No Sugar-Added Tropical Lemonade

So I know we live in this super high-tech, fast-moving world where everything is designed to be faster, easier, more convenient.

But every once in a while I like something that takes time, requires a little skill, and is a bit more involved. Good, homemade handmade lemonade is one of those things.

When I was an itty-bitty thing and my grandma was still alive (she passed away when I was five) she used to make lemonade. Helping her is one of my earliest memories. Now lemonade wasn't a quick-rush thing to her. No, no! You took your time with it. Because if you did, you got something really wonderful.

In my estimation, homemade lemonade is a great way to practice the old will-power muscle. It's not instant gratification. You get the very best results if you wait it out. But the moment you put that sweet nectar to your lips...ahhhhh. You realize it was worth it. Even if the waiting nearly drove you insane. :)

Nik's No-Sugar Added Tropical Lemonade
(The below recipe is what I used for this batch. Each batch can be different, the method of making it remains the same! This makes about 3 quarts of lemonade.)

Ingredients:

• About 10 pineapple cores (see below)
• 2 mango seeds after I cut the flesh off
• 6 c. water
• 2 limes, juiced
• About 8 lemons, juiced
• No-calorie sweetener equivalent to 3 c. sugar (use whatever kind you like but check the conversion chart on the packaging to make sure it matches up against sugar!)
• Another 8 c. (64 oz.) of cold water

Directions:

Pre-Step: Fruit Cores

So I had these two pineapples, right? And I needed to cut them up because they were sitting in my fridge doing absolutely nothing. I know from experience nobody in my family will cut them. They will go bad first. (Yes, that is sad!) So I decided to cut them up along with a mango I had. I wanted to show you a super simple hack for removing the cores of pineapples. I'm sure there are other ways. Please share in the comments!

Step One: Making a flavored simple syrup

This is usually how I get the non-lemon flavor into lemonade. You don't have to do it this way. You can also:

• Infuse lemonade with flavor by adding fruits or herbs (like mint) to your final product and letting them sit for a long while
• Pureeing fruit and straining out the flesh and adding it during step 4. (This method works especially well with strawberries).

But since I was using the cores of fruit, I incorporated it into my simple syrup by adding 6 cups of water to a sauce pan, dropping the fruit cores in there, turning the heat to high and letting it come to a boil. Then I dropped the heat to medium-low and let it simmer about 10-ish minutes before turning off the burner and letting it sit.

Step Two: Juice the lemons

I personally do it the way my grandma did it, which is by hand. But there are lemon juicers out there that do the job very quickly with no mess. I will say, though, that nothing beats how your hands smell after hand-juicing lemons. Since I had lemons and limes on hand, I used both. In general, you need about 8-10 lemons to make a decent sized, share-able pitcher of lemonade. As you can see I squeezed mine into a separate bowl.

Step Three: Complete your simple syrup

Remove the fruit cores from the sauce pan and turn it back on low heat so it stays warm. One at a time, add a cup of sweetener and whisk it in until it completely dissolves. NOTE: If you like less sweet lemonade feel free to use less sweetener than this recipe calls for!

Step Four: Putting it all together

Combine the lemon (and in this case lime) juice with the simple syrup then stir well. Then add that to a large pitcher. Then add the 8 cups of cold water and stir again. Give it a taste. Is it too sweet? Add more water. Is it not sweet enough? Add more sweetener. The tartness should be fine but if it isn't, you can always squeeze another lemon or two and throw the juice in there. I keep it a bit on the sweet side because I know I'll add ice when I serve it and lemonade is a social drink. You sip, you talk, you sip, you talk...I still want my lemonade to be sweet after the ice melts! But that's just me.

Refrigerate about two hours or until cold. Serve over ice. I serve it with bits of the fruit that's in the lemonade (shown are pineapple and mango bits).

Some other ideas:

• If you want/need protein in this, once it's cold add some unflavored protein to your glass. I would say 1/2 serving for every 8 ounces.
• My kids like to add soda water to this (actually the put it through their Soda Stream machine)
• This makes a really great Arnold Palmer with the addition of some home-brewed iced tea (don't mess up the handmade momentum with the instant stuff - it's WORTH the effort!)

Outtake Photos

Here's the thing that irks me. I spent good money on a good camera...and sometimes my iPhone simply takes the better photo! 

Obligatory direct overhead shot. Note to self: not appealing with drinks!

Doesn't that look downright SLURPABLE??? Yum.

Premier Protein: Simple Protein for a Complicated Life. (Product Review)

This review was sponsored by Premier Protein, and I was provided with free product for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.

I sorta feel like I'm preaching to the choir about Premier Protein. So many of you already use it! In fact, the sheer number of you who use it prompted me to want to give it another try. I tried the shakes at the very beginning of my post-op life and I liked them well enough, but then I started playing with protein powder and making recipes and...we all know where that went. 

So here I am again trying Premier Protein. If you all follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know they sent me a lot of product. Like...a lot. I think it's because they want me to share it with you. I intend to! After the grad school semester from hell ends. Until then all you'll get is procrastination and empty promises and, really, who needs that? 

Anyway, let's get on with the review!

This review will cover the shakes. They sent me lots of bars as well and I think that may need to be its own blog review! Look for it coming soon. 

So the shakes come in three flavors: Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla. The stats on them are pretty much all the same:

Here's some other important information:

• Premier uses a blend of whey isolate and whey concentrate
• It also contains sucralose (an artificial sweetener used to in Splenda)

Packaging

Yes, I start from the beginning, Foodies! But I think Premier's packaging is worth talking about. It's very convenient for a few reasons. Firstly, the shakes are shelf-stable so you don't have to keep them in the fridge. For those of you who work in places where you don't have a fridge, that might be very convenient. It also has a sturdy, "twist on/twist off" cap. As I was reviewing these shakes I can't tell you how many times this saved my shirts! 

Taste/Texture/Yadda

Like I said in the title, it's simple protein for a complicated life. One thing I like about Premier Protein is that they keep their flavors clean. Each flavor tasted like what it was supposed to taste like. I was a bit put off by the fact that the strawberry was an off-white but then as I thought about it, that means there's no red dye in it, which is a good thing! But just to give you my initial impression (I actually wrote these phrases down as I tasted these):

• Chocolate: "Tastes like a Yoohoo." (Do they still make those, by the way?)
• Strawberry: "Takes me back to elementary school and those little cartons of strawberry milk." (Do they still make those, by the way?)
• Vanilla: "Must Triple X this...would make an awesome thick vanilla shake!"

Which brings me to my next point. The shakes aren't super thick. (Newbies may disagree.) They pour easily. There are a few bubbles when you pour but nothing too serious. For the pics above I fanned the cups with a piece of paper and the bubbles dispersed. In all reality, most of you will drink this from the carton anyway. I will admit I didn't shake them first. They seemed fine even still.

So...was there an aftertaste? For this one I had to go outside myself. I've been on artificial sweeeteners and protein supplements for so long I don't think I could tell you even if the aftertaste tapped me on the shoulder and introducted itself. I had my oldest daughter (the "Picky One") taste it (I had to pay her to do it - the little extortionist!). She said there is no aftertaste. Then she asked if she could have the rest of it. Ba-da-bing.

Final Verdict

Well you all know me. I like to play with my food.

Here's one way I played with my Premier Protein Shake. Click here to get the recipe. There will be other ways!

Of all the flavors, I'd likely do the chocolate and vanilla most often. I'm not a big fan of strawberry anything, although I didn't mind testing out this flavor at all. I see that they are available all over. Check out this page to locate them near you. So they are convenient, affordable and not a special purchase.

So I think my final verdict would be to give them a try. It's good protein, for a good price, and easily accessible (check out the "Where to Buy" page on their website to find it near you). Especially if you are a person who doesn't need a fancy shake, you just need a good shake, with good flavor, and a good protein count, Premier has got you covered.

#PWYF

Recipe Remake: Cinco de Mayo Protein Shake (featuring Premier Protein)

It's May! We made it! I'm reasonably sure that for most of us, there is no snow in the immediate forecast. I think that's cause to celebrate.

Tomorrow, as you know, is Cinco de Mayo. (Tell the truth: do you know what's celebrated on this day? I'll 'fess up and say I was not terribly aware, so I looked it up. Fascinating!) And the good folks at Premier Protein sent me a festive recipe to share with you! It's been a while since I've done a "recipe remake"post, but essentially that's where I take an existing recipe and show you how I would change it to make it work better for weight loss surgery post-ops. So, let's get to it.

Let's start with the recipe as Premier sent it to me:

Now I want to start by saying this recipe, in and of itself, isn't bad. It's got several servings of fruit along with protein. For someone who has not had weight-loss surgery, this recipe would be a great alternative to the oversized alcoholic beverages typically served on Cinco de Mayo.

For us? This shake might be challenging because of the levels of sugar. Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with eating fresh fruit! But depending on your surgery type, combining multiple sources of sugar (even natural sugar) may be problematic. Only you know how your body works. 

(Want to learn more about the different kinds of sugar and how they affect your body post-op? Check out my series, "BF Basics: Sugar Shock")

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a delicious Cinco de Mayo shake. That just means we have to to play with our food!

Interestingly, as soon as I saw this recipe, I thought of my Tropical Sunrise Smoothie. It's essentially the same concept (with a few different ingredients). Here's the original recipe but I thought there was even room to play with my version. So below is the updated recipe!

Tropical Sunrise Smoothie (featuring Premier Protein)

(This will either make one big shake or two small ones - remember...sharing is caring!)

Ingredients:

• 1 Premier Protein 11 oz. Vanilla Shake
• 1/2 c. fresh cut mango, cubed (note: if you use frozen, you can omit the ice listed below)
• 2-3 frozen peach segments (or if you happen to have a no-sugar added peach fruit cup hanging around, that works too. Just make sure to drain it first!)
• 1 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
• 1 packet True Orange flavoring (look in the sugar aisle of the grocery store)
• A squirt of lemon juice
• Optional: 1 tbsp. either sugar-free banana instant pudding mix OR sugar-free banana flavored syrup
• Ice (especially if your fruit is not frozen)

Directions:

If using ice: Combine everything but ice in a blender 1-2 minutes. Add ice, blend an additional minute.

If not using ice: Combine everything in the blender for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. 

Pour and enjoy!

And remember...

For even more reative protein shake recipes, tips and tricks, check out The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes. Available in hard-copy and Kindle on Amazon and for iPad and Nook on Smashwords!

Why Bariatric Foodie Hearts Torani

These are my "most frequently used" flavors. There are more in my kitchen though!

There are three questions I get asked pretty often about sugar-free syrups:

1. What do you use them for?
2. What’s the difference between Torani, Davinci, and other syrups?
3. If I’m gonna try Torani syrups, what flavor should I try first?

Call me ambitious…but I’m going to try to answer all these questions in one (hopefully not too long) blog post!

What do I (Nik) use sugar-free syrups for?

Left: Mocha Toffee Twist Hot Protein Drink, Top: Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Pecan Topping, Bottom: S'mores Protein Pudding Pie 

The better question is what don’t I use them for. And the answer to that would be very few things! I use them in protein shakes, in yogurt, in pudding, in coffee, in baked stuff, in dessert. They can even be used as an addition to savory sauces! (Sorry I haven’t memorialized those recipes yet but soon!)

Here are a few helpful tips when using sugar-free syrups in general:

• If you are baking using sugar-free syrups, remember that it would be considered a wet ingredient and, thus, you’d need to either adjust your other wet ingredients accordingly OR adjust your cook time (usually longer cook time, possibly lower temperature depending on what it is). In general, the syrups don’t have a big impact on the final texture of a baked product. 
• Be sure to use a flavor that stands out from whatever you are using. So if you are making…say…chocolate protein pudding, a nice Salted Caramel or S’mores flavored syrup would work well with that. Don’t use flavors that blend into each other. You won’t taste them and it will seem like a waste!

What’s the difference between Torani, Davinci and other syrups?

The main difference is their flavor offerings. Davinci makes some flavors that Torani does not (like sugar-free Kahlua and sugar-free Buttered Rum) and Torani makes some flavors Davinci does not (such as my absolute FAVORITE, sugar-free S’mores and sugar-free Salted Caramel). There are many other brands of sugar-free syrups, including those carried at your local Starbucks. There can also be differences in how syrups are sweetened. Both Torani and Davinci are generally sweetened with Sucralose (the main ingredient in Splenda). There are other syrups sweetened with other things such as aspartame, xylitol and stevia. 

If I’m gonna try Torani syrups, what flavor should I try first?

Valid question. Many of us don’t have the budget for an unlimited supply (but we can dream…sigh…) so investing in the right bottle is important. Here are a few suggestions (all sugar-free flavors):

• Nik’s All-Time Faves (of the moment): S’Mores, Hazelnut, English Toffee
• If you're #TeamFruity: You might like Orange, Lime or Strawberry
• If you're #TeamVanilla: there’s Vanilla, French Vanilla and Vanilla Bean
• If you're #TeamChocolate: There’s Chocolate but also flavors that enhance chocolate like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter flavors!

Why I love CLICK Espresso Protein!

CLICK-cocoa, anyone?

This week's Bariatric Foodie Pledge participants are working hard on their goals for the chance to win a special prize pack, courtesy of CLICK Espresso Protein.

So I thought this week was a good week to reflect on my  relationship with CLICK. It's not complicated: I LOVE the stuff! Here's why.

In the Beginning...

Cinnamon- Caramel CLICK Frapp!

Our relationship started in 2009. Back then Bariatric Foodie was two people (myself and my former partner-in-crime, Jen, whose name you'll still see on some BF recipes). I hadn't tried CLICK to that point because I'd just been cleared for caffeine consumption (this was before CLICK had a decaf option). To celebrate, Jen sent me a canister of the Mocha.

It was love at first sip!

The rich, smooth taste was just...wonderful. But me being the macro-nutrient freakazoid that I am, I wanted to play with it to see how I could get the most out of this delicious drink. And the CLICK Frapp was born!

Over the next year or so I was obsessed with CLICK Frapps! It was my goal to have a Frapp for every flavor Frappe drink, at that other place. Here's what I came up with:

• Mocha CLICK Frapp
• Vanilla Latte CLICK Frapp
• Strawberry CLICK Frapp
• CLICK-a-butter Frapp
• Chai Latte CLICK Frapp
• Cinnamon-Caramel CLICK Frapp

The Relationship Solidifies

I love using CLICK in my S'mores Protein Pudding Pie!

So after I exhausted myself with the Frapp idea, I moved onto solid stuff. Mainly, pudding. I was seeing folks pay a lot of money for special protein pudding mixes. I thought to myself, "There has to be a cheaper way!" So I played with my food and came up with my method for making protein pudding. 

It wasn't long until CLICK joined the party!

From there I got lots of ideas of where to use CLICK including:

• In my Protein Power Balls 
• To make Protein Pudding Pies
• To make Protein Frozen Pies

The Relationship Goes Public

So I get Food Network Magazine (as many of you do) and I kept seeing these neat little pull-out booklets. 50 Potato Salad Recipes. 50 Pizza recipes. So I thought to myself, "I wonder if I can come up with 50 Ways to CLICK?" And I did! 

I actually wrote up my ideas and contacted Beth and Greg Smith, owners of CLICK and asked if they would help me share these great recipe ideas. And boy did they! The "50 Ways to CLICK" booklet is now available for FREE download on the Click website! It includes all the ideas I shared plus even more!

Many thanks to CLICK!

True fact: CLICK has never, ever said no to a giveaway I've proposed. Not once. They've always been willing to provide samples to me to give away and whole canisters along with fun CLICK bling! They supported the very first Bariatric Foodie Pledge back in 2011 and they support this one too.

PLEASE show them some love for their loyalty to the Foodie Nation. If you haven't already:

• Like Click on Facebook
• Follow them on Twitter

The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Making a Click Frapp

REMINDER: Today, Wednesday, February 12, is the "Shake it Up" Challenge. Try something new and healthy and you have a chance to win some Click Espresso Protein! If you're here  to report back about what you did (remember, you have to do it today to qualify!), you can leave a comment on this blog post and you'll be entered to win!

In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you guys my favorite way to use Click. Come aboard my train of thought! 

Starbucks. Frappucinos. I used to love ‘em.

Now? Not so much. Yes, you can ask for them to be made with sugar-free syrup but the base they use (which comes pre-packaged) has sugar in it and that’s…iffy.

Besides, why take all those calories without ANY protein. That’s why, some years ago (in the time before time when Nik was a newbie) I came up with what I like to call a Click Frapp.

Now I don’t know if I can take credit for the term “Click Frapp.” I can say I hadn’t experienced the term before I started using it and I just Googled it and now it’s not that uncommon, but that’s neither here nor there.

Rather than simply give you a list of the Click Frapp recipes I have on the blog (which I’m still going to do, I thought I’d give you an all-inclusive guide to making a Click Frapp.

How to Make a Click Frapp

Liquid Base

Use 8 oz. of any of the following:

• Cow’s milk
• Soy milk
• Almond milk
• Some other type of milk
• Water

Flavor Base

Use ½ serving (1 scoop) of either:

• Click Mocha
• Click Mocha Decaf
• Click Vanilla Latte
• (After March 2014) Click Caramel

Protein Boost

Use one serving (which should be 100-130 calories and at least 20g protein, very few carbs):

• Chocolate protein powder
• Vanilla Protein powder
• Strawberry Protein powder

Flavor Add-Ons

Use 2 tbsp. of sugar-free syrup. You can use whatever you have on hand but here are some of my favorites:

• Peppermint Paddy
• English Toffee
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon
• Hazelnut
• Raspberry
• Orange (yes, it even tastes good with a chocolate base!)

AND/OR any of the following (amounts and added calories listed):

• Unsweetened Cocoa powder (1 tbsp = 25 calories)
• Powdered Peanuts like PB2 or Chike PB (1 tbsp = 27.5 calories, 2.5g protein)
• Sugar-free pudding powder (generally 1 tbsp. = 35 calories), here’s some flavors I think work well
• Cheesecake
• Banana Cream
• Caramel
• Butterscotch

Directions:

Combine one item from each category in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes (yes, that’s a long time but trust me on this one). Add 3-5 cubes of ice and blend until they are crushed. If desired, you may add more sweetener before the first blend.

Now that you have the basics, here are some more specific Click Frapp recipes:

• The Original Click Frapp
• The Vanilla Click Frapp
• The Clickabutter Frapp
• The Cinnamon Caramel Click Frapp
• The Chai Latte Click Frapp

Pumpkin Toffee Protein Shake

According to my children, pumpkin time is over. 

This, of course, led to a discussion of the popular Christmas songs that actually include pumpkin references. (By the way, I could actually only think of two: "Hear Those Sleigh Bells Ringing" and "No Place Like Home for the Holidays" but if you can think of  others, help me build my case!!!)

So all that is to say I don't know if you consider Thanksgiving the end of "pumpkin season" but I...do not.

This morning I knew I wanted some sort of pumpkin shake but I wanted to play with the standard pumpkin pie shake recipe. And I'm glad I did because this is yummy!

Nik's Pumpkin Toffee Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 c. milk (whatever kind you use)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use this kind)
• 1 oz. canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or you can use sugar-free pumpkin pie flavored syrup, if you have some lying around)
• 2 tbsp. sugar-free English Toffee syrup
• Ice
• Optional toppings: whipped cream and a sugar-free caramel drizzle

Directions:

For a cold shake: Mix it up in your blender using the Triple X Method. Or not. Your choice!

For a hot drink: Omit the ice and mix it up according to my hot protein shake making instructions. Or not. Your choice!

So...this was good. But I have been stricken with the dreaded "little pouch sydrome," or, LPS as I like to call it. So as I type 3/4 of this yummy shake is sitting beside my computer staring at me. Hmph. It was still yummy though!

From the Foodie Files: Sensible Protein Shake Swaps!

One of my biggest crimes as the write of this blog is assuming you all have read this blog as long as I’ve written it. Not true!

So many of you don’t know that I used to be something of a calorie zealot. This blog fed into that big time as I sought ways to make yummy food for the least amount of calories, but the most protein, possible.

To that end I have all these random bits of information stored up in my head that lately I’ve been trying to organize into things that might be helpful to all of you.

Today’s topic: Shake additives! Now you all who have The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes know that there are several different kinds of additives you can use to enhance your shakes. And you also know my additive rules. In keeping with those rules, here are three easy swaps you can make to your shake additives to save a few calories, maybe add some protein or subtract some carbs!

#1: DO USE sugar-free banana pudding, DO NOT USE bananas!

I’ll disclaimer that. If you are a tri-athlete, a marathon runner, weight lifter or generally do super strenuous workouts OR if you have low potassium and have been advised to eat bananas, go for it. Throw one in your shake and don’t look back!

The rest of us have to tread carefully because they can be a carb BOMB! I see lots of folks throwing whole bananas in their shakes. And it’s not a bad thing, per se. Especially if you want to go all-natural. BUT if you are looking to save a few calories but still want your banana flavor, consider banana pudding. Check out the “comps.”

Small banana: 90 calories, 23g carbs, 12g sugar, 1g protein

Sugar-free banana pudding mix (1 tbsp): 25 calories, 6g carbs, 0g protein

So either way this additive isn’t giving you a lot of protein. So better yet, just use a banana flavored protein and cut the middle man out altogether! But if you don't have that, certainly do NOT accept all those extra calories and carbs to get your banana on!

#2: DO USE Powdered peanuts, DO NOT USE peanut butter

Long-time readers know my love affair with peanut butter. But alas it’s not going in my shake! Why? Well, I hear many of YOU say, when you put it in your shakes, “it’s a good source of protein!” That’s sorta true. Peanut butter is primarily a source of FAT that has a good amount of protein in it. That’s a bit different.

Instead I use PB2, or powdered peanuts. It’s what happens when you steamroll a bunch of peanuts to make peanut oil. You’re left with this beautiful powder that tastes like peanut butter for a fraction of the calories. Check out the comps!

Peanut butter (2 tbsp.): 190 calories, 17g fat, 7g protein

PB2 (2 tbsp.): 45 calories, 1.5g fat, 5g protein

I mean, c’mon! It’s a no-brainer! For the record, I use PB2 a lot in things like protein oatmeal and in yogurt BUT when I want an actual nut butter, I go for the real thing and here are my top picks for peanut butter! 

PB2 is showing up in many Wal-Marts and grocery stores. Look for it where you would normally find peanut butter OR you can order it online! To be fair, you can also just use a peanut butter flavored protein powder and that'd save you a lot of calories too!

#3 DO USE Low-fat cream cheese, DO NOT USE Sugar-Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix

Now this one isn’t so great a difference that using the latter is going to mess up anything. In fact, I discovered this quite by accident one day. But many of you love cheesecake shakes. And cheesecake yogurt. And many of you make these thing using sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix.

The interesting thing about this swap is that my suggested swap has 10 MORE calories than the thing I say not to use BUT it has less carbs. And, in my opinion, it yields something that tastes like REAL cheesecake. I’m sorry Jell-O. Despite your best efforts your mix doesn’t taste like cheesecake to me, but then I am a connoisseur. Anyway, here are the comps:

Cheesecake Pudding Mix (1 tbsp): 25 calories, 6g carbs, 0g protein

Low-fat (Neufchatel) Cream Cheese (1 tbsp): 35 calories, 0.5g carbs, 1g protein

So for your extra 10 calories you’ve gotten rid of 5.5g carbs and picked up a gram of protein and (just to sound like a broken record) you’ve also picked up authenticity! And if you pair it with ingredients that mimic those in cheesecake, like unflavored Greek yogurt (which mimics the taste of the sour cream used in traditional cheesecake), it gets even yummier. In fact, check out this recipe!

So there you have it. Three sensible shake swaps that will keep your shakes yummy AND beneficial. Do you have any good swaps that you use? Share them in the comments! And, as always, PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

Happy National Hot Chocolate Day!

I seem to be the Queen of the overhead shot these days!

If there is a list out there of these food commemoration days, can someone please point me to it???

Thankfully, if you use the handy search box to your right, you search any ingredient, dish, keyword your heart desires and if it's on BF, the search box will find it!!!

Anyhoo...I thought in honor of this day I'd make you aware of BF's Cocoa Offerings.

So in no particular order, please feel free to try:

• My Thin Mints for Grown-Ups hot protein drink: Rich chocolate, a hint of mint. Nom, nom, NOM!
• Salted Caramel Protein Hot Cocoa: and this recipe is even easier now that Torani has made sugar-fee Salted Caramel syrup!
• This was originally a cold shake but I now drink it almost exclusively hot - Chocolate with Spiced Cookies protein drink!
• Autumn's Salted Peanut Butter Cocoa: a Foodie-submission!
• BONUS for my Foodies on #teamvanilla: The Hot Blondie! The vanilla-lovers answer to the Hot Chocolate.

So there you have it folks! My offering to National Hot Chocolate Day.

I can't wait until it's National Buffalo Wing Day, personally. :)

Nik's Christmas Cookie Protein Shake

Funny thing I've noticed. Every year I sell two protein shake sample kits in the Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Kit. Both flavors are generally well received but one tends to reach EPIC status.

Last year it was this shake. It can be made hot or cold. You can decorate it with any assortment of sugar-free embellishments. But most of all it is (a) devilishly yummy and (b) it SMELLS awesome!

I hope you enjoy!

Nik's Christmas Cookie Protein Shake

8 oz. milk (whatever kind you use)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I like this kind and it's what I used in the shake kits last year)
1 tbsp sugar-free butterscotch pudding powder
1 oz. either sugar-free brown-sugar cinnamon syrup (what I used last year) or sugar-free cookie dough syrup (I tried it this year and NOM!)

NOTE: In the absence of EITHER syrup, you can use a tablespoon of sugar-free pancake syrup + a generous dash of cinnamon for a cold shake, 1/8 tsp. maple extract + a generous dash of cinnamon for a hot preparation.

Optional: Ice, Whipped Cream, embellishments

Directions:

If making cold: Combine ingredients and mix by the Triple X Method. Or not, your choice!

If making hot: Combine ingredients and mix using the Bariatric Foodie Method for Making Hot Protein Drinks. Or not, your choice!

Top with whippage, if desired, and any deco. Then SLURP!

Merry Christmas!

The winners of the Fit Frappe Spiced Chai Latte



...but first...my long-awaited review of the cold version.

And now for the winners. Congratulations to:

• Lianne Zara Thompson Totty whose purchase of a Bariatric Foodie product from the "Shop BF!" page earned her a winning entry.
• Mitchell Kleinman who took this week's challenge to reconnect with someone and earned his winning entry
• Karen Marie Swartz who liked Big Train on Facebook for her winning entry

Congrats to all three winners. I hope you'll give Fit Frappe Spiced Chai Latte a try. And if you're not a Chai person, check out my reviews of the other flavors.

Tomorrow starts a new giveaway so be sure to come back and check out what it is. Like I said, this is going to be the "Mother of ALL Decembers" here at Bariatric Foodie.

Play with your food!

BF Review: Fit Frappe Spiced Chai

See Kafi, I found some natural light!!!

So...a day late...but in "Nik" time this is actually right on schedule!

You might remember that we are doing the "Mother of ALL Decembers" giveaway event and that this first week of December our friends at Big Train are giving THREE Foodies a canister of the brand spanking new Fit Frappe Spiced Chai flavor. And if you didn't know that? Well, now you do! To enter use the widget at the bottom of this post.

This is the first of TWO reviews I'll do on this flavor. I decided to try it both hot and cold so I could give you a good, 360-degree opinion on this product. So let's get started, shall we?

Serving Size: For an 8 oz. drink it'd be half this packet for a 16 oz. drink you'd use the whole packet. That's the order I'll put the rest of the stats in, k?

Nutritional yadda, yadda:

Calories: 70/130
Fat: 1.5/3.5g
Sodium: 180/360mg
Carbs: 12/24g
Sugars: 1/2g
Sugar Alcohols: 7/15g*
Protein: 10/21g

*On the sugar alcohols. It may seem like a lot but they actually use the most gastrointestinally friendly sugar alcohol, erythritol. I am highly sensitive to sugar alcohols and none of the Fit Frappe flavors have bugged me so far. I've also sent samples to Foodies of various surgery age and none reported any problems. But use your own best judgment!

Look/Smell of Raw Product:

Basic powder. It is a lovely tan color. As soon as you open the package you can smell the spices. That is encouraging!

Mix-ability:

I feel like this is a good time for a refresher tutorial on mixing a hot protein drink. I have memorialized this method here on the blog (click here to read and/or print) but it's nice to have illustrations sometimes, yes?

Step One:

Put the requisite amount of powder in your cup. I did the 8 oz. serving size just to see how much of a pain in the butt it'd be. I am not a big fan of having to split up sample sizes. This wasn't too bad though. The powder comes in at just under 2 oz. Well I know that 1 oz. = 2 tbsp. so that's what I doled out.

Step Two:

I mixed the powder with room temperature water. Then I stirred and stirred and stirred. Make sure you take your spoon all the way down and SCRAPE the bottom of your cup to get any wayward dry powder mixed in. It should be all smooth and sort of pudding-like in appearance.

Step Three:

I add 1/3 of the boiling water that I am going to use to my cup and stir until the mixture is smooth and slightly thinner.

Step Four:

I add another 1/3 and stir again. While this may sound like a lot of time going by, literally I've only been at this about a minute and a half by this step.

Step Five:

I add the final 1/3 of the boiling water and stir it to a nice, smooth finish!

Step Six:

Enjoy!

Wait...but DID I enjoy it? Let's move on with the review!

Taste:

The Chai of my memories (which comes from a little "hole in the wall" Indian joint run by the Patel family of South Baltimore) is creamy, spicy (not in the sense of being "hot" but rather full of spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc.) and just sweet enough to be called sweet but not overly so.

I'm here to tell you that Big Train got it dead on! I mean dead. ON. I added nothing but water yet it was nice and smooth. I could taste the spices and the sweetness was present but not overpowering. Mmmmm.

After-appearance/Mouthfeel:

The only thing missing from this (and this is something Big Train can't do) is that when I had Chai at the Indian buffet it had this assortment of spice bits floating toward the top with a very thin layer of foam (like latte foam). This did not have that but in the WLS world no foam or bits is a good thing to be sure!

It mixed very smoothly and there were no lumps. It wasn't too thick or thin. Perfection!

Cost: On the Big Train website, this retails for $19.95 for a 19.1 oz. can. I can't tell from the info on the website how many servings that is but it looks to be a good sized canister.

Verdict:

I love it! I am a "Chai when I'm in the mood" kinda gal so if I bought this it'd probably last me a while, making it a worthwhile investment. Heck I might even make a day of it and cook up some Chicken Tikka Masala, some Indian-style Creamed Spinach, some WLS-friendly Samosas or some Curried Chickpeas and Cauliflower Rice. This Chai would fit in with the most authentic of Indian dishes. (Except that we can't eat/drink at the same time so don't do that!)

Now you've read the hot preparation review. Tomorrow is the cold prep review. In the meantime put your name in the hat to win some! Use this widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BF Two-fer: Nik's Twix Protein Shake & Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Shake

This is actually a two-fer. By accident of, of course. This post was supposed to just be about the Twix shake. Cuz it's almost Halloween. And I promised yummy recipes!

But here's what had happened.

I had one little portion of sugar-free caramel syrup left. I put it on the counter so I could photo the recipe. Well, while I was out my kids, motivated from my last rant about them walking by trash and not picking it up, threw the bottle away, thinking I was done with it. The lesson? Be careful of the timing of your rants, parents!

So I am still going to give you the recipe but there's this other recipe I've also been making with another of the syrups in the Twix recipe so I thought I'd show you that one too. This is me. Being generous. Weird.

Nik's Twix Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Chike Chocolate Bliss)
• 1 tbsp. Davinci sugar-free caramel syrup
• 1 tbsp. Davinci sugar-free cookie dough syrup
• Ice

Nik's Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Chike Very Vanilla)
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp Davinci sugar-free cookie dough syrup
• 1/8 tsp. imitation butter extract
• Ice

Directions for both: Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix according to the Triple X Method. Or not. Your choice!

So now you have two MORE recipes to help you fend off the Halloween candy. Now...I know what some of you are thinking. "Nik, what's up with the syrups we have to purchase online???" 

You're right. Many of my shakes do use syrups you have to purchase online as opposed to buying them in the store. BUT I do try to use them as I did here, in several different recipes so you have more than one idea of how to use them. BUT for those that are still wary, I have to tell you the Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Kit (click the link for details) is a great way to "try before you buy" some specialty items I use in my shakes.

If you haven't already gotten your Survival Kit, there are still some available! Remember, I'm only selling 200 of them this year and more than 100 are already spoken for! Also remember when you purchase one you are entered into a raffle to win a BodyMedia Fit Link Armband (read our review here) that measures the calories you burn every day to help you reach your goals! Click here to learn more about the Holiday Survival Kit. 

And keep playing with your food!

BF Product Review: Chike Protein Iced Coffee

Chike! Iced Coffee! Review! Let's do this.

The 360

So whenever I am trying something new, I always do the 360 first. Gives me an opportunity to see how well it is packaged and I TRY to look at it from the perspective of someone who may not be quite familiar with food product packaging.

From the front of the single-serve packet alone we can tell that Chike:

• Is made with REAL espresso coffee (two shots worth!). This means it does have caffeine in it so if you aren't allowed caffeine yet, take heed!
• Has 20g of whey protein (although the front cover doesn't tell you what kind...we'll get to that in a moment).
• It has no gluten or aspartame (thank goodness on the later as I HATE aspartame)
• Has 23 vitamins and minerals (I admit...that sort of information is about the least important to me as a RNYer who likely won't absorb most of those vitamins and minerals anyway, but it's good to know, yes?)

Now the back packaging also has some good nuggets of information.

• Each serving has 130 calories, 9g carbs, 2g sugar and 20g protein. If you read my Nutrition Label Series, you know it exceeds my personal calories:protein standards by having more than 1g protein for every 10 calories.
• On the right side it gives you a plethora of options on how to mix the stuff. I am USUALLY a blender girl but the friendly rep at Chike assured me you can make this stuff, with water, in a blender bottle or even in a covered bottle without a blender ball or mesh and it will still not clump. I admit I was dubious. More about that in a moment)
• So about the whey question...it is, as many proteins are, a mixure of whey isolate and whey concentrate. For some of you this may seem problematic. For me, it's a non-issue. I did blends throughout my losing phase and landed on the other side 155 lbs. lighter and a whopping 8 dress sizes smaller. Just sayin'.

One thing the packaging alone does not tell you is that this is meant to be a protein supplement, not a meal replacement like their other powders. What's the difference? I asked our friendly Chike rep who said that the amount of calories in a meal replacement are meant to do just that, replace a meal. This is more like a snack. Or a "tide you over until you can get to a meal" or, more likely for most of us, sneak some protein into something we'd probably drink anyway.

Aesthetics

Look/Smell: So every time I read other's product reviews I feel like I am not aesthetic enough with mine (hence this whole section). I rarely sniff stuff. I have an iron pouch so something has to be REALLY nasty for me to reject it. But in this case I did sniff and it smelled like coffee with a whiff of vanilla. There. I did it. Once. It looks like vanilla protein with some coffee in it. Here, lookit:

Texture: So the assertion that it would not clump intrigued me. To be fair, I didn't believe it. So when I went to try this I did so assuming I would get lumps and get to report that to you. I wasn't trying to be a hater. It's just that no protein I have EVER tried has blended completely smoothly in a blender bottle.

But here, is the powder and water in the blender cup:

And here it is a few shakes later:

Now may I draw your attention to a few things? First, no lumps! (I was shocked and I stand corrected...I'm sorry I doubted you, Chike!) but also lookit. Minimal foam! I know foam bugs the HELL outta some of you so I needed to point that out.

And as a bonus, here is the shake after it has sat for about 10 minutes. I've been sipping as I'm typing this. But look.

No separation! I like that. I like that a lot. BUT...for me it all comes down to the taste.

Taste: In the last few years I've started to better appreciate the taste of actual coffee and have stopped drowning it in a sea of creamer. If that's you as well, you'll appreciate the flavor of Chike. You are supposed to blend it with 10 oz. of cold water. You can add more if you want a weaker flavor, less for a more intense flavor. I found 10 oz. to be just about right.

Now even though this was not advertised as a vanilla drink, it does have vanilla undertones. I have a theory about that. I think the vanilla is for aroma's sake. I don't think there can be a truly odorless whey protein. There's either light vanilla or monkey's ass. I vote for the vanilla.

ME personally...I would have preferred this with 8 oz. milk. I like the creamy element. Not that the iced coffee was lacking anything. I just have a thing about richness and milk would give that to me. Perhaps a bit of Davinci sugar-free hazelnut would have been nice too.

But all in all, I liked it! Hell, I drank it. And that says volumes because I don't care how many samples you give me, if it's nasty, I'm not doing it. Nope. Nuh-uh.

So should YOU buy it?

Ok so I'm a single mom (meaning I am perpetually broke) so I had to look at this from a value perspective as well. Here are my personal findings.

• Chike Protein Coffee comes in single serving packets that cost $2.25 each or $2.00 each if you order 10 or more
• This is about 50-75 cents more expensive than the protein coffee I make at home and has about 11-ish less grams of protein
• BUT...this product also beats my homemade protein coffee by about 80 calories and 12g of carbs. In post-op life (especially as you get further out) you HAVE to measure calories saved as a marker of value right along with money and time. If something is healthy and saves you from eating too many crappy calories,  it really is worth considering.
• ...and it really did work like a snack in my pouch. It held me about two-ish hours, which would make it the PERFECT thing to have on my way out the door at work (or what I call "the danger zone" wherein it's been a few hours since lunch and at least two more until dinner and Nik has a tendency to dive head-first into something she knows DAMN well she should not eat. Yeah...that time.)

So in my estimation here's how ALL this information I've given you relates to whether or not you should try this product:

• If you are a coffee lover who is allowed to have some caffeine
• You're looking for a mix that is both tasty, easy to mix and convenient to carry
• But you don't want to drink a whole meals worth of calories
• ...And especially if you're one of those "Starbucks" people

Then, yes, I would say this is a wise investment for you. The coffee flavor rings through nicely, it's basically "idiot-proof" in its mixing and especially if you don't like the creamy shakes and want to go with something water-based, this is a great option.