Dear Bariatric Foodie: Know of a good Fritos substitute?

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Food Should Taste Good Multi-Grain Flax Tortilla Chips
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where to find them: Ummmm…yeah

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

Genisoy Soy Tortilla Chips

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Make Cauliflower Rice



First, my apologies folks. This was supposed to go up yesterday but...it just didn't...that's all...

So rice is the last starchy carb I have to talk about this week. We've already discussed oatmeal, pasta, cereal and bread. Check those out if you haven't already.

Rice. Again, some post-ops eat it. Some don't. I don't. The reason started out with piety (I wanted to be a good new post-op so I avoided all starchy carbs for a long time) and now it's just second nature to skip the rice. Once you've developed a habit like that you should give some thought as to whether you want to reverse it. I didn't want to so I don't generally eat rice.

And even though my dishes are good without the rice, there are some things I want served over top of something. In those instances (like the beautiful and easy chicken curry pictured above), I turn to cauliflower rice.

Now when I tell other post-ops about cauliflower rice I get a million and two reasons why they cannot prepare it. Among them:

"I don't know if I can eat cauliflower."

"It seems like it'd take too long to make."

"That's too much prep work."

Hogwash! First, cauliflower, when cooked properly is a veggie that works for many post-ops (barring the new, new new newbies). For the sake of argument, I tested the prep time for the method I outline below against a boil in bag of brown rice. My cauliflower rice took the exact same amount of time. And as you'll see from the method I describe, you can make it using minimal prep.

So here we go. Basically it's a ridiculously easy three step method.

Step One: The Florets

This either can or cannot be a full fledged step, depending on your preference. I personally love prepping veggies and so if I catch a big, beautiful head of cauliflower at the famer's market (especially purple cauliflower cuz I think it's cool), I'll floret it myself. Even this doesn't take a lot of time. You simply cut off the stem, cut the cauliflower in quarters and begin to cut florets from it. Floret is just a fancy word for the tops of the cauliflower (the tree looking part) along with very little of the stem. Most of the time, however, I use frozen florets like the ones pictured above.

Step Two: The Big Boil

Bring a big pot of water to boil. If you are using fresh cauliflower you're going to want to "parboil" it. Parboil is short for "partially boil." Basically you put it in the water for about 3-5 minutes, or until it turns slightly yellowish/brown. If you are using frozen florets, you have to boil them a bit longer because the florets will bring down the water temperature. So dump them in there, let them return to a boil and then let them go for about five minutes.

Step Three: The Mash



Once your cauliflower is softened (you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork) drain it. Now food experts will have you put it into an ice water bath to immediately stop the cooking. I don't have the time or inclination to do all that (plus it creates more dishes than I want to wash). I simpy rinse the florets in cold water until they stop steaming and then return them to the pot. Then comes the fun part. I go at them with a potato masher! Mash your florets until they no longer look like florets.

From there I usually return them to the collander one more time to make sure I've drained all the excess water (soggy cauliflower rice is not fun) and then transfer to a bowl, like so:



To me there are many benefits to the cauliflower rice. It's still a source of carbs, but less of them. More importantly to me, though, is the fact that I can eat a halfway normal portion of cauliflower rice with no pouch ache. And, as an added bonus, if take five steps back from your plate, turn five degrees south by southwest and tilt your head at a 26 degree angle...it looks JUST like real rice!

So...now that you know how to make cauliflower rice, next week I'll show you how to make an insanely popular Indian dish to serve over it. And the week after that I'll show you how to make a Southern favorite. And on and on...

Play with your food!

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!

Mexican Spaghetti featuring "Skinny Spaghetti"



RECAP: Along with the Carb Confusion series, I'm highlighting recipes and reviews of so-called "better for you starchy carbs." So yesterday we tackled breakfast with the wonderful world of oatmeal.

Today let’s discuss pasta.

I should warn you and say that, in general, I am not a fan.

And there’s no need to suggest your favorite post-op noodles. I’ve tried them all – Dreamfields, Tofu Shirataki, spelt noodles, soy noodles and every other kind of noodle you can think of.

Except the noodle I am about to review. Skinni Spaghetti by Dixie Carb Counters. My friend Pam sent it to me and for months it sat in the back of the pantry, untouched (the divas aren’t that big on noodles either). But the other day I made a sauce that actually made me want a noodle. Usually in these situations, I default to my zucchini noodles but this recipe needed something thinner. So I looked to the noodles my good friend sent me.

First, the sauce recipe. This was a serendipitous moment for me. It happened purely by accident. I am a big fan of using both lean meat and Italian sausage in spaghetti sauce and I usually have Italian sausage in my freezer. When I went to make my sauce, I found I did not! But I did have some…chorizo. So the wheels in my brain got to turning. This was the result.

Nik’s Mexican Spaghetti Sauce



1 lb. lean ground turkey (you could do beef…I don’t because me and beef have beef with each other)
1 log (about 8 oz.) of Mexican-style chorizo sausage (I used the kind from Aldi)
1 cup of diced onions and green peppers (I used the frozen bagged kind)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional if you like the heat..we do)
2 tbsp Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened

Directions:
In a pan sprayed with non-stick, sautee onions and peppers until softened. Add garlic and sautee for an additional 3 minutes or so.

Add ground turkey and chorizo to the pan and brown through. Drain mixture of excess fat and return to pan.

Add spaghetti sauce and stir until fully incorporated. Add spices and simmer about 10 minutes on low heat.

Add cream cheese to sauce and allow it to melt, stirring to fully incorporate it.

The reaction from the divas? “This tastes kind of like chili, but kind of like spaghetti sauce. It’s good. But my mouth is confused.”

That situation might be worrisome to some, but to me the bottom line was this: clean bowls. End of story.

Now back to the pasta. I only made a portion of the skinny spaghetti for myself and opted to give the girls whole wheat spaghetti.

The "skinni" stuff has pretty good stats. For 2 oz. of spaghetti (which is way more than I'd actually try to eat) is 143 calories, 3g fat, 14g carbs, 11g fiber and 26g protein (holy spaghetti, Batman!). That was not necessarily a proclamation of joy peeps. That fact alone raises a LOT of red flags from a flavor perspective.

So anyway, the package says very clearly to add the pasta to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes and warns "do not overcook." Well, there's an ominous premonition if I've ever read one. But I carried on.



After cooking it for two minutes, it was still not what I'd call al dente, so I decided to let it go another two minutes. After THAT two minutes it still hadn't softened that much and so I accepted that this was the inevitable caveat of this food item and ladled it out into a bowl.

For the sake of this review, I tried a tiny noodle by itself. I can't exactly describe the texture, but it is not "of the noodle variety." It's more like a noodle shaped cracker. VERY starchy. When photographing it, it looks like your standard noodle, but sadly it is not. The noodles were also noticeably absent of that slickness that freshly cooked noodles have. In fact, they were downright dry right out of the pot! (despite the fact that I did add oil to the cooking water)

If you look closely...it sort of looks like fake food...or spaghetti that has been out a while. It only actually sat for a minute or two in this pic. Notice how the cheese is all melty? It's hot...but DRY!!!

I could tell I would not be able to eat much of this as my pouch grumbled at just that noodle. But I decided to pack half the two ounce portion (who was I kidding making that much?) with my lunch. But first I tossed it in a bit of olive oil to try to preserve any moisture that might be present.

At lunch I warmed this up with a wet paper towel over my bowl (more moisture preservation) and that helped a little...but not much. I did manage the whole portion (to see if it bothered my tummy...surprisingly it did not). In the end, the texture kind of bugged and while I could eat it...I probably will not...ever again...

So it all boils down to this...if I were inclined to eat pasta (which I am not), I'd probably go with a good whole wheat variety (or Pam's beloved Dreamfields) and eat a responsible portion of it. This stuff? Is probably going to continue to sit in my pantry and a thousand years from now archaelogists will find it and use it as an artifact from the low carb movement.

Verdict: Diva says DECLINE!

Skip the pasta, make the sauce, top with cheese and have at it!

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!