Please help me with some food ideas!

[RuxieGirl 11]

Hi, everyone. I've been lurking but not posting. I'm 3 months out tomorrow and things are going so great! I'm 61 pounds down and feeling better than I have in many years.

My only issue at the moment is that I am really stuck as far as my food choices. My surgeon's office is very conservative and I was on purees and soft foods for a long time. Now I'm almost scared to branch out my food choices. Even though I'm cleared to eat whatever I want, I'm mostly sticking with scrambled eggs, chili, refried Beans with taco meat, soft broccoli, ripe peaches and bananas, and yogurt. Occasionally some mashed potatoes. chicken is NOT working out unless it's in chicken salad. I haven't touched any Pasta, bread or rice and have no plans to. But I don't know WHAT to eat!

Can you share some daily examples with me of what you were/are eating around 3 months? I would really like to branch out my repertoire.

Thanks!

[gpmed 623]

How about some seafood? I wonder if you might tolerate fish better than chicken as it tends to be a bit flakier.

Or a crustless quiche? There's a recipe on allrecipes.com for a crustless spinach quiche made with cottage cheese. You can substitute low fat cheese.< /p>

Maybe try some roasted veggies? The possibilities are endless there and they usually come out soft enough not to cause irritation.

I also recommend the cookbook Well Fed. It's chock full of recipes featuring Protein and veggies. It teaches how to make "hot plates," meals using the same Protein and veggies but with varying delicious spice combos so they taste like very different meals.

Just a few ideas! Good luck!

Edited October 5, 2015 by gpmed

[gpmed 623]

Oh and how about turkey burgers, no bun necessary? I love adding low fat feta cheese and spinach into the patties. Yum!

[Boscogirl 365]

Hi there ????????. I am a month post op and just starting to eat more normal foods. Here are a few of my favorites right now.

1. Edamame, black Beans, and balsamic vinaigrette. I add parsley for flavor as well. Very high in Protein and a great snack / meal. Served cold.

2. I make noodles out of zucchini, then boil, drain, and squeeze out as much Water as I can. While boiling ... I place a marinara I buy from Sprouts, veggie crumbles, garlic, rainbow carrots (previously steamed), and a 70 calorie pack of mozzarella cheese balls broken up into a sauté pan and heat. Combine the zucchini and toss. Amazing and 1/2 cup is a whopping 123 calories! ????

3. I also enjoy the mozzarella in the marinara sauce heated. It's like having mozzarella cheese sticks without the batter and frying.

4. Cooked edamame with hummus.

5. Over easy egg with veggie sausage.

As you can tell I am stuck in the same type of foods right now. I will add once I think of or create more yummies.

[Faithoftheheart 42]

Have you tried tuna salad? Cottage cheese. I will second the fish. Tilapia and Cod are good choices I personally have a LOT of trouble with salmon it doesn't matter how soft it is and I love salmon so this has been frustrating. As far as chicken goes I do have a suggestion. A favorite of mine is a low sodium deli 4 cajun chicken breast I get it shaved on the number 2 or 3 weigh an ounce of it warm it up for 25 secs and it is moist (not at all spicy) and has tons of Protein. I haven't tried swallowing beef other than very soft ground beef in chilli. I tried very soft stew meat from a beef stew it didn't chew well so I tossed the first bite and warmed a piece of deli sliced chicken. I also think that regular chicken sits on my tummy kinda grumpy so I stick with the deli chicken slices. Have you tried a light baby bel cheese?

[Trayjay33 138]

Hi, everyone. I've been lurking but not posting. I'm 3 months out tomorrow and things are going so great! I'm 61 pounds down and feeling better than I have in many years.

My only issue at the moment is that I am really stuck as far as my food choices. My surgeon's office is very conservative and I was on purees and soft foods for a long time. Now I'm almost scared to branch out my food choices. Even though I'm cleared to eat whatever I want, I'm mostly sticking with scrambled eggs, chili, refried Beans with taco meat, soft broccoli, ripe peaches and bananas, and yogurt. Occasionally some mashed potatoes. chicken is NOT working out unless it's in chicken salad. I haven't touched any Pasta, bread or rice and have no plans to. But I don't know WHAT to eat!

Can you share some daily examples with me of what you were/are eating around 3 months? I would really like to branch out my repertoire.

Thanks!

Looking back at 3 months out my diet was very limited. I had various Greek yogurts, chef salads with light dressings usually a Italian or vinaigrette, also shrimp with steamed vegetables. As far as chicken I could only tolerate hibachi chicken strips or chicken wings at the time. I also ate a small amount of berries on some days. Good luck

[BayGal 18]

Search Pintrist with bariatric recipes. There are so many high Protein ideas, you'll never run out.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

You actually don't have to "boil" your zucchini. You can lightly sauté in a frypan and it cooks in like 2 minutes very soft and delicious. Try adding balsamic vinegar and a little stevia or how about a little pesto sauce and some soft fish with this, yum!!

[beachgal2935 596]

@RuxieGirl Here are a few of my fave recipes:

Magic Crust Quiche - Ham

Ingredients

2 cups 1% Lowfat Milk

1/2 cup All-purpose flour

5 large eggs

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Pepper Jack cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Swiss cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

7 oz Ham diced small

1/4 cup Cooked red bell pepper diced small

1/4 cup Cooked Vidalia or sweet onion diced small

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a blender or NutriBullet, mix eggs, milk and flour until blended, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever you’d like. In a bowl combine all cheeses, cooked meat and cooked veggies. Now add blended mixture and stir to combine. Pour into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” square glass dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5-10 before serving. You can add whatever cheeses, veggies or meats suit your taste. I steer clear of chicken as it seems to dry to me. The small amount of flour firms up the sides and bottom making the “magic crust” while saving tons of calories. The Nutrition Facts are based on recipe above. FYI - the heavier meats, like ground beef, tend to fall to the bottom. Serving size is approximately 2”x2 1/2”

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12

Per serving:

Calories 120

Protein 12g

Fat 5g

Cholesterol 94 mg

Sodium 253 mg

Potassium 59 mg

Total Carbohydrate 7 g

Sugars 2 g

pizza CRUST – (Chicken)

Ingredients

• One pound ground (raw) chicken breast
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne)

Tools

• Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method)
• Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust)
• Parchment paper
• Wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

1. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.

1. Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts. Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness).

1. Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and you favorite healthy toppings.

1. Place back in oven on baking sheet or preheated pizza stone and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! If you bake it on a pizza stone it will get crispier.

Crust Only:

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving:

Servings 6.0

Calories 114

Total Fat 3g

Carbohydrate 1g

Dietary Fiber 0g

Sugars 0g

Protein 19g

As Prepared :

1 Tbsp Prego pizza sauce

2 Tbsp Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds

1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion

1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper

½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0

Calories 238

Total Fat 10g

Carbohydrate 5g

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 2g

Protein 31g

Premier Protein pudding Cups or Pops

Prepare pudding according to package directions replacing milk with chocolate Premier Protein shake. I prefer to use my NutriBullet. If using shaker, shake for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Pour into ½ cup containers for pudding cups. For frozen pops, pour into Jello pudding pop or any popsicle molds. Jello molds hold 1/3 cup each. Pudding cups set in 5 minutes and freezer pops in approx. 2-3 hours. Any flavor sugar-free fat-free pudding works, so get creative and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts – Pudding Nutrition Facts – Pudding Pop

Serving size: ½ cup Serving Size: 1 Pop

Calories 93 Calories 62

Fat 1g Fat 1g

Carbs 10g Carbs 7g

Fiber 2g Fiber 1g

Sugars 0g Sugars 0g

Protein 12g Protein 8g

Crustless Protein pumpkin Pie

15 oz. can 100% pumpkin (not pie filling)
½ cup Egg whites
1 ½ cup Premier Protein vanilla shake
¾ cup Splenda
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven 400°. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Pour into prepared pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. It is best served cold and can even be frozen. Serving size is 1/6 slice of pie. I used a Tbsp. of fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt as a topping (pic) but you could use Reddi-Wip fat-free whipped cream for an additional 5 calories & only 1 carb per 2 Tbsp. serving.

Nutrition Facts – Pie Only

Servings: 6

Calories 77

Fat 1g

Carbs 10g

Fiber 4g

Sugars 6g

Protein 9g

[RuxieGirl 11]

Thank you all so so much! This gives me a great place to start!!

[Gigs525 38]

@@RuxieGirl Here are a few of my fave recipes:

Magic Crust Quiche - Ham

Ingredients

2 cups 1% Lowfat Milk

1/2 cup All-purpose flour

5 large eggs

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Pepper Jack cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Swiss cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

7 oz Ham diced small

1/4 cup Cooked red bell pepper diced small

1/4 cup Cooked Vidalia or sweet onion diced small

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a blender or NutriBullet, mix eggs, milk and flour until blended, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever you’d like. In a bowl combine all cheeses, cooked meat and cooked veggies. Now add blended mixture and stir to combine. Pour into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” square glass dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5-10 before serving. You can add whatever cheeses, veggies or meats suit your taste. I steer clear of chicken as it seems to dry to me. The small amount of flour firms up the sides and bottom making the “magic crust” while saving tons of calories. The Nutrition Facts are based on recipe above. FYI - the heavier meats, like ground beef, tend to fall to the bottom. Serving size is approximately 2”x2 1/2”

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12

Per serving:

Calories 120

Protein 12g

Fat 5g

Cholesterol 94 mg

Sodium 253 mg

Potassium 59 mg

Total Carbohydrate 7 g

Sugars 2 g

pizza CRUST – (Chicken)

Ingredients

• One pound ground (raw) chicken breast
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne)

Tools

• Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method)
• Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust)
• Parchment paper
• Wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450°F.

• In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.

• Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts. Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness).

• Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and you favorite healthy toppings.

• Place back in oven on baking sheet or preheated pizza stone and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! If you bake it on a pizza stone it will get crispier.

Crust Only:

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving:

Servings 6.0

Calories 114

Total Fat 3g

Carbohydrate 1g

Dietary Fiber 0g

Sugars 0g

Protein 19g

As Prepared :

1 Tbsp Prego pizza sauce

2 Tbsp Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds

1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion

1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper

½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0

Calories 238

Total Fat 10g

Carbohydrate 5g

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 2g

Protein 31g

Premier Protein pudding Cups or Pops

Prepare pudding according to package directions replacing milk with chocolate Premier Protein shake. I prefer to use my NutriBullet. If using shaker, shake for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Pour into ½ cup containers for pudding cups. For frozen pops, pour into Jello pudding pop or any popsicle molds. Jello molds hold 1/3 cup each. Pudding cups set in 5 minutes and freezer pops in approx. 2-3 hours. Any flavor sugar-free fat-free pudding works, so get creative and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts – Pudding Nutrition Facts – Pudding Pop

Serving size: ½ cup Serving Size: 1 Pop

Calories 93 Calories 62

Fat 1g Fat 1g

Carbs 10g Carbs 7g

Fiber 2g Fiber 1g

Sugars 0g Sugars 0g

Protein 12g Protein 8g

Crustless Protein pumpkin Pie

15 oz. can 100% pumpkin (not pie filling)

½ cup Egg whites

1 ½ cup Premier Protein vanilla shake

¾ cup Splenda

½ tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven 400°. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Pour into prepared pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. It is best served cold and can even be frozen. Serving size is 1/6 slice of pie. I used a Tbsp. of fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt as a topping (pic) but you could use Reddi-Wip fat-free whipped cream for an additional 5 calories & only 1 carb per 2 Tbsp. serving.

Nutrition Facts – Pie Only

Servings: 6

Calories 77

Fat 1g

Carbs 10g

Fiber 4g

Sugars 6g

Protein 9g