My take on the strawberry pretzel salad May 18, 2009

 

Looks yummy, huh?  Couldn’t tell you how it came out though because it’s still chilling.  I have faith that it’s wonderful.  What you won’t get with this is that wonderful salty flavor of the pretzels.  So I’m thinking it’ll be more cheesecake-ish.  Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients:

2 cups fiber one twig cereal

1/3 cup of butter melted

4 packets of splenda

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

2 packages of reduced fat cream cheese

2 scoops of EAS vanilla protein powder (or whatever kind you use)

1/4 cup of sugar free torani syrup – vanilla flavor

8oz container of sugar free cool whip

one small box of sugar free strawberry jello mix

1 cup of frozen blueberries (this is what I had, I would have used sliced strawberries if I had them)

 

Process the fiber one cereal until it’s mostly crumbs.  Mix in a bowl with the melted butter, splenda, and walnuts.  Press that into the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Using a mixer or electric beaters mix the cream cheese with the protein powder and vanilla syrup.  Fold in the cool whip.  Spread it on the crust after it has cooled.  Mix the jello mix with one cup of boiling water and set in fridge to cool.  Chill the crust and cream cheese dish and the jello for about a half hour.  Remove from the fridge and pour the jello mix on top of the cream cheese mix.  Drop the frozen blueberries on top.  Return to fridge to set up.

This is not a low cal dessert. But hey, it has fiber and protein, right??  With my ingredients these are the stats:

Nutrition Facts
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		251.4
Total Fat		18.1 g
	Saturated Fat	8.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.0 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	3.8 g
Cholesterol		41.7 mg
Sodium		207.6 mg
Potassium		170.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate		20.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	5.4 g
	Sugars	1.8 g
Protein		8.2 g

Vitamin A	8.7 %
Vitamin B-12	12.5 %
Vitamin B-6	11.5 %
Vitamin C	4.0 %
Vitamin D	0.9 %
Vitamin E	2.4 %
Calcium	9.8 %
Copper	7.3 %
Folate	11.6 %
Iron	13.5 %
Magnesium	8.0 %
Manganese	37.3 %
Niacin	9.5 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.6 %
Phosphorus	13.9 %
Riboflavin	15.8 %
Selenium	4.0 %
Thiamin	10.3 %
Zinc	11.5 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Mini Mint Chocolate cakes February 7, 2009

 

I bought this very cute mini fluted tube pan and wanted to make a weight loss surgery friendly dessert with it. I tweaked the 5 minute sugar free chocolate peppermint cake recipe from www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com to come up with this.

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking Time: 12-15
• Servings: 12
• Preparation Time: 5
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6 tablespoons of milk
• 4 tablespoons of sugar free torani syrup (peppermint)
• 4 tablespoons of no sugar added applesauce
• 6 tablespoons of arrowhead mills multi grain pancake mix
• 4 tablespoons sugar free fat free chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons hersey’s sugar free chocolate chips
• 4 sugar free peppermint candies, crushed

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the eggs, milk, syrup, and applesauce.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until smooth and blended.
4. Spray each of the mini molds with nonstick spray.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 mini cake molds.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
7. Take the cakes out and cool on a rack.
8. Melt the chocolate chips in a ziplock bag in the microwave at 20 second intervals, squishing the bag in between until melted.
9. Cut a tiny tip off the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cakes.
10. Sprinkle with the crushed candies.

TVP granola February 3, 2009

Tara’s TVP granola

1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein)

1 packet of weight control maple and brown sugar oatmeal

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut (I found mine in the bulk bins section)

1/2 cup fiber one cereal (the twigs)

1/2 cup of chopped raw almonds

1/2 cup of chopped raw pecans

1/4 cup of ground flax meal

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1/4 cup of cinnamon bliss syrup

Mix everything together in a big metal bowl. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet with sides and bake in a preheated 275 degree oven. Every 20 minutes stir the mixture and spread it out again. Do this for 80 minutes.

My mixture made 9 half cup servings.

Here are the stats (for my ingredients -it will be different if you use different stuff) – calories – 218 fat – 14 carbs – 18 protein – 9.4

Ok, here’s the deal – It came out nice and toasted. I tried a bit of it and it’s not very sweet. So if you like sweet then you could probably add granular splenda. Also, I’m sure this recipe is very forgiving and you could sub or take out items as you want. I’m sure you may not have, nor want to put in some of my things. The coconut oil is something I just started using. I’m doing some research on the benefits of coconut oil. I’m sure you could use 2 tblspns of melted butter or canola oil – or if you want try it without the oil. The cinnamon bliss is a sugar free carmel cinnamon sauce. SO good if you can find it. If not then I would recommend sugar free syrup. I’m sure there are other good options. If you don’t mind adding the extra calories I’m sure this would be great with peanut butter too.

As far as the stats – not a low calorie food. BUT, it’s full of good for you things, so I won’t feel guilty spending some daily calories on it. Plus, you could cut down the amount to 1/4 cup, cut the calories in half. I’m going to try this on greek yogurt later. I would add a photo here of it, but seems I don’t know how to post a picture in the threads. darn. Let me know if ya try it!

Pizza! January 26, 2009

Yum. Had a pizza craving and this totally hit the spot.

1 fajita sized mission low carb whole wheat tortilla
about a tablespoon pizza sauce
slice of provolone cheese
7 slices of turkey pepperoni
1 oz of shredded mozz cheese

Toast the tortilla in the toaster oven till a bit crispy. Take out and top with sauce, sliced cheese, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. Return to toaster till melty.

For the whole shebang:

Calories: 255
Carbs: 4 gms
Fat: 15 gms
Protein: 18 gms

This is for MY ingredients – if you use different, then check your stats.

Gingerbread men December 8, 2008

Every year I make big gingerbread men and women to give as gifts. I write people’s names on them with icing and wrap in cello bags. Totally cute. So I started that today. As I was mixing up the dough I thought – hey! maybe I could alter this to make it somewhat ‘pouch worthy’! So here’s what I came up with. Yes, it has carbs and fat. But if your gonna eat a cookie, these are pretty dang good and you don’t have to feel AS guilty for it.

Spicy Gingerbread Men

1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
1/4 cup splenda granular
1 tbsp molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup almond flour (or grind your own in a food processor)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp flax seed meal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a mixer, beat together the butter and splenda till mixed. Add in the molasses and egg and scrape sides, beat till mixed. Combine the dry ingredients and them mix into the wet mix. Chill for a half hour. Pre heat oven to 350. Use a little whole wheat flour to flour counter surface and rolling pin. Take a fourth of the dough and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies using a gingerbread man about 2.5 inches tall. Bake on a cookie sheet or parchment paper for 6 minutes. Cool on a rack. Makes 32 men.

Here are the stats for MY recipe (doesn’t include the splenda or spices)

32 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 36.8

Total Fat 2.6
Total Carbohydrate 2.4 g
Sugars 0.5 g
Protein 1.7 g
I might tweak some more to get more protein in there, maybe another scoop. If you don’t like to use real butter or real eggs I’m sure you could get it down further. But, these are SUPER tasty and soft chewy yumminess!!

Spicy Peanut Chicken with Green Beans October 29, 2008

While at work today I got this craving for spicy peanut chicken. Not sure why. I never make it. The only thing close to it that I used to love was Panda Express’s kung pao chicken. But I never go there anymore. And would rather not. In fact, I much prefer to make my own food at home than eat out. Weird, I know. So I ran home after work and searched for a recipe. I found one, but it needed personalization. I whipped it up in no time flat. And since no one else here likes these flavors, it’s all mine! It made four perfect serving sizes. I portioned them all out, had one for lunch and put the rest in their own little containers for easy reheating later on. It was SOOOOOO good!! In fact it was so yummy that I had another for dinner. I will certainly be making this again. and again. and again. Here’s the recipe. Try this NOW!

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of water
3 tablespoons peanut oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders – cut into bite size pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
2-4 cups green beans

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and water. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is golden on the outside, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and add green beans, peanuts, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Banana Nut Bread ~ weight loss surgery style October 28, 2008

I have been wanting pouch worthy banana nut bread for so long!  When Eggface started posting her recipes for 5 minute sugar free chocolate cake , a light bulb went off. In my head it made sense that I would be able to make some substitutions and additions and come out with banana nut bread. So I gave it a try. Here are my ingredients:

1 Egg, beaten
3 Tablespoons vanilla soy or regular Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free vanilla Torani Syrup
1 ripe banana, mashed
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free banana cream Pudding Mix, dry
1 scoop vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
dash of salt

In a bowl, mix together the egg, milk, vanilla syrup, and mashed banana. Then mix in the pancake mix, pudding mix, salt and protein powder. Fold in the nuts. I wanted it to come out more like a loaf than a tall cake so I ‘baked’ mine in a glass mini loaf dish.

Then I microwaved it on high for 5 minutes. Let it cool for a couple of minutes in the dish. You can see on top that it looks like it wasn’t quite done. As it cools it firms up and is done through.

Let it cool completely before slicing into eight little slices. It really does taste like real banana nut bread!

Definition of an Egg Dish October 27, 2008

Recently I was discussing the differences of quiches and omelets with eat in calgary . I realized that I had my own loose translations of what these were, but decided to find an official definition. So, from the food dictionary at epicurious I obtained these definitions.

quiche
[KEESH]
This dish originated in northeastern France in the region of Alsace-Lorraine. It consists of a pastry shell filled with a savory custard made of eggs, cream, seasonings and various other ingredients such as onions, mushrooms, ham, shellfish or herbs. The most notable of these savory pies is the quiche Lorraine, which has crisp bacon bits (and sometimes GRUYÈRE cheese) added to the custard filling. Quiches can be served as a lunch or dinner entrée, or as a first course or HORS D’OEUVRE.
** I have made traditional quiches before and they are delicious. Now, to keep the carbs lower I usually make it crustless. I often use about 6 eggs and mix in veggies, cheeses, meats, whatever and bake it. **

omelet; omelette
[AHM-leht]
A mixture of eggs, seasonings and sometimes water or milk, cooked in butter until firm and filled or topped with various fillings such as cheese, ham, mushrooms, onions, peppers, sausage and herbs. Sweet omelets can be filled with jelly, custard or fruit, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar or flamed with various LIQUORS or LIQUEURS. For fluffy omelets, the whites and yolks can be beaten separately and folded together. They can also be served flat or folded. See also FRITTATA.
** I always make an omelet by scrambling it in a bowl and cooking it flat in a pan. Flip it over, put toppings on one side, then flip the other half over the top.**

soufflé
[soo-FLAY]
A light, airy mixture that usually begins with a thick egg yolk-based sauce or puree that is lightened by stiffly beaten egg whites. Soufflés may be savory or sweet, hot or cold. Baked soufflés are much more fragile than those that are chilled or frozen because the hot air entrapped in the soufflé begins to escape (causing the mixture to deflate) as soon as the dish is removed from the oven. Savory soufflés are usually served as a main dish, are almost always hot and can be made with a variety of ingredients including cheese, meat, fish or vegetables. Dessert soufflés may be baked, chilled or frozen and are most often flavored with fruit purees, chocolate, lemon or LIQUEURS. Both sweet and savory soufflés are often accompanied by a complementary sauce. Soufflés are customarily baked in a classic soufflé dish, which is round and has straight sides to facilitate the soufflé’s rising. These special dishes are ovenproof and come in a variety of sizes ranging from 3 1/2-ounce (individual) to 2-quart. They’re available in kitchenware shops and the housewares section of most department stores. Foil or parchment “collars” are sometimes wrapped around the outside of a soufflé dish so that the top of the foil or paper rises about 2 inches above the rim of the dish. Such collars are used for cold dessert soufflés so that the sides of the frozen or molded mixture are supported until they set. Once the collar is removed, the soufflé stands tall and appears to “rise” out of the dish.
** I don’t think I’ve ever made a souffle in this sense. The only thing I make that is called a souffle are Shelly’s Apple Raisin Protein Souffle . I’ve made about 4 or 5 batches of these because they are so delicious! To me they are bread pudding.**

custard
A puddinglike dessert (made with a sweetened mixture of milk and eggs) that can either be baked or stirred on stovetop. Custards require slow cooking and gentle heat in order to prevent separation (curdling). For this reason, stirred custards are generally made in a DOUBLE BOILER; baked custards in a WATER BATH. A safeguard when making custard is to remove it from the heat when it reaches 170° to 175°F on a CANDY THERMOMETER. Custards may be enhanced with various flavorings such as chocolate, vanilla, fruit and so on. Stirred custards are softer than baked custards and are often used as a sauce or as an ice cream base.
** I just made my first baked custards from the recipe below and they are so good! The recipe gives quite a short bake time. I needed to about double it. I will be making these again. They are very firm when chilled and just so creamy and good**

So, that is what I learned from my exploration of all the wonderful things you can do with the beloved egg. Quite interesting if you are a hopeless foodie like me. Of course, don’t forget about the ever popular deviled egg. We made a Halloween version of it yesterday for a party
~ Spider Deviled Eggs

Vanilla Egg Custard October 24, 2008

I would like to share and add recipes that I find and try and love to this blog. Obviously, this is not my original recipe, so I will always give credit to wear I found it. I have been finding many delicious WLS friendly recipes at bariatriceating.com . I made these last night and can already tell they will be a favorite to have handy in the fridge.

SUSAN MARIA’S VANILLA EGG CUSTARD

WLS 1/2 cup portion: Calories 110, fat 4.5 gr, carbs 7.5 gr, protein 9gr.

Makes six 1/2 cup servings

This custard is smooth, cold, and very soothing, I made a batch at least twice a week, as my family loved this as well. Purchase 6 or 8 four-ounce cups; they are invaluable for portion control.

4 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 can evaporated low-fat milk
1/2 cup Splenda Granular
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 6 custard cups or ramekins in a large roasting pan and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, evaporated milk, Splenda, vanilla, and salt. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Divide evenly among the custard cups and grate a generous amount of nutmeg over each one. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, until the custard are just set in the center. Carefully remove the custards from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve chilled.

Hello Beautiful October 15, 2008

We took the family apple picking this past weekend. So now I have apples to use up! Course, us RNY’ers need their protein, so I had came up with a way to eat apples AND protein. Check it out – here are the main players:

First I chopped up one apple and one ripe pear. Sauteed them in a pan with a tablespoon butter, sprinkle of salt, cinnamon, and a chug of sugar free torani carmel syrup. Then I tossed in a handful of chopped walnuts. Cook until browned and softened. Then I blended together 1/4 cup ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese with a splash of sugar free torani vanilla syrup. Blend till creamy. Put that in a pretty desert cup, top with 1/4 cup of your apple/pear/walnut mix and squirt some sugar free whipped topping on top. Oh. MY. Yum. AND the cheese mixtures give you a combined total of 13 grams of protein.

I think I’ll call it ‘Apples and Cream’