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California Vegetable Cheese Bake

California Vegetable Cheese Bake (3 Points)   4 cups frozen carrot, broccoli & cauliflower blend, thawed 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (can use frozen chopped onion) 1 (10-3/4 oz) can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/4 cup (one 2-ounce jar) chopped pimiento, drained 1-1/2 cups cubed Velveeta Light processed cheese   Spray slow cooker container with butter-flavored cooking spray. In prepared container, combine thawed vegetables & onion. Add mushroom soup, pimiento & cheese. Mix well to combine. Cover & cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Mix well before serving.   140 calories, 3 gm fiber, 4 gm fat 13 gm protein, 13 gm carbohydrate, 236 mg sodium, 373 mg calcium (3 points per 2/3 cup serving)
voiceomt2002

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Another Online Journal Convert Right Here

Julie.Ann and several others told me about online food journals like sparkpeople.com, thedailyplate.com and fitday.com.   I've been keeping a print food journal for over two years, but the ink and paper costs were eating me alive, to be honest.   Finally, I looked at the three I mentioned and decided on fitday.com. That's a personal choice! I don't advocate any one brand. However, I'm now totally converted to online food journals after just three days.   At first, I was frustrated by searching for my specific food I'd injested, especially when it came to recipes. Finally, I started using the Custom Food option when I couldn't find what I needed or wanted to use a recipe's nutrition info. Whew! Much better.   Funny thing is, I'm staying on my diet better now. Maybe it's that whole "I know nothing on the net is truly private" paranoia, but I'll take what works. I never fudged on calories or carbs in my journal, but this way ensures a certain level of honesty.   Today, I'll probably break my diet --again. This time, in a good cause. I'm driving down to St. Augustine to visit my Mom. Mom's a underweight very eccentric retired artist. (Yes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the creativity department. She painted with color and glass, I paint with words.) I'd better take notes of what I eat. Better put a notepad in my purse.
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Bariatric Recipes Yahoo Group!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BariatricRecipes   The owner warned me by email that the site gets about 50 emails per day on a weekend, and advises you use Digest format.   I've already received recipes in my Inbox, but I'm wading through a pile of email. I'll share if I find some good ones.
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An Old Dog Learns New Tricks

Today is a milestone day on my little lap band journey. I'm now allowed regular liquids including meal replacement shakes instead of only clear liquids like broths. That's a biggie for me. I made the mistake of gulping a slug of my hot tea on Saturday evening, and paid in discomfort for a half hour thereafter, so I'm starting slowly with a cup of coffee in a Sippy cup.   Yes, I typed "a Sippy cup." You see, learning to eat in very tiny amounts requires some re-education. Besides learning not to take big mouthfuls of hot tea (or coffee, for that matter), I have to learn to sip delicately like a lady. Go ahead and laugh. I did. Me? Okay, so pain can teach an old dog new tricks.   However the Sippy cup resembles a sparkly purple travel coffee mug, I know what it is. My adult dignity is slightly offended by this ten-ounce cure to greedy gulping. I took out the plastic insert, but it still gives me some much-needed control over what flows into my mouth. I need it, but I want something that doesn't offend my dignity quite so much.   So, I rummaged in my china hutches until I found my great-grandmother's tiny delicate bowls and plates. Just using these bone china items gives me the willies and inspires caution. You definitely don't gouge out a scoop of even Jell-o from that fragile bowl.   Since my new stomach pouch will hold less than three ounces, I'm definitely going to learn portion control in a hurry. I don't want to waste food, but I think 1/2 cup of oatmeal will fill that teeny bowl to the brim and be much more than I can eat at a sitting. Amazing.   I'm now looking at food completely differently now. It's more "You want me to eat THAT MUCH? Uh, no!" than "Yuk! That looks disgusting." Pizza, burgers, and sweets still look and smell appetizing. I just know better than to think about having more than a taste. That's it. Less than a mouthful, thanks, or I'll be in agony later when that bread, rice, or potato plugs up my stomach like a cork in a bottle and sends me to the ER. How about I settle for a slice of pepperoni to nibble on, thanks. You have the rest with my blessing. Please feel free.   I certainly feel free. I'm not limited except by good sense and my own free will. I chose this path. I like the way I will live for the rest of my life. I don't need breads, cakes, pastas, nuts, and rice to be happy. I'll roll up my ham slice in a piece of romaine lettuce and have an excellent "sandwich" on a picnic this summer. Next year at Thanksgiving, I'll enjoy a bit of turkey, veggies, and maybe a spoonful of the pumpkin pie filling. (I'll give my crust to my grateful dog, who is joyously happy to clean my plate of scraps.) I'll smile in triumph while DH and Dante make pigs of themselves on the stuffing, gravy, and dinner rolls because I made those things for them to enjoy. I get more satisfaction out of watching them enjoy than I do being fat.
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Liver Shrinking Ain't for Sissies

I've been ready to beat my head against the wall for days now, trying to maintain any semblance of willpower to stay on a 30g/day of carb diet.   They say stress is the divided state of mind when your good sense overrides the overwhelming urge to choke the living crap out of someone who richly deserves it. Yeah, I feel like that right now. I want to grab up the dietician and scream, "Look, Skinny Minnie! If I had this much willpower, I wouldn't be having lap band surgery, now would I?"   I saw the dietician on October 17, a little less than a month ago. I do great all week, staying on the 30g a day or less.   Then the weekend comes.   My DH and brother come barrelling through the door on Thursday night with the full intention of relaxing and making pigs of themselves with every kind of contraband snack food you can imagine. Now, my DH is thin. My brother Dante is as overweight as I am, I think. Believe it or not, they both have a job at the same factory. Just goes to show what a difference genetics can make.   Anyway, after today, maybe things can be different. My DH has helped me install a locking hasp on the outside pantry and a bike lock on the outside refrigerator.   I've removed all the contraband shelf stable foods to the locked pantry. All that's left in the kitchen pantry are foods I can have or things I won't eat willingly. Later I will do the same with the kitchen refrigerator, removing all those perishable things I'm not supposed to have.   I've made a list of those things I can have if I'm to shrink my liver successfully. No, I don't have to be this meticulous right now. According to the dietician, the 30g/day becomes important 7-10 days before surgery, then I'll be on a liquid diet 2 days before surgery. (Lovely. Right around the holidays? Am I nuts?) Still, I'm going to give it the best try I can. I want this liver the size of a pea, if I can.
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Liquids/Mushies Recipe-- Corner-Filling Consomme

I recommend you use a v-slicer or mandoline to get the onions as thin as you need. My little $10 v-slicer gets a lot of use!     2 T. butter 4 oz sliced mushrooms 1 small onion, sliced paper-thin 1 qt. beef broth 2 T. dry sherry (use a sherry you'd be willing to drink, not cooking sherry.) 1/4 t. pepper   Melt the butter in a skillet, and saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until they're limp. Add the beef broth, sherry, and pepper. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, just to blend the flavors, then serve immediately.   There will be six servings in this recipe, with 5 g of carbs and 8 g of protein. No calorie count is given.
voiceomt2002

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New Traditions

This morning I found myself pondering yesterday's diet sabotage attempt. A dear friend of the family brought over a gift of coffee and homemade cookies, totally spacing that I'm having weight loss surgery and am on a very restricted diet. Bless her, she meant well. As soon as she left, I handed the cookies to my husband and brother with orders to gorge themselves and then hide the rest. Since the bag is no longer in evidence to tempt me, I'll assume they followed instructions.   Today I'm re-thinking the holiday traditions of hostess gifts and holiday traditions. Why can't I give candles, coffee, and useful things instead of contributing to the obesity of my friends and family with carbs? What I bring to share in a celebration doesn't have to be a consumable, carb-laden food item. Why not give something that sticks around to remind the recipient of our wonderful times together?   For instance, a friend of mine loves and admires the permanent gift tags I made with polymer clay and cookie cutters. She wants a set for her family so badly, she's practically salivating. They take maybe an hour to make, tops. Why can't I make her a set? I sew little gifts like wallets, purses, and teddy bears all the time. Why can't I make some to keep around for quick little hostess gifts?   Even when I do feel obligated to bring a food item, I'm sure I can be more creative than mere cookies. Hmm. How about an apothecary jar filled with decaf instant tea flavored with Crystal Light?   Today, I'm hitting my hobby corner. I'm going to make a few hostess gifts in advance, because it's time for new traditions. Next year, I will serve low-carb healthy feasts and give better gifts.   Lena:thumbup:
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Offline for a few days

I'll be offline for a few days, or at least mostly AFK. Not only is it the weekend, but my blasted Muse decided to strike twice in one day. My hands HURT and are swollen.   I think I'll take the weekend to heal up. Y'all play nice while I'm gone.   Lena
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Pre-Op Visit with Doc Tomorrow

Wow, I guess I've been working pretty hard. I've not been here for a whole month?   My appointment is tomorrow to see the doc. I could say something snarky, like "I wonder what he looks like." It wouldn't be true. I met him once a few months ago for about fifteen minutes. Maybe he'll get off the cell phone and actually talk to me this time.   If not, I really don't care. I have a few questions and suggestions based on what the anesthesiology department of the hospital recommended. For instance, because I'm a "hard stick" (read that as nearly impossible to start an IV by most supposedly normal hospital employees, and definitely impossible by the lab rats) they recommend I get a PIC line. Hey, anything to avoid breaking the current record of 21 sticks to get an IV started.   I have them all written down in my ring binder, ready for tomorrow. I just want to scream, "Get it over with, willya? This diet of 30g of carbs and only 1400 calories max is trying my patience and my marriage." Besides, trying to do this liver reduction diet during the holidays would try the willpower of saints, and honey, a saint I ain't.   Lena
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Cashew Chicken

Because I'm allergic to nuts, I substituted water chestnuts. It worked very well.   New bandsters-- be very careful. I had problems with chicken every time it was overdone and stringy.
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Recipe: A very different Burger

Lots of carbs in this one, but when you're desperate for a new taste...     The link for the yummy Turkey-Cranberry Burgers is http://my.hearthealthyonline.com/hho/recipe/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R111043   Makes: 4 servings Prep: 20 minutes Grill: 12 minutes   Ingredients 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons fat-free milk 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 12 ounces uncooked ground turkey breast or chicken breast 1 cup mixed baby greens 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce   Directions In a medium bowl, stir together carrot, green onions, bread crumbs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add ground turkey; mix well. Shape the turkey mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.   Place patties on a greased grill rack directly over medium coals. Grill, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until patties are done (165°F),* turning once halfway through grilling.   Arrange mixed greens on bottoms of buns. Top with grilled patties and cranberry sauce; replace top halves of buns.   Nutrition Facts   Nutrition facts per serving: Servings Per Recipe 4 servings Calories 283 Total Fat (g) 2 Saturated Fat (g) 0 Monounsaturated Fat (g) 0 Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0 Cholesterol (mg) 53 Sodium (mg) 377 Carbohydrate (g) 40 Total Sugar (g) 19 Fiber (g) 3 Protein (g) 26 *Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet
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Two Days before Surgery

Okay, I have to say it. While I don't like this liquid diet, I'm not a puddle of starving tears like I thought I'd be by now. Yes, I'm hungry.   I locked myself in here while my DH and roomie indulged in Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and leftover baked gingerbread. The smell alone was driving me nuts.   Maintaining self-control isn't easy. I'm calmly sipping my bouillion in isolation and distracting myself with work. I think I've done very well.   Even the Lovanox shot in my belly wasn't as bad as I feared. Yes, it stung. Ironically, the sting of the fluid dissipating through my body for the next two hours was worse. I wasn't happy, but I'm okay. I think I'll even be able to remain cool and collected when I get the second shot tomorrow.   Best of all was a phone call from Dr. Baptista himself today. I nearly fainted when I heard his distinctive voice and accent. After reviewing my medical records and consulting with the anesthesia department of the hospital, he's changed his mind. With my permission, he's ordered a PIC line after all. So, I have to go extra early on Friday morning so they have time to insert the line. I'm okay with that, especially since he took the time to call. What a sweetie!   Lena
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A Small Loss is a Big Gain in the Liver Shrinkage Battle

Victory shall be mine!   I’m doing the happy dance! After weeks of no weight loss results because my willpower was weaker than a kitten, I finally had a temper tantrum. I was tired of being sabotaged by my darlings, who do not have to watch their carbs. While Randy is thin as a rake and Dante not so thin, both have the right to eat as they please. Before my tantrum, they’d eat their carb-loaded goodies right in front of me, leave the food out where I had to look at it, desire it, and eventually snitch some of it. Worse, they’d actually encourage me to cheat by offering to share or whining when I made healthy meals. I absolutely must shrink my liver. If I don’t shrink the liver, the surgery must be cancelled. Therefore, it’s imperative that my weak willpower must be shored up with something. Finally, I had a breakthrough and a tantrum. After I “explained” to Randy how he and Dante were unconsciously sabotaging my diet, he worked with me to create “contraband storage.” The gray pantry and the big black refrigerator out in the Florida Room now have sturdy locks on them, and that’s where all the contraband goes. What I can have now stays conveniently in the pantry and fridge here in the house, where I can make the easier choice to eat healthy while not denying the boys their right to the snacks they want. It seems to be working! For the past two days, when I got hungry I went to the pantry and saw only what I was allowed to have. My choices were simplified with no temptations to make me stray. Then yesterday I stepped on the scale at my doctor’s office. I’ve lost FIVE pounds! Okay, so it’s not the 8-10 pounds a month I could lose. I’m happy. Any weight loss counts as liver shrinkage. Next week is the second of the three doctor visits allowed by my insurance. After I “see” (hah!) him in a group session, the next time must be my pre-op. Am I finished jumping through hoops? No. I’m not that stupid.
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Small Rewards

Wow, I'm so proud of myself. I ate less than my self-imposed calorie count, and definitely stayed below doc's ordered 30g of carbs per day. The Atkins shakes are pretty darn good. I may keep having them for breakfast even after I'm allowed solids.   Today was one of the small rewards that keep me going. Last spring I had to add gussets in several pairs of my pants so I could continue wearing them. Then I grew too fat to wear them anyway. (sigh) I reluctantly stowed them on the shelf in my closet.   Out of curiosity and heartily tired of the same old two pairs of jeans, I pulled those gusseted pants out of the closet and slid them on. All the way on. Then zipped them. They were loose! So loose, I interrupted my shopping trip to yank them back off my hips, much to the amusement of my roomie.   That small victory gave me some much needed confidence and encouragement. I even feel like writing again, and I've been too blocked to write since mid-fall. Suddenly, the characters are "talking" to me again!   Happy Dancing! Lena
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Friends and Family Joining in the Fat Fight!

I was surprised when our roomie came running into the living room on Wednesday night. He's normally a somewhat dignified guy. "Lena!! Your diet works even for those not trying to diet!" Seems the pants he had on were a pair he'd not worn in several years. LOL! Dante's now a dedicated low-carb dieter-who's-not-dieting.   Then my youngest daughter calls from Colorado. "Mom, I've got only 25 pounds to lose before I can join the military. Tell me more about this low carb diet thing." Seems she's taking over the kitchen of her roommates and making them all go low carb! Even the guy who normally can get away from diets because he's allergic to some vegetables can't escape. Low carb is meat, dairy, and THEN vegetables. He can't escape! Muahahaha!!   Even I discovered the joys of eating in a restaurant with friends. We went on a quilting day trip to St. Simon's Island in Georgia. At a lovely seafood restaurant, the only thing not breaded, fried and/or full of calories was a crab cake. One-half 5oz appetizer cake, and I was full! I was so proud.   More later! Today, I'm going to a medieval faire in full regalia! LOL!
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Blog Number Two

I have a blog I dedicated to my journey toward the weight loss surgery on blogspot called Fat Frog Diary but this one will no doubt be more honest, in a weird sort of way.   That's the problem with my job as a published author. My fans expect me to be witty and confident all the time. Never mind that I'm human and have fears, pains, and illnesses. Somehow, Lena Austin the writer must transcend all that. :angry_smile:   The image I chose for my profile is what I looked like when I was near my goal weight when I was in my early 30's. I want to look similar to that again, even if my hair is now short and graying. Miss Clairol and I have been old friends, so that can be solved. :cursing:   Where am I in this journey? Somewhere between the circus poodle still jumping through hoops (Arf!) and the dysfunctional machine laying on the gurney for repairs.   I saw the shrink yesterday. Nice woman. That marks the end of my visiting specialists. My appointment with the surgeon for a group session is next week. If I understand the process (doubtful) then they'll submit the packet detailing how my weight affects my health for final approval from my insurance. This will be the third approval from the insurance. I have visions of some bean counter at the insurance office typing up a fax saying, "Yes, I'm sure!! Geez, you're worse than my computer!"   Just like HysterSisters, everyone tells me the waiting is the worst part. I don't think it's the waiting so much as the long time span from decision to doing it.   This is especially true since I learned how few daily carbs I was allowed, and that I needed to start that diet immediately. The fact that it would be a minimum of three months before I saw the inside of the hospital made no sense to me.   I want to grab someone by the collar and say, "Look! I have family members who do not need to reduce their livers and they are complaining bitterly over the sudden lack of breads, rices, and pastas they need for their physically demanding lives. Unless you're willing to contribute to my budget so I can cook two meals for dinner, we have a conflict."   Take this month, November. Please, take this month, and while you're at it take December too. You see, not only do I have the diet minefield of the holidays, but also a slew of family birthdays. All of these family members want cake and ice cream for their celebrations. (sigh) Try telling your mother "No" when she asks you to make use of that cake decorating class you took to create her the spectacular birthday cake she rarely gets because she was unlucky enough to be born on Christmas Eve.   I'm doomed.
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The Moment When I Hit Bottom

A friend (Thanks, BG) just mentioned on her blog that Moment in time when she hit bottom and realized she needed weight loss surgery.   I had that moment when I hit the rocks at the bottom of a very long fall off a cliff. Sure, there'd been times when I saw the jagged rocks below and tried to stop myself, but the slow-motion downward spiral was inexorable. I was going to spatter, I just didn't know when.   The day finally came when I realized I'd begun to stick a finger down my throat at odd times, hoping to --I can't believe I'm saying this now-- make myself into a bulimic. Was that a sick plan, or what?   You know you've hit bottom when you would prefer to have a life-threatening mental condition rather than live as you are now. I would throw up any time I could find time and privacy, just hoping I'd either lose weight or maybe at least get to need to do it. Maybe there should be a new mental illness with a long name that means, "being desperate enough to wish you had X, Y, or Z illness."   When did you hit bottom?
voiceomt2002

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Gardening as Exercise or Sore Muscles and Blisters

Ow! Ow! Ow! That's me, trying to sit in my office chair this morning. I've been doing a walking program and riding my exercise bike for awhile now, so I decided to indulge in a form of exercise that gave me a lot of pleasure in the past-- gardening.   I'm a Square Foot Gardener, as recommended by the Get Rich Slowly site. I SF Gardened for the past ten years, off and on. More off than on because of my weight and the fact that we moved a lot. Now we own a home, and I've lost enough weight to feel energetic again.   SF Gardening has several advantages, if you prepare properly. Because all the gardening is done in raised 4'x4' squares, there's less back-breaking labor weeding. Even I can reach easily into the center. This means I never compact the soil by walking on it.   However, all that ease later means you must do things right the first time. All it takes is a bit of preparation. I began last year by raking up all the leaves that fell in my yard and bagging them up. I allowed the leaves inside to rot, waiting for them to turn to delicious, nutritious leaf mold my plants would love to snack upon. I also started a compost bed and ordered a (free) pile of wood chip mulch from a local tree service. One year later, and all is ready.   So, Dante and I got out there and dug our first bed. We dug down a minimum of 12", then built a wooden box to give us a full 24" of space to fill with a mix of soil, peat, compost, leaf mold, and nutrients. I couldn't have done all that last year. Wheeling the wheelbarrow from where the bags of leaves had been stored, hauling barrows of half-composted wood chips, dumping and mixing, as well as helping build the wooden box would have half killed me. However, we had but one day to do this. The forecast called for rain all weekend, so Friday was our only chance.   We finished and put away the tools just before dinner, tired and proud of ourselves. The bed is full of rich, black soil that is so perfectly friable, it's gorgeous. If the rain stops as predicted on Sunday, we'll stack the decorative bricks around the wood and mark our squares for planting.   This morning, I'm feeling the effects of all that hard work. Everything from the neck down hurts. However, we've done it. Now we can plant those nutritious vegetables for as long as we own this house. (Hopefully, until the day we die.) Maybe this fall, we'll start a second bed, but that's all we'll ever need.   Right now, my muscles say, "Honey, right now you couldn't lift the shovel. Better wait." LOL! Guess this means I'd better wait a few more days before I weed and mulch the flower beds. Thank goodness it's raining as predicted.
voiceomt2002

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Recipe-- Peanut Soup

Peanut Soup If you miss split pea or bean soup, try this. 3 T. butter 2-3 ribs celery, finely chopped 1 med onion, finely chopped 2 quarts chicken broth ½ tsp salt 1-1/4 cups smooth peanut butter 2 cups heavy cream Optional garnish for non-bandsters: chopped salted peanuts Melt the butter in a skillet, and sauté the celery and onion in the butter. Add the broth, salt, and peanut butter, and stir. Cover and simmer on the lowest temperature for at least one hour, stirring now and then.
Note: If your slow cooker will hold this quantity of ingredients, it’s idea for cooking this soup. Stir in the cream and simmer for another 15 minutes. Makes 5 servings. Garnish the bowls of the non-bandsters with the chopped peanuts.
Carb count will depend on the brand of peanut butter you use. There are low-sugar smooth ones that significantly reduce the carb count while keeping a significant protein count.
voiceomt2002

voiceomt2002

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