Top this!

It has come to our attention that some folks have a deep and abiding longing for "fruit on the bottom" yogurt.

You got problems. We've got strategies!

Here are a few tips to get your fruit/yogurt love thang happening without all the unnecessary sugar.

• Sugar-free preserves: I do this a lot. I nuke the preserves for about 10 seconds to soften them, then stir into my yogurt. NUMMY!

• Frozen fruit: this works best for you 9-5 lunch packers. Put some yogurt (we like the Greek variety) in a container and toss some berries in there along with a packet or two of your favorite sweetener (trust us, you don't need much!). Carry it to work, put in the fridge. This works especially well as an afternoon snack. The yogurt and the fruit get together and do the magical mambo (yeah...ok...I'm in the gutter with you...it happens...) and your yogurt becomes INTENSELY flavorful. And it has the added benefit of having pretty swirly flavors.

• For those of you who aren't DIY'ers, we like several brands of no-sugar added varieties: Publix makes a no-sugar added fruity-on-the bottom. And if you just plain like flavored yogurt, we keep hearing about this Carbmaster stuff and are endeavoring to get to a state where we can buy it!

Thai Chicken Skewers

by Nikki

Last week when I was at the farmer's market I saw something that made me very, very happy. A child devouring a big ol' hunk of meat on a stick. I thought to myself "summer must be coming."

Meat on a stick, to me, evokes memories of state carnivals, funnel cakes and other types of summer time fun. Sigh...I love the summer.

(Focus!)

Mmmmkay! So the day before I got to live out my skewered meat dreams at Debbie's Grillin' and Chillin' Pouch Party where we made Thai Chicken skewers. These skewers were a hit with the whole crowd. I make it with a peanut sauce that my kids absolutely love!

I would like to point out that the method used to marinate this chicken is not exclusive to Thai chicken. You can substitute whatever marinade ingredients you like and it'll work just the same! So try it...especially if, like me, you like your meat...good and tender (ew...ok...brain scrub...mind was in gutter...it's all Jen's fault!)

Thai Chicken Skewers

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup unflavored Greek yogurt
2 tsp  minced ginger
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tsp. minced garlic

Equipment:

A grill
Skewers (if using bamboo, soak in water one hour before grilling...grill fires are no fun!)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or resealable bag. Marinate for at least 3 hours (or up to overnight).

Place 1-2 tenderloins (depending on size) on each skewer and grill for 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with...

"Easy Peasy" Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 c. creamy peanut butter (no not PB2...peanut butter...but if you're looking to up the nutritional ante, try this)
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Mix well.

Nuke for 30 - 60 seconds.

Garnish with whole sesame seeds if desired.

And if you like this recipe, you'll probably love our recipe for Thai Iced Tea and "Ghetto Pad Thai."

Chocolate and Strawberries, Better than Sex?

~~Posted by Jen


I love chocolate.  I mean deeply and truly.


So, like we say at Pouch Parties, we don't mandate anyone. Everyone is the master of their own pouch. I personally subscribe to the "all things in moderation" philosophy, because I know what works for me and what doesn't.  


If I get into the "diet mentality" and start listing things I can and cannot have, then the little voice in my head (or the devil on my shoulder, maybe?) gets all, "Hey Y'all, watch this!"  Seriously!  I know it sounds crazy, but then I never claimed to be anything less than at least a little bit crazy.  Wrap it up in a Southern accent, and you'd be amazed the things you can get away with saying to folks!

S'anyway, back to the topic at hand.  You know how sometimes you just want CHOCOLATE??  But you don't want to blow your whole plan on one or two bites of bliss.  Am I right?  Not to mention if you dump on sugar (which I don't, but Nikki does), that opens up a whole other plethora of issues. What's a post-op WLS'er to do?  For starters, get in your kitchen and mix up a batch of this! Stat!


Jen's Chocolate and Strawberries "Better than Sex" Dessert


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Fage (or your favorite brand) 0% Greek Yogurt

5 medium sized fresh strawberries

3-4 tablespoons Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
4 packets (or to taste) Splenda
Sugar Free whipped cream (or whatever type of whippage you prefer)

Directions:

1. Cut 4 of the strawberries into small chunks, and slice the 5th one.  Set aside the sliced one to use for garnish.
2. Whisk together the Greek yogurt, chocolate syrup, strawberry chunks, and Splenda in a mixing bowl until well combined.
3. Pour mixture into a serving bowl and top with as much whippage as your little heart desires.  If you want to get all fancy, or are trying to impress someone, layer the chocolate mixture and whipped cream in a parfait glass
4. Arrange the sliced strawberry on top of the whipped cream and drizzle a little chocolate syrup over the top.
5. Grab your spoon and dig in!

Sometimes I use the chocolate mixture and dip whole strawberries into it.  You could also use this as "icing" for a chocolate protein cake and top it with the strawberry slices.  OMG So good!!!  

Lady of the Rings

Certain popular websites for girls who happen to be hungry claim this recipe, but it's been around forever. I got it from somebody who got it from somebody who got it from somebody else which is probably the same place THAT chick got her recipe from. She was just smart enough to market it.

That being said...

I was in the mood for onion rings yesterday. This gets me over the hump. One word about these onion rings though. They don't pair so well (to me) with ketchup. Considering the "breading" it all comes together to be too sweet. I much prefer a nice Greek yogurt based ranch dip for these.

At any rate they are notoriously easy to make and have the added benefit of fiber which MANY of us desperately need (and you know why so don't make me say it...I'm trying to keep this blog about food only!)

Fiber CRUNCH! Onion Rings

1 large onion, sliced into quarter inch rings (a piece of advice...going back to the sweetness issue. Don't use Vidalia. A nice white onion works well)
2 cups Fiber One Original cereal crushed into crumbs (do it in a food processor)
1/2 c. liquid egg substitute
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste

Directions:

1. Mix cereal crumbs with spices and parmesan cheese
2. Set up a dredging station with the liquid egg substitute in one bowl next to the cereal mixture
3. Dip each ring into egg, then cereal and repeat.You should have a thick coating and good coverage.
4. Lay out on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes

YUMMY! I also do mozzarella sticks this way (thanks Shari for that recipe!) using light string cheese. My children LOVE these things. And I can have my little plate of them and not feel like I wrecked my whole day.

Notice some in the picture are lighter than others. This is because my 24 year-old "I don't eat that healthy shizz" brother insisted I make him some using bread crumbs. I snapped a pic of all the ones that I made but the darker ones are the ones I ate. But I have a little secret. Come close...closer...so he doesn't hear you...i used whole wheat bread crumbs and a little bit of Fiber One anyways! Bwahahahahaha!!! He loved every minute of it.

Here's some other ways we like to use Fiber One:

Rocky Road Pie
Protein Cheesecake
Apple Brown Nikki
Zucchini Fries

Tony H.'s Peanut Butter Crepes

Hey kids! This is the first in a series of guest posts we're doing over here at BF. Cuz we're not the only ones with good ideas or inspiration to share! This one comes from Tony H. our Zumba-loving, Click-drinking friend from OH. Tony wrote to me about this recipe and at first I was lukewarm. He has since convinced me of its nominousness. He was MUCH more modest in the titling on his blog, simply calling the post "Peanut Butter Crepes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese." But doesn't Peanut Butter Love Haze sound positively purple (purple to me = Zen).

S'anyway out at his blog "The Shrinking Titan" and if you make this recipe, holla! I am still on PB restriction so I'd LOVE to know how it tastes. So without further adieu..heeeeeere's TONY!

Excuse me while I type this… I’m suffering from after glow right now…

I just made the most nomalicious dish. I’m stuffed, I’m satisfied, and if I didn’t make it myself I’d feel guilty.

Before you say “OMG I can’t make crepes… wtf are you thinking child!” Trust me… you CAN do it. You WANT to do it… Your carb deprived stomach is singing a chorus of Natural Blues begging you to make some of this. (AND THIS IS PRETTY MUCH A NO CARB CREPE!)

First of all… you MUST use a non stick pan (the ones with the nice black teflon coating.. not the shiny silver ones) You need to get it hot first (medium heat) and you need to spray it down with cooking spray every time you make a new crepe.

My friend sent me this recipe (his skinny ass keeps on a low carb diet)

I vamped it a tad bit for my liking

Crepes:
1 Egg
6 egg whites (I used 1 cup of egg whites from a carton)1/2 tsp vanilla (um… I used 2 tsps)
1 1/4 TBL Splenda
2 TBL all-natural peanut butter, creamy (I used 2 TBL of kroger crunchy peanut butter)

Mix up your eggs with a blender or a strong wrist held whisk until they are all emulsified and foamy

Mix in the vanilla, splenda, and peanut butter (not sure how, but the peanut butter does dissolve nicely… if you’re paranoid about the nuts and you used crunchy, you might want to run this mixture through a strainer)

Again, Hot non-stick pan sprayed down..

Less is more with crepes… gently coat the pan with a thin layer of crepe mix. (If you screw up, so what, it’s part of the learning process… you can still eat it, it just won’t be pretty… your tummy won’t care)

Let the crepe cook for about a minute… If you did it perfectly you probably won’t have to flip it because it will have cooked through.. if not, go ahead and flip it and let it cook for about 30 seconds more.

Now… about that flipping thing… If you sprayed the pan down well enough you might luck out and be able to flip it in the pan with a flip of the wrist… (like in the cartoons!) Otherwise I suggest using a pair of tongs and a flipper to flip it (again… practice young padawan)

Now that you have your first warm and delicious peanut butter crepe goodness… you’re ready to top it!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz fat freecream cheese (1/2 block)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 vanilla extract
1 1/2 TBL splenda

Mix that goodness up nice and smooth and slap it on your warm crepe.

It’s enough to make you wanna slap yo mama

I was only able to eat one of these (GOD I LOVE FOODS THAT FILL ME UP!!!!)

I put the rest in a baggy and plan to make another later. This time I’m going to blend up some blackberries that I have in the fridge, boil them down with some splenda, and top my crepe.

(fruit is always being boiled down with splenda in my house… you can turn anything into dessert ith a little fruit sauce!)

I don’t think I’ve ever shared a recipe on here.. but this one was just so surprisingly good that I had to share!

Shown above with a dab of whipped cream, mint, and cinnamon/splenda powder.