chefkelly

I really believe proper nutrition and cooking skills should be taught in school! Education is such a key to eating healthy and nourishing our bodies!

I haven't had surgery yet, but just from past diets, when I have cravings I just try to make a healthy version of that food. A few examples Tater Tots- Baked Cauliflower Tots (A lot of the recipes have bread crumbs and cheese- I just use egg whites to bind and and garlic and herbs to season) Cheesecake- Greek Yogurt cheese Cake with an Almond or Hazelnut Crust - Basic quantity for a simple greek yogurt cheesecake is 1 cup greek yogurt to 1 egg- I usually split this in half or fourths. Bake for 40 min @ 350. For the crust just blend up some nuts and or rolled oats in a food processor. Cheeseburger - use lean meat- mushroom for bun For ice cream- use almond milk and make a "frosty" Things like that!

<p>I haven't had surgery yet but a few things I do for clients look for high protein/low carb breakfasts are mini-frittatas (can be done in mini or regular muffin tin- use your favorite veg (sauté, steam or parboil) and cheese, bake @ 350 till set<br /> <br /> Also- quiche with cauliflower crust- to make this cut up a head of cauliflower and put in a food processor until ground fine- microwave for 3 min.- season with garlic and herbs, use egg whites to bind (I'd say 1/2 cup to a cup depending on size of head of cauli and tin your using)- spread the crust and bake @350 until it's becomes a bit dry and seems like it will hold up- it takes me around 30-40 min but my quiche tin is giant. make the quiche filling with your favorites and a little skim milk- bake @350 till it's set<br /> <br /> Here is the quiche crust, it comes out really nice!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Sorry I just realized this was cereal and not breakfast- I got caught up in just Breakfast and just looked back and realized my mistake. have you tried making your own cereals with things like quinoa (very high protein), nuts, fresh fruits (instead of dry, dry tends to be pretty sugary), rolled oats, flax?</p>

Wow! You look amazing! So inspiring!

No problem! Happy to help! Let me know if you have any other questions! I love talking about this stuff! Another suggestion- because I just got mine a few weeks ago and am obsessed with it- is to buy a julienne peeler-- you can make Pasta out of veggies! I had always done spaghetti squash but with this I have a lot more options. My favorite is zucchini pasta- here is some I made the other night!

Awesome to have such great advice and suggestions at this stage. Where were you 9 months ago when I was starting out? :-) Any new and interesting suggestions for cooking tilapia (my favorite food after chili and Greek yogurt)? Specifically a seasoning idea for foil-wrapped fish on the grill (to avoid fishy smell in the house)? For any type of fish the most important thing is quality-- I know it isn't always affordable but fresh fish actually shouldn't smell fishy. When you pick out fresh fish look for a nice color- not too slimy- and make sure and smell it, if it smells fishy it will taste fishy. When you buy fresh fish- store in an airtight bag and pack it in ice. To do this i usually just put it at the bottom of a tupperware container with enough ziplock bags of ice over it to cover it- this keeps it fresh- fish is very sensitive. But frozen fish can be really good too- sometimes better than fresh (as with the vegetables- flash frozen while fresh can retain more flavor and nutrients than something that sits in refrigeration). A lot of chefs use flash frozen seafood for crudos and tartars- it can be that good. To thaw it either thaw in the refrigerator or put it in airtight wrapping and place in a bowl of cold water and change water every 15 min until thawed--- this helps keep the flavor and freshness and safety of the fish. As for recipes my go to with a white fish is usually lemon juice and herbs- maybe a few spices like cumin or paprika. Or slices of lemon in the foil to keep the moisture. You can do really nice fruit and veg salsa with them too. Like a nice mango-red pepper, capers-tomatoes-garlic or cucumber-mint. Just work on those knife skills and the possibilities for toppings are endless! For me, fish is all about keeping it simple and fresh- the taste and texture are so delicate you want to highlight and compliment that!

Also, think about your favorite foods and think what is the healthiest way possible to eat this. For example if you like chicken salad- make it with breast meat, sub mayo for yogurt (non-fat greek) and add tons of herbs. I grew up eating very processed and unhealthy food and thought health food all had to be fat free and have no taste. This is SO UNTRUE! Subbing out unhealthy ingredients and trying to use the freshest stuff you can find. I think another tip would be think about what the food you are eating does to your body-- appreciate those natural and real food flavors because they are nourishing you! Check out my instagram @kelleyksu1 - I upload a lot of foods I do on there for ideas!

It is all trial and error! Don't be afraid to try new things! Some of the best chefs in the world come up from being dishwashers, no formal training required! One good way to think of new things is to read recipes and look at traditional flavor pairing in different cultures. There is a book called "The Flavor Bible" that talks about flavors that go well together. Try your eggs with chives or other herbs. Also cook eggs on a med temperature, with a little bit of fat free yogurt or skim milk for creaminess if you are scrambling them- eggs overcook very easily, cooking at a med. temp ensures they have a nice consistency. Also, frozen fruits and veggies are quick to cook and puree and actually retain a lot of nutrients as they are usually flash frozen after being picked. I ike boiling carrots with either apples or pears (or both!) in low sodium veg stock, to get a sweet and savory flavor. A lot of combos can come out of going to the store and looking at juices offered and mimicking those. Professional recipe developers put together those flavor combos. Pureeing is quick too- very easy. For chicken- again add herbs! They're such a low cal and highly nutritious way to flavor food! Chicken is traditionally flavored with tarragon- try that. For the herbs at the puree stage I would cook them in a small saute pan (or a sauce pan if you don't have a smaller saute pan- the goal is as little surface area as possible so you don't burn anything while cooking) with a little (tsp or so) of Water until they are soft. Add a tsp of water at a time so that they dont lose flavor as things tend to do when you boil them. If you keep letting the water evaporate while cooking- the flavor stays in what you are cooking and you dont have to use oil or butter to do a traditional saute. If you make batches- freeze them in ice cube trays to keep them for longer so you aren't wasting! Hope this helps!

As a personal chef my specialty is healthy foods (thanks to a lifetime of dieting and studying nutrition trying to lose weight and get for). And I love purées! Here are some good ones (I am leaving them quite plain as I feel that may be better on your stomach!) 1.) cauliflower has to be my fav. Boil it in low sodium veg stock till it is really mushy then drain (keep your stock) and put in blender (or use hand mixer) add some stock if needed- you'll be surprised how much Water is in the cauliflower! Cauliflower is epic for healthy eating! You can use it to make cream Soups and I've used it to make crust for quiche as well as baked cauliflower tots! 2.) Beans have a good deal of protein- for black beans add cilantro for a south of the border taste, with chickpeas you could add some lemon juice (not sure w the acid?) or herbs 3.) peas and mint 4.) ricotta cheese with herbs or roasted red peppers ( to roast fresh just turn your oven up as high as it will go and cook until the skin blisters then keep it covered in a dish until it cooks then peel and purée- not sure how pepper will be their taste is very strong) or ricotta with fruit of course 5.) carrots and pears puréed together- eaten cold 6.) spinach with herbs and a bit of yogurt may taste like creamed spinach I'm wondering if you could do chicken livers? They're great puréed and high in Iron. Just some ideas!

You look great!! What workouts do you do?

Thanks for the feedback! It is to be a challenge to cook without tasting for some time! But am so looking forward to this journey.

Would love to hear answers to this as well!

Thank you. I started running about 4 weeks post op. I run 4-5 x a week about 2.5-3 miles. Did you just jump right in to running or did you follow a training program?

Awesome! I figured since pork loin is lean protein eventually it will be okay (and soft if you take it out at the right temp). Im also glad to hear seafood works so well!

You look awesome! How much do you run? How far out did you start?

I am 23 and having surgery April 2nd. I am so excited and also nervous. Would love to speak with some people my age!

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