Pumpkin Chai Protein Shake

So you might remember that I made some pumpkin protein shake starters the other day. I'm just now getting around to using them! It's not that I didn't want to use them. I've just been testing one of the shake flavors that will be included in the 2012 Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Kit (those of you who ordered last year will remember you got two yummy shake kits that came with everything you need to make a Signature Bariatric Foodie - except the liquid of course! But if you weren't around, here's the info about last year's Survival Kit to familiarize yourself. Info about the 2012 Kit will be available soon and they'll go on sale in late-October).

Anyhoo...for the last few days I've been testing that recipe and, frankly, I hit a wall with it. It's almost there but I needed something different today to...I dunno, reset my palate maybe? Anyway, this shake got the job done!

Nik's Pumpkin Chai Protein Shake

1 c. milk (whatever kind you use)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 pumpkin pie protein shake starter cubes
1 tbsp Davinci sugar-free Chai Concentrate (if you don't have that, you can also use 2 tsp of sugar-free chai tea mix - I believe General Foods makes it)
Sweetener, to taste

Optional: Whippage and an additional dusting of cinnamon, as shown above

Directions:

Combine milk, protein powder, shake starters and concentrate in a blender. Mix according to the Triple X Method. Or not. Your choice! NOTE: I'd use a few extra ice cubes in addition to the shake starters personally (2-4 of them).

This was a neat little drink. Very Starbucks-esque, if I do say so myself.

Now...back to those Survival Kits...

The 2012 Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Kits are coming!

Yes, yes I know. It's only the end of September. But in the coming weeks you'll hear me talking more and more about the Holiday Survival Kits so I thought I'd shoot out a few notes about what I know already.

If you're asking "What the heck is the BF Holiday Survival Kit?" click here to read about last year's. It gives good background although some things will be different this year.

Here are a few important things you need to know:

• This year I am producing 200 Bariatric Foodie Protein Shake Sample Kits, that are part of the Survival Kit. Once they are gone, they're gone! So if you want the sample kits, order early!
• Speaking of ordering, I'm going to set up pre-ordering this week, but please note the kits will not ship until early November!!!
• For those that ordered Survival Kits in years past, there WILL be new recipes included with the ones I've published before and the recipes will be as an e-book that you can use on your tablet or print for easy reference.
• For those that just didn't want to click the link above, the Holiday Survival Kit comes with:
• A Bariatric Foodie Holiday Recipe e-book that includes all BF's signature holiday recipes on recipe cards, a complete shopping list, holiday survival tips, healthy cooking advice and more!
• Two Shake Sample Kits - this year's flavors to be announced
• ...other stuff to be determined but in the past kind sponsors have contributed goodies and discounts for you to enjoy. I hope this to be the case this year as well!

That's all I know for now, I swear! But I am working hard to know more! And of course when I know more, I'll tell more. But until then... go play with your food!

A Big Phat Foodie THANK YOU!

This is one of those rare non-recipe posts. Just me musing. Indulge me. We’ll get back to food in a minute.

As I think about all I learned at FitBloggin’ one thing becomes apparently clear to me. This space, this tiny community that is Bariatric Foodie, is unique and awesome.

What makes me say that?

Well, I am a big fan of community. That’s one reason I am particularly proud of Bariatric Foodie. When I first started the blog I was all about getting MY recipes out there. But a funny thing happened. You guys started sharing with me how you changed my recipes. And I thought the changes were brilliant (for the most part). Eventually it all gelled into the “play with your food” concept.

Now, I can say with confidence I feel we (you and me) interact a lot. I post recipes and you post tweaks to them. You send me recipes and pictures of what’s going on in your kitchen and I post them. I ask questions and you give me answers. And you guys ask each other questions and help each other along the way. And we not only talk here but on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and via email too!

In short, I am not (nor have I ever proclaimed myself) THE Bariatric Foodie. We are all Bariatric Foodies. Trying to figure out this thing called post-op life together. I like that about us.

So this post is just to say thank you for being you. Thank you for being a Bariatric Foodie. I’ve had such fun so far in the last three years of writing this blog and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

And if you’ll also indulge me a small appeal. I’d like to challenge you all. If you like what’s going on here, share it! Tell your support group members, you friends (even non-ops!) and others about Bariatric Foodie. Get others playing with their food.

Because the tools for better health are the greatest gifts you can give someone.

Ok, ok…enough with the mushy stuff. Tomorrow: check out what I've been doing with those protein shake starters!!!

Pumpkin Protein Shake Starters

I'm really busy most days. Are you?

If so you know that making some of the more decadent dessert shakes can be a hassle. Take pumpkin shakes for example. You have to crack open a can of pumpkin, dole out what you need for your shake, find something to store the rest of the pumpkin. All this makes those types of shakes not feasible for when you're on the go.

I have a solution.

Protein shake starters!

"What the HELL is a protein shake starter, Nik?"

I'm glad you asked.  I make protein shake starters so that I can quickly and easily assemble my shakes with all the flavors I love but without all the mess and time investment.

I just made up a batch of pumpkin protein shake starters and here's how I did it:

Step One: Assemble the ingredients

So here we have a can of pumpkin, some pumpkin pie spice, some vanilla extract (or you can use some sugar-free vanilla syrup), a bowl, a wooden spoon and an ice cube tray.

Step Two: Mix it Up!

Combine the ingredients in your bowl and mix well! You want the flavors to be well distributed. Here I used the whole can of pumpkin, 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1/4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. You can adjust to your liking though! I did not add sweetener. I'll add that directly to my shake if I want it.

Step Three: The ice cube tray

This is your secret weapon in this whole deal. The one thing that always irked me about pumpkin shakes was feeling like I had to figure out what to do with the rest of that can of pumpkin. Well, once you mix up your starter, fill an empty ice cube tray with it, using a tablespoon measure. On a standard ice cube tray this should get you perfect, one ounce servings of your pumpkin mixture. Remember to tap down your ice cube tray on the counter to make sure it settles in there nice.

Step Four: Freeze!

Then all you have to do is pop it in the freezer and freeze until solid. When they're done, you pop them out of the ice cube tray and into some freezer bags (I recommend getting smaller bags and only putting a few in each bag).

Then when you're ready to make your shake, combine your shake starter (two cubes) with milk (or water, if that's your thing), protein powder and any other flavor additives you like (additional sugar-free syrups, etc.) and away you go!

These starters take about 10 minutes to make but they save you time and money. Now that you have your canned pumpkin all prepped to become a shake, and now that you have it all frozen (so it lasts longer) you waste less pumpkin and you can mix up your pumpkin pie shake in no time!

And it's automatic portion control. Remember, generally one ice cube slot = one ounce.

I make protein shake starters out of all sorts of stuff. Look for more combinations to come!

FitBloggin' 2012 - Day One Report

Need I say more??? Yes? Well ok, then!

As I said yesterday, I am attending the FitBloggin' 2012 Conference here in Baltimore with my pals Melting Mama and Eggface. Today, the festivities kicked off with a tour of the McCormick Spice facilities in Hunt Valley, MD and the above is the lunch they served us. Actually, I misspeak. That was PART of the lunch. I didn't take everything they offered but everything they offered was healthful and yummy.

Why?

Well because they are promoting an effort for healthful eating they are calling Generation Fresh (Twitter handle: @Spices4Health, hashtag #GenFresh on Twitter). You see, they believe food can be healthy and flavorful without added sodium, fat and sugar. God bless 'em!

Here's the menu of food they offered us:

During our tour we also go to see several food demonstrations and we got to see how flavor research is done. I took pictures of it all and you can see all the great pics on the Bariatric Foodie Facebook Page!

Once we were done at McCormick, I came back to the hotel and got my swag bag. OMG! I could not believe the stuff I scored! I'm...um...kinda poor so I get excited at swag bags. Lookit!

And that isn't even ALL the swag, just what I could fit in the picture. Notice to the right...SHOES! All my single moms will probably relate to the fact that I don't get new shoes often. I just learn to make them last so I can buy the kids pair after pair that they grow out of, mess up or otherwise render un-wearable. So to get some new workout shoes was a blessing. THANK YOU REEBOK!

But after the swag bag something REALLY exciting happened. I ran into a few people you guys might recognize:

In the green is the absolutely fabulous Michelle Vicari, aka "Eggface" and in the black is the notoriously fierce  Beth Sheldon-Badore aka "Melting Mama." It was so comical when we saw each other. I started screaming and barreled toward them with arms spread open. It's a wonder they didn't run in the other direction! 

That was a moment for me. I think I've said before but I will say again that Eggface inspired me to cook and to start this blog. Meeting her is definitely a highlight! And Beth? Even though we'd met several times before it's always great to see her again! 

Tomorrow I'll be live blogging my session at the conference (this is how I got free registration!) called "the business of blogging." Never has there been a session I needed to be in more, frankly!

Look for an update tomorrow with all I learned and some of the great people I am meeting.

Until then, FoodieS!