A day in my pouch

I've been having some crazy busy days lately. Between regular old life and preparing for our upcoming sold out Southern California Weight Loss Surgery Meet & Greet things have been hectic in my world. These are the days I am glad I meal plan. I really believe it is a key (at least one of mine) to post weight loss surgery success.

Sometime the day before I sit down and plan out my eating for the next day... it takes a few minutes but it really does avoid the "crap grab" and helps me make the best possible choices. "Crap Grab" happens when you are hungry and have no plan. You grab any old crap that is around ;) You know when you stare into the refrigerator or pantry and you just grab an assortment of any old crap to feel the void... a behavior (my pre-op behavior) that can add hundreds of extra calories to a day. By having a plan in place I rarely get caught in the "crap grab." Meal planning for the day is the antithesis of the crap grab, it makes me sit down and THINK...

Are my meals protein packed?
Is my day balanced?
Am I utilizing things in the fridge or my leftovers wisely?

Basically meal planning helps me set myself up for success. 95% I eat my plan. Sure occasionally someone will call and invite me out to a last minute lunch or life will change and I need to adjust but having a plan in place even makes the adjusting easier.

My yesterday (and yep I planned it):

Breakfast: A dollop of Pineapple Cottage Cheese (Fresh & Easy brand is my favorite) with fruit. A few Strawberries, Cherries and I am addicted to Kent Mangoes right now (Costco - refrigerated section, already cut-up.) Yum!

Lunch: Took my super cool bento outside on the patio. Fresh air, vitamin D, wifi (what did we ever do without this) and a yummy lunch. Perfect.

Pink Box (top left): Shelly's Greek Deviled Eggs
Orange Box (top right): Shelly's Mini Pistachio Protein Muffin
Blue Box (bottom left): Cucumber Slices and Mini Goat Cheese (I smear this on the cucumber)
Green Box (bottom right): More Mango (told you I'm addicted) & Cherries

Shelly's Greek Deviled Eggs

4 Hard cooked Eggs
2 Tablespoons Feta Cheese
1 Green Onion
2 oz. Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
dash of Greek Seasoning
Kalamata Olive

Hard boil eggs, peel and slice in half. Remove yolk and set whites aside. Mix yolks, feta, yogurt, mayo, onion, salt, pepper and Greek seasoning together in a mini food processor till smooth. Place mixture in a quart size Ziploc bag, snip off end and fill whites or you could also pipe onto cucumber slices, into cherry tomatoes, or celery stalks. Top with a half of an olive.

Dinner: The day before yesterday I went out to dinner. I had some leftover Ahi Tuna I brought home and I turned it into these...

I'm calling them Tuna Tacos. Soooo good. I'm going to do this one more often.

Shelly's Tuna Tacos

Leftover Seared Ahi Tuna
Shelly's Wasabi Yogurt Dressing
Butter (Boston) Lettuce

Slice tuna and serve in lettuce leaves with a dollop of wasabi yogurt dressing.

Shelly's Wasabi Yogurt Dressing

2 oz. Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Wasabi Powder (or more to taste)
squeeze of Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Mix till well combined.

Snacks: Oodles of coffee and a CLICK Espresso Protein Frappe. This one tastes like a coffee flavored candy bar.

Shelly's Chocolate Caramel CLICKacchino

1/2 cup Soy Milk (any milk will do)
1/2 cup Almond Milk
2 scoops CLICK Espresso Protein Powder (your favorite flavor)
2 Tablespoons Torani Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
a few Ice Cubes

Whiz in blender till smooth. Top with optional squirt of Sugar Free Whipped Cream and a drizzle of SF Caramel & Chocolate Sauce (I use Smucker's)

Other day's in my pouch.

Speaking of the sold out Southern California Weight Loss Surgery Meet & Greet want to peek at a couple of the giveaway prizes that the attendees will have a chance of winning. Some lucky winner will be CLICK'n, with a CLICK Gym Bag filled with 2 tubs of CLICK's latest All-Natural Espresso Protein in Mocha & Vanilla Latte flavors.

and a HUGE basket of Bariatric Fusion Vitamins and Protein...

This is just 2 of hmmm I think 16 AWESOME prizes, you know I think it's more than 16, I need to count again. I'm getting so excited. If you have a chance to attend an event like this in your area I highly recommend it. It's so nice to get together with fellow weight loss surgery pals. No matter what stage pre-op or post, type of surgery, we all understand the struggles associated with battling obesity and it is an amazing experience when you are surrounded by people who truly "get it."

Your local bariatric program support group is a good resource for meet & greets, the WLSFA Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America, the Obesity Action Coalition, Obesityhelp, or just grab some pals and start a your own get-together tradition!