Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas

~~posted by Jen

Nik's Southwestern Scramble

In my family we have a tradition of waking up early on Christmas morning, opening gifts, and then enjoying a nice breakfast together as a family. I know that is pretty common in most families. You want a delicious meal for your family that won't blow YOUR plan, but how to do that without lots of work and mess?

We've got your back! Nik and I love coming up with tasty weekend morning breakfast treats, so we already have quite a few you can refer to that are both easy to make and something that everyone will love for the perfect Christmas morning spread.

You can set up a "Parfait Bar" with the ingredients for my Daybreak Protein Parfait and let everyone help themselves. Put some pretty glasses at one end, then each ingredient in a separate bowl so people can make them however they like.

Put a platter of fresh fruit alongside the parfait bar, with a thermos of coffee and a carafe of something cold to drink. I like to mix the Diet V8 Fusion Juice with a little bit of Diet Sprite or Club Soda for a refreshing alternative to Fruit Juice. If you're early out and not cleared for carbonated drinks, you can serve it without the "fizzy mix-in." A big pitcher of Crystal Light Sunrise is a good replacement for Orange Juice.

Now let's talk about the main dish. Depending on what your family prefers, we have a few tasty choices. SOS is always a breakfast favorite, served on toast. It's also delicious on grits if your family likes grits.

Creamed Chipped Beef AKA "SOS"

Vegetarians in the crowd who don't eat eggs? Nik's Vegetarian Breakfast Tostada is a delicious alternative for the non-carnivores who also happen to not eat eggs. (I know there is an official term for that, but I can't think of it at this moment.)

If your family is into eggs and you have a big crowd to feed, I'd say one of my Frittatas or Nik's Southwestern Scramble would be just the ticket. You can double any of the recipes to feed more than 8 people. For a smaller crowd, Nik's Egg Rosettes are delicious and festive.

If you need to get food out quickly, then I wouldn't suggest making these as the main dish for a big crowd of mostly non-ops, because you can only make them in batches of 12 or so. For larger groups, they are perfect side "bites" and everyone always raves over them. Protein Latkes make a delicious accompaniment to any of these main dishes.



Bananas Foster French Toast



More into sweet things? How about Stuffed French Toast is a good one, as is the Bananas Foster French Toast. If you're making this for a large crowd, I wouldn't waste a whole loaf of P-28 bread feeding non-ops. (But then I am cheap like that.) Substitute your favorite multigrain bread and it works just as well.

If you need a "grab and go" type breakfast that everyone can eat on the way to Grandma's house, make up a big batch of "Egg Nik-Muffins" and you're good to go! We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas morning together. Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

3 Holiday Themed Protein Drinks that put the "Merry" in Merry Christmas!

Newbies! Is this your first Christmas post-op? It’s hard…we know. We’ve been there!

Some of you are on liquid diets of some sort. Others just don’t have the appetite to indulge in all the foods you love. And for others still, you wonder if it’s worth the effort for the measly two bites you’ll be able to take.

First…let’s pause a moment to acknowledge that yes…this sucks…badly.

BUT…all is not lost! Bariatric Foodie has your back! Here are some ideas for some great Christmas-themed protein drinks to get you through the holiday in the merriest way!

Candy Cane Protein Drink

Ingredients

8 oz. milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3 pumps sugar free Crème de Menthe or Peppermint syrup (in the absence of either use one drop...AND I REALLY DO MEAN ONE DROP...of peppermint extract)
No-calorie sweetener to taste

For cold drinks: 3-5 cubes of ice

Optional for either: fat-free whippage, 1 or 2 crushed sugar-free peppermint candies.

Directions:

Hot drink: Combine all ingredients in a blender and nuke for about 45 seconds to warm. Top with whippage and slurp!

Cold shake: Blend all ingredients using the Triple X method. Or not, your choice!

Gingerbread Protein Drink

Ingredients

8 oz. milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp sugar-free butterscotch pudding mix (don’t ask me why this works…just go with it)
3 pumps sugar-free Gingerbread Syrup (in the absence of this use 1/8 tsp ginger + a "splick" of nutmeg + a drop or two of maple extract - and no maple extract does not have sugar in it)

For cold drinks: 3-5 cubes of ice

Optional for either: fat-free whippage, 1-2 pumps sugar-free Brown Sugar Cinnamon syrup

Hot drink: Combine all ingredients in a blender and nuke for about 45 seconds to warm. Top with whippage and slurp!

Cold shake: Blend all ingredients using the Triple X method. Or not, your choice!

Sugar Cookie

Ingredients

8 oz. milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp sugar-free French Vanilla pudding mix

Or

1 tbsp sugar-free Vanilla pudding mix + 2 pumps sugar-free French Vanilla syrup
2 drops butter extract (about 1/8 tsp - and no, butter extract does not have fat in it)
No calorie sweetener, to taste

For cold shake: 3-5 cubes of ice. Another variation for a cold shake is to use unflavored Greek yogurt as the base instead of milk (same amount). The taste of the yogurt mimics the Cream of Tartar often used in sugar cookies.

Optional for either: Fat-free whippage and a dash of cinnamon for garnish

Hot drink: Combine all ingredients in a blender and nuke for about 45 seconds to warm. Top with whippage and slurp!

Cold shake: Blend all ingredients using the Triple X method. Or not, your choice!

BF Crafty Corner: Last Minute Homemade Gift Ideas

~~posted by Jen

Well it's the night before the day before the night before Christmas, and all is frantic in my world. Even though my family is 1300 miles away, I have lots of local friends who are like family that I spend time over the holidays with. One of my best friends from work very graciously invited me to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her family this year. She has 2 little boys, and a large, boisterous Cuban American family, so it will be a fun time.

Of course, my budget for gifts is pretty slim since I missed so much work this year, but I came up with a couple more ideas if you have some "last minute" gifts you need to come up with in a hurry on the cheap.

Idea #1. Another version of the "Romantic Dinner In A Basket" idea. It has a bottle of wine ($2.99 at Trader Joe's), wine glasses ($1 each at Home Goods), a bottle of flavored olive oil ($4 at Aldi), and the jar is a risotto mix ($1 at Stop n Shop) layered with sundried tomatoes and dried mushrooms. The whole deal? Less than $20 (including the basket, jar, and towel) and a very nice gift for 2.

Idea #2. A Snack Basket or Movie Basket (if you add a DVD). It has several packs of various flavors of nuts and trail mix (39 cents a pack at Aldi's), a box of cheese straws (I put them in a jar, but you could just stack the box in the back. $1.99 at Aldi's), a bag of microwave popcorn, and it makes a nice sized basket of snacks. Again for less than $20, you could add in a DVD and make it a gift for a whole family.





These packets of nuts and trail mix are 39 cents each at Aldi's





The completed basket, without DVD

If you're really pressed for time and don't have a few minutes to put these things together, a gift card to the movies or a favorite restaurant or store is always very much appreciated. If you don't even have time to stop and buy a gift card, hop on Amazon and get an e-gift card you can print out. By the time you get your shoes on to leave, it will be printed out and ready to give! Merry Christmas!







Pouch Party Pets: Maya's Favorite Peanut Butter Treats

~~posted by Jen

I know everyone is rushing around trying to get everything ready for Christmas. I have a few more last-minute homemade Christmas gifts to share with you tomorrow morning that don't require any cooking, but we can't forget our furbabies! Since these do take a little bit of time to bake, I wanted to make sure you had the lowdown in time for "Santa Paws."

Not to mention this is a great project to keep the kids occupied since they're home from school and you probably could use something to keep them busy!

Zeus and Mickey get very excited about Santa Paws, they even like to open presents. (Zeus likes to "help" wrap too, but that's more about him being nosey.) That's my "Poodle Patrol," they now live with Ken and Pop.

I have these pretty girls, or as our pal JaimeK calls them, "The Pit Patrol", at my house now. Maya is the gorgeous tawny colored one on the left. She's my snugglebug! Peanut butter is her ABSOLUTE favorite. Indeed her love of PB is rivalled probably only by Nik's!

I started making these treats for them awhile back, and they are Maya's absolute favorite. My "boys" Zeus and Mickey love them too, and even the picky Miss Finn (her name is short for "Finnicky" because she has such high standards) scarfs these down.

Super easy to make, put them in a cellophane bag with a raffia bow, and it's the perfect gift for the pets in your life, or even a friend or neighbor that has a beloved dog. If this is a gift for a human (to feed to their pet of course), make it even more special by tying an index card with the recipe (or even a link to our blog) printed on it and a cookie cutter to the bag or jar. Here's how to make them:


Maya's Favorite Peanut Butter Treats

This recipe makes about 75 small biscuits (36 large)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c water
1/2 c. canola oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread a good sized piece of wax paper on the counter, this is where you'll roll out the dough to cut it.


In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal and rolled oats. Little by little, add in the remaining ingredients until it’s mixed well.

Spray your hands lightly with cooking spray, this is a little known trick when working with sticky dough to help keep it more manageable so you don't end up with dough-covered hands!

Now knead the dough for just a minute or two with your hands, then place it on the waxed paper. Spray the dough lightly with cooking spray. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray and set it down near your work area. Spray a rolling pin lightly with cooking spray and roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Use cookie cutters to cut the treats out into desired shapes and sizes. I used gingerbread cutters this time, since most of these are being given away for gifts. Place the treats on your sprayed cookie sheet with a bit of space in between.

Bake small sized treats for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees (let the larger sized ones bake about 12-15 minutes), then turn off the oven. Let the cooked treats hang out in the oven for at least 20 minutes, so that they will harden.

Here's a tip: if you're making several different flavors, as I usually do for gifts, use a different shape for each flavor. This is great especially if you have several dogs and they each have different favorite flavors (not that there are any high maintenance dogs in my life, nosirreebob!) Like I also made a big batch of Zeus's Favorite Cheesy Treats, so I used bone-shaped cutters for those.

I'm planning to make some Cluck Cluck Chicken Treats (recipe coming soon!) that will be shaped like snowmen, and the Cheesy Bacon Treats (recipe is a variation on Zeus's, at the bottom of the page) will be snowflakes.

My boys Zeus and Mickey will love their presents from Santa Paws!! That is if I can keep Maya and Finn out of the kitchen long enough to get them all baked and packaged up. Somehow they know when the cookie cutters and pans come out that they can expect something yummy!

BF Product Review: Atkins Baking Mix

~~posted by Jen

We've all tried to find ways to make carbs we like that work with our new, healthier way of eating. There are some carbs I just cannot handle, even at over 2 years out. Pasta hates me, so I don't even bother. I can handle small amounts of rice, but to me it's really not worth it. "I haven't got time for the pain" as the song says.

That's one reason Nik and I feel so strongly about making conscious choices to get in good quality carbs. Mindful choices is the first step in continued success once the proverbial "honeymoon" is over. We aren't preaching to you, by any means, we just want to help you acclimate to your new nutritional needs and find a way to make staying on plan actually enjoyable!

When we find a product that meets our nutritional needs, and has the added bonus of being a great "carb conversion" we always want to share it with you. Just so you know, Bariatric Foodie is not paid to do product reviews by product manufacturers or anyone else.


I feel it's important to explain that here so that you guys know our reviews are based solely on our personal feelings about a product and its usefulness. We usually try several things with a product, especially "ingredient" type items, before making our final verdict.

Here's how it usually works. In most cases, we find something neat and order it to try for ourselves, then review it for y'all. The only time we are ever asked to review something is when one of our readers sends Nik or I some free things they didn't use and thought we could. In that case, we do review the products and write recipes for all of y'all to enjoy.


We have affiliate program memberships with both Amazon and Netrition, as we've mentioned in the past, so when you click on products we've linked to in our recipes, we do make a small percentage from those purchases. That money goes right back into buying food and products to test recipes and write reviews for the blog. So if you were wondering if those links help support Bariatric Foodie and keep it running, they do! Your support is very much appreciated!


{End of Public Service Announcement/Obligatory Disclaimer. Now back to our regularly scheduled product review!}


After we posted about it in a few recipes (Jen's Corn Pudding and Nik's Sweet Potato Pancakes, to name a few), our good friend and faithful BF reader Dee (Deedles on OH) decided to try it. She ordered some Atkins mix and made pancakes over the weekend for her husband we all know and love as "Beast." She said she liked the Atkins mix consistency and taste better than the CarbQuik she has been using.

I agree with Dee, that was my opinion on it as well. The Atkins mix works well in any recipe that calls for "Bisquick" baking mix, or anywhere you would normally use CarbQuik. I also have used it in place of flour in gravies and sauces, it worked perfectly for my Chipped Cream Beef ("SOS").


It has the same texture in biscuits and quick breads as regular Bisquick, but no aftertaste like CarbQuik has.  As an added bonus, it's considerably less expensive than CarbQuik. For those of us on a budget, that is a DEFINITE plus. Don't misunderstand, I will still use CarbQuik on occasion, but Atkins Baking Mix has become my official "go to."


Dee was thoughtful enough to take pictures of her pancakes from start to finish, so I am sharing her pics and comments with you here. She used the recipe that's printed on the package, with one substitution, as she noted. Thanks, Dee!


Here's what Dee had to say:


"I love this stuff!!! Jen, you were right, there isn't any of that CQ after taste...whatever it is. I used the pancake recipe right on the package, the only change I made was I used 1% milk instead of half and half. The turned out really fluffy, cooked more evenly and quicker. Like CQ, I never did get all the lumps out but you couldn't tell in the final results. Next time I might add some protein powder but maybe not...these were great!

Using Great-Grandmother's mixing bowl and spoon.

Recipe made 7 4-5in pancakes instead of the 10. Really thick!

Cooked beautifully!

Served with paper thin Prosciutto and 1 egg over easy...Yum!

I need to get some pretty plates if I keep this up! Thanks for the encouragement to try this stuff!  Dee"

Dee, you are hereby dubbed the "Official BF Food Porn Star" because you take some amazing food pics! Now if Nik and I can just drag you to the East Coast, we're good to go! 

Verdict: Divas (and Dee) Say Divine!