The Perfect Boiled Egg...

A fellow postop shared the following egg boiling info on the Graduate-Low-Carb-Lifestyle group over at Yahoo. I'm no Martha Stewart either, but this is how I have boiled eggs for years and it DOES work and works well. There are so many people who say that they can't boil eggs that I thought I'd post this for the masses!

http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html
Extremely fresh eggs will not peel easily. In fact, an egg that is just a day or two old is almost impossible to peel. As eggs age, the shells will peel more easily. It is advisable that eggs used for hard cooking (including Easter Eggs) be at least 2 weeks old before cooking for easiest peeling. Hard cooked eggs that are cooked slowly over low heat (and not `boiled') will be more difficult to peel.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/boil-a-perfect-egg
Despite its name, a boiled egg shouldn't be boiled (which will yield rubbery results) but rather immediately removed from the heat once the cooking water comes to a boil. Place eggs in a saucepan large enough to accommodate them in a single layer. Fill pan with cold water, covering eggs by 1 inch. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 90 seconds to 2 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, 1 minute 45 seconds to 2 minutes 15 seconds for medium-boiled, and 11 to 12 minutes for hard-boiled. Once the hard-boiled egg is cooked, transfer it to a bowl of ice water (this will prevent discoloration and facilitate peeling); let stand 2 minutes, then crack by gently pressing egg against a hard surface. Peel under cold, running water.

Read more at Marthastewart.com

10 ways to include healthy carbohydrates in your diet

Not sure where this came from as a friend passed it on to me... The list is pretty simple and some are no-brainers for a postop WLS lifestyle... See what you think! How many of these are you doing already? How many could you try now that you have them in mind? 1. Choose corn instead of flour tortillas. 2. Use whole wheat pasta instead of refined white pasta. 3. Opt for whole-grain breads instead of refined white breads. 4. Choose brown rice instead of white rice. 5. Eat slow-cooked oatmeal or steel oats in place of processed or "instant" cereals. 6. Snack on whole, fibrous fruits instead of artificial sweets and candies. 7. Opt for yams instead of white potatoes. 8. Choose whole wheat snack crackers over butter crackers. 9. Try making your own pizza with whole wheat pizza dough. 10. When eating baked goods, opt for muffins or pastries containing whole grains, nuts and berries instead of processed and refined white flours and sugars. I have a wonderful whole wheat pizza crust recipe here on this blog... I only use the Barilla Plus pasta these days. There's a little Mexican grocer at the end of my street that makes fresh corn tortillas EVERY day and you get about 15 tortillas in a foil wrapping for $1! When I want tortillas, this is what I use--even for my burrito bake recipe. I don't eat many potatoes--of any type or color. Just don't crave them anymore. Crackers--my fave these days is the multi-grain Club cracker. But, I don't eat them without cheese! I haven't had a slice of white bread since July 2006. My favorite these days is Arnold's Health Nut bread but we usually use their Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins. Those are awesome and nice and thin so not too filling and leaves room for lots of meat and cheese. I never eat oatmeal. I love fruit as a snack, and I make my own sweet goods with Splenda and healthier flours. If I have to make it, I won't eat it as often!

From HungryGirl.com a new take on the KFC Double Down chicken sandwich

And yet another internet find!
Link: http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/askhgdetails.php?isid=2058

The freakish Double Down at KFC has 540 calories, with more than HALF of those calories coming from fat. There are 32 grams of fat in that thing! Aside from the fried chicken patties (a.k.a. the "bread"), there's cheese, creamy sauce, AND bacon! As for the Grilled Double Down? Oddly, that one isn't much better, with 460 calories and 23 grams of fat. If you really want to kick a craving, here's how to faux-fry your way to Double Down town... Start with two 3-oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness. Grind up 1/2 cup original Fiber One cereal in a blender or food processor, and season to taste with some chicken grill seasoning. Dip your cutlets in fat-free egg substitute, and then coat 'em in the seasoned cereal crumbs. Cook over medium-high heat in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray until done (about 4 minutes per side). Meanwhile, mix up some fat-free mayo with a little ketchup, Dijon mustard, and a dash of cayenne pepper; that's your sauce. Cook up a slice of extra-lean turkey bacon (or thinly sliced center-cut bacon), and break it in half. Now spread a little sauce on top of those faux-fried chicken cutlets, and top one with a half-slice of reduced-fat Jack cheese. Put the bacon over that, followed by the other half-slice of cheese. Put the other cutlet on top with the sauced-side down. Heat the whole thing in the skillet, pressing down with a spatula, until the cheese melts. Mmmmm! Your swap will have around 340 calories, 8g fat, and 14g fiber. For a "grilled" version, just skip the cereal and egg, and season your chicken directly with the grill mix -- that'll have about 270 calories and 7g fat. Not bad!!!

Awesome looking reduced sugar oreo cheesecake recipe!

Just found this on the web and HAD to share!!
Link: http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/what-have-we-here/

What have we here?

August 28, 2009 by Linda

OREO CHEESECAKE

That’s right, kids! The good stuff is still available to us!

Creamy white and packed with crunchy bits of cream-filled wafer cookies this cake will make a huge splash whenever you serve it!

(I have to say my daughter made the one that got photographed…so gorgeous!)

~~~~

Vegetable cooking spray
2 pkgs sugar free Oreos or Murray’s sugar free chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted
Four 8-ounces pkgs reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Splenda Granular
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with the cooking spray. Wrap in aluminum foil so that the butter doesn’t seep out and burn in the oven and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Finely crush 1 1/2 pkgs of the Oreo cookies (or 1 pkg of the Murray’s) and place in a medium bowl along with the melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until crispy to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl whip the softened cream cheese just until smooth. Beat in the Splenda, vanilla, sour cream, and whipping cream just until blended. One at a time, beat in eggs just until incorporated. Coarsely chop remaining cookies and gently fold into cheese mixture. Pour into cooled crust. Bake for one hour, loosely covering with foil after 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, but do not remove the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight or at least 5 hours. Remove sides of pan and slice. (Cheesecakes will be creamy, soft for the first few hours, and will become more dense and cakey the longer they are allowed to chill. They really do get better as they sit and rest!) Makes 18 servings.

Per Serving: 230 Cal; 6 g Protein; 17 g Tot Fat; 14 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 219 mg Sodium

Recipe: Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread for the Bread Machine

We don't eat a lot of bread around here, but when we DO eat bread, we ONLY eat whole wheat. For a long time now, I've kept a sourdough starter going just so I can have the occasional fresh-baked loaf of whole wheat sourdough bread with an evening meal. My whole family loves it and it makes great sandwiches when there are leftovers... Here's how I make it using my bread machine. Got a loaf going now for Mandy's birthday dinner....she's 18 today!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread for the Bread Machine


Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sourdough starter
3/4 cups warm water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1 3/4 teaspoons dry yeast (or 1 packet fast-rise yeast)

Directions
Put in bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. This is generally the wet ingredients first, then the dry ingredients with the yeast being the very last thing you add and that being put into a dished area in the top of the other dry ingredients.
Select basic bread cycle OR whole wheat cycle if your machine has this option.
If there is a crust selection option, go with the lighter or medium crust.

Almost TWO months!

I just realized that as I posted a bit ago, it had been almost two whole months since my last post! WOW! Why, you may be asking????

Well, life is CRAZY here right now!
1) My daughter's divorce is not going really smoothly.
2) We're doing visitation every week, three days a week for 5 hours each day.
3) We got an offer and sold our house.
4) We're preparing to move back to Florida after 10 years here in WV.
5) We're packing and selling and packing and selling......
6) The 4-H cookbook finally went off to press with over 600 recipes!
7) 4-H camp is THIS WEEK!

I still had boxes that were never unpacked from our move in December of 1999... Granted, they were my good dishes that I never got a reason to use. But, they were still wrapped and packed from our last move! We have accumulated SO much junk in 10 more years. Where did it all come from? Why have we kept it so long? So much of it has been trashed, sold, or given away that I wonder why we ever packed it in here in the first place! Don't get me wrong, the extra cash from the stuff we've sold was cool... But, it probably would have been better to just keep the cash we paid for it way back when! LOL

And, OMG, the sorting! I have to pass on all the 4-H stuff to whoever will be taking over my club's leadership. I have tried not to save too much soapmaking stuff, so have been eBaying like crazy to move it out of here. I have a local lady who will take a bunch too, but haven't been able to even get her on the phone! I gave away a bunch of sample products I'd gotten to try formulating new recipes. Just passed them on to other soap and body product makers to play with.

CLOTHES! Wow, where do they all come from?? When I lost my weight, I gave away over 200 pounds of my own clothing. Now, as we go through drawers and closets for my girls, there is probably over 100 pounds of stuff that they are ready to give away.

And books! OMG, so many books! I am a history teacher. That doesn't help, but I have an entire 18" x 18" x 12" box stuffed full of cookbooks! That doesn't count all the stuff I've printed or written down over the years either! I didn't get to weigh 410 pounds without loving to cook! LOL

Add to all of this, the clutter of 41 years of living..... Well, 41 for me! I have SO MUCH STUFF!! Ugh!

We finally wrapped up the 4-H cookbook and ended up with 600 recipes! WOW was all I could say as I typed the list of recipes.... WOW!! That book will be a hit and I won't even be here to get one.... I'll have to leave a padded envelope with someone to send me one!

4-H camp is this week. I am the president of the Leaders Association, and camp planning was my responsibility. I was also to teach classes this week at camp, but with the move have had to find others to take that chore. Wow, my last 4-H camp... My girls are pretty much grown. Mandy could do 4-H for 3 or 4 more years (age out of program at 21), but really doesn't show enough interest to stick with it once we move and she has cousins to hang out with again... So, this may be the end of my time in 4-H unless I lead a craft group or some other specialty group in FL. It has been fun and I've made lots of friends who I will truly miss...

Recipe: Lea's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

I make all our pizza here at home since my surgery... We just didn't DO pizza for a very, very long time. The crust made me yak and it was bad for us all... Now, I make it here and I can control how thick the crust is and what goes into it and on top of it! I make this crust and make my crust VERY thin--think Pizza Hut's thin and crispy crust... I put pizza sauce, all kinds of meats, veggies and cheeses on top. My whole family loves it! I was printing it for a cookbook we're doing here locally for our 4-H clubs and I thought I'd pass it on!!
Lea

Lea's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Contributor: Lea Burnside
Club: Frametown Trailblazers

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fast-acting yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
dash pepper and other seasoning you like to taste
2 tablespoons cornmeal

DIRECTIONS:
Add water (warm, not cold), yeast and sugar to mixer. Mix well.
Put dough hook on mixer.
Add all other ingredients BUT cornmeal and mix well.
Let dough hook knead mix till all is thoroughly mixed and no longer sticking to bowl. If too wet, add a bit more whole wheat flour till bowl is clean. If too dry (excess flour), drizzle in a bit more warm water till bowl is clean. Allow to knead a bit longer (10 minutes or so).
Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place pizza dough into bowl and roll around to coat with spray.
Cover with a clean dish towel or paper towels and place in a warm place. Allow to rise till doubled in size.
Punch down dough and allow to rest (5 minutes or so). While resting, spray pizza pan with non-stick spray and sprinkle cornmeal on pan.
In hands, stretch dough till it is spread to over half the size of your pizza pan. Then, place on pan and continue to spread it with your hands till it covers pan to edges. This amount of dough will cover a large round pan of at least 14" OR a 10" x 15" cookie sheet.
Top with pizza sauce and your choice of toppings and bake at 400 degrees till done.

Review: Tumaro's Low in Carbs Multi-Grain Tortillas

I've tried to find a good, low carb tortilla in my area as sooooo many of the ones you guys try and love are just not available here in the boonies of wild, wonderful West Virginia. This one I found in a Kroger's store about 45 miles from home. And, I remember thinking that MY Kroger's store closer to home would have them too. Kroger's is Kroger's, right? WRONG! So, anyway, I bought a package of these:

Multi Grain (Award Winning) A delicious way to get a boost of fiber in your diet.

They are light and yummy. I used them for quesadillas with the Mexican Beef recipe I posted a bit back and some shredded Mexican blend cheese. I used them for sandwich wraps. I loved them no matter what I did with them.

There are 10 of the 8" size in the package. They were about $2.99 for the package. And, the nutritional info...WOW!

Nutrition Facts

Click here for nutritional information from the product packaging.

Dietary Labeling

Certified Kosher

Serving size: 1 tortilla
Amount Per Serving
Calories	100
Calories from Fat	25
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Total Fat	2.5g (4%)
Saturated Fat	0g (0%)
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg (0%)
Sodium	115mg (5%)
Total Carbohydrate	13g (4%)
Dietary Fiber	8g (31%)
Sugars	1g
Protein	7g
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	8%
Iron	6%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your calorie needs.

Safety Information
Allergen Information: Contains wheat, soy, almond meal, sesame seed flour. Made on equipment shared with wheat, soy, almond meal, sesame flour.

Ingredients
Water, Oat Fiber, Whole Wheat Flour, Soy Bean Flour, Wheat Gluten, Canola Oil, Aluminum Free Baking Powder (Sodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Calcium Propionate (Used to Maintain Freshness), Lecithin, Mono-diglycerides (Derived From Plant Sources), Salt, Sesame Seed Flour, Almond Meal, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Fumaric Acid (Used to Maintain Freshness), Potassium Sorbate (Used to Maintain Freshness), Sodium Metabisulfite (Used to Maintain Freshness).

Directions
Heating: Bend bag to loosen and separate flatbreads. Heat them individually in a skillet or pan for 10-15 seconds on each side to warm and soften. Flatbreads may also be wrapped in a moist paper towel and heated in a microwave for 20 seconds. For freshness, keep flatbreads refrigerated after opening. How to fold a wrap: Place fillings in the center of the wrap. Fold the bottom side of the wrap. Fold the left side over then wrap to the right. Enjoy the great taste of a delicious wrap. After opening, keep refrigerated for freshness.

They have FIVE net carbs and only 13 total carbs... Many tortillas have 20 or more total carbs. 7 grams of protein in a little 8" tortilla is nothing to sneeze at either! They are multi grain, so the carbs are complex for the most part. They include ingredients like oat flour, soy flour, sesame seed flour, and almond meal. They also come in Green Onion, Garden Vegetable, and Salsa flavors, but Kroger's did not have those...just the multi-grain version. Amazon carries this company's (Tumaro's) products too. They sell cases of 6 packs of 10 for less than $20 with free shipping on orders over $25.

Product Name: Tumaro's Low in Carbs 8" Multi-Grain Tortillas

Product Type (meal replacement, protein bar, snack, etc): bread substitute

Where Can I Get/Find It? Krogers and some other grocers... See their site for a list!

Cost: pack of 10 is about $3.00

Pros: whole grain, low in carbs, taste great!

Cons: For me, finding them will be worrisome... I may end up approaching my Kroger's manager and asking them to order me a case. Otherwise, I'll have to bite the bullet and go the Amazon route!

Overall Rating: Yeah Baby! These will definitely be back in my cupboard!

Recipe: Butter Pecan Cookies with Protein

This recipe is a revision of my oatmeal/choco chip/pecan cookies with protein. (click that to see that recipe!) Both recipes are a revised version of Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies recipe that is found on the inside of the lid of a tub of Quaker oats! These butter pecan cookies are yummo and NO one can tell they are not a sugary cookie! Granted, they are not sugar free, but they are lower sugar and totally yummy!

Butter Pecan Cookies with Protein
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine (I use light Blue Bonnet)
3/4 cup brown sugar (not Splenda brown sugar, just brown sugar--I've already changed it!)
1 1/2 cups granulated Splenda
3 eggs OR 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 scoops Unjury unflavored protein powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
4 cups oats
11 oz bag butterscotch baking chips OR 1 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup chocolate chips
6 oz bag chopped pecans (about 1 1/2 cups)

Blend the margarine, brown sugar and the Splenda. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix again. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, protein powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix those really well and then add to the wet mixture. Mix well. Then stir in the baking chips and nuts. Once those are well distributed, add the oats but add like 3 cups and then add more till you get a nice thick mix that isn't terribly wet. It usually takes 4 cups, but I've used as little as 3 1/2.

These bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Store in cookie jar, tin, or just a rubbermaid or tupperware bowl with lid. This recipe makes about 40-48 large cookies (2 1/2 to 3" in diameter). Each cookie is about 150 calories, 18 carbs (2 fiber) and about 4 grams of protein when computed using pecans as the nuts.

NOTE: If you choose to make these cookies withOUT the protein powder, you must add in 1/2 cup of flour (of your choice) to make this recipe work! If you don't have the almond flour, you can use another flour (spelt, whole wheat, etc) or use another scoop of protein powder and 1/4 cup more all purpose flour.

So, what DO you bring to a WLS potluck??

We had a potluck, covered dish picnic dinner at this month's local WLS support group meeting. I stressed over what to bring for literally weeks beforehand! I had not been to one of this group's dinners before even though I've been a member since before my surgery two years ago. I had really never been to a covered dish dinner of any sort for WLS folks before. Normally, if I go to something covered dish, it is with friends, family, or 4-H folks and I just bring something I know I can eat and not worry about it... Not for this though as most of the folks attending would be those who had already had WLS and are more careful about what they eat.

So, you rule out a lot of the old standbys like high-carb veggies and breads. You don't do potato salad---that is for sure! LOL And, add in the fact that I had to drive an hour to get there, so temperature was going to be an issue. It either had to be kept cold or kept hot for that length of time... I knew I was going to take a Splenda Pumpkin Cake as that is now an old standby for me for anything where I take food... It was actually the TENTH one of those cakes I'd made since July 28th thanks to our 4-H fundraising! But, what to take for hot food? I needed to take at least two items I felt as there were two of us attending. Mandy always goes to the support group meetings with me and has become a member herself, so we both needed something. She sure didn't help me decide what to bring or actually do the cooking though!

I looked at lots of Michelle's recipes (Eggface)... I even emailed her and asked what she'd take in this position. Her suggestion was her Italian Bean Salad and possibly adding some sort of meat.

I posted on OH and asked what other folks suggested... I got lots of feedback (lots of Eggface recipe suggestions! LOL She has TONS of casserole recipes!), but still couldn't decide. I did get a new recipe site suggested though and it is a site with WLS recipes! That was a cool find! It is http://recipes.switchsister.com/forum/index.php and you should definitely check it out some time!

I made and tried Eggface's Pastaless Chicken Carbonara... It was pretty good. Mandy complained about the spinach. Hubby and I liked it. I'll definitely make it again. Maybe for this dinner??

I thought about a pot of brown beans and ham.

I looked at and thought about Eggface's Italian Chicken and Squash Bake.

There were lots of folks who suggested I take one of Michelle's "bites" items which are little mini-muffin sized crustless quiches basically... There are all different varieties of them!

I wondered what sorts of veggies would show up and even posted on the support group's YahooGroup and asked others to tell what they were bringing. The response I got was that there was always a great assortment and to just bring whatever I wanted. Good response, but not very helpful when I was in such a quandry to begin with! LOL

Then, I asked my self why in the world this was stressing me so much! It is, after all, just FOOD! But, for many of these folks, it was also the reason why they ended up having to have WLS in the first place.... I continued to stew for another week over what I was bringing. Then, I made a shopping list for groceries and included items I would need for several of the things I'd considered making and decided I'd just "go with the flow" when the time came to actually MAKE the stuff.

SO, Friday morning arrives.... The dinner is at 6 pm. I've got stuff here to do many, many things, but WHAT will I make??? I had already soaked a pot of brown beans in case I wanted to do beans and ham, so I went ahead and started the beans to cooking... Was beans and ham plus the pumpkin cake good enough??

After stewing for a while, I decided to put together the chicken and squash bake from Michelle's site. SO, I started rounding up stuff. I love most everything I've ever tried from Michelle's site, so I knew it would be good. And, since I'm talking about it here, I'll post her recipe too...

Shelly's Italian Chicken & Squash Bake

1 cup Chicken, boneless, skinless breasts diced 1" cubes
1 Yellow Onion, diced
3 green Onions, diced
4-5 fresh Mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves Garlic, diced
3-4 Yellow Squash, sliced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
1 - 15 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, drained
1 - 10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup Shredded Italian 4 Cheese Blend (divided use)
Oil/butter for sauteing

Saute chicken till golden. Set aside. Saute onions and mushrooms till golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add zucchini, turn to low heat and cover for 5 minutes. Stirring once or twice. Add soup, tomatoes, seasonings, 1/4 cup of the cheese and chicken and stir to combine.

Pour into a Pyrex casserole dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Now, what I did different...
I did not use green onions.
I added 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips and then the strips cut into 3 pieces.
I did not use canned diced tomatoes. I cut up a great big tomato from my garden.
I used about twice as much cheese...
I did not have fresh basil or oregano, so I gave a very hearty shaking of Italian seasoning across the top.

It was yummy! And, it was one of the very few dishes brought that had any veggies in it! So, it was a good choice. And, I actually doubled the recipe and took a big 9 X 13 dish of it and it was all gone at the end!

So that is what I took... I took a big pyrex dish full of pinto beans and cubed ham, a 9 x 13 dish of this chicken and squash dish, and the pumpkin cake...

What did others bring? That was a varied list! Let's see what I can remember...
meatloaf
beef stew
chili
taco dip and Tostitos scoops
macaroni salad
KFC fried chicken and biscuits
something called a Punch Bowl Fruit Salad
fresh fruit (honeydew, pineapple, etc)
gorgeous fresh strawberries and a yogurt dip for them
AND, the best stuff ever--homemade sugar free frozen custard! I ate some of this with fresh strawberries. Then, I ate a bit of it with a piece of the pumpkin cake. OMG, this will be a holiday dessert here this year! You would NEVER guess it was sugar free custard and cake made with Splenda! LOL I told our support group leader (who makes the custard in her ice cream maker) that she MUST give me the recipe now that I have an ice cream maker. I plan to add some protein powder to it when I make it though... If you are going to eat ice cream, at least get some redeeming values from it, right??? I know Michelle would agree on that one! She IS the protein ice cream queen!

Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

First let me state that I am NOT big on fish. I am allergic to shellfish and just never do much seafood of any kind. When I eat fish, it has to be a very mild-tasting fish, not one that is really "fishy" tasting--if you know what I mean! Tilapia is a fairly mild fish and I can eat it okay, so this sort of recipe is about the only fish recipe you'll get on this blog!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (the powdery stuff in the shaker bottle)
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 pound tilapia filets (4 ozs is one serving)
3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted (I use Blue Bonnet light margarine)
3 tbsp mayonnaise or salad dressing (I use Miracle Whip Light)

Directions:
Thaw fish filets and drain of any liquids.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking dish with aluminum foil.
In a shallow dish (suitable for coating filets), combine butter or margarine and mayo or salad dressing.
Stir in the spices (basil, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder) till well blended.
In another shallow dish or plate, combine the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
One at a time, coat fish filets with your butter/mayo/spices mixture and then coat with the crumb mixture on both sides.
Lay filets in baking dish.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Nutrition Facts (using light margarine and Miracle Whip Light):
4 servings
Calories: 270
Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 58 mgs
Sodium: 620 mgs
Total Carbohydrates: 10 g (1 fiber)
Protein: 25 g

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken Terryaki & Veggies

I made more of that reduced sugar terryaki sauce I posted a few days ago... Instead of beef this time though, I poured it over boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I'd cut into about 2" wide strips and placed in the crockpot. I also cut an onion in half and then each half into quarters and added that to the pot and sprinkled it all with Everglades Seasoning. I poured a whole batch of the terryaki sauce (about 1 1/4 cups) over top of it all and set it on high and left it to cook.

About 4 hours later, I added some fresh green pepper strips, cored and quartered a couple of fresh tomatoes, and also chopped up a couple of large carrots and added those. I gave it all a good stir, pushed the recently added veggies down into the liquid anywhere they stuck out, and let it get back to cooking! When it was all done, I served it over white basmati rice. This was scrumptious! You must try that sauce over your favorite meat! I am really enjoying tossing in all those FREE fresh veggies from the garden!

Recipe: Crock Terryaki Beef

I made a homemade Terryaki Sauce yesterday (click for that post!) and wanted to give it a try right away... I had some stew beef I picked up last night at Sam's Club, so I thought I'd use that.

CROCK TERRYAKI BEEF
Ingredients:
2 pounds stew beef (or any chunked or sliced beef you have!)
1 medium onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
Everglades Seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)
1 cup terryaki sauce (I used my reduced sugar homemade version)

Directions:
Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray. This is not "required" but sure helps with cleanup!
Place beef chunks/slices into crockpot.
Peel your onion and cut it into slices or wedges (whatever your preference). Drop in on top of meat.
Spoon in your minced garlic.
Sprinkle liberally with Everglades Seasoning OR your favorite salt/pepper/etc seasoning blend.
Pour terryaki sauce over everything.
Put the lid on and cook! I cooked mine on high for about 2 hours, then turned the heat to low and continued to cook for about 4 more hours (6 hours total). You could probably do 8 hours all on low heat.
If you like peppers, core/derib/seed a bell pepper and slice it and add to this mixture for the final 30 minutes of cook time.

We did add the pepper and we served it over a bit of basmati rice. This was a wonderful terryaki beef dish and we'll be trying the homemade terryaki sauce over chicken breasts in the near future!

Recipe: Reduced Sugar Terryaki Sauce

I don't know about you guys, but one thing I loved preop was terryaki... I've not really tried much of anything like that since surgery due to worries of dumping from a sweet sauce. A friend shared a homemade terryaki sauce recipe and I modified it a bit to keep the sweet, but use less real sugar. Here's what I tried:


REDUCED SUGAR TERRYAKI SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp Splenda granulated
2 tbsp honey or molasses
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat on low to medium heat. Mix the corn starch and 1/4 cup water together till corn starch is all dissolved. Add to saucepan mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring often, till sauce reaches the thickness you want.

Note: To use this sauce as a marinade, add 1/4 cup more water. Also, if you like your sauce a bit less sweet, you can cut back on the honey/molasses amount to about 1 tbsp.

I've got this in the crockpot now with some beef, onions, and minced garlic... We'll see how it turns out!

Recipe & Serving Idea for Splenda Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Fluff

In my post below, I shared a recipe for a Splenda sweetened Pumpkin Cake. It is a yummy dessert option any time of year. But, how about dressing it up for the holidays??? Here's my idea...

Mix up the cake and bake it in that cool mini-bundt cake pan I mentioned before...



Then, after the cakes have cooled, split them in half like a shortcake.
Place the bottom half on a dessert dish.
Mix up some Pumpkin Fluff (recipe below).
Spoon some of the pumpkin fluff onto the bottom half of the cake.
Place the top portion of the cake on top of the fluff.
Top it all off with a dollop of sugar-free Cool Whip!

This would make a great family dessert for the holidays!


PUMPKIN FLUFF (from Charlie)

1 ¾ Cup of Pumpkin which is ½ of a large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

¾ Cup Splenda Granular

1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

1 small container of whipped topping

Mix pumpkin, Splenda and pumpkin pie spice together with a spatula. Then, add 1 small container of whipped topping. Mix well.

Recipe: Choco Coconut Pecan Protein Ice Cream

I didn't have any strawberries on hand to make the strawberry cheesecake protein ice cream recipe that I wanted to try so bad, so I experimented instead!
Here's what I mixed in there:
1 scoop Muscle Milk Light chocolate milk flavor
2 scoops IDS belgian chocolate protein powder
2 1/2 cups of 2% milk

Now you could use 3 scoops of your favorite chocolate protein powder, but these are what I used. I mixed those up good with my stick blender (immersion blender) and set that to chilling in the ice cream maker. Then, I took a small bowl and dumped in about 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips, about 1/8 cup coconut flakes, and about 1/8 cup pecan pieces. I added those after the ice cream was already starting to stick to the blade.

The judge of this fine concoction was my 16 year old daughter who shuddered at the thought of wasting a perfectly good ice cream maker by putting PROTEIN powder in there! So, after the ice cream finished blending, I put it in a plastic bowl with a lid and stuck it in the freezer for later. Well, when I went to take a bite, the contents had CLEARLY been attacked prior to my arrival. I said, "Mandy, have you been in the ice cream?" She told me that she wanted a taste and to see if it was an "aquired taste" or if she could "stand to eat it..." She had eaten at least 1/2 a cup, so I guess it isn't just an acquired taste and apparently the protein she could "smell" while it was chilling in the maker was no longer present in the finished stuff!

Now that we know that we like the outcome, we've got plans for more batches. I want to make a very shallow pan of no-sugar-added cheesecake filling and chill it well--just filling, no crust, and about 1/2 inch deep. Then, I want to cut it into 1/4 inch cubes and freeze those in a ziploc baggie. Then, when making a "cheesecake" flavor of ice cream, you could drop some actual cheesecake cubes into the ice cream about 5 minutes before it is done and you'd REALLY have cheesecake ice cream! It would be similar to those danged Cheesequake Blizzards that DQ has!

How about a cookies n cream protein powder and crumble up a few no-sugar-added Oreos in there??? Not a lot of cookies, mind you, just enough to give it that texture and crunch! You could even scrape away the cream first!

I also shared this recipe over at ObesityHelp. Check out the comments there if you are interested!

Recipe: Splenda Sour Cream Pound Cake plus some ideas for alterations!

I was emailing with a fellow WLS patient about recipes... I shared the Splenda sour cream pound cake recipe I have used with her and in the back and forth we had going on, mentioned that I was planning to try it again but with some alterations. I plan to hold out part of the cake batter and stir in some sugar free Jello in strawberry. I said I'd probably stir in some sugar free strawberry preserves. She commented that it sounded good and that it might be good layered in a trifle. That got me to thinking... I have this baking pan that is a flat pan with 6 mini-bundt cake molds that are each about 3" wide.

This cake would be awesome made in those pans and then split in half and used as strawberry or blueberry shortcakes. It would be a yummy summer treat! SO, here's the original Splenda sour cream pound cake recipe... Do with it what you will, but let us know about it!! I make this for bake sale fundraisers and they always sell out!

NOTE--The ingredients say Splenda granular, but the directions say Splenda blend... I used the granular, not the blend which is half sugar and half Splenda granular... I have also made it (for a bake sale) with full sugar and it got rave reviews, so the recipe works either way! Oh, and I never sifted the flour!

Splenda Blend Sour Cream Pound Cake

http://www.recipezaar.com/107856
Recipe #107856

5 ratings

A delicious dessert, always keep a pound cake in the freezer for a begining of a delicious dessert. Toast or grill slices of pound cake and top with fresh fruit or your favorite topping or ice cream.

by Barb Gertz

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18

servings

1¾ hours 20 min prep

Change to: servings US Metric

3	cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2	cups Splenda granular
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1	cup butter, softened
6	large eggs
1 (8	ounce) carton sour cream
2	teaspoons vanilla extract

Not the one? See other Splenda Blend Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipes

• Mixer Cakes
  
  
• Eggs/Dairy Cakes
  
  
• Diabetic Cakes
  
  
• Comfort Food Cakes
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees; GREASE and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup BUNDT pan; set aside.
2. Combine flour, Splenda Sugar-Blend for baking, and soda in a large mixing bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or a pastry blended until crumbly, (this procedure may be done with a mixer at the lowest speed, cover mixing bowl with a tea towel to prevent spattering, I have a guard that fits on my mixer bowl-Kitchen Aid).
3. Combine eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; add 1/4 of the egg mixture to flour mixture; beat on low speed of an electric mixer until blended; beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrap down sides of bowl; REPEAT PROCEDURE 3 times.
4. Spoon batter into prepared pan; Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, cool completly on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts Calculated for 1 serving (65g) Recipe makes 18 servings The following items or measurements are not included below: Splenda granular
Calories 227 Calories from Fat 133 (58%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
Total Fat 14.9g		22%
	Saturated Fat 8.8g	43%
	Polyunsat. Fat 0.8g
	Monounsat. Fat 4.1g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 103mg		34%
Sodium 121mg		5%
Potassium 69mg		1%
Total Carbohydrate 18.6g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 0.4g	1%
	Sugars 0.3g
Protein 4.5g		9%

Recipe: Ginny's WLS-Friendly Fruit Dip

A fellow WLS patient shared the following recipe with us and I thought I'd pass it on to you all!  It is for a sugar free fruit dip and could also be eaten alone as sort of a mousse, I suppose...

Ginny's Sugar Free Fruit Dip

1 32oz, cont. plain yogurt ( regular or FF)
1 8 oz. container cool whip ( thawed)
2 small pkgs. S.F. White chocolate Instant Pudding

Mix all together and enjoy.

Ginny reports that this makes a good sized batch of dip, so be prepared to use it, store it, or cut the recipe a bit before you make it.  It is about 6 cups of dip...  This would be great with fresh fruit for a cool, summer dessert dish!

Protein Ice Cream... Who'da Thunk It??

Eggface... That is who thought this one up! I don't know if you guys are familiar with Michelle/Eggface over at ObesityHelp.com, but she is one who posts WLS-friendly recipes on her blog VERY regularly...almost daily. And, they are usually VERY yummy concoctions! Lately, everyone is talking about her newest creation--protein ice cream. It is ice cream made in an ice cream maker with protein powder in it and they are RAVING about this! They are using different flavors of protein powder with various things mixed in to make different flavors of ice cream. Melting Mama made a version with Matrix's orange creamsicle powder... Check out Eggface's blog for recipes.

AND--Here's direct links to some of them:

peanut butter cup version is at http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/it-should-be-illegal.html

mint chocolate chip is at http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/mint-chocolate-chip.html

tiramisu... http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/tiramisu-ice-cream-sandwiches.html

black cherry http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-mums-birthday.html

apple walnut crumb with cinnamon oatmeal cookie
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/american-as-apple-pie-err-crumb.html

Hawaiian Islands
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/aloha.html

pistachio
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/green-is-my-favorite-color.html

strawberry cheesecake
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-birthday-wish.html

toasted coconut
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/06/pizza-ice-cream-party-post-wls-style.html

chocolate caramel
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/06/protein-ice-cream-sundae.html

I think that is all that she has up so far... I must say that I was having an easier time pushing this aside till I saw that strawberry cheesecake one... Heck, the only thing I don't have here for that one is the danged ice cream maker and that would be an AWESOME treat after working in the garden! So, guess what I just did??? I posted on my local Freecycle group asking if anyone had an ice cream maker stashed in the cupboard going to waste! LOL We'll see if I get a response! If I do, I'll have to assume it is fate that I am meant to try this!!

8/4/08 update
She's added more recipes for the protein ice cream! I am using this post to keep up with them, so here's some more links!
Key Lime Pie
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/key-lime-pie-protein-ice-cream-and-tips.html
That one also has some good "tips" info!

Mango
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/mmmmango.html

Carrot Cake
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/carrot-cake-protein-ice-cream.html

Peanut Butter and Jelly
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/peanut-butter-jelly-protein-ice-cream.html

Roasted Pear
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/roasted-pear-protein-ice-cream.html

Lemon Meringue Pie
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/when-life-gives-you-lemons.html

Root Beer Float
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/root-beer-float-protein-ice-cream.html

Blueberry Cheesecake
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/blueberries-fountain-of-yoot.html


Butter Pecan
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/butter-pecan.html

Caramel Apple
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/07/caramel-apple-protein-ice-cream.html

I think that is all of them so far... Wow, what a list! I have had my ice cream maker for a whole week now and, thanks to life (and 4-H) getting in the way, have yet to make a single batch! I am going to rectify that today though and finally make that strawberry cheesecake one!

8/8/08
She's at it again! If she keeps this up, we'll never run out of flavors to try!

Pumpkin Spice
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/pumpkin-eater.html

Pineapple Coconut Cheesecake
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/ice-cream-sandwiches-for-breakfast.html

That last one sounds like a winner! All I need is some crushed pineapple! Heck, I think I've got pineapple chunks... I could whiz those with the stick blender and have crushed!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/hunka-hunka-banana-love.html

Orange Creamsicle
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/its-national-creamsicle-day.html


She just NEVER stops!! New ones still--updated 8/28/08
Protein Ice Cream Bon-Bons
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/protein-ice-cream-bon-bons.html

Chocolate Coconut Cookie
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/chocolate-coconut.html


Vanilla Coconut Cookie
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/vanilla-coconut.html
I love coconut and I love vanilla ice cream... I may have to give this one a try!!

Recipe: chicken and yellow rice

Okay, so I had chicken breast in the fridge for dinner... Wasn't really in the mood for any of the same-ole stuff. I chopped the chicken into pieces about 1 1/2 long and put them in the skillet with a bit of oil. I chopped in some fresh onion and green pepper. Then, I liberally sprinkled it all with Everglades Seasoning (a mix of spices that originates in a little FL town where I grew up but is available across the south), chili powder, garlic, and cumin. Then, I sauteed it all till the chicken was mostly cooked. Next, I poured in about 2 1/2 cups of water and brought it to a boil, scraping any chicken off the bottom, etc. After it was boiling, I stirred in a 5 oz package of Mahatma yellow rice dinner and a can of rinsed black beans. Cover and simmer for 20 mins till rice is completely done.
I will eat around the rice for the most part, but love the flavor. WITH the rice figured in though, this dish will be about the following for approx 1 cup of food:
calories--215
fat--1 gram (0 sat, 0 trans)
cholesterol--58
sodium--700
carbs--30 (4.5 fiber, 1 sugar)
protein--about 25 grams

Some folks do not do rice due to the carbs, etc. I do only in small quantities and after I've eaten the chicken, etc out of the dish. You could very easily saute just the veggies and chicken till well done and then add a can of diced tomatoes and the black beans and simmer it down a bit. That would be tasty too! It would greatly cut the carbs as well.... Another way to do it would be to add the black beans and about a cup of salsa after you sauteed the chicken and veggies and heat till hot all the way through.
Just thought I'd share!