Bread after weight-loss surgery

Nik's Apricot & Almond Triangle



Before we talk about this gorgeous little gem, we need to have a conversation about bread.

This week we’ve been tackling carbs and learning about good choices and swaps, specifically with regard to starchy carbs. We’ve gone over oatmeal, pasta and cereal so far.

Now, some post-ops eat bread. Some don’t. I do. Occasionally. It’s not a big trigger food for me (nor is any starchy carb) so it’s fairly easy for me to moderate. When reading this information, I hope you are taking into consideration your own set of circumstances. If bread or rice or pasta or cereal is a trigger, my best advice is to not even go there.

As a mom, however, it’s nearly impossible for me to avoid bread completely. Children in America love themselves a sandwich! I have this rule. I don’t buy my divas anything that I can’t eat. And that’s not so that I can eat it. It’s mainly because I have a higher standard of nutrition these days. So if I wouldn’t eat it, why in the world would I feed it to them? Raising them to be healthy, happy, well adjusted women is my magnum opus and I take that pretty seriously.

In keeping with that thinking I have some bread rules:

1. 99% of the bread that comes into my house is 100% whole grain (save for the occasional baguette for the divas)
2. The sliced bread I use has no more than 60 calories per slice
3. Being that a serving of bread is 1 slice, nobody in my house eats more than 2 servings of bread a day. NOBODY.

My girls know these rules so if they want to try a new bread, they know how to read the nutrition label and how to pick one I’m likely to buy. They also understand the concept of “budgeting” their bread intake. They know if they want French Toast for breakfast they can’t have a sandwich for lunch.

Now…back to the photo above. Whenever I do eat bread it’s either a slice of their bread (which, as I mentioned, passes my stringent nutritional standards) or a slice of my handy-dandy P-28 bread (high protein bread with 14g of protein per slice). Today’s offering uses the P-28, mainly because it holds up well to what I did with this sandwich.

If I had to describe this sandwich I’d say “PB&J for grown ups.” It’s Lent and I don’t do meat on Fridays during Lent and it’s Carb Week here on the blog. That could easily descend into utter disaster. But not in this case! Check it out.

Nik’s Almond and Apricot Triangle
(makes two half sandwich servings)

Ingredients:

1 slice 100% whole wheat bread (I used P-28) sliced into 4 triangles
2 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp sugar-free apricot preserves
A few shakes of ground cinnamon
2 “splicks” (some might call it a pinches) of ground ginger
¼ c. liquid egg substitute (or 1 egg, beaten)
1 tablespoon milk
2 packets of Splenda
A few sprays of low or no-cal butter spray (I used Olivio which is no cal)

Directions:

Since P-28 has a long shape, I do my traingles by first slicing the bread in half vertically, then slicing the halves in half diagonally.

Spread ½ tablespoon preserves on each of the 4 triangles. On one side, sprinkle a bit of ground ginger.

Top two of your triangles (doesn’t matter which one) with 1 tablespoon of almond butter.

At this point spray down your pan and get it on a medium flame (I used a grill pan. We’ll talk about why in a minute).

Place egg or egg substitute in a bowl and add milk, Splenda and cinnamon.

Here’s a tip: if you have them, secure each sandwich with a toothpick, then dip each side into the egg mixture then transfer to your hot pan.



I used a grill pan because this sandwich has French Toast leanings. This brings it back into the sandwich realm for me. Your mileage may vary.

Cook on both sides for about a minute or until browned (P-28 bread browns fast so keep an eye on it).

Transfer to a plate and give it a few sprays of your butter spray and a dusting of cinnamon.

Now at three years out, I can eat ½ of this and be satisfied. Eating both sides makes me stuffed. I don’t usually give stats, but I will tell you that with the P-28, each side of this sandwich has about 10g of protein, but I don’t use this as a protein source. Bread is, and always will be, a carb and so I think of it as a carb with more protein than most other carbs.

So there you have it. Bread according to Nik. Stay tuned this evening for the final installment of Carb Confusion and check out my thoughts on rice tomorrow!

Captain Nik's French Toast!

~by Nikki

Anyone who ever saw the very first Baltimore episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” knows about the wonderful confection that is “Cap’n Crunch French Toast.”

It’s served at the Blue Moon Café and it is an experience (meaning, one I’m glad I got to have before my surgery!). I make a variation of this breakfast for my children on special occasions and I always look at them longingly as they eat it…wishing I had a slice for myself.

In times like this there is only really one thing to do: play with your food!

Captain Nik’s French Toast

The main ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 slice of whole wheat bread (I used P-28 protein bread. If you don’t like or have it, any good 100% whole wheat bread will do but make sure it's a brand with larger slices, like Arnold)
¼ c. Fiber One original cereal, crushed into crumbs
1 tbsp butterscotch pudding mix
1 tbsp peanut flour (or PB2)
½ + 1 whole tbsp no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
1 tbsp reduced fat butter spread (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
A dash of cinnamon
¼ c. liquid egg substitute
2 tbsp sugar-free pancake syrup
Non-stick cooking spray

(Before going into the directions, I'd like to acknowledge that yes...just days ago I said I don't particularly like P-28 bread. Well the fact that I paid for it means that I do have to eat it! So I found a way to like it. I find I don't mind it if it is heavily toasted or cooked in a pan some way. As just a sandwich bread...no...can't do it. Moving on...)

Directions:

Slice your bread into whatever size is feasible to you (I can eat one of those slices shown above at 3 years out just to give you an idea).

On a plate or in a bowl, combine your cereal crumbs, pudding mix, peanut flour and sweetner (the full tablespoon portion) well. In another bowl combine the egg substitute with the half portion of sweetener. (Why is this necessary? My first few batches came out slightly salty for some reason which, by the way, was not entirely unpleasing once I added syrup. But to get the "Cap'n Crunch" effect, you need a bit more sweetness. The only way I seemed able to achieve that was by adding Splenda to BOTH the egg and the dredging mixture).



Set up a dredging station with a small bowl of liquid egg substitute and the crumb mixture. Dip both sides of bread in egg, then in the crumb mixture and then repeat.



Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and set over a medium flame until it gets hot (do a water drop test) and THEN add your tablespoon of butter spread (yes...do both).



Pan fry your bread about 3 minutes on each side or until each side is browned and crispy.

Transfer to a plate and top any way you like (you probably won’t be able to eat a whole slice if using P-28 bread. If you aren’t, you might think about only eating half or even a quarter so that you can get in an egg or some other protein heavy food).

Enjoy!

Egg In The Basket (or Toad in the Hole, etc)

~by Jen

Most every region of the country has their own name for this popular breakfast dish. We called it eggs in the basket or toad in the hole, Paula Deen calls it "One-Eyed Sailor" in honor of her husband Michael, and I'm sure y'all may call it something completely different in your neck of the woods.

Basically, it's a piece of bread with the middle cut out and an egg fried in the center of the bread. I made it this morning for breakfast using P-28 bread, and it was NOM! This is one of those breakfast dishes your kids will love, because it's fun. They can even help with this one and that gets them in the kitchen, too.

Cooking with your kids is good for them AND for you. One of my earliest memories is sitting at my Granny Kent's kitchen table and pulling chicken off the bone and shredding it up for her famous chicken salad. An added bonus? Picky eaters especially benefit from "helping" in the kitchen, because kids are lots more likely to eat something if they help make it. Proven fact!

1 pan, 4 ingredients, and less than 10 minutes of your time are all you need to have a delicious, WLS-friendly breakfast your whole family will enjoy! You could make the family's with multi-grain bread, but I made this for the RV and myself with the P-28 today. Use cute shaped cookie cutters to cut out the center of the bread, the kids will LOVE that part! Nik uses heart shaped ones, I made mine with gingerbread men shapes because my snowman cookie cutter is M.I.A.

The Main Ingredients

The ingredients list is per serving, so multiply the amounts by however many people you are feeding.
Here's how it's done:

Jen's P-28 Egg In the Basket:


Ingredients:
1 slice P-28 Bread
1 large egg (you need a real egg here, not Egg Beaters)
I Can't Believe I'm Not Using Real Butter (But Nik Made Me) Spread
Salt

Directions:


Using a cookie cutter, remove the center from the slice of P-28 bread and set it aside (we'll make a cute little toast with this later). Spread the faux butter on each side of the bread slice. Heat a non-stick skillet, and put the bread slice into it. Crack the egg and pour it gently into the hole in the bread.

The Egg Man Cometh

Cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes, then gently flip the bread over. Continue cooking until the egg has reached your desired level of done-ness. I like mine over medium, so I cook it about 2 minutes on each side.

Perfectly over medium!

Remove the cooked "egg in the basket" to a plate and serve warm. Now we have two options with the cut-out pieces of bread. You can either butter each side and toast it in the pan now, like I did, OR you could make french toast out of the bread shapes and cook and freeze them for later in the week.

Plain toast or French toast? Which do I wanna be?

Your kids would probably like option two better, but play with your food! Do what YOU like. You could also serve some turkey sausage on the side, but half of 1 Egg Basket was a meal for me at 2 years out. Luckily the RV is a bottomless pit and ate the other half of mine.

Dig In!

Nik's Big Bite: Southwest Tuna Melt Triangles

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control...and I think I like it! (Dear Nik: the Pointer Sisters called and said, "cease and desist." That is all.)

So, if you are our fan on Facebook, you saw that I posted yesterday that I received my shipment of P-28 bread. After Jen's review and delicious recipes, how could I not try it for myself? I have nothing to add to Jen's review...but I did have an idea. It had been percolating in my brain for some time.

Before I lay this all out for you, I have to say this. On the spectrum of post-op eaters, there are two extremes. I think Jen and I represent those extremes well. On the one hand, there's the camp of folks who like to eat real food, not live on any sort of specialized eating plan--just honest to goodness...well, goodness...that's made from healthier stuff.

Then there are freakazoids like me...who LIVE to transform protein into things that look normal...but really aren't. I think for the purposes of this blog, the dual philosophies work well for our readers on either side of those extremes and anywhere in between.

Why do I mention this? Well, because my idea very much comes from "that place" in my heart that loves to get a freakish amount of protein in a very small amount of food. I tried my first bit of the bread last night and the reports are true--it is FILLING. I knew that going in, so my goal was to get as much protein with that bread as possible without making some gigantic monstrosity that I'd never finish eating.

And then the idea came to me...a triangle. Yes, a triangle.

I've been DYING for a sandwich, but they tear my pouch up every time. I don't get "sick" sick but I feel miserable for some time afterward. I was encouraged with the discovery of thinner sandwich bread, but they don't sell it in my area and...it's not terribly protein forward.

So I thought...what if I cut my P-28 slices into little finger sandwich sizes and make my favorite grilled sandwiches out of them? The idea took hold, mostly because there's lots of protein potential here. Today, I post my first offering from what I hope will be a series of triangles. I already have at least 20 ideas for more of them, so look out for them as we go along. If you get any ideas of your own, hit us up.

But for today, I am proud to present...

Nik's Southwestern Tuna Melt Triangle

Ingredients

1 slice P-28 protein bread
1 oz. Nik's TVP tuna (recipe below)
1/2 slice turkey bacon, sliced in half and then in slivers
1 large slice of avocado
1/2 slice Pepperjack cheese
About 8 sprays of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray (or one of your choosing)

First things first, I always talk about my TVP tuna (if you are going "what's TVP?" click here). My kids love this stuff. I recently found out no longer like tuna without TVP (go figure). So this is my standby recipe.

Nik's TVP Tuna

Ingredients

1 can of tuna in water (liquid and all)
1/4 c. textured vegetable protein
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons unflavored, non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper


Directions

Put your tuna, liquid and TVP in a bowl and mix it well. Let it sit about 2-3 minutes to let the TVP absorb all the liquid.

While that's happening, mix together your mayo and yogurt and then mix your seasonings into that.

Add to tuna and mix well

TVP tuna has the amount of protein in a 1/2 serving (2 oz.) as a whole can of tuna. That's what got me making it that way. I can't eat a whole portion of tuna (unless I'm eating it alone) so I wanted 1/2 the tuna for all the tuna's protein!

Ok so moving along with the triangle...

So you take your P-28 bread and cut it into triangles of whatever size makes most sense to you (I cut it into four two inch--diameter? I never was good in math--pieces). My camera conked before I could get a good pic of my triangulation but I managed to snag the remaining two triangles on my (not so great) camera phone:

So on on triangle, layer your piece of avocado. On top of that put your tuna mixture. On top of that put your bacon slivers and on top of that put your cheese and top with another triangle.

Spray both sides with low-calorie butter spray and grill in a hot pan until both sides are browned.

Notice the size of the triangle vs. the size of one bread slice! These two triangles sandwiches are made from HALF of that slice.

I had a dog vs. cat battle happen while I was cooking this, so mine got a little too brown...and clearly I'm going to have to work on my presentation skills with this thing but here it is...

But the REALLY important thing is the taste. So I gave it a go and...

Oh my MARTHA!!! It's good! And small! And my pouch doesn't hurt!!!!

I consider that a success folks!

I-HOP ain't got nothin' on us!!

~~posted by Jen

Who hasn't drooled over those IHOP commercials for stuffed French Toast? And if you say you haven't, then you're probably lying! Those commercials are too much for me, so I had to make up a protein version we could enjoy post-WLS.

It's way easier than you might think, and looks really pretty on a plate. A very impressive brunch dish if you're having company, and it was a big hit with the non-ops in my house, too. Y'all know that is always my test of a WLS-friendly recipe, if the non-ops here eat it and say it's good, then I know it's a hit.

Good news for newbies who can't handle bread just yet! The filling by itself is a DELICIOUS meal for the pureed/soft stages! I sometimes eat it for breakfast with a spoonful of sugar free fruit preserves or Sugar Free Fruit Pie Filling stirred into it. Best of all, it's 7 grams of protein for the ricotta cheese plus 30 grams from my protein powder, talk about a big 37 gram protein punch in a little quarter cup serving!

Ricotta with protein powder & blueberry SF Syrup & Whippage

Super easy to make, you won't even believe it! Start by following the directions for Protein French Toast from the Bananas Foster French Toast post. 1 slice is a WLS-size portion for me at 2 years out. Earlier outs, probably 1/2 a slice (the P-28 protein bread is VERY filling.) Now here's how to make the filling and syrup:

Jen's Stuffed French Toast with Homemade SF Blueberry Syrup
First, the filling:
Ingredients:
1 slice Protein French Toast
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder 
Splenda to taste (my protein powder is sweet enough, but yours may not be)


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk the protein powder into the ricotta cheese until thoroughly combined. If your protein powder needs sweetener, add Splenda to taste.


Cut the toast slice into 4 triangles. Spread the ricotta filling between 2 of the triangles, then repeat with the other 2. Voila' stuffed French Toast! Now top it with the fruit or syrup of your choice. I made blueberry sugar-free syrup, you can use whatever fruit you like, or skip the fruit altogether.


Sugar Free Fruit Syrup:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or strawberries, blackberries, peaches, etc)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp corn starch, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water (whisk it so it won't lump)
Splenda to taste
1/2 cup Sugar Free pancake syrup 


Directions: 
Add the blueberries, vanilla, and lemon juice to a non-stick skillet. Let it heat until the fruit is thawed (if using frozen), then whisk in the cornstarch mixture and SF pancake syrup. Stir until combined and let it heat through, then taste for sweetness and add Splenda if needed. 


I usually store this in a covered plastic container in the fridge for up to a week, it's great on the stuffed or un-stuffed French toast. I also love stirring it into my Greek Yogurt or the ricotta and protein filling. NOM!

Bananas Foster French Toast

~~posted by Jen

Remember I told y'all I made a scrumptious breakfast concoction the other morning? Well I finally got it typed up for your enjoyment! The more ways I try this P-28 Protein Bread, the better I like it. After I posted my review of it the other day, I was inspired to make some French Toast.

OK, let's be real for a minute here. Pre-op, I was a carb crackhead. I am not kidding. If it was bread in any way, shape, or form, I was on it like fleas on a hound dog. French toast was an absolute favorite of mine, and until now I have never found a way to make it work with my plan. If I do pancakes, they're usually Nik's CarbQuik ones.

Once in a blue moon, I will indulge in a "regular" pancake if we go out for breakfast. But it's so FILLING and I can only eat half a pancake, so I end up feeling crappy and frustrated. (Not to mention having to pound protein the rest of the day to meet my daily goal.) SO not worth it to me.

Needless to say, once I worked this out, the clouds parted and I heard angels singing! Definitely an "AHA" moment if ever I had one. I felt joy! Once I tasted it, I almost needed a cigarette if you know what I mean. Scrumptiously delicious and the perfect start to a beautiful weekend morning!

This recipe makes 2 slices of French toast, I could only eat 1 slice (cut into 4 triangles for the pic at the top of the page), so multiply according to how many servings you need to make. It passed the non-op test in my house, so it should in yours, too! Here's how you do it...

Jen's High Protein French Toast


Ingredients:
2 slices P-28 high protein bread
2 eggs (or equivalent Egg Beaters if that's your thing)
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Splenda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 tbsp milk (I use 2%, use whatever works for you)
4 or 5 slices of banana (this is less than 1/3 of a medium banana)
Sugar Free Pancake Syrup, I use Smucker's2 pumps Davinci SF Caramel Syrup
Cooking Spray


Directions
Beat the eggs in a small rectangular shaped bowl, I used this onesince it fits the bread nicely. Add the milk, vanilla, Splenda, and cinnamon. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Spray a non-stick griddle or skillet with cooking spray. 


Place the bread in the egg mixture and let it soak for a bit on each side. Remember this bread is a bit more dense than regular bread, so I let it soak a tad longer than you would with plain white or wheat bread. Flip to the other side and soak it.


Put the soaked slice of bread in the hot non-stick skillet or griddle pan, let it brown on one side for almost a minute, then flip it over. Make sure you let it get nice and toasty brown on both sides, so it will be cooked through. Nothing worse than a bite of eggy gloop running out of your french toast!

Browning on the stove.

Once it's brown on each side, remove it to a platter. Spread some "I can't believe it's not butter" or whatever you use on each slice while it's warm. Set the skillet back on the stove, we need it for the topping. 

Now here's the "Bananas Foster" part. In the still warm pan, place your banana slices, Sugar Free Pancake Syrup, and 2 pumps of Davinci Sugar Free Caramel Syrup. Stir it around for a minute just til the syrup warms up and the flavors combine. Don't turn the stove back on, we're not looking to cook the bananas, just want to heat it all up together and there's enough residual heat in the pan for that.

Pour the banana syrup mixture over your warm French toast and dig in! As I said before, 1 slice is a serving for me. I cut it unto 4 triangles, stacked it, then poured the syrup over it. Made with the exact same ingredients I used, 1 slice is 22g of protein.

Freeze the other slice for another meal later in the week, you can even cut it into "sticks" for a quick kid-friendly school day breakfast! 

BF Review: P-28 Protein Bread

Grilled Cheese!!!

~~posted by Jen

First, a disclaimer (I seem to be doing lots of these lately LOL): Our cool friend Melting Mama reviewed this same product awhile back, and I am certainly not trying to shirt-tail her by reviewing it here. My purpose is to help others in the WLS community avoid spending money unnecessarily and then end up not liking something.

I experienced that quite a bit as an early out. When I first had surgery in July 2008, I can remember seeing reviews of products on OH and immediately going out and buying whatever the item was, only to get it home and not like it. After some trial and error, I learned which product reviewers had tastes similar to mine, and that saved me some serious money! Usually the people whose recipes I liked the most also chose products that I liked.

That is my hope with giving you my opinion on certain WLS friendly products, since everyone has different tastes and liking or not liking a product is very subjective. When I review a "basic" food product (like bread, baking mix, or other "ingredient" foods), I will try several different things with it before I post the review. That way you'll be better able to judge how much you will actually use something before you buy it. With all that being said, on with my review!

Nutrigrains P-28 High Protein Bread, available from Netrition.com for $5.99 a loaf. I've had this loaf for going on 3 weeks now, and still have about 1/4 of a loaf left. I store it in the fridge, no signs of mold or spoilage. It's as fresh and tasty today as it was when I received it 3 weeks ago. (Definitely a good thing for pouchers, since we can't eat much at the time.)

 Here are the stats:

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 slice (47g) Servings Per Container: about 15 Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Total Calories 130     Calories From Fat 30  Total Fat 3.5  g 5%       Saturated Fat 0.5  g 3%       Polyunsaturated Fat 2  g    Monounsaturated Fat 0.5  g    Trans Fat 0  g Cholesterol 0  mg 0%    Sodium 260  mg 11%    Total Carbohydrates 12  g 4%       Dietary Fiber 2  g 8%       Sugars 2  g  Show Net Carbs Protein 14  g Vitamin A 0%    Vitamin C 0%    Calcium 6%    Iron 6%    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Ingredients: Water, Wheat Gluten, Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Protein Isolate, Soybean Oil, Whey Protein Isolate, Sugar. Contains 2% or less of: Corn Starch, Wheat Starch, Liquid Brown Sugar, Yeast, Oat Groats, Monoglycerides, Salt, Sunflower Seeds, Millet, Flaxseed, Wheat Sour Blend(Wheat Flour, Sourdough Bacteria), Calcium Propionate, Cracked Wheat, Lactic Acid, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin, Enzymes, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, L-Cysteine, Sucralose. Warning: Contains wheat, milk and soybeans

There's no off-putting "protein-y" smell or taste, the texture is what I would describe as "spongy." I made toast for my initial tasting. It tastes....wonderful! I love multigrain bread, and that's exactly what it tastes like!

At first the texture of it takes some getting used to, as with most protein foods. It's a very dense and hearty slice. (I have texture issues, so pardon me if I keep repeating this.) Very similar in texture to the Kirkland brand multigrain bread we buy from Costco. It's bigger than a usual slice of bread, think the Pepperidge Farm specialty breads, that same size. I had to kind of wedge it into the toaster, but it fit.

1 slice is VERY filling, and I am 2 years out. 1 slice of toast was a full breakfast for me, and I usually eat at least 3/4 of a cup of cottage cheese with fruit. If you're relatively early out, 1/4 or 1/2 a slice might be your max serving at a meal.

Next, I tried it for a sandwich. 1 slice of bread cut in half, roast beef, provolone, pickles, light mayo. Heaven on a plate! Now y'all know me. I am all about the ooey gooey cheesy goodness of it all, so of course I had to make a grilled cheese!!

Oh Em Jeebus, as Nik says! It was GOOD!!! I could only eat half (made it with 2 slices of bread), but I reheated the other half later and it was nominous. I fed the non-op boys in my house grilled cheese on the P-28 bread too, and they all thought I used the multigrain bread they normally eat from Costco. They had NO idea it was a healthier, high protein bread! LOVE that!!!

Another cool thing, I usually can't tolerate whey isolate protein powder, but have ZERO issues from this bread! YAY for that! Coming soon.....a breakfast favorite made with this bread, so stay tuned! If you miss bread as part of your post-op life, I highly recommend giving this one a try.

Verdict: Divas Say Divine!