My sis is a weight loss surgery post-op too. She and my niece Melissa (her daughter) were actually my guinea pigs and had RNY 2 years before I did. They are both about 4 years post-op now. When I saw all went relatively well for them (my niece had some issues with puking and a hernia repair) I decided I'd get my chitlins rearranged too ;). My sister is 16 years older than me. Melissa and I are only 3 years apart.
Funny story...
When I was 3 years old and my sister was pregnant with my niece. Family and friends started calling me "Aunt Shelly." They would come up to me and say things like, "Aren't you excited to be an Aunt?" and "You know you are going to be an Aunt soon." Finally one day I had enough. I burst into tears, flopped down on the floor and screamed, "I don't want to be an Aunt!!! I want to be a ladybug."
This explains a lot huh? LOL ;)
I bought some beautiful fruit at the FM today. I'm making a huge fruit salad tomorrow for dessert. I picked up strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates, a seedless watermelon and when I went to Trader Joes's I bought a Maui Gold pineapple.
Our plans are still up in the air. If it's a really nice day we'll go picnic at the beach so the menu will be Italian Bean Salad, Various Antipasto items (cold cuts, cheeses, olives, pickles), Fruit Salad, Italian Cracker Jack, and some Protein Cookies (I'll be posting the recipe for these soon). If we stay home... instead of the Antipasto I'll make a batch of my Stuffed Pizza Bites.
Sandra hasn't seen me in a few sizes or post plastics so it should be fun. She had a tummy tuck and breast lift and I haven't seen that. We're the Franken Barbie sisters. I'll be sure to take pics.
So after the FM, Trader Joe's, Starbuck's and a few other stops I spent the rest of today working on projects and made this yummy dish for lunch...
Shelly's Stuffed Zucchini (Zucchini Ripieni)
3 medium Zucchini (8" or so), makes 6 halves
1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2-3 Green Onions, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Italian Sausage Links, removed from casing
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons additional grated Parmesan
1 Egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
1 teaspoon Salt for boiling
Water
Bring water to a boil. Cut the stem end off the zucchini. Simmer the zucchini in salted water (enough to cover) for 7 minutes. Saute onions till golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove sausage* from casings, crumble and brown. Set aside to cool. Beat egg and mix in parmesan, wheat germ, cooled sausage and veggies. Using tongs, gently transfer the squash to a cutting board. Cut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh. Chop the flesh and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Fill the empty zucchini shells with the mixture. Sprinkle with the additional parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden.
*You can also use ground beef or turkey but if you do throw in some seasonings like fennel, basil, oregano, parsley.
This was a great light lunch. I had it on it's own but you could add a nice green salad. I'm going to have leftovers tomorrow for breakfast with scrambled egg.
Highlights of the day:
* Standing in the Farmer's Market parking lot eating unwashed strawberries with the sunshine of this awesome 80 degree Spring day warming my back.
* My kitty Rose gives the above dish 2 paws up... she liked everything but the zucchini.
* Interesting people and dog watching while sitting outside Starbuck's.
Listening to: Jack Johnson "Better Together"
