Jackie's "Smiling Belly" Salad

Hey friends. Sorry for the lag time between posts. Pouch Party(TM) seems to have been DISCOVERED (hence the fact that I have been ordered...erm, instructed to use the damn trademark symbol whenever referencing it). I'll post a rundown of booked parties next week so that folks don't miss out on the fun and, as always, if you want Pouch Party(TM) (<---gah, that's gonna take some getting used to!!!) to come to you, hit us up!

Moving right along...

Here at BF, we love to hear what our fellow pouchers are up to in the kitchen. It is our sincere hope that this blog serves as inspiration for each of you to go out and create your own culinary masterpieces. Some folks even feel inspired to share those masterpieces with us.

One such person is our good friend Jackie. She's in the early stages of her journey and wrote to us yesterday to share a great recipe she came up. The name alone makes it a rock star recipe but check out how many ways she's got protein going in here. It moved my heart. I dunno if we inspired her to do this at all, but people? Get your protein!!!

Anyhoo...without further adieu...here's Jackie's message:
 
Hey Nik:

Like you I LOVE to cook! Now that I am a post op RNY too, I will be experimenting. Here is a gift for you, something I made the other day and it has sat with my pouch really well! Feel free to use it, change it up, whatever. Peace and have a great week !

Smiling Belly Salmon Salad

1 small can salmon (red or pink) do NOT drain liquid or bones.
2-3 TBS of NO-Fat Mayo
1-2 TBS of cottage cheeze
Salt/pepper/ to taste (I also like to use CURRY powder! YUM!)


Directions
Mix salmon and mush it good with a fork. Just mixing vigorously with a fork will make it the right consistency. Add your Mayo and Cottage cheese, mix some more. Add spices mix some more.

For NEWLY post Ops (In stage 2-3) you can just eat it as is. Contains a good 31 grams of Protein and no carbs! For those who can eat regular food you can add this mixture to some salad greens or maybe a low carb bread or cracker or tortilla.

Curry or spicy Salsa or Thai/Korean spice can give this quite a kick if you don't like "bland" fishy flavor.

(Notes: This is Bariatric Friendly for stage 2+, basically as long as you can have pureed foods.) Below is the nutrition facts for a 3 oz serving.

Protein: 31 grams!
Carbs: 0
Sugars: 7g (This is from the nofat cottage cheese)
Calories: 165

Warmly,

Jackie

Orange Creamsicle Protein Shake

~~by Nikki

So since it seems we’ve been on a tour of “Nik’s favorite summer flavors (as told through protein shakes)” I figured I’d continue the trend here.

This was one of the first non-standard protein shakes I learned how to make and it still serves me well when I have a taste for it. Now I know what some of you will say, “there are orange creamsicle flavored protein powders out there!” Yes, yes there are. And if you can afford to buy them, I say go for it! This one is especially good. But most days I’m living on paycheck to three-days-until-my-next paycheck and, frankly, the below is cheaper than buying specialty protein powder.

Making it is like transporting back to those first few months post-op. I have hazy memories of that time (even though it was just 2 years ago) but I know that this shake was a comforting staple in an otherwise rapidly changing existence.


I hope you get as much out of it as I do!

Orange Creamsicle Protein Shake (on a budget!)

1 c. milk (whichever kind you use)

1 scoop vanilla whey (I use this kind, but I buy from Wal-Mart)

½ a sugar-free orange drink stick

No-calorie sweetener (to taste)

Make according to the Triple X method. I highly recommend a dollop of whippage with this one too. It reminds me of those orange push-up ice creams of my childhood. You know…back when EVERYTHING was 25 cents.

BF Top 5: Beat the Heat with Icy Treats!

~~by Nikki

I am a poet and I didn't even know it!

Ok, so I live in Baltimore. Jen is in New Jersey. Both our states are embroiled (never before has that been the MOST appropriate adjective) in a heat wave! It was 105 degrees in Baltimore yesterday, beating the record of 101 set in 1999. At 11 p.m. it was 95 degrees. Today is supposed to be more of the same. Yeah. This is so not cute.

So, to that effect we figured we'd help you out with some of the kitchen gadgets that can help you beat the heat.  Because you see...we are Slurpee fanatics. And yes there are Crystal Light Slurpees thanks for pointing that out BUT they are neither calorie-free nor low-carb so moderation is the key with those things. In the absence of that, here are some things you might want to check out:

For our fellow Slurpee lovers

The Hamilton Beach Icy Treats Maker is your gadget! It crushes ice to a nice, slushy consistency and you can add just about anything you like to flavor it. My current favorite is one stick of sugar-free Kool Aid Lemonberry Crush + 1 stick sugar-free peach drink mix. Yummy!

For the Starbucks Crowd

I have ordered the Mr. Coffee Frappe Maker and plan to do an extensive review once I've made some stuff on it but the feed back is great. For those that want something that is tried and true, the following is great (and multi-purposed):

The Keurig Coffee Maker will do your drinks hot in the winter BUT it also has an "iced coffee" function that will make a perfectly concentrated brew for your iced coffee fix. I have tasted the coffee too. It is YUMMMMMMMEEEEE...(I'm sorry...what were we talking about again?)

For the "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" folks

A good, sturdy ice cream maker is a plus. Once you get one, head over to my girl Michelle's blog and check out her plethora of protein ice cream recipes (and protein ice cream cake!). This is the one I have and it is pretty good. Well, actually I have three, but I'll show you two of them. This is the first. It is for when I don't want to have to do much "hands-on" work:

Now I have two daughters and they love to prepare stuff just like me so I thought it would be fun to invest in one of these. The benefit is that they can each make their own ice cream, play and store it all in one gadget:

So there you have it folks. Five solid options for beating the heat with cool treats that will keep you on plan and sat-is-FIED! No need to thank me. I do, however, take payments in ice cream (particularly the following recipe)

Protein Rocky Road ice cream

Ingredients

2 cups milk

1 package sugar-free chocolate pudding mix

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

1/2 c. sugar-free chocolate chips

3-4 La Nouba sugar-free marshmallows, cut into pieces

Slivered almonds

Directions:

Combine milk, pudding mix, and protein powder in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer (or immersion blender) until smooth. Add to ice cream maker and churn according to your ice cream maker's directions. About 10 minutes before your ice cream is done, add marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts. Freeze for about an hour to firm. Scoop and enjoy!

BF Survival Guide to getting through summer barbeques

BF Barbecue, circa 2013. I look kinda like a zombie in this picture, but I really was having fun!

So it's almost barbecue season. And some of you may be stressed out. For a number of reasons. Maybe you:

• Aren't yet sure what foods you can tolerate and don't want to get sick in front of others.
• Haven't shared your surgery with a lot of people and worry you'll stand out.
• Don't want to go off track with the wrong food choices.

This is one of my favorite healthy grill season desserts: A sweet & savory grilled pear! 

I feel your pain! And I've got you covered.

Now for your convenience this advice is segmented a bit. But it's all from experience and all very valid.

For newbies (or others with small pouch capacity) who don't want to announce to the world that they had WLS

Whenever I post about this, the public reaction I get is "I'm proud of my surgery! I don't hide it!"

Then I get 10 emails from folks who prefer to keep their surgeries private thanking me for posting stuff like this. The lesson here? We are all different. So if this section isn't for you, recognize that it could be for someone else!

That said, if you can't eat much and you're not trying to talk about your surgery, there's good news. There are some dynamics about barbecues that work in your favor. So here's what I suggest:

• Step One: Contribute at least one WLS-friendly dish to the barbecue. I'd suggest Angelic Eggs, because it's not too far out there and non-ops will probably eat and like it as well. 
• Step Two: put a few of those on your plate, along with a little bit of any other offering you feel like you can have (if you intend to actually eat some of it) or put things like salad and the like if you don't intend to eat anything. Here's the crucial part: don't put a bunch of food on your plate. Scatter it around so it looks like just a few bites are left.
• Step Three: Take approximately one bite of YOUR side dish...then mingle. Be the life of the party. If you are actually hungry, take a bite every now and again but mostly smile at people, talk to them, for emphasis maybe hold said food in your hand for a bit while talking and then walk away.

Why does this work? People's eyes believe what is normal to them. In this instance what they SEE is you with a plate of food that looks like you've already eaten a good deal of it and by picking up the food every now and again you look like you're still eating it. After a while you can toss your plate, load up an ice cold drink and focus on that for the rest of the bbq...no questions asked.

For everyone else...and especially those who CAN eat a lot of the wrong things.

Mind your portion sizes. For those that don't know if they dump...now is not the time for experimenting. Now many would say eat before the barbecue and don't eat at it. But...how much does that suck??? The essence of a barbecue is to come together, have fun and, yes, eat. So you're going to want to eat. There will be strong social cues for you to eat. That doesn't mean you have to eat, but in my estimation you do yourself a bigger favor learning how to eat in the real world than learning how to be avoidant in the real world. My caveat would be that if you are really struggling and need to practice avoidance, that's ok too. Do what you ultimately think is best.

So if you decide to wade through the scary territory of "eating with others," here are a few tips.

Now everyone isn't like me--I carry measuring cups with handles in my purse and measure out my foods with them (in 1/8 and 1/4 c. increments) instead of measuring spoons. If you don't wanna be ghetto-fab like me, just remember the following visual portion cues:

• 3 oz. of meat looks like a deck of cards
• One serving of cheese looks like two 9-volt batteries
• For a non-op a serving of fruit would look like a tennis ball...for you I'd go for a golf ball sized portion
• A half cup serving is about as big as a light bulb...since many of you can't or shouldn't eat that much early out, you know if it is that size...you have too much!

If you get something stuck...

It's good to have papaya enzyme in your purse for such occassions as it really does help. They sell it at most drug stores and health food stores. Barring that, excuse yourself and go to the bathroom to see if it will come up. Stay away from the food area as the smells will start to overwhelm you. If you are with a spouse it might be good to tell them so they can "cover" for you. If worse comes to worse, blame the heat, tell the host/hostess you need to sit down for a little while and do so until the food comes up.

But the best strategy is prevention. Eat tiny bites. Chew well.

Do feel empowered to bring variations so that you can have a bit of what you like. For instance, I am known, far and wide, for bringing my own Hebrew National 98% fat free hot dogs to a cook out only to skewer approximately one and ask the resident "grillmaster" to do it up for me.

Remember, barbecues are supposed to be FUN! This is my Foodie-friend Julia (some of you know here as the "List Minion" from the Bariatric Foodie Pledge) at the 2013 BF Barbecue I hold in MD during the summer! 

Meanwhile, DON'T forget that a barbecue is about more than just eating. If there is music, dance! If there are new babies to hold, hold them. Take photos. Gawk over people you haven't seen in ages. Catch up with them. The food is only PART of the festivities.

And lastly...at a barbecue don't focus on what you can't have. That stuff is probably no good for you anyway.

With a little planning and some strategy BBQ's can be FUN! Happy Summer, Foodies!

Neopolitan Protein Shake

~~by Nikki

I don’t know about you all, but as a kid, ice cream was a BIG part of my summer.

Besides begging my parents to buy the stuff, I spent a good portion of my childhood chasing down the Good Humor man. But my favorite…my absolute favorite…was Neopolitan ice cream (which, being a kid, I called “Napoleon” ice cream). For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a layer of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

Now my siblings were staunch ice cream purists. One flavor, no mixing! So they’d attempt to dig out their respective sections of ice cream untouched by the other flavors. I, on the other hand, loved to get all three. I’d wait patiently after they got theirs because…when Neopolitan gets all soft and turns into “ice cream soup” it is sooooo yummy.

The other day on OH, my good friend Monica posted that she was going to make a Neopolitan protein shake. I was intrigued. She described it as a “strawberry shake with added chocolate.” So of course I used that as a starting point and fiddled with it.

Here’s what I came up with. Took me straight back to my childhood—summers on my bike, climbing trees, and watching lightning bugs while eating ice cream soup.

The “Monica Effect” Neopolitan Protein Shake

Ingredients
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop vanilla whey (I used this for added authenticity)
1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c. frozen strawberries
Splenda to taste

Make according to the Triple X method. Top with whippage if you like.