Eggface 2012 - The Blog Year in Review

Some of my favorite posts and recipes from the past year. My 6th year post weight loss surgery.

January: Join me! - I've received so many emails and messages that others have joined me on this project, it makes me so happy. I think I'll do something like this again this year.

Shelly's Pancake Bites
February: Shape Magazine - an unexpected honor and a particular yummy day in my pouch

Shelly's Cucumber Sandwiches
March: The Rainbow Connection and What Motivates Me

Shelly's Rainbow Fruit Salad with Nutty Leprechaun Yogurt Dip
April: Ramblings: I'm worth the fight and a particularly yummy day in my pouch

Melted Cold Cut Roll-ups
May: National Strawberries and Cream Day!

Shelly's Mini Protein Strawberry Shortcakes
June: Life After Weight Loss Surgery Q & A - Alcohol and Life After Weight Loss Surgery Q & A - Celebrating and Exercise - 5 for Free

July: Lotsa Love for Leftovers Series

Shelly's Apple Bruschetta
August: Ode to my Favorite Vegetable and Weight Loss Surgery is a DO-BETTER

Grilled Zucchini, Tomato, Mozzarella Salad
September: The Ricki Lake Show Wrap-up

My Ricki Lake Show Appearance
October: Emotional health post weight loss surgery and A-ha Moments

Obesity Action Coalition Award
November: Walk from Obesity and Happy National Deviled Egg Day!

Shelly's Sausage & Pepper Deviled Eggs
December: Holiday Shrimp Cocktail on Ice and Silk Holiday Recipe Contest Winner

Shrimp-Capades
2011 Blasts from the Past
2010 Blasts from the Past

Thanks for joining me on this journey! It is comforting knowing I am never alone. Happy New Year! May your 2013 be filled with good health and happiness.



P.S. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more so you are going to be sick of me ;)

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

It's been a few days friends. Some of those days were great, others not. My Christmas Day was lovely. I hope everyone had a nice day. The weather was iffy so we decided to postpone the traditional trip to the beach for a sunnier day. We hit Starbucks in the AM, took a nice walk then spent the rest of the day watching movies, talking with loved ones far away, and eating leftovers from Christmas Eve.

The next day was one of the few not good days of 2012. My Mum took a fall in the garage. Nothing broken thank goodness but she badly bruised her ribs, foot, and cut her elbow. Today she is feeling a bit better though it will be a few weeks of recovery I think :( We go on little adventures where I watch for every crack in the pavement and she falls in the safety of our own house. It was depressing and threw me for a loop for a few days. She's starting to brighten up and I'm starting to brighten up. It's been a great 2012 overall and I refuse to let one bad happening discount that. Moving forward...

I just made a batch of Bulls-eye Bites to reheat tomorrow (just toss them in the toaster oven) during New Year's Rockin' Eve. I have a bottle of Almond Champagne but whether it gets opened or not is another story. It's been in my fridge since June. I'm not much of a drinker of alcohol since weight loss surgery, early lessons learned. I'm going to set the crockpot going with some meatballs in the AM. I'm still not sure on a dessert but I will be doing my traditional raisin toss for sure.

For new readers... every New Year I toss 12 raisins, one at a time, toward my mouth at the stroke of midnight. The idea is for every raisin you get in your mouth you'll have a month of good luck in the coming year. I've done this now for several years. Thankfully my aim has gotten better since the first year. The first year... first raisin tossed, SCORE right in the mouth, second raisin... BAM right in my eye. This raisin thing is pretty accurate because that was a very interesting year. I'm hoping for near perfect aim this year.

Shelly's Bulls-eye Bites

4 Green Onions, diced
1 lb of Baby Spinach Leaves (it cooks down a lot)
5 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, whatever you have)
2 Tablespoons Garlic Herb Cheese (like Alouette, Boursin, Rondele, Laughing Cow), crumbled
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Oregano
a few twists of Black Pepper
24 Pitted Black Olives

Preheat oven to 350. Saute spinach and onions till just wilted. Chopped (I use kitchen shears) and set aside to cool. Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into a lightly greased (Pam non-stick spray works great for this) mini muffin tin. Place a black olive in the center of each one.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Let them cool a few moments they pull away and pop right out. Makes 24.

More Bites

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is mostly seafood (protein heaven) at my house. It's an Italian tradition (I'm 1/2 Sicilian) called the Feast of the Seven Fishes, Festa dei Sette Pesci though post weight loss surgery it's scaled down a bit.

Today's lunch is one of my favorites: Red and Green Holiday Shrimp Cocktail. Cooked Shrimp with my Awesome Guacamole (no seriously, it's AWESOME) and Salsafied Cocktail Sauce (just equal parts salsa & cocktail sauce.) Not only are these delicious but they look so festive. They are packed with protein so great for us weight loss surgery peeps but something the non-ops love too.

Shelly's Awesome Guacamole

2 large California Avocados (I use Hass)
juice of half a Lime
2 Tablespoons Fresh Salsa (refrigerated section type)
2 Tablespoons Cotija Cheese, crumbled (do not leave out, it puts the AWESOME in Awesome Guacamole)
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
Sprinkle of Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Scoop the flesh out of the avocados into a bowl. Mash avocado till partially mashed but still some chunks. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Here's what Christmas looks like in my world. My Mum's newest creation is the knitted wreath.

This is "Snow Lady" we've had her about 15 years. It's not Christmas until she comes down from her perch in the rafters.

The Tree...

Tomorrow is still up in the air, depending on the weather. We are forecast rain today and Wednesday but I think Christmas Day will be clear. Hopefully, after breakfast we'll be headed to the beach (our tradition) for a picnic with leftovers and other goodies that I'm making today (I'll snap some pics) if not, it'll be a movie marathon at home I guess.

It's been hard to be joyful when there has been such sadness in the world lately but I hope everyone spends tomorrow making memories with family and friends and your day is filled with smiles.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

My day in post weight loss surgery eating...

Breakfast: These are so good. You can use any protein powder in these crepes or none if you don't want the extra protein, just omit, though they won't be as orangy, is that a word? I used Orange Cream Chike (think 50/50 Creamsicle Bar.) I filled the finished crepes with a dollop of pineapple cottage cheese and topped them with some warm sugar free orange marmalade. A healthier version of a classic Crepe Suzette.

Shelly's Healthified Crepe Suzette

2 Eggs
1/2 cup Soy Milk (I use Silk Vanilla)
1/4 cup minus 1 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1/2 cup Spelt Flour
1/4 cup Protein Powder (I used Orange Creme Chike)
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
dash of Salt
SF Orange Marmalade
Cottage or Ricotta Cheese

Blend all ingredients on low till thoroughly combined. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a half-hour.

Spray a non-stick 8 to 10-inch crepe pan with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and twirl it around to spread the batter in a thin circle.

Cook till top appears dry and flip. Cook a minute or so on other side. Repeat till all batter is used. While you are making them you can keep them warm in a low oven 200 degrees or nuke for 20 seconds before serving. Makes 8-10 crepes depending on the size of the pan. They can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days and nuked 25 seconds to reheat.

Place a dollop of pineapple or regular cottage or Sugar Free Torani Syrup sweetened ricotta cheese inside and top with orange marmalade that has been warmed in the microwave for 25 seconds.

Lunch: Leftovers from last night's dinner. One of my favorites: Cauliflower Pie.

I took the donations I gathered together in memory of the Sandy Hook victims to the local food bank today then I went for a really long walk, a little longer than I intended so I decided I'd just pick up some dinner.

Dinner:  I stopped at a little Middle Eastern restaurant in town and picked up a couple of Kabobs. 2 Kabobs fed both my Mum and I for $5. Yay for à la carte protein. Tip: Always look on the menu or ask if you can buy the protein without all the carby sides. I came home made a couple of sides, some sauteed Mushrooms and sliced Cucumber with Yogurt Dip. Super quick. I didn't even need to reheat the kabobs.

Shelly's Middle Eastern Yogurt Dip

3 oz. Greek Yogurt (I use 2%, plain)
1/2 teaspoon Za'atar
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
dash of Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix till well combined. Great for dipping meats, veggies or used as a salad dressing.

Snacks: Too much coffee as usual including a Sugar-Free Vanilla Soy Latte at Starbucks and I stopped at Costco and had 2 cheese samples and a hunk of ham. Gotta love the Costco Buffet.

Silk Holiday Recipe Contest Winner: Candy Cane Protein Shake

Fun news...

Dear Michelle,

Congratulations! We're so excited to inform you that your recipe titled "Shelly's Candy Cane Protein Shake" has been chosen as a winner in our Silk Holiday Recipe Contest (Best Beverage)

The judges’ evaluated the recipes and their accompanying photos based upon the following criteria: (a) creativity and originality of recipe (35%); (b) appeal of the recipe and photo of same to the SILK community (35%); (c) applicability of the recipe to the category in which it was submitted (20%); (d) total number of votes received for recipe and its accompanying photo in the Public Voting (10%). There were 3 categories: Best Dessert, Best Beverage, and Best Entrée/Side Dish.

I won the Grand Prize in the Beverage Category. Grand Prize: KitchenAid® mixer and a one-year supply of Silk® Total Approximate Retail Value: $350 USD each.

Thanks Silk and thanks to any pals who voted. Here's the winning recipe. I hope you enjoy it!

Shelly's Candy Cane Protein Shake

8 oz. Silk® Vanilla Soy Milk
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup (Coffee Syrup - Like Torani) or a drop or 2 of Peppermint Extract
2-3 cubes of Ice
Optional toppings: Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream, Sugar Free Peppermint Candies, crushed

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend all ingredients till smooth. Top with optional whipped cream and sprinkle of crushed mint.
Mint not your thing? Here's more Protein Shakes & Smoothies and even more.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts (I try and post them every few days) to show what a typical daily menu is in my post weight loss surgery world.

Breakfast: I had to be out the door pretty early so I popped one of those new Atkins Breakfast Bowls in the microwave. I can only get through about 1/2. I can eat more of my own homemade egg bowls I think it's the softness of the scrambled egg. They are pretty good when you need to get out of the door quickly (low carb, tasty, no clean-up.)

I was asked by Big Train to take part in a photo project they are doing so I spent most of the morning in San Juan Capistrano. I'll share the results as soon as I am able. We drove to Oceanside and then took the very scenic 30 minute train ride to SJC. If you ever get a chance to take the train in that area, do it. The train hugs the coast. Gorgeous scenery.

Lunch: After the photo shoot we returned to Oceanside. It was a gray day at the beach but I had to spend a little time watching the waves crash so we walked over to the Oceanside Pier and had lunch at the the little fish joint under the pier, The Tin Fish. I split this delicious grilled fish plate (tilapia, salmon, mahi mahi) with my Mum.

Dinner: Leftovers from the night before of Fajita Chicken Skewers (BBQ'd Chicken Breast Tenders brushed with a little olive oil and sprinkled with McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Fiesta Citrus Seasoning), sauteed Peppers and Onions, Refried Beans, and Fiesta Citrus Yogurt Dip (Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of the same McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Fiesta Citrus Seasoning.)

Snacks: The best Soy Latte I have ever had while waiting for the train back to Oceanside. Really it was. Hidden House Coffee. So good. In the evening I nuked one of those Seapoint Farms Edamame Snack Bags. Love those suckers. I get mine at Walmart but I've seen them at a few stores. They have a product locator on their website or hit them up on their Facebook page.

More days in my pouch

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Sandy Hook - Something we can do

I felt depressed and powerless watching the tragic events in Connecticut and then I thought what if each of us donated a toy or a coat or groceries (whatever we could) in the name of one of the victims who lost their lives.

I hope you'll join me in countering the evil with some good.

Places to start:

Feeding America (Food Bank Locator)
Toys for Tots
One Warm Coat

UPDATE: Here's my donation that's headed to our local food bank, clothing and toy drive in the name of one of the victims of the CT shooting. It's just a small gesture but this was something in my power to do.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts (I try and post them every few days) to show what a typical daily menu is in my post weight loss surgery world.

Breakfast: I took a Honeycrisp apple, peeled and sliced it, and tossed the slices in a saute pan (sprayed with a little Pam) on medium. When the apple slices were golden and slightly soft (about 5 minutes) I tossed in 1 Tablespoon of Sugar Free Torani Syrup, 1 Tablespoon Dried Cranberries, 1 Tablespoon chopped Nuts. Cook for about 2 minutes more. I topped it with Greek yogurt that I sweetened with Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Cinnamon Vanilla.)

Lunch: I had a ton of computer work to do so I filled my bento box with lunch and took it outside on the patio.

Pink Box (top left): Bell Pepper Strips
Green Box (top right): Shelly's Hummus Yogurt Dip: equal parts plain Greek Yogurt and Hummus, sprinkle of Za'atar
Blue Box (bottom left): Ham & Cheese Roll-ups (Ham, Cheese & Italian Herb Alouette) & Olives
Orange Box (bottom right): Wasabi Almonds and Lime Chili Pepitas (Farmer's Market finds)

More Bento Lunches

Dinner: I bought a basket of mushrooms at the Farmer's Market this weekend and made Chicken Marsala with some of them. I served it with sliced tomatoes (sprinkled with salt, pepper & oregano.) It's one of my favorite meals.

Snacks: Too much coffee and while I was outside I took the opportunity to set the ice cream maker going. I didn't have to listen to the churning for 20 minutes. It's really not THAT loud but I had a bit of a headache and you know how some days every noise seems louder. Two scoops were dessert while I watched that train wreck of a show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills if I didn't have a headache before I did after watching that.

Shelly's Candy Cane Protein Ice Cream

1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk (or Regular Milk)
2 scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Candy Cane or Sugar Free Starlight Mints, crushed (Walgreens, CVS usually have them)

Mix together milk, protein, SF peppermint bits and syrup. I used this gadget to mix it up. It makes it airy and lump free. If you don't have one just toss it in a blender on super high. You want it fluffy almost double in size. Pour into ice cream maker. Follow your machine's instructions for freezing. You can eat it right away it is soft serve-ish (use it at this stage for Protein Ice Cream Cake making) if you want scoops put it in the freezer to set for an hour.

After that hour it will be hard (like rock hard - this is due to the lack of fat content) just nuke it 25 seconds to bring it back to scoops.

More Protein Ice Cream flavors

More days in my pouch

Celebrate Good Health Holiday Giveaway

The BEST GIFT I ever received was a second chance at a healthy life by having weight loss surgery. When you sign on the dotted line for weight loss surgery it comes with some non-negotiable, lifelong rules that must be followed, one of which is taking vitamins and mineral supplementation faithfully.

So many post-operative issues and complications can be avoided if we just make sure to take our vitamins every day.

Not all vitamins are created equal. Celebrate Vitamins are developed specifically with bariatric surgery patients altered guts in mind, they understand our unique post-op nutritional needs and they design quality (and super yummy) products to meet those needs. In my non Dr. opinion, it's important our bodies get the most out of our vitamins it can, so if they don't dissolve within a reasonable amount of time or easily absorb, our rearranged guts don't reap the benefits of them and that's no bueno.

It's the holidays and you know what that means... PRESENTS! It's Giveaway Time!

The Prize: A HUGE Holiday Red Gift Basket of Celebrate Vitamins goodies to get your 2013 off to a healthy start!

Celebrate Vitamins Multi Complete with Iron (Chewable Forest Berry) - 60 ct.

Celebrate Vitamins Sugar Free Calcium Citrate Soft Chews (Berry) - 60 ct. OMG these are delicious. You won't ask how many you have to take, you will be asking how many do I GET to take?!

Celebrate Vitamins B-12 Sublingual Quick-melt (Cherry) - 90 day supply

12 single serving packets of Strawberry Celebrate Vitamins ENS Each ENS (Essential Nutrient System) shake contains a high potency multivitamin, 500 mg of calcium citrate, 4 g of fiber, and 25 g of whey isolate protein in each serving and it's delicious. Try it mixed in Greek yogurt for breakfast or when you want something icy cold try these frozen yogurt drops.

Celebrate Vitamin's ENS - Multivitamin & Calcium Drink Mix (Cranberry-Grape) - 7 day supply

Celebrate Vitamin's ENS - Multivitamin & Calcium Drink Mix (Wild Cherry) - 7 day supply

1 Holiday Red 28 oz. Blender Bottle Shaker

All tucked in a reusable red fabric and leather trimmed tote (to keep your vitamins or whatever in)

How to Enter: Like The World According to Eggface and Celebrate Vitamins on Facebook. Come back here and LEAVE A COMMENT (include a name and an email addy) on this blog posting. Scroll down to # of comments to leave yours.

Contest periods ends: Sunday, December 16th, midnight (Pacific time)

Monday, December 17th I'll draw a name using a random number generator and announce the winner here on the blog! I will also email the winner at the address posted. You'll have one week (7 days) to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Remember winners MUST be a Facebook friend of The World According to Eggface and Celebrate Vitamins. One ENTRY per person. Blog comments are moderated so there may be a slight delay (up to a few hours) in seeing your comment/entry post. Giveaway is open to anyone in the United States (48 contiguous, Alaska & Hawaii.)

***Want extra chances to win?*** Do anything listed below and leave me a comment letting me know what you did! For up to four more entries per person!!

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Hey everyone enter the @Eggface @CelebrateV Celebrate Good Health Holiday Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/aw47y7x

* Tell your pals: Share the giveaway on Facebook or some other social networking or support group forum you frequent.


If you are a blogger:

* Blog about this giveaway and include the link to the contest (send me the url so I can enjoy your post.)

* Place my super snazzy badge on your site.

<a href="http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/favabean/Lolatini/buttoncleangrad.png" /></a>

Good Luck!

Healthy Breakfast Recipes: Spiced Chai Banana Waffles

Went to the Farmer's Market bright and early to pick up some supplies for the week. It was so chilly this morning. I came home and wanted a warm breakfast. I came up with these, hot, protein-packed waffles that taste like banana bread. They are soooo good and they made the house smell AMAZING.

Shelly's Spiced Chai Banana Waffles

1 Egg, beaten
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
1/2 a Banana, mashed
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix
2 Tablespoons Almond Meal
1 scoop Big Train Spiced Chai Fit Frappe Powder
Pinch salt

In a measuring cup mix egg, milk, syrup, mashed banana and oil (applesauce or cottage cheese can sub for oil but 1 T divided between all the waffles is really not a lot) and combine thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix pancake mix, almond meal (aka almond flour, aka finely ground almonds), Spiced Chai Fit Frappe powder and salt. Tip dry into wet and stir till combined.

Spoon into a non-stick waffle maker. Cook per your machine's directions. Mine made 9 waffle sticks. Leftovers reheat in toaster or toaster oven.

I don't think they make my machine anymore it's a Cuisinart Waffle Stick Maker but this one is sort of similar and way cheaper might be worth a try if you don't have a machine. Really any waffle maker would work.

Great on-to-go breakfast. Smear them with almond butter or SF Torani sweetened ricotta wrap in foil and run out the door.

They are delicious even without syrup but here are some topping ideas:
Greek Yogurt
Sugar-Free Maple Syrup
No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream
Sliced Fruit
Peanut or Almond Butter
SF Torani or Maple Syrup sweetened Ricotta Cheese
Sugar-Free Jam
Sugar-Free Caramel Ice Cream Topping
Protein Ice Cream

More breakfast ideas