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!

Taco Soup

(But first...have you entered week one of the "Bariatric Foodie Season of Giving" to win some Click Espresso protein? If not, go do it! I'll wait...)

…and a lesson about self-care.

Since I realize I don’t put date stamps on my blog posts, for future reference this is being posted on December 5, 2013, the day after my 37^th birthday.

I know many of you wonder what to do on your birthday. In a former life there was cake and ice cream and overly indulgent meals. But what do you do now that you’re trying to live differently.

Well, the answer isn’t the same for everyone. As a longer-term post-op I can say that I know some people who do cake and ice cream, just in smaller quantities or sugar-free. I know others who abstain.

I personally ditched the cake/ice cream paradigm right off the bat after surgery. Firstly, sweets just don’t captivate me the way they did before surgery but also I wanted to start a new tradition. For the first few years post-op I’d treat myself to a HARD workout (with a trainer even!) and I’d go out to sushi with my mother.

Then in 2012 things changed. Mama Foodie passed away in March 2012 and with her went my birthday tradition.

Last year I reacted to that by cancelling my birthday. I forbade folks from planning celebrations. Many folks were bummed about that because they wanted to make me feel special because they knew I was in pain. But in the end, I did what I needed to do emotionally and I’m proud to say I did not respond to my grief by overeating!

This year was my second birthday post-Mama. I didn’t cancel my birthday but I also didn’t make a big fuss out of it. Truth be told, I have no idea if I’ll ever feel the same about my birthday again.

So what did I do? I tried to reach outside myself a little. I volunteered to help wrap Christmas presents donated to homeless women and children. I went to work (true fact: Nik has a day job for an organization working to end poverty, injustice and human suffering). I came home and cooked dinner for my divas and we prepped the house for Christmas deco. And guess what? It was just what I needed!

The lesson here: some things in life can be overwhelming after WLS. And then some things in life can just plain be overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need from people. Self-care is important to this process.

S’anyway, for dinner I made a simple and yummy taco soup. I thought I’d share the recipe! It was warm and comforting! I did indulge in a mini-corn muffin with some butter and Hot Pepper Jelly (the photo is actually of La Petite Diva’s corn muffing but mine looked similar).

Nik’s Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. lean ground meat (whatever kind you use)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (I used extra spicy!) OR
• 1 heaping teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground coriander and onion powder + a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
• 1 can tomatoes & chiles (whatever heat you like), drained of canning liquid
• 1 c. prepared salsa (whatever kind you like)
• 1 can black beans (I used spicy black beans), drained of canning liquid and rinsed
• 2 c. water or low-sodium broth (matching whatever kind of meat you used)

Garnishments (optional)

• Shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Unflavored Greek yogurt (to use as sour cream)
• Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

Directions:

Spray a pot generously with non-stick cooking spray and set it over medium heat and allow it to get HOT.

Add onion and green pepper and sautee until soft, about 3-ish minutes. Add garlic and sautee another minute or two.

Add ground meat and brown, mixing onions, peppers and garlic into the meat mixture. Drain meat meat mixture if necessary (although if you use lean ground meat, the excess liquid should pretty much evaporate in the process). Add taco seasoning or spices (not both) and stir well.

Add tomatoes & chiles, salsa and black beans and mix well.  Add broth or water until desired amount of liquid is achieved (NOTE: for you this may not require the whole two cups called for in the ingredients. You want soup but you don’t want to dilute your spices too much!).

Drop the heat down to medium-low, cover and let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit covered for a few moments before serving in bowls with desired toppings!

This was low-stress and allowed me and my girls to sit down to dinner together which is what I really wanted for my birthday. Over the course of the rest of my life, I'm sure I'll develop a new birthday tradition, but for this year, this suited me just fine!

BF Top 5: Best Food Photographs on Bariatric Foodie

Who's cooking for Thanksgiving? Not me!

Instead I'm at home trying to organize BF’s extensive food picture collection (God help me!) and in doing so I've come across some really bad photos (this is a learning process for me!) but also some really good ones!

So I thought I’d share my top seven (yes, seven) favorite photos on Bariatric Foodie!

In no particular order:

Curried Chicken

I love this photo for a few different reasons. Firstly, because I took it with my then brand spanking new Nikon D-5100 camera. I’ve been putting that thing to good use lately but in the beginning I was a little lost (and yes I did read the user’s manual!). I’d bought the camera so I could take better food pictures and I was about to lose hope until…this.

The other thing I love about this picture is that everyone assumes this is rice beneath the curried chicken (I’ve gotten more than a few snide emails to that effect) when in fact it’s my cauliflower rice! At any rate this recipe is quick, warm, pretty and yummy. 

Here’s the recipe!

Protein Pumpkin Bread

You’ll notice this wood table in a lot of my pictures. It’s ancient and soiled with years worth of water color, finger painting and other spills from when it was a play table for my kids. Now it sits in front of a window in my kitchen, making it the perfect spot to snap a picture because even on cloudy days the light is really good.

Here's the recipe!

Mocha Toffee Twist Hot Protein Drink

Yeah this photo…man…this photo. What more is there to say? I mean (not to toot my own horn) when you look at this photo you can’t help but think, “If this protein drink tastes half as good as it looks, things might just be ok!”

Which was the point!

The recipe was one of last year’s Holiday Survival Kit flavors, but now that that’s over I can share the recipe!

Nik’s Mocha Toffee Twist Protein Drink

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. cold milk
• 6-8 oz. boiling water (depending on the size of your cup!)
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp. good instant decaf coffee (I use instant decaf espresso)
• 2 tbsp. Torani sugar-free English Toffee syrup
• No-calorie sweetener, to taste

Directions:

In a mug, mix together protein and milk and stir until a smooth, lump-free paste forms (make sure to stir thoroughly…the entire success or failure of your drink depends on this!). After you’ve got all the lumps out, add the cocoa, coffee and syrup and stir again. The coffee obviously will not dissolve and you’ll be able to see it.

SLOWLY add the boiling water, stirring with one hand, pouring with the other. The coffee should dissolve in the boiling water and what you should be left with is a smooth drink. There might be a little bit of froth action at the top. Skim it off if you don’t like it.

From here if it isn’t hot enough for you, it’s safe to microwave it until it reaches your desired temperature. Top with whipped cream if so desired.

BONUS PIC: I was so inspired by this drink I made it into a Mocha Toffee Protein Pie! (Which also made a great picture!)

Taco Casserole

This has the distinction of being the ONLY photo on this list I did not take! Instead a Foodie sent me her picture and it is soooo good! I consider this the flagship recipe of this blog. It is the most accessed, most downloaded, most “played with” recipe. It combines the elements of many Mexican-style dishes into one dish that’s soft and easy to eat (and share!). If you haven’t tried this one yet, you must! 

Here's the recipe! 

Sugar-free Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Pecan Topping

Yes, I just posted this the other day. But it’s one of the best pictures on this blog! It’s not hard to see why either. Look at it. You just want to…eat it. Right? If you do, here’s the recipe!

Eggs Rosettes

This was a cute idea I came up with a few years ago mainly as a brunch offering. But many of you have told me you make them "just because!" It's basically an egg concoction baked up in a "crust" made of thin sliced deli meat. Here I served it with two slices of bacon and some homemade fruit salad. Doesn't it look delightful! Here's how to make Eggs Rosettes.

I hope this little foray into my photography efforts here on the blog has given you respite from all things Turkey Day. Now if you're cooking, get back to it! If you're like me, a guest at a dinner, well...do something...productive...maybe.

Happy Thanksgiving, Foodies!

Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake (with Sugar-free Salted Caramel Pecantopping)

I know, ok? I know. I posted this recipe on Facebook like a week ago and folks have been patiently waiting for me to post the recipe.

As it usually happens, by the time I get around to figuring out a share-able recipe, very few people care anymore! But for accountability's sake, here we go.

This recipe was a bit tricky because it came about by accident. I was making a sugar-free pumpkin pie and I made the mistake of using the recipe on the can of pumpkin which yielded WAY too much pie filling for one pie shell. Not wanting to throw the rest of the filling away, I played with my food and came up with a very yummy (but small and thin) crustless cheesecake. Here it is:

But those who have made cheesecake before know the methodology is a bit different from a pumpkin pie and so I wasn't sure how this recipe went without me having first mixed up too much pie filling! That was my objective: to find out.

And I have!

I made a few noticeable changes to this recipe in its final format. Firstly, it's a full-size cheesecake. Secondly, as such I baked it in a springform pan. You can still use a baking pan if you want, just make sure to refrigerate it a few hours before cutting it and use a pie knife to lift the pieces if you go completely crustless. OR you can try one of these delicious nut crusts I keep hearing about. If you have a good recipe, post it in the comments so your fellow Foodies can share in the love!

Nik's Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. low-fat cream cheese (NOT fat-free), softened
• 6 oz. unflavored Greek yogurt (yes you still need this even if you use the cream cheese made with Greek yogurt)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling!)
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. Splenda (or your favorite sweetener's equivalent of 3/4 c. sugar) NOTE: If everything tastes too sweet to you, go with the lower amount. If you are serving this to a lot of non-ops go with the higher amount!
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• Optional: 2 servings (whatever that is on the canister) of either vanilla or unflavored protein

Directions:

Arrange your oven racks so there is a rack at the bottom and one in the middle. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and put a large pot or full kettle of water on to boil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Beat on medium with a hand mixer until they are thoroughly combined.

Add in pumpkin, sweetener, protein (if using), pie spice and vanilla and blend again until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites until they form soft peaks (about 3-4 minutes on medium).

GENTLY, tip your egg whites into the cream cheese mixture and use a scraper or a long wooden spoon to gently fold the egg whites into the mixture (folding is gently turning the batter over on itself over and over again). NOTE: It may take a few minutes to get it all combined. Do not rush and do not use the hand mixer!

If you're using a baking pan, spray it down with non-stick cooking spray. If you're using a springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper (you can also just spray it down, but parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan later). Scrape the batter out of the bowl and then spread it evenly.

In the bottom rack of your oven, set a large baking dish and then fill it with the boiling water. In the center oven rack, set your baking dish.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cheesecake seems mostly set (it will start to pull away from the sides of the baking dish and will appear firm). Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to stay in there while the oven cools down, usually about 20 - 25 minutes. This is what it looks like at the point when you turn off the oven. As you can see it retains the little swirls from me spreading it in the pan. If you are a perfectionist...well...make sure you spread the top flat! You'll notice some cracking. That happens. I am not a master baker so my cheesecakes almost always crack a little. Usually small cracks are a good indication it's time for the oven to go off.

When the oven is cooled remove the cheesecake to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly before covering and refrigerating. I get the best results when I refrigerate overnight, but I think 2-3 hours would do the trick.

If you used a springform pan, run a sharp knife around the perimenter of the cheesecake before releasing the springform.

UPDATE:

So here's what had happened. After I shut down the computer and was all set to lie down while the cheesecake cooled down I realized it wasn't as set as I thought so I turned the oven back to let it cook a few more minutes...then promptly fell asleep!

Thankfully my little nap only lasted 20 minutes (I had intended to only let the cake go about 7 more minutes) but it was just enough time to...produce really HUGE cracks!

So how did I get to the thing of beauty at the beginning of this post? Well my motto is, "If life gives you a cracked cheesecake, make a topping!" For this one the topping is super-simple, with only four ingredients!

Nik's Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Pecan Topping

Before I give you this recipe I need to stress this is holiday or party food. Unless you have big family dinners regularly or just have a gargantuan sized family, don't be making this all the time, k?

Ingredients:

• 2 c. chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp. butter (or whatever you use in place of butter)
• 1/2 c. Smucker's sugar-free caramel sauce
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions:

Set a pan over medium flame with no non-stick, no nothing and let it get HOT!

Add the pecans and toast them, stirring often, until you can just begin to smell them. Transfer to a bowl.

In that same pan, melt your butter. Add your caramel sauce. Almost instantly the caramel sauce is going to change from a lighter tan to a darker brown. That is good and right and normal.

Add the salt and stir until it begins to boil and bubble. Make sure the sauce, butter and salt are all mixed together before pouring into your bowl of pecans. Then stir the mixture thoroughly. Here's my batch.

Allow the mixture to cool for about 3 minutes (you want it cooler but not completely cooled) before setting it atop your cheesecake. From there I DARE anyone to notice the cracks!

Thanksgiving Prep: How Bariatric Post-Ops (Should) Do Pie

Pictured: Nik's Sweet Veggie Pie (recipe link below)

Yep. Let's talk about pie for a minute. Because Thanksgiving is coming. And there will be pie. Ohhhhh yes...there will be pie!

For some of you it might be pumpkin pie. For others, sweet potato. (Side note: I'm not sure if it's cultural or regional but my family resolutely refuses to eat pumpkin pie...hmmm...) And for some of you there will be pecan and other sorts of yummy concoctions which WILL leave you either (a) grateful for your picky pouches (or sleeves) (b) wishing for your old stomachs for just a day or (c) down right testy!

But did you know that you can do pie?

"Stop messing with me Nik...this is a touchy subject!"

I kid you not! You can do pie. And I'm going to show you how.

You can do...

Protein Pie

Like my "Amp'd Sweet Potato Pie" which is made with a sugar substitute and protein powder. Nobody could tell the difference frankly and it was GOOD! Or if you're feeling adventurous and want to go totally covert on your family you can give my Sweet Veggie Pie a shot! With or without protein you'll feel a deep sense of pride for pulling that pie off!

Protein Pudding/Frozen Pie

I usually tell people about the frozen in the summer but they work equally well at Thanksgiving, especially because you have to let it sit for a minute before slicing them! Or, like in the picture above, you can simply make a protein pudding pie. If you don't share my love of Fiber One Original cereal, choose a high fiber and/or high protein cereal that crushes well. Here's my top favorite cereals.

And here are the recipes to:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Frozen Pie
• Rocky Road Protein Frozen Pie
• Cookies 'n Cream Protein Frozen Pie
• Mocha Toffee Protein Pudding Pie

Pie in a Ramekin

This is good because you can either skip the crust or make a very small one for the top. I make my crusts out of a simple dough of low-carb baking mix, a little sweetener, salt and water. It comes out very nice!

Here are the recipes to:

• Ramekin peach pies
• Ramekin banana cream pie
• Ramekin pumpkin pie

Pie Reinventions

Like my Apple Brown Nik. This recipe combines apples, fall spices, crushed cereal and nuts. It's been a hit since the first time I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner (and it got pilfered before I even got any!). If you don't want to use the cereal I used, use the cereal of your choosing OR you can just go with a crushed nut topping.

Also a noteworthy mention is my Sweet 'n Salty Potato Casserole. To be fair, it's half pie reinvention, half side dish and all wonderful. BUT...for that recipe, you'll have to look to "The Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide." It's on sale in hard copy form on Amazon and at Smashwords for Nook and iPad. Believe me, for that recipe alone the book is worth it!

I should also mention that many of the recipes listed above are included in the holiday book but there are so many more. Like a totally good, yet cookie-less, protein banana pudding recipe and several kosher recipes written by my friend Joy of Kosher Bariatric.