"Lobster Delight" Egg Foo Yung

Ingredients

5 eggs
3 Ribs of Baby Bok Choy (chopped, stem only)
1-8 oz. package of Lobster Delights* (chopped)
1 can Bean Sprouts (rinsed and drained)
1/4 onion (chopped)
1 tbsp + 2 tsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

Gravy Ingredients
2 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1 heaping tbsp. Cornstarch
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar
1/4 tsp White Pepper


Preheat Toaster Oven to 375°

Heat your skillet and add the sesame oil and a little nonstick spray.  Add your bok choy, onions and lobster delights.  Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until onions are translucent and bok choy is tender.   Now to the skillet add your bean sprouts, garlic powder and soy sauce.  Cook for another 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.  Meanwhile beat your eggs and add the 2 teaspoons of soy sauce.  Once mixture in skillet has slightly cooled add it to your eggs.  Mix well.
Pour some of your egg mixture into a sprayed 6 cup muffin pan. Be sure to fill each cup to the top. You may have a little of the mixture left over.  (You can make the left over mixture in your skillet that has been sprayed and heated on the stove.)  Place your muffin pan in the toaster oven on the middle rack.  Bake for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes of baking, you can start the gravy.  Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 2 cups of water.  Add that to a small saucepan along with the soy sauce and white pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Now add your rice vinegar and dissolve the cornstarch a 1/4 cup warm water.  Add your cornstarch mixture to the pan and bring back up to a boil.  Once it has thickened turn off the heat.
By now your egg foo yung should be ready to take out of the oven.  Remove them from the pan and pour some gravy over them.  If you like add an additional drizzle of soy sauce on top.
Enjoy!

*Other tasty protein options can be cooked chopped chicken, ham, crab, pork and beef.

Makes 3 to 6 servings**

**This depends on how far out you are post-op and the type of protein you use.  I can only have one.

Easy Creamy Spinach & Chicken Pot Pie

I was stumped earlier today as to what to make for dinner and this is what I came up with.  I of course only ate the filling from the pot pie :)

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves
1 cup of milk (I used Fat Free Lactaid)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tbsp Black Pepper
1 egg (beaten)
2 cans of Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach or 1 whole bag of fresh spinach (chopped)
1-7 oz package of Green Giant Healthy Vision slice carrots, zucchini, green beans in a rosemary butter sauce
1 cup of frozen corn
1 small sweet onion (chopped)
10 baby carrots (sliced)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp Light Butter
2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon dissolved in 1 cup of Water

Preheat oven to 375°

In a small bowl mix your garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Heat a large pot. Chop your chicken into 1" cubes. Add butter to the pot and then chicken. Season chicken with half of your seasoning mix. While chicken is browning chop your onion and slice your carrots. Once your chicken has browned add onions and carrots to help deglaze the pot.  When onions are translucent add frozen spinach, corn and mixed veggie package, along with the rest of your seasoning mix.  Once everything is heated through add your bouillon water and stir.  Bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk and slowly add to the pot, stirring continously.  Once it has thickened turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.  Transfer mixture to a 9x13 casserole deep dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Now it's time to top it with the crescent dough.  Pinch the seams together and lay over the top, brush the top with the beaten egg (if you'd like sprinkle a little parmesan after you have brushed on the egg) .  Bake for 30 minutes or until you have a nice dark golden crust.  Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

 Big hit with the kids and a really good way to get them to eat their veggies.

*Note:  The piece in the bowl was cut without letting it rest and as you can see in the picture it was quite loose. 

For WLS patients like myself there is no need not to make this!  I made this for the family and was still able to enjoy some for myself without the crust, although the carbs in a single serving are not that bad.  One crescent triangle has 12 grams of Carbs and 2 grams of Protein.

Mini Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizzas

Woke up craving some pizza from my beloved Lou Malnati's, but alas I cannot have any. So I thought... "Maybe I can recreate a WLS friendly version" and here's what I came up with!  :)

Ingredients

2 Low Carb Wheat Tortillas (fajita size)
1 oz Hormel Mini Turkey Pepperoni
1 tbsp Onions (minced)
2 tbsp Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (smashed with a fork)
1 Stick of String Cheese (sliced into 24 pieces)*This is what I had on hand
Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400°

Spray 8 mini muffin wells with nonstick Olive Oil spray. Cut out 4 rounds from each tortilla.  (I used a glass I have that is about 2" in diameter.)  Place a round in each well and push down.  Add 3 slices of your string cheese to each round.  Divide your pepperoni evenly among the 8 mini pizzas, add a little onion to each and top with some tomatoes.  Sprinkle a little parmesan over each pizza.  Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

I must say these came out REALLY GOOD!  I really can't tell that I'm eating healthy :)

Try them with your favorite toppings.  Just don't forget the tomatoes, they're they most important part in making a delicious Chicago-Style pizza!

Makes 2 servings

** Save those tortilla scraps... A good use for them would be baking them in the oven at 400° for a few minutes until crisp then grinding them for use as "bread crumbs".

Session with Personal Trainer

So I had a session with a personal trainer at the gym on Tuesday and I must say "I loved it!"  If it weren't so expensive I would definitely pay for some sessions.  My PT really got me sweating and it's 2 days later and I'm still sore... lol
Soreness I believe is a good sign of a GREAT workout!  I am going to at least do the exercises my PT showed me every other day when I go to them gym.
As far as my weightloss is concerned, I'm down 40 pounds in 2 months, which I was initially not satisfied with.  Then I posted in the OH forums and got some great encouragement from fellow OH'ers.  That website has truly been a godsend.
Well I guess that's all for now.

Strawberry Vanilla Creme Protein Smoothie

Ingredients

5 Frozen Strawberries
2 oz Trop 50 Orange Juice
2 oz Plain Greek Yogurt (whatever brand you buy)
1 scoop Pure Protein Vanilla Creme Protein

Add strawberries, Orange Juice and Yogurt to blender. Start blending on low then high.  Add protein powder and pulse to combine. (Try not to blend to long after protein is added so as to not incorporate too much air.)

An easy, thick, creamy and tasty smoothie with lots of protein!

Low Carb Personal Supreme Pizza

Ingredients

1 Mission Low Carb Wheat Tortilla (fajita size)
1 tbsp Spaghetti sauce
1 oz Hormel Mini Turkey Pepperoni
2 or 3 slices from 1/2 an onion
5 leaves of fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella
Sprinkle of Parmesan

Preheat your toaster oven to 400° and set it to "Toast"

Spray your tortilla with Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil nonstick spray, on both sides.
Place on wire rack in toaster oven in the middle position. Toast for 5 minutes or until crisp.
Remove tortilla from toaster oven and set toaster oven to "Bake".  To the tortilla add the spaghetti sauce and spread around. Next add your spinach, then pepperoni, separate your onion slices and spread on top of the pepperoni, top off with your cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan.
Return to the toaster oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese is nice and melted.

Slice into 4 triangles.

Depending how far out you are post-op you may not be able to finish the whole thing.  Right now I am 2 months post-op and can only finish half :)

Enjoy!

Photos will follow :)

Bonnie's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

1 Big Head of Cabbage
1/2 cup uncooked Barley
3/4 lb Lean Ground Beef (93/7)
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 large garlic clove (grated)
4 tbsp Reduced Sugar Ketchup
1 packet Onion Soup Mix
1 large egg
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 cans Campbell's Heart Healthy Tomato Soup 
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Cilantro (chopped) *optional
Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 350°

First put some water to boil in a stock pot large enough to fit your head of cabbage.  Meanwhile core your cabbage and start cooking your barley according to package directions or (1 cup of water to 1/2 cup of barley, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes until all water has evaporated, then add to a plate to cool.)
Once the water for your cabbage is boiling place cored cabbage in pot, reduce heat to medium for 20 minutes, turning cabbage half way through.

Once soft, place cabbage in a colander and run cold water over it to cool it.

Then carefully start separating your leaves.  (Do not use the dark outer leaves for wrapping your rolls, those will be used later on). Once you have all your leaves you will need to trim the thick vein in the center of each leaf.  Like the picture below:

Once all leaves have been trimmed, we can work on the filling.  Add your meats, barley, grated garlic, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, garlic salt, pepper, egg and 1 tbsp of cilantro.  Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In a glass bowl add 2 cans of tomato soup, 1/2 can of water, tomato paste, garlic powder, pepper and cilantro. Whisk until combined.
Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with Olive oil non-stick spray.  Ladle 1/3 of your soup mixture to the bottom of the dish then cover with the left over small cabbage leaves.
We can now begin assembling our cabbage rolls.
Lay cabbage leaf with stem area facing you and add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture (depending on leaf size).

Lift the bottom end over the meat mixture and tuck over the sides, like the picture below:

Now roll all the way to the end.

Start lining them up in your casserole dish seam side down until you run out of filling.  I got 13 cabbage rolls from my filling and leaves.

Now pour the rest of your tomato soup mixture over the rolls.

Now top the casserole with the dark outer leaves we saved earlier.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place on top of a baking pan to catch any boil over.  Cook in the oven for 2 hours.  After the 2 hours, uncover and remove the top cabbage leaves and discard.  Loosely cover with foil again and cook for 1 hour more.

For post-ops this should make about 10 servings depending on roll size.
Serving size is 1 roll per post-op and 2 per non post-ops.
This a great all in one meal.  You have your protein, veggies and good carbs.

Bonnie's Summery Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients

2 pounds Shrimp (41/50) Peeled and Deveined
1/2 cup Lime Juice
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1 Cucumber (seeded and diced)
1 Ripe Avocado (diced)
3 Plum Tomatoes (diced)
1/2 Small Red Onion (finely diced)
2 Jalapeños (seeded and minced)
1/2 cup loosely packed Cilantro (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp. Celery Salt
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Reduced Sugar Ketchup
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. Cholula Hot Sauce (I prefer the Chili Lime one for this recipe) *optional

Bring to a boil 4 quarts of water.
Prepare an ice bath.
Meanwhile cut up your shrimp in bite size pieces (about 3 or 4).  Once water is boiling, turn the heat off and add shrimp to water for 30 seconds stirring continuously.  Remove from heat and add shrimp to ice bath using a wire skimmer. (This will keep the shrimp from cooking completely.) I have done this step because the shrimp I purchased were previously frozen, by all means if you are able to get FRESH shrimp, exclude this step.
**(If using FRESH shrimp, you will need to use more of the citrus juices. To "cook" the shrimp use 1/2 cup each of lemon and lime juice in a glass or stainless steel bowl and place in the refrigerator covered for at least 6 hours or overnight, stirring occassionally.  When the shrimp are no longer translucent and are firm to the touch, drain all the citrus juice and add a 1/4 cup each of the fresh citrus juices and continue the recipe as follows.)
In a glass dish big enough to accommodate all the ingredients, add the shrimp, lemon and lime juices, celery salt and jalapenos, stir.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and gently stir.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for AT LEAST 1 hour, so that all the flavors can marry.  After an hour try it and see if it is spicy enough for you, if not you can then add the 1/2 tsp. of hot sauce or to taste.  I prefer the Cholula brand over Tabasco, because it has a nice sweetness to it and it is not overly hot.


Serve in Martini glasses for an elegant look.

Enjoy with low carb tortilla chips or baked low carb tortillas!

*This ceviche will keep for 2 days at most, after that the shrimp will "overcook" and become rubbery.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

Ingredients

 2 small Eggplants
1 small Zucchini (peeled & diced)
1 small Yellow Squash (peeled & diced)
1/2 small onion (diced)
4 oz. Ground Turkey
2 cloves Garlic (grated or minced)
3 eggs
3/4 cup Grated Three Cheese Blend (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago)
1/2 cup Plain Panko Bread crumbs
1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
1 box of frozen spinach (thawed)
15 oz. Part Skim Ricotta
1-12 oz. pkg. Fresh Sliced Mozzarella
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg (Fresh Grated)
1 tsp. Beef Bouillon
1/4 cup White Cooking Wine
1 can Diced Tomatoes
13 oz. Marinara Sauce
Non-stick Spray
Salt & Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 375°

Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish, set aside.
Cut top and bottom off of eggplant, slice into 1/4" thick slices lengthwise.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Add ground turkey to a hot sauté pan. Brown turkey while breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add cooking wine to deglaze the pan, reduce and add beef bouillon. Then add zucchini, yellow squash and onions to turkey, saute until veggies are soft (about 4-5 minutes) add 1 garlic clove, cook for an additional minute then add your Marinara and diced tomato and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Meanwhile prepare the ricotta mixture in a bowl.  Add ricotta, spinach, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of grated cheese, nutmeg and grated garlic clove. Mix well.
Now we are ready to coat the eggplant. In a shallow bowl beat 2 eggs with a splash of water and in another shallow dish add remaining grated cheese, bread crumbs and parsley.  Dip each eggplant slice in egg and then lightly coat in the cheese/bread crumb mixture, set aside.
Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray and set heat to medium, brown eggplant slices (spraying pan as needed).  After all the eggplant has been browned we are ready to assemble.

Add some sauce to the bottom of your dish to coat, line the bottom with eggplant slices, top with all of your ricotta mixture, add remaining slices of eggplant to cover, pour remaining sauce over the eggplant and spread evenly. Top with fresh mozzarella slices and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, then remove aluminum foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

This was a big hit with the kids.  A "Lasgana" without all the pasta carbs!

Happy Valentine's Day :)

Well I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day with their sweetheart.  I had a wonderful time with my hubby last night.  We went out for dinner (which I hadn't done since my surgery 2 months ago).  I, of course, ended up bringing almost my entire dinner home :)  We went to Red Lobster and I was only able to eat 1 shrimp, 1 scallop and maybe half of the small lobster tail I was served.  I tried the mashed potatoes, but that was all.  This was the first time I had gone and not finished EVERYTHING in my plate!  I'm so thankful for my surgery, it has really been a godsend.  I love that I now know how to control my portions.
I'm super happy that I continue to lose, although maybe not as quickly as I had hoped.  I know that, in part that is a good thing because I'm giving my body time to catch up with my metabolism and this way I can avoid some of the dreaded hanging skin!  But I still wish that the pounds would come off quicker.
I plan to post some 2 month post-op pics very soon.

My hubby & I

Working Out!

I started working out at the gym last week and I must say that I am really enjoying the workout.  The first few days I was quite sore, but now it just feels good to get my workout. I've lost another 5 pounds since starting the gym, so that is really good. 

I am still having a hard time getting all my protein in and I still haven't found a protein shake that I'm fond of.  I recently bought some unflavored protein from GNC, which tastes horrible.  I have yet to make a shake with it that covers up the nastiness!  Hopefully I will come up with something soon :)

Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

12 oz. Imitation Crab
2 Tbsp. Miracle Whip Light
2 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Sour Cream
4 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese (softened)
1 pkg. Baby Spinach
1 can Artichoke Hearts (rinsed)
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Italian Blend Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup Italian seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
24 Big Baby Portobello Mushrooms (Crimini)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°

First stem and clean your mushrooms with a damp cloth (DO NOT RINSE THEM UNDER WATER). Chop stems finely and saute them in 1 Tbsp. of olive, once they have softened season to taste with salt and pepper. Chop your baby spinach and add to mushrooms, add the additional Tbsp. of olive oil if needed. Add garlic when spinach is wilted, cook for an additional 2 minutes. Take off the heat and let it cool.
Now in a big bowl add Miracle Whip, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Chop up the imitation crab meat and add to cheese mixture. Gently stir to combine, add the cooled mushroom and spinach mixture. Chop the artichoke hearts pretty finely and add to the crab mixture. Add the shredded cheese and bread crumbs and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Stuff your mushrooms with a heaping tablespoonful of crab mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes.

If you have left over stuffing (like I did) just make it into a pattie and sauté it in a little olive oil, like a crab cake. Super yummy!

Ramen, Shrimp & Bok Choy Soup

Ingredients

1 pkg. Maruchan Chicken Ramen
1 head of baby bok choy
3 or 4 large shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off)
1 egg (beaten)
Soy Sauce to taste


Prepare Ramen per package instructions (break up the noodles while in package for easier consumption). Meanwhile, wash the baby bok choy and chop stalk and greens, set aside.  Prepare shrimp by cleaning them and removing tails, now chop shrimp into bite size pieces. Beat egg and set aside. Once Ramen has been cooking for 2 minutes add the baby bok choy, simmer for 1 minute, add shrimp and simmer for another minute. Lastly, slowly add the beaten egg to the simmering liquid while stirring for 1 minute off the heat.  Ladle into bowl and drizzle soy sauce to taste.  Enjoy!


This soup is really tasty and high in protein!

**There are a few other add-ins I use on occassion, like a teaspoon of Fresh Grated Ginger, Spinach and Cilantro. You can add all of these in addition to the above ingredients to make an even tastier soup!