have a chili dog at the Memorial Day barbecue.

Tomorrow we discuss what dogs are worthy of your premium pouch space. No...seriously we will. I know I've been flaky about posting lately but I already scheduled the dang post. It's coming!

Nik's Sweet Potato & Asparagus Egg Casserole



I am so happy! Besides the usual reasons, I am happy because I have FINALLY discovered a way that I can eat sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes and I have a turbulent post-op history. Indulge me a moment of recollection.

For the first year following surgery, sweet potatoes made me violently ill — as did all foods that were orange (yes, even my beloved baby carrots). I don’t know why. I didn’t ask why. The pouch was (is?) in charge and I obeyed.

Somewhere between that first year and the beginning of year three, my pouch and sweet potatoes became less adversary toward one another (I don’t know when as I did not eat them in that time). BUT…I discovered a new and not-so-wonderful side effect: in the absence of protein, those suckers put me into a carb coma faster than any other food I have eaten post op! Sweet potatoes, in my system, are better than sleeping pills and alcohol combined.

Needless to say, I was about to give up on the prospect of ever having my favorite “healthier spud” again. That is, until I saw a sweet potato frittata in a magazine and decided to give it a go — Nik style of course!

Nik’s Sweet Potato & Asparagus Egg Casserole

 

NOTE: I’ve been asked several times why I don’t make these into “bites” or mini-muffins or even a regular frittata. The answer is simple. It works better for my household and plan to use a casserole dish. This recipe works as a frittata and as egg muffins. If you like them better that way, go for it! You know what I always say — play with your food!

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 slices of bacon (I used pork)
1 bunch of asparagus (I actually used canned to save time but you can use fresh as well), cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 medium Vidalia onion, cut however you like (I used thin rings)
1 tbsp butter (Jen Stockinger, you will be proud. I have come to terms with actual butter)
4 eggs + 4 egg whites
½ c. unflavored Greek yogurt
Salt, Pepper

Directions:

Dice up bacon and fry it in a pan. Set aside the cooked bacon pieces.

Combine diced sweet potatoes and asparagus pieces in a bowl. Toss with salt, pepper and any seasonings you like then transfer to a baking sheet sprayed heavily with non-stick (no you don’t have to coat them in oil for them to roast well). Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, checking halfway through and flipping as necessary.

In a pan, melt butter and add onions and cook on a medium flame until very caramelized (browned). About 10 minutes or so.

In a separate bowl, combine whole eggs, egg whites and Greek yogurt. Whisk until well mixed.

In whatever vessel you will use to cook this thing, combined the sweet potato/asparagus mixture, bacon and onion well. Pour the eggs into that mixture and then mix to make sure eggs are incorporated throughout.

Cook in your (still) 375 oven for about 30 minutes or until set.

Allow to cool before cutting into pieces.

A few notes about this baby:

It’s DENSE. One small slice and I was good to go.

The topper you see is simply unflavored Greek yogurt with some onion powder and a bit of salt mixed in. The casserole is fairly sweet so the topper makes a nice counterbalance.

No dumping! No violent reactions! No carb coma! WOOT!

I imagine this would be a nice dish to serve for a brunch. I think it’s sort of rustic looking personally. Mine was especially so because I slightly overcooked my potatoes. I don’t mind that as I have this thing for slightly burnt stuff.

At any rate…enjoy responsibly.

Three foods with big protein bang for your calorie buck

That was quite a title!

First an admission. I cannot lie to you guys. This was NOT supposed to be today's post. But unfortunately I left my camera at a friend's house and rather than give you a recipe with no pictures, I'd rather wait until tomorrow, when we can all revel in some good ol' fashioned food porn!

In the meantime, let's discuss bargain eating. ("Wuzzat?")

Bargain eating is trying to eat foods that give you the most benefit for the amount of calories you are eating.

For us, that would be mainly protein and especially for newbies, getting the most out of things is essential.

So first, let's talk about protein a bit. My next info series "Protein Power" is in the writing phases, but there is some basic stuff I can say about protein.

For instance, one gram of protein has four calories. And what makes a good protein source? Well we each have our own rules, but to me something is a GOOD protein source if it has one gram of protein for every ten calories (at least...remember...since 1g protein =4 calories, technically there CAN be up to 2g of protein in 10 calories. Just sayin...) and if the carbs are lower than the protein.

Keeping that in mind, here are three things that, in my estimation, give you good protein bang for your calorie buck.

String Cheese

Especially if you get it from Aldi. My Fit & Active string cheese has 60 calories, 8g protein. That's as much as a glass of milk with 20 less calories. And I could finish a string cheese very early on. Be sure you are cleared for cheese (especially mozzarella) before trying, but this makes a great midday protein snack.

Here's a yummy snack I make using string cheese.

Tuna

Four ounces of tuna roughly equals 10g protein. Granted, many newbies can't eat four ounces of tuna, but if you're looking for something that can go down easy and give you good protein. Tuna is a good "go-to" food.

Here's three things I like to do with tuna:

• Thai Tuna sliders
• No-noodle tuna casserole
• Mediterranean tuna

There's lots more. Do a search for "tuna" in the search box in the right menu panel and see what you discover!

Cottage Cheese

You all thought I was gonna say Greek yogurt, didn't you??? I like Greek yogurt fine although I don't tend to eat it much anymore outside of being a sub for sour cream. Cottage cheese, however? I can't get enough of the stuff! And if you get the low-fat kind (NOT fat free...although in a moment I'll tell you how to deal if you accidentally buy fat free...), it's only 10 calories more than milk...with 4 more grams of protein!!! Half a cup of cottage cheese generally has about 14g of protein and 90 calories, making it an excellent choice...and it's easy on the pouch.

What do I like to do with cottage cheese?

• You like cannoli? Click here.
• You like Cadbury Cream Eggs? Click here.
• In my latest coup, I started replacing half the cream cheese in my protein cheesecake with cottage cheese  (that I've run through the processor to smoooth out) Nobody knows the difference and it bumps up the protein a LOT.

Now...if you happen to get some fat free cottage cheese (you poor thing) and don't like it, here's what you can do. Measure out your portion of it. For every ounce of cottage cheese, add 1 heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt). Then add your flavorings. It helps. Trust me. (No offense to all the fat free cottage cheese lovers out there...I hope I didn't offend both of you ;)

So there you have it. Three solid choices that give you excellent bang for your protein buck. Newbies, find a way to incorporate one of these into your plan and you will be A-OK!

Dear Bariatric Foodie: Know of a good Fritos substitute?

I so love getting food questions! I beg you guys to send them to me...and every once in a while someone does!
This is from Alicia N.:

Recently at work we celebrated Cinco De Mayo. One of the items served was Texas Caviar or Poor mans Caviar. According to my co-worker who made it you are suppose to serve it with Fritos. I had some Fritos but it’s good w/o the Fritos. My question is: Have you ran into or made something that tastes like Fritos w/o the guilt or bad choice in eating the chips or do you have any suggestions?


I ask this question as I’m sure there are other WLS’ers that would like to know this as well.

Thanks for asking this question Alicia! It’s a good one.

Opinions on things like chips vary across the post-op spectrum. Some post-ops eat them, some stay far away. I sort of take a stance in the middle. Salty/crunchy things are a trigger for me so I buy them when I have a clear purpose for them (like for a meal I’m serving where I am sure they will get eaten up). Otherwise, I usually skip even buying them.

I don't know of a corn chip substitute (if you do, leave it in the comments so we can all benefit!), so in situations that call for such things, I tend to default to tortilla chips. Corn chips and tortilla chips are basically made from the same ingredients, but corn chips are cut differently and have some added flavoring and salt.

So...if you’re looking for some beneficial chips, here are my favorites:

Food Should Taste Good Multi-Grain Flax Tortilla Chips
 

Click any of the photos to go where you can order it!

Stats: Serving size is 10 chips, 140 calories, 6g fat, 18g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein

Where to find them: They are showing up at mainstream grocery stores now but I buy them at my local Whole Foods.

Why I like them: First off, flax seed is a great source of Omega-3’s. These chips are a good size, so don’t let the 10 chip serving size dishearten you (or your non-op family and friends). You can do wonderful things with 10 of these chips! They are crunchy, salty and just ever so slightly sweet (very satisfying). And on an unrelated note, their octagonal shape helps me to NOT spill the dip all over myself. Just sayin.

Trader Joes Soy Flax Tortilla Chips (sorry...no photo!)

Stats: Serving size is about 7 chips, 130 calories, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 4g fiber, 6g protein

Where to find them: Ummmm…yeah

Why I like them: Are you sensing a theme here with the flax seed? It’s easy to grind up and put in things like tortillas and it’s great for your body in its proper portion size. There are two flavors: regular and “spicy.” I put spicy in quotes because they are NOT spicy. I even gave one to my “hates all things spicy” friend and she said they were not spicy. They read like a less salty Dorito, if that makes any sense.

Genisoy Soy Tortilla Chips

 

Stats: Serving size is 23 chips (woot!), 110 calories, 3g fat, 14g carbs, 2g fiber, 8g protein

Where to find them: you can check their website for local offerings or you can go here.

Why I like them: As far as non-traditional tortilla chips go, this is a decent one. I only ever bought one bag to see how they tasted and they are pretty good. I got the lightly salted. I am the only weirdo in the world who really likes tortilla chips all by themselves. That being said, I missed the “conrness” (cornyness?) of tortilla chips when I ate these. The soy flax and the multi-grain both have that…something that corn provides (heartiness?) that this one is lacking just a wee bit. But it’s a fine choice and I didn’t mind them at all.

Of the three, I’d probably go with the TJ’s chips. They have a good flavor/nutrition tango going on.

And if you need a good idea on how to use them, here’s one. I’ll be posting another as BBQ season ramps up!

If you have a food question, hit me up! I love to answer them.

Nik's Fiesta Chicken and "Rice" Skillet



Cinqo de Mayo is almost here and I promised you some fun recipes. This is one. The other is a dessert (the divas finally finished off the last of the Easter treats...woot!) which I'll share probably tomorrow (but it's quick and easy enough that I reserve the right to post it on Thursday).

Tonight's offering can be a one skillet dinner if you happen to have some cauliflower rice hanging around (and by the way, yes you can freeze cauliflower rice). If not, one skillet, one pot but still very quick and easy!

Nik's Fiesta Chicken and "Rice" Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 bag cauliflower florets, cooked and mashed (or 2 c. cauliflower rice)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 cans tomatoes and chiles (whatever heat intensity you like)
1 can black beans
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 tbsp tomato paste (if you don't have it you can skip this but it does add zip)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp each ground coriander and ground cumin

Directions

Spray down a skillet with nonstick and throw in your onions and peppers. Sautee until softened then add garlic and spices and mix well.

Add tomatoes and chiles, tomato paste and chicken cubes and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. (Maybe 5 minutes or so)

Add in your drained black beans (don't forget to rinse them when you drain them from the can to get that extra sodium off!) and cauliflower rice. Stir well. At this point you have a big ass skillet of food. I probably should have mentioned this earlier but...use a big skillet!

Finally, add in cheese soup and stir well. Allow mixture to simmer on low-medium heat for about ten minutes or until warmed through. Serve hot!



Now this is one of those dishes that will make your kids heads explode. Because they won't want to like it. It's got all the makings of something they'll absolutely hate...until they taste it and love it.

You may very well ruin them for junk food forever...you bad parent you!

BF Top 5: How Nik does Mexican...

Next Thursday is a special day in three very special ways.

#1 - It is Cinqo de Mayo...let the margaritas pour!
#2 - I'm going to bare all to the blogosphere along with some of your favorite WLS bloggers
#3 - For way more personal reasons...it is my late grandfather's, Manuel Fernandez, birthday. He did eight years ago of cancer that formed as a result of meds he was taking for Alzheimer's. He was the center of my world and I honor him on that day!!!

So...for all these reasons, I feel like we should celebrate! To start us off, I thought I'd give you guys an idea of how Nik does Mexican. Because there are quite a few quasi-Mexican dishes on this blog. So...in no particular order...

Taco Casserole

One of my worst photos...one of my BEST recipes!

Taco Casserole is still the recipe I get the most feedback on of any of the recipes I've ever posted. It has everything you love about Mexican food in it and has the added bonus of being newby friendly! WOOT.

Chicken Enchiladas



This one is the divas favorite. In fact, I was discussing our Cinqo de Mayo menu and they both requested my homemade enchiladas (although the little diva said she could also go for some "plain old tacos" as she put it). My version is low in fat, high in protein with great fiber to boot! I have graduated to eating a whole one (one day I lost my mind and thought I could eat two...yeah...the pouch corrected that thinking quick, fast and in a hurry!), but this recipe is cool because you can cut off a piece that's just right for YOU.

Protein Mojito

One of my favorite mocktails, this drink gives you the great flavor of a mojito without the embarrassing memories, hang-over or, for some of us, the walk of shame (just sayin'...)

Mexican Lasagna



This is a nifty Rachel Ray knock-off (although I'm quite sure she didn't invent it). It's sort of like Taco Casserole for the more mature pouch. This is not to say newbies can't partake, but there's a lot of fiber in this thing. Proceed at your own risk!

...And a new recipe...

I've been posting on Facebook and Twitter about my latest protein shake obsession: Mexican Chocolate Protein shake. This isn't an original idea (by a long shot). I'd seen Mexican chocolate things on Food Network and other places. Everyone seems to have their own version. Here's how I make mine:

Nik's Mexican Chocolate Protein Shake

8 oz. milk (I use Hood Calorie Countdown chocolate)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp good instant decaf coffee

A few (to taste) generous shakes of cinnamon

No-calorie sweetener to taste

Mix it up via the Triple X method. Or not. Your choice. I top with a dollop of fat free whippage and an additional sprinkle of cinnamon. NOM!

So those are my top five...there are many honorable mentions...like my Mexican Egg Casserole for instance or my taco bowls...but since this is a Top 5 I had to excercise some decisiveness and...you know...not give you ALL the links I wanted to give ;)

(I also feel compelled to note that even though my grandfather's name is Manuel Fernandez, I am not of Mexican descent - he is of Portugese descent - so my OBSESSION with Mexican food and all the resulting recipes are nothin' but love for a great style of cooking with yummy food!)

Look for a few new Mexican recipes this week!