2011 Bariatric Foodie Holiday Food Tasting



***SOME INFORMATION HAS CHANGED. IT IS IN BLUE...LIKE THIS TEXT :)

I know...summer isn't even over yet and here's Nik talking about Christmas! Christmas, Nik??? Really?

Well, as fall approaches, so do the holidays. And I know many of you worry about holiday food. Will you be able to partake in at least some of your favorite dishes? And if you can’t, will you feel left out? Will the holidays be the same?

This will be my fourth post-op holiday season and I’m here to tell you that YES you can enjoy holiday dishes and still stay on track, lose weight and enjoy your holiday traditions. And I’d like to show you how.

Come on out to the Bariatric Foodie Holiday Food Tasting! This year I’m holding the event in two locations on the East Coast: Baltimore, Md. and Pittsburg, Pa. While I’m awaiting final, FINAL confirmation of the space for Pittsburgh, I can announce that the tickets for the Baltimore event will go on sale September 1st (as in...um...Thursday) and the event will be:

Saturday, October 29

2 – 4 p.m.

Christ Lutheran Church

701 S. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

Advance admission price for this event is $25 from September 1 – October 8. From October 8 -22 the price is $40. I want you to get the best price (and at the same time make sure I have a good head count to ensure enough food and goodies), so please get your ticket early! No tickets will be sold at the door!

Details for the Pittsburgh event are coming soon. My goal was to also do one south of Baltimore but time got away from me, my beloved Foodies. And if I do an event, I want to do it right so I’m still scouting a location for an event in “the South” for early next year as I seek to join with other WLS friends in making realistic New Year’s Resolutions to get back on track!

For my people not on the East Coast…I know it’s a bummer to get these notices about events you can’t come to! I’m sorry! Bariatric Foodie is growing slowly but surely and I hope to someday be able to go wherever there are Foodies who want to par-tay! In the meantime, you can be a part of this event by ordering a “tasting at home,” which will include:

• All the recipes from this year’s Holiday Food Tasting (and maybe even a couple from last year’s) along with a complete shopping list and a special Bariatric Foodie holiday recipe card template to organize all your favorite wls-friendly recipes!
• Samples of the signature Bariatric Foodie holiday themed protein shakes (basically everything you need to make the shake except liquid)
• And a special little gift from me (it’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it)

As I said above, tickets to the events will go on sale September 1st. The tickets for the Pittsburgh event will go on sale by September 8 as will the “tasting at home” kits. The kits will not ship until after the first event on the 29th.

So for those of you within reasonable (and heck, I’ll even take unreasonable) driving distance from Baltimore, save the date for this event! Those who came last year can attest that it was good fun.

For those outside the East Coast, I hope you’ll order a tasting at home. These are recipes I’ve tested (on myself and many other pouches, sleeves, bands, etc.) and I think they’ll really help you get through your holidays feeling good.

WLS Friendly Emergency Rations

Well, foodies. Irene is headed up the east coast and the divas and I are preparing for a yucky weekend. While I don't think we'll get the full brunt of the storm, our area is prone to power outages from normal storms, so who knows what this weekend will bring.

But this gave me the occasion to think about emergency rations for WLS folks. A friend on Obesity Help rightly pointed out that most non-perishable food is loaded with sodium. This is true. But the thing to understand is that the sodium (many times via a preservative) is exactly what makes a food non-perishable.

Still, how do we prepare for these types of situations? What do we stock? Here are a few ideas:

Bottled water along with drink sticks and/or Mio

Of course you're thinking about your whole family, but make sure you get enough water for you to have at least 64 oz. of water a day. For many WLS patients, plain water is not tolerable. If that's you, I'd suggest drink sticks and/or MiO. Of course, I like Mio because it's easier to control the level of sweetness.

Shelf Stable Milk

You may have seen the box cartons of cow's milk on your grocery store shelves. It's been treated and had the air removed so that it doesn't need refrigeration until opening. To that effect, get the small ones as opposed to a larger one and use in individual portions. Milk is a good source of protein. If you can tolerate protein shakes made in a shaker bottle, all the better.

Canned meat and a manual can opener

You would not believe how many times I have heard of people getting the canned goods but forgetting they only have an electric can opener. Canned tuna is an excellent source of protein as is canned chicken breasts. Now, if you're like me and don't like just plain tuna, you might invest in some tuna and/or chicken lunch kits. Those come with packets of mayo and relish to dress your tuna. Otherwise, you can also invest in some packets of mayo. Unless your area is uncharacteristically hot, they usually last in the open.

Roasted edamame

These are roasted soy beans. They come in various flavors from plain to wasabi. Most grocery stores carry them. In some they are in the health food department (added bonus: I doubt that particular section of the store will be crowded). These are also a great source of protein and do not require refrigeration.

Jerky

If you're anywhere near a GNC or other health food store, I highly recommend Ostrim jerky - a blend of ostrich and beef that tastes akin to a Slim Jim. They are small, 80 calories and have about 14g of protein. Though all jerky is high in sodium, this can get you through a bind.

Be safe, my Foodies! I will be thinking of you all as this storm marches up the east coast. If you have any other WLS friendly emergency rations tips to share please, please, PLEASE leave them in the comments section.

New Additions!

Protein Bars

As noted in the comments, protein bars are also non-perishable and might be favorable over canned meat, especially if you live somewhere where it's warm. I admit warm, canned meat does not sound appetizing. But do still keep some on hand just in case.

Peanut Butter

Just because it's a "yellow light" food for me doesn't mean you shouldn't stock up on it! Peanut butter has some protein in it and is non-perishable. If you are a bread person, you might also invest in some whole wheat Arnold Thins to spread it on or some high fiber crackers (I like Ak-Mak and Wasa whole wheat). Or if you are a peanut butter addict...connisseur like me, straight off the spoon is fine too! 


Note: I've temporarily removed moderation of comments so you all can freely share ideas. Bots and spammers, your comments WILL be removed if I see them! The rest of you, keep the ideas coming!

Kitten's "Love Potion #9" Protein Frosting

Is it wrong that I wanna bust out in the "cuppie cake song"?



You ever get wind of an idea that was so good you wish you had thought of it?

But you can’t. You really can’t. It’s not honest or ethical — even if it would earn you a place of eternal glory.

This is one of those moments for me. This was not my idea, but an idea passed to me from my friend Leslie (KittenLove on Obesityhelp) who modified this recipe from something she saw in a fitness magazine. It sounded intriguing and, since it had peanut butter in it, I decided to give it a whirl. (Justification, anyone?)

She presented it as an idea for a snack. A pudding, if you will. True, when I first made it, it was very pudding-like. But a night of partying in my fridge turned it into something even more spectacular. Especially when I paired it with my Chocolate Thingamijigee Protein Cupcakes.

So it is with great pride I present to you…
Kitten’s Love Potion #9 Protein Cake Frosting

Ingredients:

1 tbsp your favorite peanut butter
1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder (I used this)
3 tablespoons milk (For the batch shown I used skim milk. The batch before that I used Hood Calorie Countdown Chocolate milk. Both turned out divine but the version with the chocolate milk was a bit rich.)
Optional: 1 tablespoon whatever sugar-free syrup you like (I didn't use any this time but I would recommend Sugar-free Hazelnut syrup for a Nutella kind of thing.)

Directions:

Nuke peanut butter in the microwave until liquidy (about 45 seconds did the trick for me).

Add in protein powder and mix until it is the consistency of wet sand.

Add your milk, and stir until smooth then add your syrup and stir again.

Refrigerate about two hours (I did overnight but 2 hours should do the trick).

And that's all there is to it, folks! That looks and feels like icing!!! With virtually no carbs (there are a few but not many) and loads of protein. Since this is enough to ice more than one cupcake the fat amount is broken up a little but even that isn’t bad (one tablespoon of peanut butter has about 8g of fat). And honestly…when did you ever hear of cake icing being GOOD for your plan?

Since I gave a link to the stats for the cupcakes I figured I'd chime in with the basic stats of the frosting (again, your stats depend on the ingredients YOU use). The frosting covers six cupcakes and for each cupcake's worth is 44 calories, 5g of protein. I only make one batch at a time because, for me, even protein forward foods can become triggers in large quantities. Your mileage may vary!

I’m going to try this out in a vanilla variety with some almond butter. Anyone care to try it with me and report back on the results?

Nik's Chocolate "Thingamajigee" Protein Cupcakes

Note to self: with kickass new blog design, sucky phone pics are no longer acceptable!!!



Oh…what should come first? The cupcake or the icing? Decisions, decisions!!!

For those that don’t know, I am a protein baking freak. Yes, I know of the Pillsbury Sugar-Free cake and brownie mixes and accompanying frostings. I appreciate the fact that Pillsbury is trying to offer sugar free choices for people who want to partake of their products.

But here’s the thing. Just because something is sugar-free doesn’t make it great for you. This is not an admonition of the products. I think if you can tolerate the mixes well and want to bake yourself a birthday cake or something special, that’s a valid choice.

But I have this crazy, possibly fool-hearted and heretical belief that there is a way to bake things that actually CAN fit well into your plan. And that is where my mission lies, people.

If you’ve ever checked out the recipe index, you’ll know that I’ve done my fair share of experimenting with protein baked stuff. These cupcakes? Whole. Other. LEVEL. To quote that really funny bird in Rio (can’t remember his name offhand) “This ain’t the level. The next level is the level…”

So let’s dig in (literally).

Nik’s “Thingamajigee” Protein Cupcakes
(I’ll explain the name in a moment. Anyhoo…recipe yields 24 regular sized cupcakes. Adjust as per your own needs.)
Wet Ingredients:

3 overripe bananas (NOTE: if you don't want to use bananas, sub in 1.5 c no-sugar added applesauce)
2 eggs (or equivalent liquid egg substitute)
1.5 cups no-calorie sweetener (I’m on Team Splenda)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Dry Ingredients:

1 c.
Atkins All-Purpose Baking Mix
1 c. chocolate protein powder (I used this)
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tsp baking powder (yes, I did say 3)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350. If you are me, this entails re-lighting the pilot, kicking the oven three times, turning it up to broil and then back down to 350, but I digress…

Mash the bananas up in a mixing bowl (or simply add applesauce, if that’s what you are using). Why the bananas/applesauce, you might ask? Both provide a LOT of moisture for your end result without adding the fat of butter or oil. I don’t generally add oil to my baked goods, but your mileage may vary!

Add in the rest of the wet ingredients and stir until eggs are fully incorporated.

From here, what I do is usually put the dry ingredients in a sifter and sift it directly into the wet ingredients. You can either do that or mix them in another bowl, your choice. Stir wet ingredients and dry well until the mixture is the consistency of a pudding.

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake cups and add one heaping tablespoon of the batter to each. Remember to tap down your pan after you’re done (just tap it against the counter to ensure there are no air bubbles at the bottom).

Pop the pan in the oven for about 12 minutes. I may sound like a broken record but I cannot say this enough. Protein baked goods cook a LOT faster than their regular counterparts. The outside forms particularly quickly. I’ve found 12 minutes to be the perfect cook time in MY oven. Yours may be different. So don’t leave the kitchen. Go do something else while these are baking (tune in tomorrow for the protein icing recipe and that can be what you are doing…).

Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow them to cool fully before trying to eat one. All that will happen if you try to eat them hot is that most of your cupcake will stick to the liner. That’s no fun.

Now…the Thingamajigee. Well I went into this trying to simply make a cupcake variation of my Protein Banana Rum Cake but discovered (horror upon horrors!) that I was out of vanilla protein. Being that it was 4 days before payday and your girl Nik is not independently wealthy, I switched gears and used what I had.

Chocolate and banana is a pretty common combination but I wasn’t sure about the spices I’d already added (cinnamon and nutmeg). But they came out really, really good. The divas even liked them a lot. The cinnamon and nutmeg gave the chocolate a more complex flavor. But I was still a bit nervous because the protein frosting would add yet another flavor to the mix.

What flavor is that? Tune in tomorrow and find out!

For now, anyone wanting MY stats on these cupcakes (without frosting) click here!

One Ingredient Fixes to Jazz Up Your Strawberry Protein!

I hope you don’t mind that I pushed this back a day. The installation of the new blog design happened way more quickly than I anticipated (because Diana, my blog designer, rocks!) and I wanted to give folks a chance to get acclimated. If you’re just seeing the new design for the first time today, you might want to read this.

So…strawberry protein. It’s sort of a conundrum to me. I’m not the biggest fan but then I wasn’t a strawberry milk person either. I like actual strawberries. Just not strawberry protein so much. So that is to say I always alter strawberry protein.

Here are my one-ingredient fixes for strawberry protein to go along with the ones I’ve already offered for chocolate and vanilla.

Nik’s One Ingredient Fixes for Strawberry Protein

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Calories: About 20-25 for a tablespoon
Cost: $3-4

Ok, aside from the obvious “chocolate covered strawberry” reference, you should know this: most strawberry protein powders are vanilla with strawberry flavoring added in. That being said, the vanilla undertones offer up some opportunities. In this case what do we think of when mixing together strawberry, vanilla and chocolate? I dunno about you but I think Neopolitan baby!!! A tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (and a few packets of sweetener depending on your tastes) will get you there.

Butter Extract

Calories: None!
Cost: $3-4

I know what you’re saying. What’s up with the extracts??? But they really do come in handy. I have an arsenal of these suckers in my pantry. Ok so what’s up with the butter extract? Buttery, vanilla, strawberry…anything coming to mind (especially when you add whipped cream to the mix)? Shortcake! It’s amazing how the butter flavor brings that home. I’m sounding like a broken record, I know, but with extracts a little goes a long way. You can always add, you can’t take away so be careful!

Powdered Peanut (PB2)

Calories: About 53 for 2 tablespoons
Cost: $5-8-ish dollars

PB2 has shown up on all three lists so it must be a good investment, right? This, again, replicates a favorite food of mine. Peanut butter and jelly! Need I say more?

Flavored Fizzy Water

Calories: None
Cost: Varies but usually $1 or so

Use half a cup of water as your shake base instead of milk. Blend your protein then add ice. Top off with a little flavored fizzy water and you have a virgin-esque strawberry daiquiri type situation. If you happen to have a bottle of sugar-free Davinci Butter Rum syrup around, that only adds to the mocktail feel of it all.

Sugar-free pudding mixes (again)

Calories: 40 per tablespoon
Cost: $1-ish

There are many possibilities here, as there were when I mentioned these on both the last two lists! If you add banana cream, you get strawberry banana without the carbs of the banana. Chocolate does the same thing as the Neopolitan idea (but with a few more calories). Cheesecake and you get strawberry cheesecake. You get the idea!

Splurge: Vanilla Latte Click

Calories: 120 for two scoops (but I only ever use one)
Cost: $20 for a tub of it

Did you like the strawberry Frappucino drinks at Starbucks back in the day? Well you can replicate that using everyone’s favorite addiction…er, latte protein Vanilla Click (there's also mocha for us chocoholics)! One scoop with your milk based shake and you’ll be saying, “take THAT Starbucks! HUH!”

I hope you've found this little series inspiration. The BF tagline always rings true (especially now that it reads, in large text on the banner) you have to play with your food. If you find that "one magic ingredient" that takes your shake from drab to fab, let your fellow foodies know!

The Emancipation of Bariatric Foodie

WAIT! You’re at the right blog. Really, you are!

Man, I am not good at discreetness but this time I have managed to do it!!! I worked on this whole blog re-design (with the help of an indefatigable web designer) and did not breathe a word of it. Whew! I thought I was going to explode.

THIS is the gift I mentioned yesterday on Facebook. It’s been a long time coming but I wanted to take a moment to address a few questions you might have.

Why the change?

Several reasons, but chief among them is that Bariatric Foodie and Pouch Party needed to get a divorce. They’ve outgrown one another. As foodies of different surgery types join in the fun, I recognize we don’t all see ourselves as having a pouch. However, we are all Bariatric patients so it makes more sense to be Bariatric Foodie, not Pouch Party.

So what happens to Pouch Party?

We send it on a nice cruise around the world where it will drink sugar-free, protein enhanced mojitos and be fanned by buff cabana boys. Wave to it as it sails away!

So no more parties????

Of course there will still be parties! I’m open to suggestions of what they should be called. Some friends have suggested “Foodie Feasts” and “Foodie Festivals.” I’m still open. But there will be parties and other special events. They will no longer be Pouch Parties, though.

So why is there still a Pouch Party Facebook Page and Twitter?

I’m glad you asked that. You are so clever! With the liberation of Bariatric Foodie comes a new era for our little community. Bariatric Foodie now has its own Facebook and Twitter pages. BF also has a YouTube Channel but there’s nothing on it yet (the videos I’ve done so far will be coming soon and I hope to do more videos soon). We also have a Pinterest account. Pam hipped me to Pinterest and I think it’ll be a fun place to muse on foods to re-mix, the environments we eat our food in and much, much more!

At any rate, I would encourage you to head on over and like the Bariatric Foodie Facebook page and follow Bariatric Foodie on Twitter. I’m going to leave the Pouch Party page and Twitter up for a while to direct folks to the right place but as of September 1st, I will no longer post new content on the Pouch Party Facebook page or Twitter. So you’ll want to get all switched over.

If you get BF by RSS Feed or by email, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll continue to receive it.

Who made this wonderful design?

Diana Rambles is owner of Custom Blog Designs and is blog designer for the ages, I tell ya! She is reasonably priced, endlessly patient, communicative and highly professional. Anyone looking to take their blog "to the next level," I highly recommend her. If you do employ her services, tell her I sent you!

I hope you like our new environment. I'm looking forward to jazzing the place up a bit. As always if you have any questions or comments, hit me up!

One Ingredient Fixes to Jazz Up Your Vanilla Protein!

In many circles, being called vanilla is an insult.

But I think those people don’t know the true joy of vanilla. Even though I am a chocoholic all the way, I can appreciate a good vanilla for what it is. But with protein shakes, I guess my sensibilities just lean more toward chocolate, which is why there are so many chocolate-based shakes on this blog!

Yesterday we went over some “one ingredient fixes” to jazz up your chocolate shake. Today we conquer…vanilla!

Nik’s One Ingredient Fixes for Vanilla Shakes
A packet (or two) of True Lemon or True Orange

Calories: None!
Cost: About $3

If you’ve never heard of True Lemon or True Orange, you need to check them out. I gave the links for you to see what the product looks like but they are available in your local grocery (really…they are…), usually in the same aisle as your sugar substitutes.

If you go with the Lemon, I’d say go with two packets for a delicious lemon meringue pie shake. Two packets of Orange will yield an orange creamsicle shake. These can be achieved with sugar-free drink sticks as well but for those who don’t like their shakes super-sweet, these packets are a Godsend.

Root Beer Extract

Calories: None
Cost: $3 -5

I discovered this at the Amish market but upon further research, McCormick spices makes their own versionas well. Like I said yesterday, BE CAREFUL with extracts. Its so easy to add too much. Invest in a dropper. You will thank me later. But think of it peeps…a root beer float shake!!!

Cola Extract

Calories: None
Cost: $3 – 5
Cola Extract might be a bit harder to find in your local stores, but basically this is the stuff you mix with water, sugar and yeast to make soda. (Yeast??? Yes home-brewed sodas are usually made with yeast that produces “CARB-onation”…get it?) When added to a vanilla protein shake (again, in small quantities) I think you all KNOW what we get: Coke float protein shake!!! True, it’s not exactly the same because of the lack of fizzy pop but still. And speaking of cream sodas…

Sparkling Water

Calories: None
Cost: Varies

I’d say this should be a treat at best, since surgeon’s advice about carbonated drinks vary so widely. My advice: listen to your surgery staff. If they say no carbonation, stay away from it!!! For those of you (like me) whose surgeon’s never gave them this limitation (even after explicitly asking about it, thankyouverymuch), I suggest making up the best darned vanilla shake you are capable of making using milk as your base (about 5-6 oz.) Add just a bit of Splenda to sweeten it up.

Then, once it is all blended, pour it in a cup of ice and add about 2 oz. of sparkling water. Protein cream soda! Don’t drink this every day and certainly not a few times a day but if you get that craving for carbonation (and still need your protein for the day), I’d say having this as an occasional treat will not kill you, although surgeons all over the U.S. may now want to kill ME (ducks and runs…)

Sugar-Free Chai Tea Concentrate

Calories: None
Cost: $8-ish

Oh this is a favorite thing of mine to use. Davinci Sugar Free Chai Tea Concentrate is just that...a concentrate, not a syrup, but a concentrate, meaning you use a certain amount of this stuff and dilute it with some other type of liquid. For me that would be milk and I use it to make a cold chai shake like my Chai Click Frapp. If you like this Indian staple, it’s worth the investment. It lasts a good while as a little of this also goes a long way!

Some Favorites from yesterday (literally)

Some of the same things that jazz up chocolate shakes can work for vanilla too. Good decaf, including decaf instant espresso, makes a wonderful café au lait shake. PB2 added to vanilla is a peanut butter shake of course. Sugar-free puddings work well with vanilla too. Cheesecake flavor makes…a traditional cheesecake shake (TIP: add a packet of True Lemon to bring that flavor full circle). I am partial to sugar-free pistachio flavored pudding in my vanilla shake. Again the possibilities are endless.

So there you have it…some solid one ingredient fixes for a vanilla shake. Do you have any to add? Tomorrow we tackle a more challenging flavor: strawberry!

One Ingredient Fixes to Jazz Up Your Chocolate Protein!

So I recently published my “protein shake check-up” so you can make sure your protein shake is still on the right side of your plan.

As I read through that, I began to think of all the wonderful ways we have of dressing up our shakes that add little or no calories to the equation. It’s interesting to me, how one small element can be the difference between a shake you hate and a shake you love.

Over the next few days I’m going to offer up one ingredient fixes to amp up your favorite protein shake flavors. But I don’t want to be alone in my suggestions. Please offer yours up! If you have a low or no-calorie shake ingredient that takes your shake from nowhere to everywhere, please let your fellow foodies know in the comments section!

Nik’s “One Ingredient Fixes” for Dressing Up Your Chocolate Protein
(in no particular order)

A Dash of Cinnamon

Calories: None!
Cost: Between $1 - ???, depending on your personal tastes

Yep…a dash of cinnamon. What? You mean, you’ve never had chocolate with cinnamon? Man, are you missing out! Cinnamon gives a spicy (as in made with spices, not spicy as in hot…unless you add too much) offset to the sweetness of chocolate. It also plays up the bitterness nicely and what you come out with is a rich, earthy flavor that makes you think, “man…I think this is how God/the Creator/___________ (fill in the blank) intended chocolate to taste!” Many folks call the combination of chocolate and cinnamon “Mexican Chocolate.” I just call it yummy!

A Tablespoon of Instant Decaf

Calories: None!
Cost: Between $2.50 - ???, depending on your personal tastes

What you use largely determines your result. I personally use instant decaf espresso. I use a full tablespoon because if you only use a teaspoon it blends into the chocolate. Granted, it makes a chocolate shake taste better and more refined, but I actually like the espresso taste to come through. If you don’t want to make the expenditure (although I PROMISE it is worth it) a good instant decaf, like Starbucks Via, works just great. As a new post-op the coffee was that “it” factor in my shake that made me able to tolerate them.

U-Bet Zero Cal Sugar-Free Chocolate Syrup

Calories: None!
Cost: Varies by region

I’m usually skeptical of zero cal sweet things. It just seems natural that something sweet should have lots of calories. I admit, I don’t like this syrup for just plain old chocolate milk (for that I turn to Hood Calorie Countdown chocolate) but it does up the chocolate ante in your favorite shake in a way that nothing else can (no, not even Davinci or Torani sugar-free chocolate syrups). For a triple chocolate shake, this is my go to stuff. Here's where you can get it.

A Drop of Extract

Calories: None!
Cost: Varies by region

Extracts are good if you don’t want to invest in a bunch of bottles of sugar free syrup. I keep a few on hand at my house and, yes, I do keep an actual dropper in my kitchen drawer to use them. A little goes a LONG way. Your threshold may be one drop or two but putting a teaspoon in…not advisable. Some ideas to get you started: coconut extract (chocolate and coconut go sooooo smoothly together), rum extract (don’t ask me why I live this but I do), peppermint extract (which can be used to make my “Grown Up Thin Mint” shake). The possibilities are truly endless. Extracts tend to be low or no sugar but, as always, make sure to read your labels!

Splurge: A Tablespoon of sugar-free pudding

Calories: About 40-ish
Cost: Less than $1

I use pudding mix in a lot of my shake recipes. They lend flavor AND provide a thickness that is often hard to achieve in a protein shake. And the possibilities are ENDLESS. Add sugar-free Butterscotch to get a Butterfinger shake. You can add a tablespoon of cheesecake for a chocolate cheesecake shake (and add no-cal instant decaf to upgrade that to a MOCHA cheesecake shake). You can add banana cream to do a choco-nana shake (I recommend this in lieu of using actual bananas, which can be something of a carb nightmare to your shake). And the list goes on and on!

BONUS: A Tablespoon (or two) of Powdered Peanuts

Calories: 26-ish calories for one tablespoon, 53-ish for two
Cost: About $3.50-ish

I am still surprised how many people have not heard of powdered peanuts! It’s a good deal if you like peanut butter flavored stuff (as we all know I do). Basically powdered peanut is a byproduct of making peanut oil. Once the oil is pressed out most of the fat is removed and you are left with a flour like substance that you can add to drinks and food to create the taste of peanut butter for a fraction of the calories and fat. And here’s the sweetest part of this deal: the powder retains most of the peanut’s protein! PB2 is a popular brand of powdered peanut but there are others. I would say always, always, ALWAYS use this instead of peanut butter in your shakes. One tablespoon of peanut butter is about 100 calories. One tablespoon of this stuff is about 26.

Tomorrow we'll tackle one ingredient fixes for your vanilla shake. This is a subject near and dear to my heart as I am firmly on "Team Chocolate!" but I have an unusually large collection of vanilla proteins. I've found many ways to love my vanilla-based shakes, though, and usually it only took that ONE ingredient to get me there!

Until tomorrow!

BF Review: Fiber One Brownies



I’ve been posting a lot of healthier alternatives to sweets lately. There is a reason for this.

When I first had surgery, I lost my taste for sweets. It has come back. Full force. There still seem to be rules though. Like I can’t eat a bunch of sweet stuff in succession. If breakfast is sweet (protein shake, oatmeal) lunch has to be savory and so on.

But still, I have been a’craving! So far I’ve kept things under control. I think you guys have a lot to do with that. Thank you!

So last night after I did a kick ass workout at the Y, I was at the grocery store picking up a few things (traditionally after a workout I am NOT hungry, therefore making it the perfect time to grocery shop). In Aisle 10 I happened upon Fiber One brownies.

(Mmmmmmm….brownies….oh…I’m sorry…what were we talking about?)

Yeah. So I like brownies. I like them a lot. These brownies, however, looked just a wee bit too good to be true. Check out the stats:

Calories: 90
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 5g
Sugars:7g
Protein: 1g

Now before the newbies flip out on me, let me put this in perspective. For a brownie, this is damn good stats. For an overall food choice? Ennnnhh…you could do better, you could do worse. As I’ve said ad nauseum, however, food consumed for fiber MUST have carbs. There’s no getting around that. Therefore for a brownie to have 5g of fiber for only 17g of carbs isn’t a bad deal.

The sugar count on it was a bit high. My RNY post-ops, take heed. The sugar in this is actually SUGAR. Like the real stuff. I usually avoid sugar like the plague. In this instance it didn’t bother me, but two or three years ago I don’t know that I could have said that.

Anyhoo, I brought the box home and the vultures divas immediately became aware that there were treats in their orbit. That’s when it hit me: even if I should not eat these, they don’t make a bad lunchbox addition at all (provided I get a coupon cuz they are on the pricey side for my cheapo tastes).

La Grande Diva tried the brownie first. I made the mistake of TELLING her I wanted her feedback for a review as opposed to just noting her reaction. This elicited a full two minutes of “hmmmmmmm….” (bite) “hmmmmmmm…”

I love my children but they are smartasses sometimes, I swear.

My motto always is and continues to be, an empty plate (or continually chewing mouth or empty container) speaks louder than words. Kids have this wonderful ability to reject food simply on the basis that they do not like it. They don’t care if you slaved over it, or if it is good for them or even if it would be more polite to eat it since they are a guest. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it.

Strange beings children are. Strange, indeed.

So after a few moments she’s still chewing so I think this is a good sign. Because she won’t take a second bite of things she doesn’t like. (Not even if I wrestle her down. You don’t want to know how I know that.)

Finally, she opened a still brownie stuffed mouth and said, “Good.” And then trotted off. Gah!

So I decided to try one for myself with lunch today. Curiosity got the best of me. Or some such similar excuse.

So the brownie is fairly small. That’s both good and bad. Good: portion controlled. Bad: the sugar in it remains in the back of my mind. 7g for a little brownie. Hmmmmm….

I ate my lunch and gave this buddy a bite. Hmm. Not bad. Not the greatest brownie ever but not bad just the same. It wasn’t sickly sweet (surprisingly). It also didn’t have that “flaky on the surface, soft gooey underneath” thing going on either.

I will say, for the record, that it did not taste as if it had added fiber. That would be a good thing.

All in all, I like it but I think there are better ways for me to get my fiber. But since the divas liked it I may put these in lunchbox rotation.

My opinion for you? Use your best judgment. Some of us can’t stop at one brownie. Some of us dump on sugar. Some of us are uber-carb conscious. Some of us beat ourselves silly over small indulgences. If you can’t take the heat, stay away from the brownie!

But from an aesthetic standpoint alone I’d say:

(A Qualified) Diva Says: Divine!

Foodie Find! CVS Whey Protein Packets

I posted about these the other day on Facebook and wanted to flesh out my review a little bit more.

So picture it. Baltimore. 8:30 a.m. Nik is in a rush to get to work but needs a couple of things from the drug store. While there, Nik remembers that she packed no lunch today (boo!). So Nik goes to the aisle where the protein bars are to see if anything is on sale. While there, Nik happens upon a discovery: single serving packets of protein powder from CVS. Price: Just over $2.

Strange but true fact: I keep milk in the fridge at work and my baby Hamilton blender. So I took the packet and decided to give it the nutritional pat down. Here are the stats:

Serving size: 1 packet

Calories: 140

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 5g

Sugars: 2g

Protein 25g

Ok, so far so good.  It looked like a whey concentrate (which in my book is ok, your mileage may vary) so I bought it and endeavored to give it a shot.

Noon rolls around and I was...ennnnh...not really hungry but not really full (mental note: make up a vocab word for that). But I had meetings all afternoon so lunch had to be then if it was going to be at all. So I gave this a whirl with some milk and a decaf instant coffee stick.

(NOTE: I WOULD have taken pictures but I am still getting used to the reduced battery life of a smart phone so my phone was about as dead as a doornail. I was happy to just get the pic of the product.)

When the blender stopped, I sniffed. No wonky smell. That's a good sign. I could tell by the color of it (sort of "clay brown") that it was probably not going to be chocolatey enough for me but I forged on.

Poured it in a glass, tasted it and...not bad. Not bad at all. I was right, though. Not quite chocolatey enough for my liking. But then I am a choco-monster, so you might take that assessment with a grain of salt. I  usually add extra cocoa powder and just a wee bit of coffee (per Ina Garten who taught me that if you do so it'll amp up the chocolate factor) to my shakes to get the full-on chocolate effect. It's a 25 calorie investment that I am willing to make.

Anyway, from what I saw they had chocolate and vanilla at my local CVS. I'm sure there is strawberry somewhere. Wait...hold on one sec and I'll Google that for you...ok, I'm back! There does not appear to be. Strange. No matter to me. I'm not a big strawberry protein fan. I've had the same canister of strawberry protein since I had surgery, if that tells you anything.

S'anyway, I probably would not use this as my regular protein, but seeing as I am occasionally prone to forgetting my lunch (or getting stuck in meetings at lunchtime) it is comforting to know I have an option for a cheap shake that is nutritionally balanced. That would be my suggestion for the rest of you all as well. If you feel so inclined, pick up a few and keep them in your "emergency stash."

Verdict: Diva says "do try!"



Mexican Sausage & Peppers

(This recipe is brought to you by Trader Joes. Yummy!)


So the divas and I went to Trader Joe’s the other day. For us this is a trek but it’s well worth it. I always try to pick up at least one thing I’ve never tried before to broaden my horizons. So this time I got some Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausages. They look like this:

(Not my hand)

Now anyone who knows me knows I don’t have the ability to eat food products as they come to me. I have to make it into something else. HAVE TO.

Here’s what I did with my sausages.

Nik’s Mexican Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:
1 TJ’s Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, cut into slices
½ of a small onion, cut into strips
¼ of a green pepper, cut into strips
1/3 c. salsa (I used regular medium salsa but TJ’s chipotle salsa would do well as well)
¼ c. Mexican blend cheese

Directions:

I cooked my sausage whole on the grill pan while simultaneously sautéing the onions and peppers on my griddle. This worked well since I like my onions caramelized and my peppers fairly soft.

By the time the onions and peppers were about ready, the sausage was done. I transferred it to a cutting board and cut it into slices. If you are newer out, you might want to think about even dicing the sausage into smaller pieces.

Add the sausage pieces to the onions and peppers on the griddle pan and mix them well. Add the salsa and stir until fully incorporated.

Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with cheese while hot. NOM!

TIP: To make this a super tasty breakfast I added some scrambled eggs into the mix which, for me, made this two meals. Without the eggs, for me, it is one. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Protein Shake Check-Up



So you’ve found the PERFECT protein shake. You’ve tested, you’ve tweaked, you’ve tested, you’ve tweaked and now it is divine. And Nik has to come and mess it all up!

It’s good, as we’re playing with our food, to every once in a while do a “check up” on our protein shakes (with all our recipes really) to make sure we’re still moving in the right direction.

Why?

Well protein shakes are a tricky thing. It’s easy for them to tiptoe over the line of being protein heavy to being carb heavy. As I’ve said ad nauseum, carbs are NOT evil. But your protein shake should be predominantly protein. So let’s go over how you give YOUR shake a check up.

The Base

What liquid/soft substances are you using with your base? Some popular ones are water, milk and Greek yogurt. I did hear recently of a post-op who uses a bit of ice cream in their shake. I’ll get to that in a moment.

Here are some things to consider:

• What percentage of fat is in my shake base? If you’re using whole milk that could tip the balance of your shake toward being more fat than protein, depending on other ingredients.
• How many carbs are in my base? Milk has 12g of carbs. That’s fine so long as you’re watching your carbs in other places. Yogurts tend to be lower in carbs but they are still present. I will sound like a broken record, but carbs, in and of themselves, are not bad! We just need to make sure our shake stays protein heavy.

As for the ice cream in the shake, I don’t advise it. I also don’t rule your pouches. But do the right thing, people!

The Protein Powder

What protein powder are you using? For the purposes of this check up one kind of protein isn’t as important as the stats. Yes, some proteins are more easily absorbed than others, but the ones we tend to use are about on equal playing fields. It’s the stuff companies add to the protein powder to flavor it that can get us tripped up. Here are your questions there:

• How much fat is in my protein powder? Usually there isn’t a lot.
• How many overall carbs? If you have a powder high in carbs, you’re likely using a powder meant for bodybuilders. Go to GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe or someplace where someone can help you pick out one meant for weight loss.
• How many of those carbs are sugar? Most decent protein powders have less than 5g of sugar.
• Where does the sugar come from? Look at the ingredients. If no table sugar is listed, and sugar can have many names, it is likely from the protein source which is likely to be lactose found in whey concentrate mixes.
• How much protein does it have relative to calories? Here, the 10:1 rule is a good one, in my humble opinion. If your protein powder doesn’t have at least one gram of protein for every 10 calories, you need to re-think that protein powder. So a 120 calorie protein powder would need to have at least 12g protein. Most powders have way more than that, some even having 2g of protein per 10 calories (the maximum amount possible per 10 calories).

Your Additives

This is where many of us get into trouble with protein shakes. Firstly, protein powder already has its own flavor additives. Secondly, if you’re not careful it’s VERY easy to throw your shake stats off with just a little of something extra. Here, for what it’s worth, are a few things I NEVER put in my protein shake (and what I use instead).

• A whole banana. Bananas are something of a sugar nightmare amongst fruits but they do have good nutrition which is why I still love them. If you must use banana, I’d suggest using half of one and freezing it. It ripens up and makes your shake really creamy. I use a tablespoon sugar-free banana cream pudding mix instead. You can also use sugar-free banana flavored syrup if you feel so inclined.
• Peanut Butter, in ANY quantity. One tablespoon of peanut butter has 100 calories and 7.5g fat. Need I say more? You have several substitution options. Some protein powders are peanut butter flavored. Then there is peanut flour, like PB2, and there is sugar-free peanut butter flavored syrup. I suggest the former. But that’s just me.
• Cream Cheese. Same deal as peanut butter. Too many calories, not enough protein given in return. If I want to make a cheesecake flavored shake I use sugar-free cheesecake flavored pudding mix. One tablespoon. BONUS TIP: to really make it cheesecakey, give it a squirt of lemon juice or a packet of True Lemon. You’ll be surprised what a difference it makes!

Other than that, just take into account how many extra calories you’re adding to your shake. I’d also encourage you to think about your “return on investment.” What I mean by that is you are taking a certain amount of extra calories but what are you getting for it? Sometimes your pay-out is not in protein. For instance, I use sugar-free pudding mixes to make my shakes thicker and creamier when I want them that way. I’m willing to pay the caloric price for that when the mood hits me.

The Big Picture

Ok, so you’ve looked at all the parts of your shake, now it’s time to bring it all together.

Figure out the stats to your whole shake. Is it protein heavy? Here’s the scale I use for myself:

• Green light: WAY more protein (10+ grams more) than carbs or fat
• Yellow light: A bit more protein (6+grams) than carbs or fat
• Red light: The same amount of protein as carbs or fat or less

If you get into the yellow or red light district, go back and look at each of those components I described above. Think about what swaps you can make to bring your protein shake back to the land of the living.

Yes, this may seem like a lot to think about. I don’t suggest doing this every day. But if you are in a stall, a protein shake check up could very well help you out of it. It’s important to be aware of what we put into our bodies!

These are the types of topics that will be included in my mythical but really-for-real-its-coming-and-its-almost-finished protein shake book. I’ll give an update on that soon. Until then…

Click here for a free PDF download of The Protein Shake Check-Up to share with your support group and friends!