Starwarsandcupcakes

Blend a cup of canned chick peas with about 2oz shredded mozzarella, an egg (or 1/4cup of the chick pea liquid) and Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. Spread to about 1/3 an inch thick on a parchment lined sheet tray and bake at 350F/180C for about 40 minutes. Then top with your other toppings and bake at 400F/200C for another 15-20 minutes.

Day 7- I could probably do another 3 or 4 days but I desperately need some variety. Breakfast- 2 egg omelette with spinach and peppers. lunch- salad with romaine, chicken, roasted chick peas, tomatoes, and roasted pineapple. dinner- pizza made with a chick pea and mozzarella cheese crust, tomato sauce from the zucchini bake, mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes and peppers

Day 6 is leftovers- Breakfast- pineapple chicken and brown rice. Lunch- leftover zucchini bake. Kind of soupy but delicious! Dinner- full fat plain yogurt, a tiny bit of honey, pineapple chunks, and granola.

Welcome to vanity sizing! It’s a phenomenon that’s been happening for decades. This article does pretty good job of explaining what’s happened. For me, I personally love vintage 1950’s and 60’s clothes but also know that it’ll be rare for me to find pieces what will fit because of my measurements just not fitting those standards from the time.

This is gonna sound odd but try making it into a drinking game. Watch a old sitcom and anytime the audience does that fake laugh take a shot- be it water, protein shake, watered down juice, Gatorade… you get the idea. You can change up the tv show or movie and make the cue more relevant.

Day 5 and I’m pretty sure I’ll have leftover foods beginning week 2 as I still have a serving of the zucchini bake, 1 of the pineapple chicken, 3 of the soup, 3 of brown rice, 1 of congee, and over a dozen eggs and 3/4 a cabbage that isn’t slaw. Breakfast- brown rice congee with crispy chicken skin, 2 confit garlic cloves, spinach and an over easy egg. Lunch- coleslaw made with pineapple juice instead of vinegar and full fat plain yogurt instead of Mayo. Also, 2 pieces roasted pineapple, a mini bell pepper, and leftover crispy baked tofu. Snack- serving of granola. Dinner- a serving oatmeal pancakes, 1/2 cup baked sweet potato, 1/2 cup roasted garbanzo beans, 1/4 cup cucumber pickles and 1 1/2tbsp pickled carrots. Both the carrots and cucumbers were pickled in the same jar with sliced garlic and dill. SO garlicky!

Half an onion- diced, 2 cloves garlic-minced sautéed over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until translucent in 1tbsp rendered chicken fat. A tbsp curry powder, a tsp cumin, a tsp 5 spice stirred in and cooked for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in 2 cups soaked green split peas, 2 small roasted sweet potatoes peeled and diced, 2 roasted carrots. Cook one minute. Stir in 4-6 cups veggie/chicken broth and simmer for about an hour until split peas are soft.

Day 4- This one includes ice cream that I didn’t buy with my purchases but it has been so hot that I ate some after dinner. Breakfast- full fat plain yogurt, homemade granola, a smidge of honey, and pineapple chunks. Lunch- sautéed spinach and onions with crispy baked tofu and roasted garbanzo beans. Snack- Curry green pea soup with sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots. Dinner- pineapple chicken stir fry with brown rice. Dessert- a serving of the rule break ice cream.

My biggest tips- Make a plan and start small- Having a general idea of the meals you want to make for the week and going from there makes things easier. If planning a whole week seems impossible (for me it is) then break it down by 2-3 days or even daily. Know yourself- I know that I personally am not a fan of leftovers but I don’t mind makeovers- roasted vegetables one night might not be appealing the next day, but soup? Boy, howdy I’m all aboard that train! If you don’t mind eating the same thing for several meals then plan that way. If you ride the leftover-hating struggle bus then simple preparation one day might yield a more complex dish the next by reinventing those same foods. Meal prep takes time- A lot of it can be hands off- pickling vegetables, roasting things, marinating meats, soaking beans, etc. Just make sure you allot for that time when planning your meals. That being said, yes it’s cheaper and more convenient to buy canned beans or granola but by making/prepping it yourself you get to control the nutritional value. You are worth the effort/time it takes to make healthy, nutritious meals for yourself. Above all- be patient and kind with yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day. New habits/skills take time to learn and master.

Day 3- I was really missing veggies by lunch time. Breakfast- oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and whole milk yogurt. Lunch- tuna, cucumber, tomato, and whole milk yogurt mixed with garlic powder and dill. Snack- roasted chick peas. Dinner- a zucchini bake with chicken thigh, homemade tomato sauce (Roma tomatoes, garlic, onions, and oil) with chicken thigh and mozzarella cheese. After dinner snack- a piece of roasted chicken skin

I take 2 one a day multivitamin gummies with a separate b-12, calcium/vitamin d chew, and iron around dinner every night. Swallowing any huge pill or capsule is off putting to me. I get my labs drawn every 3-6 months and they’ve always come back fine.

I don’t like Owyn as much as I like Evolve but I’m not really a fan of that either. As for powders Orgain has a plant based peanut butter flavor that’s divine. I also am a fan of just hemp foods hemp powder but it’s literally just hemp powder so you might have to jazz it up. Sadly, I haven’t found a vegan/dairy free protein bar I like yet.

Day 2 of meals- oatmeal pancakes, chickpea mash on lettuce, onions, green split peas, and chicken thigh, a chicken congee, and some rice congee with cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey. Daily calories in last picture.

Just egg is a great egg replacement substitute for real eggs. I missed omelettes and scrambles so bad those first 4-6 months after my revision because eggs and chicken sat horribly in my pouch. Oatmeal with powdered peanut butter Non-dairy greek yogurt with mashed berries Scrambled tofu with nooch nut butters on toast or crackers (I was allowed toast in soft foods phase) Blend spinach and kale into smoothies chicken salad made with canned chicken- (I agree it’s weird to have people wait so long for certain proteins)

I had my first appt April 30th, 2019 and my VSG surgery was December 17, 2019. My surgeon’s office had me meet with and get signed off by my GP, a cardiologist (that I now see every 6 months!), a therapist for psychiatric evaluation, a dietitian, and a pulmonologist who recommended I get genetic testing.

Y’all, I’m thinking about starting a food blog about budget meals. I went shopping for my personal weekly groceries (no kids included this time as we mostly eat separate meals) and spent $35.38US. So far I’ve made these- Lunch was a salad with scrambled tofu, roasted peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and romaine with a homemade dressing. Dinner was roasted chicken thigh, roasted sweet potato, spinach and a smidge of garlic confit.

My orthopedic surgeon told me that for every 10lbs you lose it takes 20lbs off your knee joints. The healthier you are going into knee repair the better. I do agree that speaking with a dietitian and therapist about how to manage meals and feelings with regards to having a history of anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. Best of luck.

Breakfast this morning- a take on akki roti (an Indian flatbread made with rice flour) made with zucchini, onion, and scallion with a dip made of whole milk yogurt, turmeric and garam masala. The $.45US is the cost for a whole serving and 2Tbsp of the yogurt dip so I ate closer to $.23US.

My WLS surgeries were done with Divinci and a couple of my other ones. The surgeon has controls at a desk and operates everything from the scalpel to the stapler from there. I believe it makes visuals with the laparoscope easier to navigate. Healing was easy with minimal scaring and no stitches or staples on the outside just some surgical glue. Good luck tomorrow!

Enjoying a week off work so let the home meals commence! Today’s included feeding beans (a true feat!) to usually reluctant humans. Mine- crispy street style corn tortillas, homemade refried beans, homemade pico, shredded cheese and sour cream I didn’t even need. Theirs were on fajita size flour tortillas as they still balk at corn ones. I was too lazy to calorie calculate homemade refried beans so used what seemed close. Also, all dinner items were $13.44US but there’s tons of leftovers for lunches this week and I’ll end up freezing half the beans for later.

You can do celery and scallions the same way!

Geez, that’s expensive! You can grow it from seed indoors on a window sill in a planter. Loads cheaper and takes about 30 days.

“Breakfast” for today- iced coffee and a potato kale skillet with an over easy egg. I had a coupon for free eggs this week! 🎉 Had I not though it would’ve been $1.82US instead.

Oh for sure. People (in general not just WLS) would be so surprised in general the package cost isn’t the same as what you’re eating cost. So let’s make a hypothetical dinner for 5 people of steak, quinoa and mixed veggies with prices near me- Organic quinoa- $3.27 for 16oz bag with 10 servings Top sirloin $8.99/lb Butter (for steak)- $3.58/lb or 32Tbsp Frozen mixed veggies $1 for 1lb bag Total cost would be- $16.84 You aren’t using all the butter or quinoa so food cost for the meal meal will be different. Cooking 4 servings of quinoa, the 1lb of steak with 2Tbsp butter, and the bag of veggies makes dinner around $11.53 or roughly $2.31 per person. It also comes down to 395 calories with 29g protein, 17g fat, and 28g carbohydrates of which 6 are fiber.

Kimchi is a Korean a group fermented side dishes. Some are really spicy and some aren’t. Most people are familiar with kimchi made from Napa cabbage but there’s loads- cucumber, green cabbage, chive, and radish kimchis as well. If spicy isn’t your jam you can try making it yourself to adjust spice levels or looks for something called water kimchi which is more of a pickled vegetables type of deal.