So...while you guys are working hard on your Bariatric Foodie Pledge goals for week one, I thought I'd post this little tutorial since one of my recipes this week requires protein pudding.
Many bariatric companies sell protein pudding mixes, which always makes me shake my head. It's so easy (and way cheaper) to make it yourself!
Let's go over how you make vanilla protein pudding.
Nik's Vanilla Protein Pudding
Ingredients
16 oz. milk (so there's been some debate about whether you can use other milk besides cow's milk. I've always been told traditional instant pudding won't set with soy or almond milk - and the global collective brain...er...Google...seems to agree - and a Foodie below in the comments tried almond milk and it did not set. So...while you may use whatever type of milk you want, my official suggestion is cow's milk of some sort. I believe you CAN use Lactaid if you are lactose intolerant)
2 scoops protein powder (I used this)
1 box nonfat, sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
Directions:
Get out your blender (I'll wait). If you're using a big pitcher blender, pour both cups of milk and both scoops of protein into the blender and blend until smooth (About 45 seconds. Also, it may be slightly bubbly but don't worry about that). If you, like me, have a Magic Bullet blender, you have to do it one cup at a time.
Once your protein and milk are blended, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add your pudding powder.
Using a hand mixer on low speed, mix in pudding until fully incorporated (about 90 seconds). The pudding will be mostly set when you're done. If you've mixed your milk/protein well, there should be no lumps! Refrigerate one hour before serving. (NOTE: My wonderful Foodie Friend, Taz, says she simply adds the pudding powder to her blender. Whichever way works, go for it! From my perspective what works about this process is mixing the lumps out of the protein with the milk BEFORE adding the pudding powder.)
This makes about 6 - 8 servings of pudding, depending on how much you can eat. If you have more than you think you can eat right away, no worries! Break out the old popsicle molds and make protein pudding pops! They keep in the freezer for a few weeks and make a nice "faux-naughty" treat.
If you're adventurous, you can add different things to flavor this up. In the past I've added a splash of Davinci sugar-free Butter Rum syrup for a faux-boozy pudding. I've done Davinci Chai Tea Concentrate for an exotic chai pudding. I've even added green tea powder to make green tea pudding. The possibilities are endless.
Just remember, if you're using flavor additives, add them to the protein/milk mixture in the blender BEFORE adding the pudding powder.
Ok, so now that I'm done DRONING on...on to the list.
The names are in alpha order by first name. For Facebook it was my intention to only do first name, last initial but folks tend to have more than three names as their Facebook name and it got too confusing to decide how to shorten it!
Two favors, looking at the list:
If you pledged in more than one place this week, next week...PLEASE...only pledge in one place. It took a while to get the duplicates out. But also, if you see yourself on the list twice, please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com and let me know the two names you used and two ways you pledged and which way you want me to keep. Being on the list twice gives you an unfair advantage in the drawing, so let's keep this contest fair, k?
If you don't see your name on this list at all...don't freak out! Please email me the following at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com: (a) Where you pledged (Facebook, the blog) (b) The name you used for your pledge (and some of you may find you're not on this list because you gave no name!) and (c) what you pledged. If I can find you, I'll add you! PLEASE make it easy for me to find you!
You have until noon tomorrow (Tuesday, January 31) to petition yourself onto this week's list. After that, the list is CLOSED for the week! And remember that if you are interested in winning the super big prize provided by Quest protein bars, you MUST pledge each of the four regular pledge weeks!
Without further adieu...here are the Week One Pledgers!
(Name + How you pledged) ***NOTE: This list is now LOCKED. The only changes I'll accept to this list are name spelling corrections. No names will be added to this list***
AGAIN...if you don't see your name and feel it should be there, email me the information I listed above to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com by 12:00 pm (EST) tomorrow!!! After that the list is closed for the week and the people on it will be the only ones entered into the prize drawing.
Good luck to everyone and here's to keeping your goals!
Thanks to everyone who pledged this week. Just by eyeballing, there are nearly 200 pledgers between here on the blog, Facebook and Twitter.
Look for the pledge list later this evening. When it comes out, please look for the name you used to pledge. If you don't see your name there, don't freak out! But DO email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with a link to where you pledged. If you're there and you got your pledge in on time, I will add you to the list.
Again, a BIG thanks to Davinci Gourmet for providing this week's prize. Three bottles of sugar-free syrup to three winners!
So now what? Go...work on your goals! I'll post a mid-week check-in, but you don't have to participate in that if you don't want to. You DO, however, need to heed the official check-in call on Saturday to complete your pledge for the week and be eligible for the prize drawing!
Thanks for making this a GREAT first pledge week already!
***Pledging for week one closed on January 30 at 12:00 pm EST. If your pledge was made by then, you're in! If not, work on your goal along with the rest of us and I look forward to getting your week two pledge!
The day has arrived!
Today begins the 2012 Bariatric Foodie Pledge!
Have you been thinking about your pledges? Good!
As a reminder, this week’s prize sponsor is Davinci Gourmet, maker of wonderful sugar-free syrups that I use in a variety of protein shakes! Check out the ad on the right menu bar to see their full assortment of sugar-free flavors or visit their Facebook Page.
This week, our three winners will receive three (3) full-sized bottles of sugar-free Davinci syrup!
Exciting, right? Ok, let’s get to business. You may pledge your weekly goal in one of three ways:
Leave your pledge as a comment on this blog post. NOTE: This blog's comments are moderated so if you don't see your pledge right away, don't worry!!! I have to approve the comment for it to show up. I can see when you posted your comment and all comments made by the deadline count!
You may also pledge on Twitter by tweeting the following. “This week I’m taking the @BariatricFoodie Pledge to [insert goal]. http://bit.ly/Apolxn"
You may pledge on Facebook by following these steps:
Go to the Bariatric Foodie Wall and post “This week, I am taking the Bariatric Foodie Pledge to [insert your goal]. To learn how YOU can win prizes for setting goals, visit http://www.bariatricfoodie.com/.” Make sure you get all of that statement on there.
After you’ve posted that to the BF wall, hit the RESHARE link to share it to your wall, don't simply paste it to your wall as I can't see that you did it. (and yes, you do have to do both. Don’t want to share it on your wall? Then go with option #1.)
NOTE: Do NOT post your pledge as a response to the blog post announcement as I can't keep track of those. Post it as it's own post on the Bariatric Foodie Wall, then re-share it. Thanks!
You must pledge by tomorrow at noon (EST) to be eligible for this week’s prize drawing! Tomorrow evening I’ll post a list of everyone who has pledged using the above instructions.
If you don’t see your name (whatever name you gave on FB, here on the blog or Twitter) on that list, you have until noon on Tuesday to petition yourself onto the list! You’ll need to provide a link to where you pledged so I can see that you did it. Please note: the list will simply contain your name (first name, last initial if you provided your full name) and the method you used to pledge, NOT your goal. That’s your business!
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask – but do so early! The noon on Monday deadline stands!
Good luck everyone and let 2012 The Bariatric Foodie Pledge begin!
The Pledge starts tomorrow...AHHHHHHHHH!!! (That's excitement, btw)
Here are some frequently asked questions about The Pledge to help you come tomorrow. I'll refer back to these as we go through The Pledge.
If I pledge on Facebook, do I really have to share my pledge on my wall? Why?
You'll see tomorrow there are three ways you can submit a pledge. If you don't feel comfortable pledging on Facebook, I invite you to consider one of the other two. But if you pledge on Facebook, you do need to follow all the directions, including sharing your pledge on your wall.
The requirement is two-fold. Firstly, it promotes accountability. If you pledge something in secret, the "stakes" aren't nearly as high for you to follow through. Secondly, it also lets other people know about The Pledge. This year I am thankful that several companies stepped up to sponsor great prizes for this. Part of why they do that is because lots of people participate in things like this. By sharing your pledge, it gets others involved and excited so we can make this event better and better each year.
Do I still get entered in the prize drawing if I didn't keep my pledge?
Yes. So long as you have pledged and check in (part of which, you'll see, is reporting on whether you kept your pledge and why) you are eligible for the prize drawing.
Can I win more than one weekly prize?
No, but remember that if you pledge all four weeks you CAN win the grand prize, even if you've already won a weekly prize.
Can I win prizes if I won a weekly or the grand prize last year?
Of course. That pledge was SO 365 days ago...
What if I need help, encouragement, information to help me keep my pledge?
I'll post throughout the week asking how things are going and inviting folks to share their challenges, triumphs, etc. on Facebook and Twitter. If you don't use either, please feel free to email me at any time! I'd be happy to post questions, either in your name or anonymously.
BUT it always leaves me feeling sort of like the Grinch. I mean, my intentions are good. I founded Bariatric Foodie to help empower post-ops to take control of their eating life. That includes knowing how to figure up the stats to your recipes AND determine if those stats are acceptable to your eating plan. It is my fondest wish to give you the tools you need to be able to do that.
And that’s when it hit me. I haven’t given folks the tools they need to know how to figure out their own nutritional information! That’s why I’ve been feeling like Stinkmeaner about this whole thing!
So…without further adieu…here is how you figure out the nutritional information for ANY recipe you make.
Online method:
Step One: Get to Tracking!!!
Log-into (or join) an online food tracker like FitDay, Sparkpeople or LiveStrong (what up with the two word in one names, food tracking sites???).
Most of these sites have functions that allow you to make a custom entry into a daily food journal. I can only speak for LiveStrong, which is where I track. Under MyPlate, there is a tab that says “recipes.” If you click it then you can go to “Create Recipe” and its pretty straightforward from there.
Step Two: Don’t leave ANYTHING out
Log every single ingredient, even if you don’t think it has any caloric value. Include Splenda and salt as well. Those things are important to your daily intake numbers.
Also be sure to indicate the measurements YOU used. If you tweaked a recipe, don’t put the amount of an ingredient called for in the recipe, but the amount you actually used. Again, LiveStrong makes this easy by letting you put in any amount of anything you want (1 tbsp of Fiber One for example) and does the math for you!
Step Three: Divide and conquer
Some trackers (like LiveStrong…I swear this is NOT an endorsement, it’s just what I know!) ask you for the amount of servings your recipe yielded. Some do not. If they do, when you are finished inputting your recipe you simply publish it and the tracker will tell you how many calories, carbs, protein, etc. is in that one serving. If not, when you publish, the food tracker will give you the stats for the entire recipe. DO NOT FREAK OUT. It’s for the whole shabang. You’ll need to divide by how many servings you got.
Don’t know? Understandable. Some of us pre-portion our foods and therefore know how many servings a recipe yields and some folks cook it and eat it until it’s gone. Neither way is wrong. Here are some tips:
If you made a casserole, try pre-cutting the casserole into the sized pieces you would eat. Yes, the fam might get annoyed at having to take five slices to make a regular portion, but they’ll get over it!
For stews/soups/chilis, I immediately transfer to a storage container (even if I am serving it that night). I do so with a cup measure (for me that’d be an 8 oz. cup measure…for you it may be smaller). Do that and count the number of times you ladled out…and there’s your number of portions!
The “Hand Method”
For those that don’t want to use a food tracker, you can always do this by hand. It requires a little more time and a bit more diligence about adhering to the portion sizes that the particular food product calls for, though.
Step One:
Take down the stats of each food you used in a recipe (from the nutrition label) and the number of servings of each food you used. (That’s the easy way. The hard way is using however much of a food product you want and then figuring out the math for how many calories that is based on the serving size they provide…but who wants to do that???)
Step Two:
Add up all the stats from each ingredient. This gives you the stats for the total recipe. Again, do not freak. Don’t do it!
Step Three:
Divide that number by the number of servings.
In closing I’d like to say once you start paying attention to your nutritional information (and here’s a good primer on what to pay attention to), this almost becomes second nature. At four years post-op I can guesstimate, within just a few calories, any recipe I make or eat. It just takes practice.
But I’m sorry, dear Foodies. Much as I love you, adore you, can’t get enough of you, I’m not going to start posting nutritional stats! And that’s that! ;)
Better pic forthcoming...I promise! I made it yesterday for tonights dinner which...hasn't happened yet.
I’ve found, in my experience, that people either love mushrooms or they hate them. Every once in a while I’ll run into the rare person who says, “Enhhh, I can take them or leave them,” but again…that’s pretty rare.
Me? Definitely on Team Mushroom! I put them in egg scrambles, on tortilla pizzas, in casseroles…and now in this yummy and quick skillet dish.
But when I posted the picture of it on the Bariatric Foodie Facebook Wall yesterday, I was reminded of the polarizing effect of mushrooms (and mushroom sauce). To those who hate mushrooms I have this to say: play with your food!
Nik’s Zesty Skillet Mushroom Chicken
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, cut into slivers
About 6-8 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp low-calorie butter stick (or butter, if that’s your thing)
10.5 oz. can of low-fat cream of mushroom soup
½ c. skim milk
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Directions:
IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH CHICKEN:
Try my chicken marinating technique: place chicken in a zip-top bag with a container of unflavored Greek yogurt for a few hours. Do it in the morning before you leave for work and trust me, your chicken will be transformed! I’ve not yet a chicken intolerant person yet who hasn’t been able to eat chicken made this way, so give it a try! I promise, the yogurt cooks off and you will NOT taste it!
Once you are ready to cook, season your chicken with garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper on both sides. Then cook your chicken in a heavily sprayed skillet (don’t use your George Foreman or grill pan for this one. I’ll tell you why in a moment.)
When chicken is done, set it aside but don’t cut it yet. Let it reabsorb those juices! Meanwhile, toss your tablespoon of butter in the skillet and let it melt down, then add the mushrooms and onions. Cook until softened, stirring often. This is where the skillet comes in handy. The little bits of crud left by your chicken go into the onions and mushrooms, infusing it with flavor!
NOW dice up your chicken and return it to the skillet and stir.
Add your cream of mushroom soup and milk and stir that thoroughly and then taste. If you need more salt or pepper (I like a LOT of pepper in this), adjust. Let it come to a bubble.
Finally, add your two tablespoons of Dijon mustard and stir that into the entire mixture and let it simmer another five minutes or so.
This stuff is SOOOOO good! I am eating mine atop some cauliflower rice. If your family is into mushroom chicken, this would go well with regular rice or atop a REALLY crusty piece of bread (provided you can handle being around said crusty bread).
I’m a member of quite a few post-op online communities. One thing I see quite often, from folks who are newer out, are questions about getting lots of protein in very small packages.
There’s the infamous protein bullets (which contain a form of protein not well absorbed by a malabsorptive system, so RNYers and DSers…unless you are in the business of making fabulously expensive poo…I’d steer clear). I also hear quite often of protein pills (also ill-absorbed…and even if they weren’t still don’t contain enough protein to make it worth it).
I take the frequency of these queries to mean that folks could use some good guidance on how to get BIG protein in a small package. Well, I’m here to help!
We all know about shrimp and Greek yogurt. Yes, those are great forms of protein in small packages, but here are a few oft overlooked (or under appreciated ones). These are my top 5 favorite protein-packed foods, along with "micro-eating tips" to help you get the most out of your small portions.
Cottage Cheese
When I do food demos, folks are always surprised when I tell them that many times I sub up to half the cream cheese in my cheesecake recipe with blended cottage cheese!
When I was young I used to think this food was exclusively for old people and extreme dieters, neither of which I aspired to be. Well, here’s the deal. A half-cup of cottage cheese sports 14g of protein on average! (Versus 4g in a half cup of milk)
Nay-sayers…I know what you’re going to say. “But, Nik! It’s lumpyyyyy!!!” This, like most anything about food, can be easily fixed. Whether you like your cottage cheese savory or sweet, you can always run it through a blender to get it smooth before OR after flavoring it up.
Micro-eating tips:
For those who can’t eat a lot of food, combine a few tablespoons of cottage cheese (blended or not) with scrambled eggs, if you can tolerate them, for a nice treat. If you put them into the raw beaten eggs and cook them that way, they blend into the egg and give it a mild, cheesy flavor.
Try adding some whey to your…whey (cottage cheese = curds (the chunky stuff) and whey (the protein rich liquid that accompanies cottage cheese that comes from milk). I’d advise using ¼ scoop of protein for every ¼ c. of cottage cheese. Use unflavored if you don’t want it too sweet or try chocolate or vanilla for a nice treat with some fruit mixed in.
Turkey Pepperoni
Those little suckers are packed with protein! A serving size is 17 with 70 calories and 9 grams of protein!
Micro-eating tips:
combine with equal parts blended cottage cheese and ricotta (or just blended cottage cheese with Italian spices) and some spaghetti sauce for a nice pizza-esque deal.
Nuke them on a paper towel for 30-60 seconds to make crisp, yummy pepperoni chips to snack on throughout the day.
Or, my personal favorite, make an egg scramble out of it by adding some pepperoni to your eggs with a bit of cheese and mix in some warm spaghetti sauce.
String Cheese
I am one of those strange birds who doesn’t eat string cheese as string cheese. Usually one of two things happens with it: I either eat it like a regular cheese stick OR:
Micro-eating tips:
Wrap a piece or two of lunchmeat around that sucker for a nice roll-up. You can even cut up the cheese stick and wrap in smaller pieces of lunch meat for a “quick bite” of protein.
My WLS-friendly mozzarella sticks take string cheese to a whole other level! And you can even try subbing another type of cheese stick (I’m thinking jalapeno cheddar might be nice) and cutting smaller for a nice cheese popper!
Tuna
Say what you want, but tuna has great protein in small volume. Two ounces of the stuff has 10g of protein! Canned chicken is also a great choice as well if you aren’t into tuna.
Micro-eating tips:
You’ve had deviled eggs, but have you ever had Angelic Eggs? They combine the protein power of tuna with egg whites for a protein punch in a small bite!
Tuna Cakes…they are adorable and yummy and you can make them in nearly any flavor (and any size) you want. Here’s one of my faves.
Jerky
Whether you go for turkey jerky (easily available in many grocery stores) or the more expensive but hella-protein packed (and small!) Ostrim jerky (which would be my choice because of its taste proximity to the uber-UNhealthy Slim-Jim), jerky can be a protein seeker’s dream! Just don’t do several pieces a day. Jerky is jerky, partly, because it’s been salted, cured and dried. Salt = water retention = scale hell, mkay?
So there…five solid ideas for big protein in little packages. What are some favorites of yours? Post them in the comments with the stats so your fellow Foodies can try them out!
Yesterday I posted the above picture on the Bariatric Foodie Facebook wall, calling for folks to guess what was in it. This will be my lunch throughout this short work week, so I thought it'd be fun to give folks a peek into some of the stuff I like to make that hasn't yet made it to the blog.
Well, folks guessed the ingredients correctly and a few folks expressed interest in the recipe. I make this quite often for myself (the divas are diabolically opposed to any other fish besides tuna in a can) but the recipe requires a few special ingredients which, to me, make or break this dish.
Still, here's the recipe. Overall, this dish is a nutritional slam dunk: great (and complete) proteins, fiber, complex carbs, Omega-3's. Hey...I think I just thought of a name for this dish.
Nik's "Super Lunch"
Ingredients
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large clove fresh garlic, finely minced
1 can tomatoes & chiles (whatever heat level you like)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like spicy food)
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fish sauce ("what's that?")
1 can of pink salmon, bones removed
1/2 c. quinoa ("what's that?")
1/2 c. water
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
Directions:
Spray a pot down with nonstick cooking spray and let it get hot over a medium flame.
Add onion and cook a few minutes until the onions soften. Add garlic and stir, cooking 2-3 more minutes.
Add tomatoes & chiles, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce and drop your heat down to low and allow it to come up to a simmer.
Add salmon, quinoa and water. Turn the flame back up to medium to bring it all to a boil then drop the heat again to allow it to simmer.
Cover and allow the quinoa to cook. You can tell it's done when you can see the little white ring of fiber pop out from the grain. Watch your pot! Quinoa, like rice, absorbs liquids.
Lastly, drain and rinse your garbanzo beans and add to the mixture last (I like them for the chew factor...nutrition is good on them too).
This dish is a bit tangy, a bit spicy. It does smell like it has fish in it, so if that is bothersome to you, you might think about whether you want to make this.
Ok, so...fish sauce. It's a...condiment, I'd say? It's used almost like we use table salt. It is tangy and salty and my favorite use of it is to mix it with rice vinegar to dip seafood in. If your town has an Asian market, they most certainly sell it. You might also find it in the international aisle of your grocery store (although it tends to be more expensive there).
The fish sauce, to me, makes or breaks the flavor of this particular dish. BUT, like I say...play with your food. You may come up with some variation of this that has nothing to do with fish sauce!
And for the inevitable carb nay-sayers, folks with small pouch capacities and those who just shy away from food like this, I'd encourage you to get to know quinoa. It's a good food. A superfood. And it's super delicious!
For the official rules of the 2012 Bariatric Foodie Pledge, click here.
How’s 2012 going for you so far?
Has your year gotten off to a great start? Are you living each day to the fullest?
Or maybe you’re struggling and you wonder what you can do to make things better.
Either way, I hope the 2012 Bariatric FoodiePledge can help you!
What’s The Pledge, you ask? I’m glad you did!
The Bariatric Foodie Pledge is an opportunity to reinforce or create better habits by setting goals, keeping them and celebrating!
Here’s how it works.
Every week beginning January 29 and ending March 4:
I will call for you to “pledge” to keep a promise to yourself for one week.
Throughout the week, you work really hard on that promise.
At the end of the week, you check-in to say how you did.
Everyone who does that gets entered to win a prize! And for Foodies who pledge all four weeks, there is a special grand prize drawing JUST FOR YOU the week of February 27!
Easy, right?
Last year I did this under the name “Pouch Party Pledge” and we had a blast!
This year The Pledge is even bigger. There will be THREE weekly prize winners each week and a BIG grand prize! Are you ready to hear about the prize sponsors? Here they are! Be sure to click the links on their names to go to their Facebook Page to thank them (and tell them Bariatric Foodie sent you)!
The weekly prize sponsor for the week of January 29, is Davinci Gourmet, maker of many of my favorite sugar-free syrups!
Finally, the weekly prize sponsor for the week of February 19 is Smart Living, maker of Carb Smart poducts!
At the beginning of each pledge week I will announce the exact prize. Remember, there will be THREE prizes each week, but you have to participate to be eligible for the weekly prizes! And you have to participate all four weeks to be eligible for the grand prize. I’ll announce the grand prize on the first day of The Pledge.
So get ready, get set…January 29 The Bariatric Foodie Pledge begins!
My New Year's Resolution (if you can call it that) is cleaning up the blog a bit. There are posts where I promise to post a picture later that I never did or an additional recipe that I never did. If you see any of these posts please, please, PLEASE hit me up. I need to fix it!
So my inaugural effort is my chicken enchiladas. I have a nice (albeit LONG) instructional video on how to make them but never posted the full recipe. Well, here it is!
These are a good recipe for when you want to be "bad" while being good. The ingredients all stand up nutritionally. You've got good fiber, protein, veggies, low-fat, the whole nine. For newbies, I'm sorry but you probably shouldn't eat this. BUT...if it helps...you have these to look forward to!
Nik's Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breast meat, diced into small pieces
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small green pepper, finely diced
1 packet taco or fajita seasoning (whichever you like best)
1 package whole-wheat, low-carb tortillas (I use La Tortilla Factory taco-size)
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese, divided
1 can enchilada sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a pan down well with nonstick cooking spray and allow it to heat up. Add chicken and begin to brown diced pieces, chopping them smaller with a spatula as they cook.
When chicken is about half done, add the onions and peppers and continue cooking, mixing chicken and veggies together, until chicken is completely done.
Transfer to a bowl and mix with seasoning packet thoroughly.
Take tortillas out of package and microwave about 15 seconds to make the more pliable.
On a flat surface, lay out your tortilla. Take a slotted spoon and spoon about 1/3 c. of the chicken mixture to one side of the tortilla. Add a tablespoon or two (your choice) shredded cheese.
Starting with the side the chicken is on, roll the tortilla into a tube shape and fit it into a 9 x13 casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of tortillas or chicken meat - whichever happens first! (For me this makes about 8 enchiladas - your mileage may vary).
After enchiladas are all lined up in the casserole dish, empty the enchilada sauce over them and top with remaining cheese.
Bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted!
I can eat one of these, topped with salsa and Greek yogurt and a side of fat-free refried beans. But that's now. When I was newer out, I cut one in half and ate it the same way with a smaller portion of all the same things. The divas love these and although they know it is low-fat/lower-carb they don't care.
Oh Foodies...how I can't wait to move and have a more spacious kitchen so that extension cord is no longer in my food shots!!!
So...it's almost two weeks into the new year. Let's talk sensible sweets, shall we?
I don't know about you but there comes a time, especially after holidays filled with rich food and lots of treats, that I get this strong and instinctual desire for cleaner food.
Such is the case now. I originally made this as a knock-off of something I found at the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's. But, as some of you may know, I am prone to "very special" blood sugar moments if I have too many of any kind of carbs partying on my plate (or in my bowl, as it were), so I had to figure out a way to anchor this goodness with some protein!
I'm going to give you two versions of this recipe: a "just for me" version that will yield about 2-3 small servings and a "shareable" version that will yield 3-4 normal-sized portions. For newbies and those who just want to give it a whirl, go with the former. If you have a family who might be interested, go with the bigger recipe!
Nik's Protein Caramel Apple Salad
"Just for Me" Version:
1/2 a sweet apple, diced however small you want it (I used a Pink Lady)
1/2 a tart apple, diced however small you want it
1/2 a just ripe banana, cut into half-circle shapes
1/4 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
1 heaping tablespoon vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp sugar-free caramel syrup
1 tbsp no-calorie sweetener
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon whatever nuts you like (I used sliced almonds, but walnut pieces might also be nice)
"Shareable Version"
1 whole sweet apple, diced
1 whole tart apple, diced
1 whole ripe banana, sliced into half-circles
6 oz. container unflavored Greek yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3 tbsp sugar-free caramel syrup
2 tbsp no-calorie sweetener
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 oz. whatever nuts you like
Directions:
Combine apples and bananas in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine protein powder and caramel syrup until a paste forms (if it's too dry, add a tiny bit more syrup but the paste is important so you don't get protein powder chunks in your final product).
To that, add your yogurt, sweetener, lemon juice and cinnamon.
Add to apple/banana mixture and toss lightly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
If desired, toast nuts in a dry pan for about 2 minutes before adding to the top of your salad.
This is especially good if you make it the night before. The flavors really set in and it is GOOD!
What are you guys eating to recover from the holidays?
It was not a Sunday. In fact, I think it was a Tuesday. At any rate, it was a day when I awakened, much like I did this morning, wondering what the events of the day would mean to me and how they'd affect my life.
Except these days, I don't have quite the same worries.
This is a warning. My surgiversary posts aren't 100% touchy-feely, but they are my truth. Weight loss surgery has been a roller coaster for me in many ways and I won't "fudge" about that. It hasn't always been good times and scale tumbling and high fives. In the past four years I've also had to own up to a LOT of what made me obese in the first place, especially this past year.
This is a brief snapshot of my journey. Let's start at the beginning.
This was me four years ago. No, I am not exaggerating or purposely showing you a particularly unflattering picture of myself. This is generally how I went about looking back then. I've taken some flack for that picture so I feel like I must say that not all plus-sized women show such disregard for themselves. But I did, so that's my truth.
Anyway, about this girl. She didn't like to interact with the world. She woke up in the morning with one purpose: to survive until the end so she could go back to sleep. But for her two daughters, she hated to be hugged or kissed or touched in general. She'd done such a good job of eating her feelings that she was quite numb.
I honestly can't even say what made me decide to have WLS. I can say that it wasn't a well thought out decision. You Foodies educate me so much in what I SHOULD have done. I did not research RNY, did not research my surgeon. I heard him speak at a seminar and said to myself, "I should get gastric bypass." And so I set off to do it. I am a spiritual person so I always say God was my eyes when I refused to see. And...well, thank God for that.
So...fast forward six months (you're allowed to do that at four years out since there's so much time to cover!). I was down about 95 lbs. I felt good. I was riding the wave of WLS success. I am smiling even as I typed that because I fondly name this period of my life the "ignorance is bliss" era. My mind was so focused on exercise, protein intake, water intake, vitamin intake that I scarcely had a moment to think about what was going on in my head. It's always been my theory that there are two types of happy people: the blessed ones who have managed to find true contentent and me, people too ignorant to know they're unhappy.
It was around this time I started experimenting with my recipes. I'd already tinkered around a lot with protein shakes (my restriction was such that food was not my friend up to then) and I was active on Obesity Help where I'd eventually take part in an "Iron Chef" contest inspired that me to start a little blog I named "Bariatric Foodie."
The nine month post-op mark is significant because that's when I hit my bottom weight. Man...I love everything about my body in that picture. I was toned (although i still sported the flabby skin) and confident. Hell, I took that picture in the damn buffet because even though my family insisted on holding family gatherings there...I didn't care! I was strong and resolved! By the way, that's my brother Manuel in the picture with me.
This picture is also significant because I didn't have very much longer until the bubble burst.
This is me Easter 2010. I was still relatively close to the weight in the picture directly above but a funny thing was starting to happen. The scale would fluctuate up a few pounds, down a few pounds, back to the original weight I was. But it did not move down, down, down. This was a shock to me because I hadn't reached a place on the scale where I felt like "It's ok to stop here." No, I still weighed far too much (in my own mind). My clothing size was far too big. Why was this happening to me?
For me, this is when the demons awakened from their slumber, sat down next to me, and tried to convince me to come back to them. I fought. Hard. By now I at least realized the life I had before surgery was a half life that I didn't want anymore. I felt very alive, full of feelings (many of which I did not want to feel) and still very restricted in my eating so I couldn't imagine the effort it would take to eat the feelings of fear I was experiencing at that point.
So when I tell people I experienced my "bounce back" during the time when I was most active and compliant with food, I tend to get a dubious, "Uh-huh." It is true. I gained a good bit of weight between my 2nd and 3rd year. But I think...looking at this picture now (me at 3 years post-op...the beginning of my "Bathroom Diaries" pics) that the exercise helped me. To me, I look more full-figured in this photo than in the one of me in the halter dress (and granted it is winter in this picture and summer in the other), but to me (and perhaps I'm deluding myself...you're free to challenge me if I am) I don't look like I'd gained 25 lbs. Which is precisely the amount heavier I am in the above picture than the halter picture.
I had to take a gulp as I type that out. Somehow I always think if I share my real struggle it hurts my "Foodie cred." But I think I've ditched that mentality. I had a bounce. I've been the same weight since that bounce so I must be doing ok now, right? (This is where you all nod very slowly and smile)
And this is me today. Well...not today because as I type this I am in the world's most unflattering pair of pajamas. This picture was actually taken about two weeks ago. By me. In the bathroom.
So for the sake of curiosity I will post the number stats of my journey but I'd also like to post some of the things that make an even bigger difference in my day-to-day life.
For the numbers I'll do Surgery/Lowest Weight/Now:
Weight:
327/172/200
Pants Size:
26/8/12
Shirt Size:
3XL/Medium/Large
Shoe Size:
10/9.5/9.5
Time taken to run one mile (I know this because I took a running class in 2006)
20 minutes/10 minutes/11 minutes
And here are the things that cannot be measured in numbers:
I hug absolutely everyone I see. Before I would not let people touch me
The sheer number of photos I've taken post op is a triumph. I never used to let myself be photographed (hence the one, jacked, before photo)
Before surgery I dreamed of being a professional writer. Now I AM a professional writer.
Before surgery I looked into the mirror and winced at what I see. Now I look in the mirror and smile and WINK at what I see.
There's much more but I'll stop here. My story in food and eating is all over this blog. I had nothing from you all. I am me, for better or for worse.
Thank you all for sharing in my journey. It isn't over yet. I think this year is going to be the best so far. Stick around until next year this time to find out if I was right!
It really warms my heart when one of my Foodies plays with their food and sends me recipes and pics. I ask for it all the time! And sometimes my wishes come true!
Today’s offering is via my good friend, Melissa. I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa when I came to Pittsburgh for the Bariatric Foodie Holiday Food Tasting (also known as the weekend the Ravens kicked the Steelers butts in their own back yard…just sayin’).
Melissa is a busy mom of two boys and she’s been a reader for quite some time. After seeing my posts and others about healthier approaches to cookies this holiday season, she decided to come up with a recipe for a protein cookie. The above was the delicious result!
If you have any questions about Melissa’s recipe, leave them in the comments and I’ll be sure to ask her to address them. And if YOU have been playing with your food, share with your fellow Foodies! Send any recipes and pics you'd like to submit to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I am always looking to feature YOU!
Enjoy!
Melissa's Oatmeal, Walnut and Cranberry Protein Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup SPLENDA® Granular
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup vanilla why protein powder
1/2 cup soy flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can pumpkin puree
3 tbsp 0% plain greek yogurt
2 eggs
3 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together Splenda®, oats, protein powder, soy flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
3. Stir in pumpkin, yogurt, and eggs and mix well.
4. Stir in flax seeds, cranberries, walnuts, if desired.
5. Roll into 48 large balls, and flatten on a baking sheet (Or use mini muffin tin and make mini muffin. Melissa tried both and reports both turned out well!)
6. Bake for 9-12 minutes in preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE: the cookies will come out really dry if over-baked.
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I, Nikki Massie (aka "Nik" or "Cleopatra_Nik"), am the author of Bariatric Foodie. I had gastric bypass surgery in January 2008 and lost a total of 155 lbs. I started Bariatric Foodie when I decided that I didn't want to be miserable about food for the rest of my life - I wanted to celebrate it! And I do.
If you have any comments or questions about Bariatric Foodie, I'm always available to you. Hit me up by email, on the BF Facebook page or via Twitter.
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Got a question? Or a great WLS-friendly recipe to share? I love to hear from you! Hit me up at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com!
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