Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Leftovers

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving (and/or Hanukkah) I shared this Thanksgiving message on my Facebook page but for those that missed it...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! When I count my blessings I count all of you. It's so nice to know we are on this road together... like any road there will be bumps and curves, a few flat tires but knowing we are never alone is a great comfort and definitely something to be thankful for!

We had a nice day. I made a Bone-in Turkey Breast, rubbed it with a little olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and shoved garlic in the cavity. It was delicious though without legs it doesn't really take the best photo. Sort of just leans to one side of the platter. I will spare you. On to the sides...

When I was a kid we had 2 types of stuffing at Thanksgiving, the American bread kind and a Sicilian rice stuffing with ground beef called Cabbaliata. I have to say I rarely miss stuff from my pre weight loss surgery days but I did miss that. Since I don't do bread or rice, I was determined to come up with an alternative version of the rice stuffing this year. Here it is! It's delicious and so easy I will be making it more than just on the holiday.

Low Carb Healthy Side Dishes Thanksgiving Side Dishes Weight Loss Surgery Bariatric Cooking

Shelly's Sicilian Rice-less Rice Stuffing (Cabbaliata)

1 Head of Cauliflower
1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1/2 pound Ground Beef
Salt to taste
a few twists of Black Pepper
a Tablespoon of Olive Oil for sauteing
sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese on top

Saute Ground Beef (could also use ground Sausage or Turkey) till no pink is seen. Set aside. Break up the cauliflower into small florets. Pulse the florets in a food processor until reduced to the size of rice grains. Place in a saute pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, the cauliflower will become slightly golden when it's done. Remove from pan set aside. Saute onion till golden. Parboil celery. I nuke it in a cup of water for 3 minutes, drain it and add along with all ingredients to the cooked cauliflower. Return to heat, stir till combined and warmed through. Sprinkle each serving with a little grated Parmesan.


We also had Roasted Brussels Sprouts (if you HATE Brussels Sprouts make this, you will change your mind, seriously soooo good) Toss sprouts with a Tablespoon of olive oil and a little Kosher Salt. Roast in a 425 degree oven. I put them in for 20 minutes, turn them and then put them in for another 15 or so. You want golden brown. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Weight Loss Surgery Gastric Bypass Sleeve RNY VSG WLS Food Recipes

Yesterday our leftover turkey and gravy became this yummy casserole. Yay for leftovers making life easy. We don't shop the Black Friday sales. I had to once for work and some lady ran over my foot with her cart. Never again. People get crazy. I like my feet. I ventured out once briefly to Costco for soy milk and socks and I bought whipped cream chargers online to make my No Sugar Added Homemade Flavored Whipped Cream that was the extent of my shopping. They rest of the day we watched DVR'd stuff, the parade, dog show and one of my favorite shows "My Grandmother's Ravioli" cooking but mostly life lessons and wisdom, if you've not seen it yet check it out, it's great!

Weight Loss Surgery Bariatric Cooking Menus Food Blog
  
Shelly's Turkey Squash Casserole

2 lb. Butternut Squash, cubed and roasted
1 Large Sweet Onion, diced
6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2-2 cups of Leftover Cooked Turkey, chopped
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/4-1/3 cup of Leftover Turkey Gravy
Salt to taste
a few twists of Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Parmesan
2 Tablespoons Chopped Pecans

To Roast Squash: Preheat oven to 425. Place cubed squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher Salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 45 minutes turning 2 or 3 times during cooking. You are looking for soft and lightly golden. I cheated and bought already cubed & peeled squash from Costco (I've seen it at Trader Joe's and most regular supermarkets) because I value my fingers and butternut squash is a pain in the you-know-what to chop up.

Saute onion and mushroom til golden. Add all remaining ingredients (except Parmesan and Pecans). Mix to combine. Pour into a Pyrex Casserole (I love the holidays I get to use some of my vintage Pyrex, I collect it) Top with Parmesan and Pecans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Today I'm thinking Sushi. I'm about Turkey'd out.

Eggface's 10 Tips for Surviving the Holidays Post Weight Loss Surgery

My 10 Tips for Surviving the Holidays Post Weight Loss Surgery (with a few bonus tips for newer post-ops)

Bariatric Surgery Food Recipes Tip Advice VSG RNY WLS Blog
Shelly's Strawberry Cannoli Santas

1. Plan your meals including any holiday snacks or indulgences. If it's not on the day's plan. It shouldn't go in your mouth. One of my post op mantras: Don't trade what you want most, for what you want at the moment.

A few tips and thoughts on Post Weight Loss Surgery Menu Planning

2. Eat protein dense meals. I want to snack less when I've eaten a protein dense breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Protein Packed Grab & Go Breakfast Ideas
More Eggface Bariatric Surgery Friendly Breakfast Recipes and Ideas

3. If possible bring a weight loss surgery friendly dish to a party, that way you are assured of something yummy you can eat. Lots of ideas here and here. Remember even healthier goodies can be overindulged in so stick to your plan for the day and proper portions.

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2014/11/post-weight-loss-surgery-menus-day-in_13.html


4. Learn to say "No Thank You" when offered non-weight loss surgery friendly items. "Oh Aunt Suzie thank you those look soooo good but I'm saving room for some of that *insert food you can eat* (Ideas: delicious turkey, cheese, veggie...)" and don't feel guilty about saying No. It's not your job to make everyone happy and certainly not at your health's expense.

5. Parties, visitors, phone calls, kids concerts will mess with your schedule. Treat exercise like a VERY IMPORTANT appointment put it on your calendar. Don't break the appointment.

Move every chance you get... take a neighborhood night walk to look at holiday lights. If your weather is not cooperating turn on some music and dance, do some rockin' around the Christmas tree. Here's a simple video that talks about creating a fitness calendar.

Stocking stuffer idea: Buy everyone in your family pedometers or if you already wear an activity tracker, every night chart how many steps each person walked. Give a non-food prize to the highest step taker each month (movie tickets, choice of game on game night, day trip of their choice, etc.)

6. Don't skip the basics. Drink your water and take your vitamins.


7. Don't drink your calories: 80-150 cals per glass wine, 140-200 cals per beer, 150-200 cals each shot, 300-800 cals per mixed drink and that doesn't include any poor eating choices made while feeling a buzz.

8. If you dread the holidays you probably need to rethink them. They shouldn't put you into debt, make you feel awful or anxious, or be something you are forced to do out of obligation. As we lose weight we often find our voice. IT'S OK TO SAY NO to activities and extras that might stress you out. The world won't come to an end if you don't go to that holiday party or event.

9. Take the emphasis off food, booze, material things and onto reconnecting with those you love (put down the smartphone & TALK)

10. Remember that it's a holiDAY not a holiMONTH. Wrap up leftovers, freeze for use in other meals (ham cubes for Bites aka Crustless Quiches or Soups) or give them away (invite some teenage boys or college kids over they will be gone in a blink.) I hate waste but feeling bad for tossing a few baked goods and wasting some money now or co-pays for Dr's from the results of obesity-related health issues later. Not really a choice.

Shelly's Thanksgiving Turkey Day Leftover Bites
If you are newer weight loss surgery post-op, here's a couple especially for you...

11. Party foods unless you are in control of cooking them can have lots of hidden things in them... sauces high in sugars, fatty cooking methods, and could be a ticket to dump city. Best bet: Bring something you can eat. If the holiday get-together is not a potluck (or what is you guys in the Midwest call it... a "pitch-in") then consider eating before the party or be sure to eat something you have eaten before. You don't want to try something new at a party, have it not agree with you and end up feeling sick instead of enjoying your friends and family.


Oodles of Healthy Party Food Recipes and Ideas

12. Eating (in the first few weeks especially) is not something to be done on the fly. Picture this scenario...

You pop a shrimp in your mouth and start to chew chew chew as directed by your bariatric team but Auntie Suzie comes over and starts oohing and ahhing about your weight loss, how good you look, sooooo.... gulp. Down goes a big hunk of shrimp. You start to thank her and talk but soon realize that hunk of shrimp is sitting like a rubber ball and not moving... she still jabbering away and you try and smile but you are in pain, sweating, nauseous... you excuse yourself and make your way to the bathroom and you spend the next few hours praying to the porcelain Gods and swearing you will never eat another shrimp (it wasn't the shrimp's fault.) This is a hard lesson to learn. Trust me.

We're entering some hard months... lots of triggers, foods, family, events, stress, it's TOUGH stuff. Remember: YOU ARE TOUGHER! Hope these tips help you have a great post weight loss surgery celebration! We have so much to celebrate!

Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas New Years Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Gastric Bypass Vertical Sleeve Recipes Tips Food Menus

Check out my Pinterest Boards for even more holiday ideas.

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 looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. My menu yesterday...

Breakfast: I wanted to get an outside walk in before the weather changed. We're in for a few days of rain so I hear. I might have to walk the mall this week or dance. I mixed up my blender bottle with a Celebrate Vitamins Vanilla Cake Batter ENS Protein Shake and took off. For those of you that aren't familiar with ENS it stands for Essential Nutrient System. Each shake contains a high potency multivitamin, 500 mg of calcium citrate, 4 grams of fiber, and 25 grams of whey isolate protein in each serving. I wish these had been around when I was a new post-op. I mixed it with 1/2 milk, 1/2 water for even more protein.


Lunch: Found these super cute Wholly Guacamole mini cups at the supermarket and I thought they'd be great in one of my bento box lunches. I love the portion control size because I can go a little crazy with guacamole. FYI: They come in classic and spicy and I found them in the refrigerator case near fresh salsa.


I didn't make a bento this time (the box comes with 4 so one of them will end up in one) just ate it with some cooked shrimp.


Dinner: Tweaked a Pecan Chicken recipe I found in a magazine. It was sort of like a "Fried" Chicken with out the batter or frying. It will be in my rotation for sure. I loved it and it was so easy. I served it with one of those Bird's Eye Steamfresh Microwave bags of Green Beans. Nuked in the last 7 minutes of chicken cooking time.


Shelly's Pecan Crusted Chicken

1 1/4 pounds of Chicken Breast Tenders
2 Tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard (Gulden's type)
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 cup crushed Pecans
sprinkle of Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. On a coated paper plate (easy clean up) blend together the mustard and honey. Toss the pecans in a mini food processor (or if you need to take your aggressions out crush in a Ziploc with a heavy jar) and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Pour the chopped pecans on another paper plate.


Dredge chicken first in mustard/honey mixture and coat on both sides then into chopped pecans, both sides. Place coated chicken into Pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray and sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

The leftovers are lunch today with a Caprese Salad (Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella)

Snacks: Too much coffee and I finally got around to digging through my ObesityHelp Conference swag. I had a hunk of one of these Premier Nutrition Chocolate Mint Protein Crisp Bars. These are totally Girl Scout Thin Mints. Yum. So when the little whippersnappers come around hawking their cookies buy a box, donate it and eat one of these or try one of my Girl Scout Cookie Protein Shake recipes that replicate the famous cookie flavors.


More Days in my pouch.

Life After Weight Loss Surgery Q & A - Dealing with Family and Friends

One post-op's thoughts on life after weight loss surgery. Question #3...

Question: What did you do about friends and family that said things like "Are you sure you want to risk dying?" and "Can't you just lose it on your own?" when you told them you were going to have weight loss surgery?

Answer: "Are you sure you want to risk dying?" Well hmmm isn't that what I'm doing now. A slow suicide by knife and fork. "Can't you just lose it on your own?" This is on my own... it's my guts getting rerouted, my lifestyle changes being made, my healthy eating choices, my exercising, my LIFELONG battle with obesity that NEVER ends even when I reached goal. I consider weight loss surgery to be a head start. The MAJOR change I needed to physically be able to get active again and eliminate the illnesses (Severe Sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure, severe GERD) that were killing me.


A lot of friends and family comments are out of lack of knowledge and fear about weight loss surgery and what life will be like after (for you and for them.) EVERYONE claims they know SOMEONE who died, gained it all back, can't eat anything anymore. If you care about their opinion... take them to your bariatric surgeons support group. They can ask questions and hopefully put their fears to ease.  Let them meet REAL people who have had surgery. Send them over to my blog. Hi! Show them the real stats on complication and mortality rates of bariatric surgical procedures. They are in-line with complication and mortality rates of pretty much every type of surgery performed. 

If you don't care about their opinion... Ask them for the phone # of this mystery person who gained all their weight back so you can chat with them ;) $5 it's a "friend of a friend at work's second cousin's hairstylist" and they won't be able to get you that info.

Sometimes it is a little jealousy. In my San Diego State University (Go Aztecs) Psychology 101 class it was called "leveling the playing field." Everyone likes to be on the same level and when something like weight loss, new jobs, new relationships, happen we like to drag people back down to our perceived level. It's the nasty side of human nature. You get comments like "Oh you are having THAT surgery, yeah but you won't ever be able to eat XYZ again" or "Yeah you will lose weight but you will have all that skin."

Again... send them over to my blog or Pinterest page to see what food is possible after surgery. It is pretty darn tasty. Some foods you may not eat again. They may not agree with you, your Dr. may advise against them or in my case I choose not to eat a few foods.

Now excess skin is a reality and it's not pretty. Any time you lose 100+ pounds whether with surgical assistance or not you will have some skin issues. Make peace with it or make plans for getting rid of it. They can always donate to your plastic surgery fund if they are soooo concerned about your excess skin issues.

Sometimes friends and family come around when they see the health benefits and AWESOME changes in you BUT sometimes they don't. To those that don't... people come in and out of your life for a reason. New supportive friends are out there.

Find a Support Group
Come to an Event

What others are saying about this on my Facebook page.

Best wishes to you in your journey.

Question #1
Question #2

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 looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. My menu yesterday...

Breakfast:  I was in the mood for pancakes and these are great because leftovers can be frozen between slices of wax paper or kept in the fridge a day or 2 and reheated (nuke 25 seconds) for breakfast during the week. Surprising good cold too. Leftovers usually get some SF jam, almond or peanut butter smeared on them, wrapped in foil and they become a great breakfast-on-the-go. Makes the rest of my week easy.


Shelly's Butterscotch Crunch Ricotta Pancakes

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix, dry
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor SF Vanilla, Caramel, etc.)
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Grape Nuts Cereal

Mix all ingredients (except cereal) together till well combined. I use whole milk ricotta, if you use part skim, drain it for an hour or so first. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cook on low till golden, top with a sprinkle of Grape Nuts, flip, pat flat, cook till done. Serve each pancake with a drizzle of warm Sugar Free Maple Syrup, SF Jam or Marmalade or Fruit. Makes 4 small pancakes or 8 silver dollar size.

More Pancakes
More Grab and Go Breakfast Ideas

Lunch: The contents of my bento box lunch.



Pink Box (top left):  Turkey and Muenster Cheese Cold Cut Roll-up a few Peanuts 
Green Box (top right): Cucumber Slices (my crackers) 
Blue Box (bottom left): Red and Green Pepper Strips 
Orange Box (bottom right): Shelly's Greek Yogurt Hummus Dip (just equal parts Greek Yogurt and Roasted Garlic Hummus)

I love this dip. All the taste of Hummus but lighter in calories, fat and oodles more protein. It's great with steamed asparagus too.

More Bento Box lunches, FAQ's and an Online Source for them

Dinner: A bowl of my Chinese New Year Soup (Quickie Version) and Egg Foo Young Bites. This is one of my Mum and I's favorite chilly day meals. Cooking it makes the house smell amazing and it's so warm and comforting. Leftovers reheat great so today's lunch is easy peasy.


The Egg Foo Young Bites (really any of my Bites) make a great accompaniment for soup but they would be perfect as a weight loss surgery friendly holiday appetizer for a party.



More Eggface Bites (aka Mini Crustless Quiches)

Snacks: A little No Sugar Added Cocoa with a splash of Sugar Free Salted Caramel Torani Syrup and a squirt of Homemade No Sugar Added Chocolate Whipped Cream.


Shelly's Homemade No Sugar Added Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 cup Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
2 Tablespoons Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Whisk till well combined. Fill whipping cream to the fill line of the whipper. Screw on the top. Insert the CO2 cartridge till it empties, unscrew that. Put the nozzle on, shake a few times and squirt away. It makes a ton, store it in the fridge for up to 10 days just give it another few shakes before squirting.

I broke out my Knitted Turkey Bottle Topper Mum made me. I've decorated for Fall a bit in the house because it's been crazy summer weather the past few days high 80's so Mr. Turkey is about the only way I feel like it's Fall. I heard the weather is going to change and we'll be in the 60's soon. I'm looking forward to it. I want to pull my sweaters out of the closet and make more soups. Remind me I said I wanted chilly weather when I'm shivering and using these suckers like they are out of style.


More Days in my pouch.

Drum roll...

Thank you all for entering the Eggface and Celebrate Vitamins Thankful for Good Health Giveaway. I wish I could give a bag of healthy goodies to every one of you. I can't stress enough how important it is to take your vitamins and get your recommended amount of protein in your day. Remember having weight loss surgery is not a do-over... it is a do better!


The random generator has selected:

Jan G.
jbg22@xxxxxxx.net

Congratulations Jan. You have mail!


Not a winner this time... no worries another awesome Eggface Giveaway is starting very soon be sure to follow along on the Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest for the latest eggciting announcements!

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 looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. My menu yesterday...

Breakfast: Saturday is my Farmer's Market morning. I got a great haul. There will be lots of cooking this week: Onions, Apples, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Asparagus, Baby Bok Choy (I'm in the mood for Chinese New Year Soup), an Avocado, Zucchini, Peppers and Mushrooms. I came home sauteed one of the onions and made an Onion Frittata. I just sauteed the onions in a touch of olive oil, added 3 beaten eggs, salt and pepper. When the eggs were almost set I placed it under the broiler with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese till golden. 3 eggs and 1 onion in a 10 inch saute pan made 4 wedges like this so 3-4 servings.

Brunch Eggs

Lunch: I felt like experimenting a bit. My aim was to create a baked chicken nugget of sorts. They turned out really yummy. I think they'd be fun as a hors d'oeuvre, appetizer on a buffet at the holidays. Oodles of protein.

Italian Family Kid Friendly Meals

Shelly's Italian Chicken Parmesan Nuggets

1 Onion, diced
1 lb. Ground Chicken
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Oatmeal, dry
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 Tablespoon fresh Basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced (I used dried but if you use oil-packed just drain them well)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Serve with another sprinkle of Parmesan on top and warm Tomato Sauce for dipping.

Soak oatmeal in milk for 10 minutes. Saute onion till golden. Set aside to cool. Mix all ingredients together including soaked oats and cooled onions until well blended. Spoon (I use a mini ice cream scoop) into a 24 cup non-stick mini muffin tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes till lightly golden.

I ate them alone but they'd be a great lunch or dinner with a little green salad or veggie side.

Dinner: I had done enough cooking for the day so I just made up a cheese platter (Cucumbers, Olives, Nuts, Apricots, Smoked Gouda, Aged Goat Cheese, and one of my favorite cheeses Rosemary Asiago) and steamed some of the asparagus I bought at the Farmer's Market. I have this little microwave steamer I love. You add a little water in the base, trim the asparagus (It's great for edamame too) and nuke for 2-3 minutes. I made a Greek Yogurt Pesto Dip to go with (4 oz. plain Greek Yogurt, a Tablespoon of Pesto Sauce, Salt & Pepper to taste)

Low Carb Health Fitness Weight Loss Diet Meals Menu Plans

Low Carb Health Fitness Weight Loss Diet Meals Menu Plans

We took everything out to the patio and ate outside. The weather has been awesome this week. It's helping me get out of my funk since Charlie died. In fact today I'm headed to the park for a walk, bento box lunch, and soak up a little Vitamin D. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Snacks: A Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Latte, no whip, no foam. The first Starbuck's red cup of the season and a couple of samples while walking around the market: a few apple slices and had to try chrysanthemum leaves at the Asian veggie stand I bought the Bok Choy when offered. Another reason to support your Farmer's Market, learning about and trying new things. Find a Farmer's Market in your area.


More Days in my pouch.

Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Mushrooms

I made the World's Best Thanksgiving appetizer last night. There are always a bunch of things on your plate at a Thanksgiving dinner that the famous American traditional Green Bean Casserole (one of my favorites) gets lost in the mix. This portion controlled (and healthier) appetizer version makes the famous dish the star of the show...


Shelly's Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Mushrooms (aka World's Best Thanksgiving Appetizer)

10 Large Stuffing Mushrooms, divided use
1 (14.5 oz.) can Cut Green Beans, drained
1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Real Bacon Bits, not imitation
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Spelt Flour
1/4 cup Milk
Optional: 2 Tablespoons Durkee Onions, crushed

Dust mushrooms, remove stems and gills, set aside 8 and dice up 2. Drain beans and chop (I use kitchen shears) into smaller pieces. Make each bean about 3 pieces. Saute onion and the diced mushroom till golden. Add bacon bits (you can use a couple of slices of extra crispy bacon crumbled), butter and flour. Cook for a minute. Add milk. When mixture thickens and bubbles add drained chopped beans and stir to coat. Fill 8 mushrooms, pile it nice and high and place them on a Pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with a sprinkle of Durkee Onions. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

These were so good and will be making another appearance in a few weeks on Thanksgiving. Last night I served them as a side dish to a rotisserie chicken from the market.


I had a crappy week last week. Really crappy. I had to say goodbye to the sweetest kitty ever Charlie RIP. She showed up on our doorstep 2 years ago starving and weak, a result of foreclosures in the area I believe. A bunch of vet visits, special food and lots of love helped but she had lots of issues. I was lucky to have her as long as I did. She truly was the sweetest kitty ever.

When I get upset I don't want to eat and I didn't really feel like cooking. I basically had protein shakes and soup for a couple of days. Yesterday was the first day I got back into the kitchen. Pretty yummy result and getting back to the routine of cooking was good for me I think. This not eating when I'm upset is a post-op thing for me, pre-op I would have eaten a pile of pasta and bag of Sausalito cookies.

How do you give yourself a boost when you’re feeling sad or upset?

Eggface and Celebrate Vitamins Thankful for Good Health Giveaway

This month is Thanksgiving, a day to reflect on all the things we are thankful for. One of the things I am so thankful for is having weight loss surgery. I no longer need to take the 8 prescription medications I was on for GERD, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and the aches and pains of carrying around 150+ extra pounds.

Weight loss surgery resolved all my comorbidities but there are some lifelong rules I have to follow... one of which is taking vitamins 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 Bariatric Supplements are developed specifically with bariatric surgery patients altered guts in mind, they understand our unique post-op nutritional needs.

So in honor of being Thankful for Good Health... It's GIVEAWAY time!



The Prize: A Nike Gym Bag perfect for working out, dance class or heading over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house this holiday season. You will have to empty it first because this bag is packed full of everything to keep you healthy through the holidays and beyond...

A 30 serving tub of Celebrate Vitamins ENS in Vanilla Cake Batter flavor (each delicious all in one supplement shake contains a high potency multivitamin, 500 mg of calcium citrate, 4 g of fiber, and 25 g of whey isolate protein) one of my favorite recommendations for new post-ops. Great as a shake but also yummy mixed Greek yogurt or turned into these High Protein Greek Yogurt Cubes.

90 ct. Celebrate Vitamins Chewable Calcium Plus 500 (Orange Burst)

2 huge bags of Celebrate Vitamins Multivitamin Soft Chew (Orange) 60 ct.

30 ct. Celebrate Vitamins Iron + C Chewable (Grape)

1 - 24 oz. Orange Blenderball Shaker

1 Mini Sampler Set of Sugar Free Torani Syrups (4 - 150 ml mini bottles in SF Caramel, SF Raspberry, SF Vanilla, and SF Hazelnut) 

a Vitamin Pill Box

a wearable Pedometer and Flashing Safety Light for evening walks

How to Enter: 1.) LIKE The World According to Eggface AND Celebrate Vitamins Facebook Page 2.) COME BACK HERE and LEAVE A COMMENT on this blog posting (include a name and some email address where I can contact you if you are the winner) Scroll down to # of comments below to leave yours. That's it, easy peasy.

***Want an extra chance to win?***

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Hey everyone enter the @Eggface @CelebrateV Thankful for Good Health Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/n6s84jc #health

Contest Period Ends: Sunday, November 10th, midnight (pacific), sometime Monday, November 11th. 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 provided. You'll have one week (7 days) to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Remember winners MUST be a Facebook follower (aka have LIKED) of the 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 contiguous United States (48 contiguous only, sorry it's a legal and $ thing.)