It's the holiday season and just because we had weight loss surgery doesn't mean yummy party foods are off limits. Here's some weight loss surgery friendly party foods so good your guests will never know. A few weeks ago I posted an entry entitled: Party like a rock star (post WLS style) with some of my favorite post weight loss surgery party foods.
Part 2: In this post I'll cover sweet treats, some drink ideas, and other post weight loss surgery party tips.
As always check with your medical posse: what is OK on my plan may be off limits on yours.
Desserts:
Fruit Skewers with Shelly's Coconut Lime Dipping Sauce
4 ounces Fage yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Coconut Torani Syrup
1 teaspoon lime zest
Pineapple chunks
Strawberries
Kiwi
Red and Green grapes
Melon chunks
Cherries
Mango
Papaya
Peaches
Asian Pears
Star Fruit
Wooden skewers
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lime juice, syrup and lime zest. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Thread fruit onto the skewer. Repeat until the fruit is gone. Serve with dipping sauce.
If you want a more sit down dessert rather than a buffet style there's always my Strawberry Ricotta Parfait
For those needing a chocolate fix...
Shelly's La Dolce Vita Parfaits Ricotta Cheese blended with Starbuck's SF Cinnamon Dolce Syrup or SF Maple Syrup alternated with SF Chocolate Pudding (I cheated and emptied pudding cups Shhh!) Spoon into parfait dishes and top with a grating of SF Chocolate.
Drinks:
Alcohol: I have difficulty justifying the empty calories in booze but I am Italian so every now and then I have to have a little vino. Beware of the effects of alcohol as a post-op. Here's a good article on it. We are cheap dates so be careful who you have a drink with and definitely do not drive.
Here's the calorie count in the most common wines:
Wine (per 4 fl oz) Calories
Beaujolais 95
Bordeaux, red 95
Burgundy, red 95
Burgundy, white 90
Cabernet Sauvignon 90
Chablis 85
Champagne, dry 105
Champagne, pink 100
Chardonnay 90
Chianti 100
Madeira 160
Marsala 80
Merlot 95
Muscatel 160
Pinot Grigio 80 (my poison of choice)
Port, ruby 185
Port, white 170
Reisling 90
Rhone 95
Rose 95
Sangria 115
Sauterne 115
Sauvignon Blanc 80
Zinfandel, red 90
Zinfandel, white 80
For your New Year's toast try: Champagne with Chambord (4 ounces champagne, 1 ounce Chambord) = 159 calories
Non-alcoholic: Homemade Lattes - Here's a great how to video. It's easy!
Sugar Free Steamer (a latte minus the espresso) - 1 Tablespoon Sugar Free syrup (Your choice of flavors - I use these), 8 oz. (1 cup) milk - I use soy. Steam syrup and milk together.
Sugar Free Peppermint Cocoa - SF Hot Cocoa Powder, 1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Peppermint Torani Syrup. Pour syrup in cup and mix cocoa as directed by package.
Eggnog - Try this alternative
Holiday Tips:
Holiday gatherings often lead to overeating. It's important to have a plan to keep things under control. Start your day with a small meal that includes protein. You will be less hungry when you have a protein dense meal in you and since a lot of holiday parties are carb and fat fests you will already have a good start on your daily protein count.
Think before you eat. Be mindful. Select foods carefully. What foods do you really want to eat, which ones you will just sample and which ones you will skip.
As much as you can, stay with your regular exercise program. Schedule your workout time like an important appointment you must keep.
Watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas special, but don’t just sit in front of the television through the holidays. Take your children out to see the Christmas lights, take a walk in the snow (or in my case the beach), get out, do something! Take your kids outside to throw the frisbee or spend the family time playing tag or flag football. Turn on some fun Christmas music and boogie in your living room.
The most important tip is to enjoy the celebration. Spend time visiting and enjoying your family and friends. The best gift you can ever give someone is yourself and your time. Try and find out one new thing about each person at the gathering. Take the focus off the food.
Play Name That Tune
Your guests play individually or in teams to be the first to identify a song. Use a bell or a buzzer to announce that your team wants to identify the tune, but you'd better be right — you'll face penalty points for wrong answers. Whoever racks up the most points wins. A CD of song samples can be prepared ahead. Be sure to include music for all ages.
Start a Family Tree
Family gatherings make for an excellent opportunity to get a family tree started. Ask your guests to do a little digging and bring to the gathering one or two family facts — birthplaces and birth dates of grandparents, great-grandparents, wedding dates and so on — and share them at the table after dinner.
Create a Scavenger Hunt
Break up your guests into two teams. Create a list of objects that your teams will need to find. Don't restrict the list to objects your guests can find only in the house. Weather permitting, send them out into the yard for heart shaped rocks, oak leaves, pinecones. Make sure part of the list is open-ended enough to allow for various interpretations. The team that returns with a completed list first doesn't have to help with the dishes!
Kids Stuff: with childhood obesity on the rise kids need to take the focus off the food too.
Make Pinecone Birdfeeders
Pinecones
Peanut butter
Birdseed
Heavy twine
Craft sticks
The children will use craft sticks to spread peanut butter over the pinecones; then roll in the birdseed to coat. Show your children how to tie a piece of twine to the base or top of the cone and help them find a spot outside to hang them.
Make a batch of Shelly's Peppermint Playdough
3 cups Flour
1 cup Salt
1 Tablespoon Peppermint extract
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3 cups Boiling Water
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Couple of drops of Red or Green Food Coloring
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl then add boiling water. Add oil, extract and coloring and mix. Knead when cool enough to handle until smooth dough. It smells awesome too.
A batch of this with some cookie cutters, a garlic press, a rolling pin, pipe cleaners, buttons, beads, etc. Have the kids create their elf, name them and then put them on display for the party goers to admire.
Have a wonderful holiday friends!
~Michelle (aka Eggface)