Teeva

These are amazing! And easy! They come out looking tidy and are a favorite of the whole family. Great for kid's packed lunches as well! Ingredients: Wonton wrappers (typically sold next to the tofu) Boca vegetarian "meat" crumbles LF ricotta LF mozzarella Marinara (I like Rao's) 1 egg Parmesan Spray for muffin tray cups Steps: (1) Preheat oven to 350 & spray each cupcake/muffin tray cup including the sides (2) Lay 1 wonton wrapper in each cup (3) Microwave a small bowl of boca crumbles about a minute (4) stir the crumbles into the marinara (1/4 to 1/2 jar) (5) In a bowl combine half a container of LF ricotta with one egg and a small handful of mozz (6) layer the tomato sauce and the ricotta mix into the cups (I go sauce, ricotta, sauce) leaving enough room for cheese topping (7) Top each cup with a yummy layer of mozz and parmesan (8) Cook for 20 minutes and allow 5 minutes to cool before taking them out of the tray

I've discovered that you can vary this recipe using *TACO* ingredients-- just pre-bake the wonton cup for 5 minutes on its own so that it ends up more crispy and less noodle-y. You can mix taco seasoning into the veggie meat and use salsa instead of marinara. OPTIONAL: Try variations and additions (cook in fajita vegetables; black beans; onions; top with sour cream, avocado, etc.) at the end. I have also made "CHEESEBURGER" variety-- crisped wontons + veggie burger, chopped sugar-free bread-and-butter pickle chips, mustard, cheddar cheese. Optionally, dip in your favorite condiments/special sauce. I also made wonton cups filled with Indian food leftovers-- ricotta/egg custard layered with saag paneer, for example. You can get super creative! If the filling is some combination of protein/cheese + something to keep it moist, I don't see how you could go wrong.

This soup is very easy and yummy and takes about 45 mins to prep. Ingredients: 1.5 lbs carrots-- roughly chopped 3 large shallots-- thinly sliced 1 inch grated fresh ginger (2 tsp) 4 cups/1 container veg broth 2/3 cup dried red lentils 1 can coconut milk 2 TBS olive oil 1 tsp cumin 2 tsp turmeric Steps: Chop, slice, and grate the carrots, shallots and ginger Heat oil with carrots and shallots until the shallots are tender (5-6 minutes) Stir in cumin, turmeric, and ginger (30 seconds) Stir in lentils and broth Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 mibutes Use an immersion blender to make the whole soup smooth, or use a blender Add 1 cup of water plus the coconut milk Serve with added protein powder and/or broken up hard boiled egg for extra protein.

I'm transitioning from the soft diet phase+raw fruit/veg to the permanent/solid diet and now that I've hit that mark, I'm kind of blanking on what new foods I might be able to consider eating besides maybe some protein chips. I'm a vegetarian, so not adding any meats-- and I guess I can look at recipes here to come up with fresh ideas. But everything I can think of right now is either "soft" (eggs, yogurt, veggies, beans) or off-limits (high carb). Am I missing something? I'd love to hear from others who have done this whether they found new/exciting additions at this particular stage.

Some of my soft-food favorites have been: deviled eggs vegetarian cupcake-tray lasagna Trader Joe's boxed creamy tomato soup (also my favorite of the puree stage) carrot lentil soup with extra protein added 10-minute steamed eggs (for easy shell removal and a little bit of translucence at the center)-- for breakfast with just a bit of sugar-free syrup (+Boca morning sausage), or for lunch/dinner broken up into soup

There are a lot of sources that talk about a "3 week stall" that describes a temporary (maybe 1-4 weeks) halt in weight loss right around this time-- don't worry, it's normal! I've read that it's the body reacting and adjusting to the change (and making sure it's not starving). Some people say they have a big drop right after the stall ends and that they have other signs of 'progress' during this time. It might be a good decision to weigh yourself less frequently, like once a week or so, so that you don't agonize too much over the micro-ups/downs. I personally hit this stall for about a week, quickly lost another 7 lbs and then hovered there for another couple of weeks. Keep doing what you are doing, you are totally on the right track!

NJ, I'm in an earlier stage but I know I'll be where you are now down the line because I always read that plateaus (and slowed weight loss) are an inevitable, normal, and healthy part of the process. Wow, you've lost 93 pounds and are feeling great!? That's AWESOME!!!!! Maybe take some time to care for yourself, focus on and enjoy what you've accomplished. I'm taking an online workshop called "The Hunger Within" that focuses on the psychological aspects of eating and food choices. Maybe you would benefit from that course or something similar; I can't package it into a quick takeaway but it helped me notice that I often take either a strict or rebellious route with life's chicken vs. chocolate decisions, and that it would help me to develop and listen to a kinder and more rational voice that says something like "chicken and sometimes the little piece of chocolate." (I'm a vegetarian, so it's not chicken for me, but you get the idea...😊) If you are able to check in with your nutritionist, they'd probably have advice and be able to reassure you that you are on track! You are totally in control and you've got this!

I chose sleeve because its relatively minor advantages were outweighed by the added risks. My surgeon advised that RNY would make sense if I were diabetic but that 95% in our health system opt for sleeve as the safer option.

Mine was 1/25. I had about the same regain during my days in the hospital & also confusion identifying different pains (muscular? gas? incisions? cut nerves? hunger? fullness?) From my perspective about a week 'ahead' of you I'd say don't sweat that 4lbs gain (it will come off precipitously) & that it's understandable to feel confused.

🤦‍♀️This was meant to be a search term in the forum, not a comment!-- was curious if there was an approved recipe and/or vegetarian alternative options if the family was ever ordering out. Accidentally posted the word in chat-- don't know HT delete. Sorry!!

Pizza