Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I made some Spiced Chai Yogurt Dip with hunks of Mango for dipping. Have you made this yet?! Soooo good. I made plenty to share but if you have leftover dip or want to make it in advance it can be refrigerated for a day or 2, just give it a little stir before serving. Not a fan of mango you can dip strawberries, bananas, pears, apples, a spoon, your finger... not that I've done that ;)

More Eggface Favorite Breakfasts

Lunch: I had a couple of avocados that were perfect for guacamole. Made a batch and roasted some shrimp to dip in it. Roasted Shrimp: Peel and devein shrimp, leave the tails on. Place them in Ziploc baggie with a little drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper and any spice you'd like to add (lemon pepper, Greek seasoning, cumin, whatever you like) give them a rub to make sure they are completely coated and spread them on nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes (depends on size of shrimp) just until pink, firm and cooked through.

More Healthy Mexican Recipes

Dinner: Found another great use for that yummy Path of Life Mediterranean Quinoa I blogged about the other day. It made a delicious stuffing for stuffed peppers. These were delicious. They heat up great too. Awesome for breakfast with an egg. In fact, if you are looking for a different Mother's Day brunch item these would be perfect.

Shelly's Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

3 Bell Peppers
1 bag Path of Life Mediterranean Quinoa
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1 cup Cooked Sausage, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
dash Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
1/2 cup Colby-Jack Cheese, shredded

Place de-seeded, halved peppers in a dish and microwave 6 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the filling. Prepare the quinoa as directed (basically microwave 4 minutes.) Saute sausage till golden. If you are using precooked sausage crumbles that's just about 2 minutes or so. Fresh, cook until golden and no pink is seen. Blend sausage with quinoa, cottage cheese, and seasonings. Divide filling among the pepper halves. Place peppers in a Pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Top with Shredded Cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Not a fan of sausage? Mix in leftover cooked beef, turkey, chicken, or leave the meat out but I'd up the cottage cheese to 1 cup then or add black beans or another bean.

Snacks: Too much coffee and a hunk a Honey Caramel Premier Protein Bar (one of my favorites)

More Days in my pouch

I'm very excited about a couple of upcoming posts. I think you guys will enjoy them. Be sure to follow the blog on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram and watch for one day pop-up giveaways. Thank you for sharing the blog with your pals and support groups online and in the real world. When I count my blessings you guys are among them... you are a BIG PART of my support network, knowing you are out there makes me never feel alone and writing the blog has helped me keep my head in the game... so THANK YOU for that!

Life After Weight Loss Surgery Q & A - I've stopped losing weight, any tips?

Questions and answers, one post-op's thoughts on life after weight loss surgery.

Q. I have stopped losing weight and can't seem to get going on eating right or exercising. Do you have any tips for me?

A. If you aren't planning your meals at least a day in advance I would suggest that... that way you know what your eating day will look like. Use a free online calculator or App: My Fitness Pal or Fitday. Do it for a week or so at least and see calories, fats, carbs, proteins and make sure they are still where your Dr's plan want them to be. It's easy to let carbs creep up, protein go down, and portions increase. Once and awhile enter your day and get a reality check so to speak. You can usually see what needs to be adjusted.

The idea behind weight loss surgery is to use the first year to make lifestyle changes that you then just continue. Your sentence "can't seem to get going on eating right or exercising" makes me think you didn't or did and then gave it up... you want to think about WHY... only you know that... then find the professional to help you overcome whatever your WHY is...if it's not eating the healthiest (a dietitian), some emotional stuff going on (therapist), finding time or an exercise you enjoy (take some classes or join a team, walk at the least, add extra steps into your day), lack of support (support groups: online and in the real world, YWM2015.) Remember this mantra... "we can't continue the same behavior and expect a different result." Good for you for realizing a change needs to happen. Talk to your Dr. they can help guide you.

It is easy to get lulled into thinking the scale will always go down but it still goes both ways and nothing magically happens the day after you reach that goal weight... just more of the same... eating the best you can, moving every day and working on the head stuff but we aren't alone (lots of pals on the same road) and there is help for us if we need it. All we have to do it ask. There is no shame in saying, "I thought I had this but I guess I don't, help me" 

Build your team... Dr, therapist, dietitian, support groups, family and friends to help. Obesity is a chronic disease and requires chronic treatment... Dr's get this or at least they should if their degree is worth the paper its written on. I look at obesity like a war... I'm not gonna fight a war alone... I want a team, someone who has my back, snipers, special ops, medics, etc.

Best to you!!



Best laid plans was to make this an on-going blog series. I'll try and do more of them. Of course it's just one post-ops perspective and **we're not one size fits all** but... I hope it helps. Some of the past Q & A's:

Question 1: I'm pre-op and I'm realizing that so many things in my life are centered around food. How do you deal with that after weight loss surgery?
Question 2: Can you drink alcohol after weight loss surgery?
Question 3: 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?

Remember those sliders on Oscar night?

Remember those little Top Hat Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders I made on Oscar night? Chef Wolfgang Puck had a contest and I entered them. I won second place.

My prize arrived today...

Shelly's Top Hat Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders
Follow Me on Instagram
Follow Wolfgang Puck on Instagram
Wolfgang's Book

Indian Take Out At Home

The weather was a little chilly last night and I was wanting something warm and comforting. This was perfect! Protein packed chicken simmered in the combination of Indian spices, coconut almond milk and tomatoes made a rich, creamy sauce. You'll seriously want to slurp every last drop of it. For lovers of Indian take-out this recipe is sort of a modified Chicken Tikka Masala but without the typical high fat and high calorie additions of cream, ghee or butter often found in Indian cuisine. Instead the richness comes from the natural creaminess of almond and coconut. I used Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend which added only 45 calories to the whole recipe. A much healthier choice. This was delicious and will be on regular rotation at my house.

Shelly's Curry Chicken Masala

1/2 Large Yellow Onion, sliced thin
3/4 - 1 lb. Chicken Breast Tenders
2 Tablespoons Spelt Flour
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 1/2 teaspoons Curry Powder, divided use
dash Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
1 (15 oz.) can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro Leaves, Chopped
Olive Oil

Saute onion in a teaspoon of olive oil till slightly golden. Remove from pan and set aside. In a gallon Ziploc bag place spelt flour (any flour will do), garam masala, 1 teaspoon of the curry powder, salt and pepper. Shake to combine.

Place chicken tenders in bag and shake till pieces are completely coated. Saute the chicken in about a Tablespoon of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes on each side.

Add cooked onions, chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut almond milk, cilantro and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, till liquid has reduced by half and thickened about 8 minutes. I served it with a sprinkle more of fresh cilantro.

Cook's Notes: Garam Masala and Curry (curry heat levels vary, I used mild yellow) are Indian spices and should be both easily found at most supermarkets in the spice aisle or online. Both are essential defining flavors, do not omit.

The Unsweetened Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend I used in the dish is a no sugar added blend of Almondmilk & Coconutmilk that's FYI: Lactose, Soy and Gluten Free, Vegan and Kosher and Bonus: it has 50% more calcium than milk. It's great a great option for post- weight loss surgery pals that have lactose intolerance issues.

Great in coffee, tea, to drink on it's own and it makes a great shake too. Keeping with the Indian theme. Here's my version of a Mango Lassi, another typical Indian takeout menu staple...

Shelly's Mango Lassi Protein Shake

1 cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
1/4 cup Frozen Mango Chunks
1 scoop (around 1/4 cup) Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt, plain
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
a few ice cubes

Whiz in blender on high till well blended. Serve with a dash of cardamom on top.

This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze. For the purposes of this post and recipe development Almond Breeze provided me with products used. Thanks for the yummy Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend. Want to learn more about Blue Diamond Almond Breeze LIKE their Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram and tell them The World According to Eggface told you to stop by. Hope you give these recipes a try.

Recipes: All About the Avocado

It was the annual Fallbrook Avocado Festival today. We make the short trek into Fallbrook, CA (the next town over) every year to celebrate the delicious green fruit (berry, if you want to get technical.) Lots of sun, walking and tastes of all things avocado. It's a great day!

There are so many varieties. It's really amazing. I learn something new every year.

Check out this massive, aptly named Queen avocado. Seriously some are as big as an infant's head.

Avocados are higher in fat, it's the good monounsaturated type though and they are full of vitamin E, magnesium and potassium so definitely worthy of incorporating into your meal plans. I always bring a few avocados home from the festival and inspired by the day create something for dinner...

Shelly's Tuna Caprese Stuffed Avocado

1/2 Ripe Avocado
1/2 of a (2.6 oz.) Lemon Pepper Tuna Packet
1 teaspoon Store Bought Pesto Sauce
2-3 Fresh Bocconcini Mozzarella Balls, chopped
2-3 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1 Fresh Basil Leaf, julienned
dash Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients together and fill 1/2 of avocado.

More Favorite Eggface Avocado Recipes...

Shelly's Irish Avocado Dip
Shelly's Citrus Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocado
Shelly's High Protein Avocado Dip
Shelly's Awesome Guacamole & Shrimp Cocktail

Shelly's Mexican Caprese Salad
Shelly's Avocado Deviled Eggs
Shelly's Avocado Tuna Melt
Shelly's Melted Cold Cut Roll-Up

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I took a slice of Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Cake and sauteed it in a pan with small dab of butter. Mmmm when it was golden and toasty on each side I smeared it with a teaspoon of SF Orange Marmalade. Delicious.

Shelly's 5 Minute Lemon Poppy Seed 5 Minute Protein Cake

1 Egg, beaten
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Lemon Pudding Mix, dry
1/2 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
Pinch salt
1 - 2 cup Measuring Cup or Microwave Safe Mug

In a measuring cup or microwave safe mug, Mix egg, milk, syrup and oil and combine thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix pancake mix, protein powder, pudding mix, poppy seeds and salt. Tip dry into wet and stir till combined.

Nuke in microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes. Wattage varies so if the cake is still wet add 20 second increments till it's set. Let it sit for three or so minutes (as it cools it pulls away from the sides) before tipping the cake onto a plate. Yields 4-5 slices. Great smeared with SF jam or almond butter. Toasted or untoasted.

I call these 5 minute cakes because they basically take 5 minutes or so from thinking "I want cake" to "Nomnomnom this is yummy cake."

More Protein Cakes
More Eggface Breakfast Ideas

Lunch: It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I took my bento box lunch outside on the patio to soak up some vitamin D before heading out to run a ton of errands.

Pink Box (top left): Sliced Cheese and a Tomato
Green Box (top right): Blueberries
Blue Box (bottom left): Turkey & Spinach "Wrap" (slice of Turkey wrapped around a bunch of Baby Spinach)
Orange Box (bottom right): a hunk of Premier Protein Honey Caramel Bar

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

Last weekend, I was representing the Obesity Action Coalition down in San Diego. I was gone all Saturday from 4 in the morning and didn't get home till Sunday afternoon. I love sharing the work the OAC is doing and encouraging people to check our their free educational resources, attend the National Convention or join the OAC (FYI not required to receive resources or attend events but at only $20/year it's a great pay it forward) but being away for the weekend did cause my to-do list to back up a bit. I also have a bunch of fun blog posts (and giveaways) to share so don't be surprised to see a bunch in a row. In fact... Do you know about my Pop-Up One Day Instagram Giveaways? Be sure to friend me on Instagram to get in that fun. You might see one pop-up very soon (hint hint!)

Dinner: I love these Path of Life brand bags of frozen quinoa. My favorites are the Kale & Quinoa and the Mediterranean. So convenient and quick either as a side or used as a starter to a casserole like the Cheesy-topped Chicken & Quinoa Bake I made for dinner. For the locals I found them at Sprouts Marketplace. They have a product locator on the website so you can enter in your zip and see where they are in your area.

I prepared the quinoa per instructions: nuke 4 minutes in the bag. How easy is that?! I mixed in some chopped green onion (3 or so, not necessary but I had it) and about a cup of chopped baked chicken I had leftover from the night before, sprinkled a little shredded Italian blend cheese on top (1/4 cup) and baked it 20 minutes until everything was gooey and golden.

It was delicious and packed with protein. Dinner in less than 30 minutes take that Rachael Ray. It would be great with leftover ground beef, steak, salmon, or a vegetarian version with zucchini or roasted peppers and onions. Mmmm.

Snacks: Too much coffee as usual and I had a bunch of apples and 1 very ripe pear that needed using up. I chopped them up with a couple of squirts of Sugar Free Torani Caramel Syrup and a dash of Apple Pie Spice. I cooked them till they were soft but still held their shape (a sort of compote) stir them every once and awhile. Oh yeah I tossed a couple of chopped up dried prunes in the pot too... 'cause you know prunes are helpful ;) I'm keeping it in the fridge in a Tupperware to top yogurt or... what I did as a dessert a scoop of ricotta, a dollop of fruit compote and a sprinkle of that Chai Protein Granola I make. Yum.

More Days in my pouch

Celebrate Earth Day: Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On

Earth Day is next week and in honor of that Premier Protein created an Earth Day Dirt Shake. I had to give it a try. It's delicious. Now it's an old Native American tradition that when you take something from the Earth, you must put something back so I'll add two more Earth Day inspired protein shakes to Premier's pictured below. Happy Earth Day to all creatures great and small.

Premier Protein's Earth Day Dirt Shake

1 (11 oz.) Premier Protein Chocolate Shake (30 g. protein)
1/2 cup Raspberries
1 cup Spinach
4-6 Ice Cubes
Topping: Cocoa Powder and Hemp Seeds

Blend Until Smooth & Enjoy! Top with cocoa powder & hemp seeds, mixed.

Shelly's Roots of the Earth Protein Shake

1 (11 oz.) Premier Protein Vanilla Shake (30 g. protein)
1/4 cup Frozen Carrots
1/4 cup Sweet Potato, Cooked Mashed (or Sweet Potato baby food)
a dash of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Maple Syrup (I used SF)
a few ice cubes

Whiz on high till well blended. I topped it with another dash of cinnamon.

Shelly's Berry Pie Protein Shake

1 (11 oz.) Premier Protein Strawberries & Cream Shake (30 g. protein)
1/2 cup Frozen and/or Fresh Berries (I used Blueberries and Cherries)
a few ice cubes
Optional Topping: a hunk of Premier Protein Honey Caramel 15g. Protein + 7 g. Fiber Bar
No Sugar Added Whipped Cream

Whiz on high till well blended. I topped it with No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream and a hunk of crumbled Premier Protein Bar.

This post is sponsored by Premier Protein. For the purposes of this post Premier Protein provided me with products used. Thanks for the yummy bars and shakes. Want to learn more about Premier Protein products LIKE their Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram and tell them The World According to Eggface told you to stop by. Hope you enjoy the shakes or it inspires you to create an Earth Day shake of your own.

Got Eggs?

Here's a few ideas for using up all those leftover hard cooked Easter eggs...

Shelly's Pizza Deviled Eggs
Shelly's Baked Scotch Eggs
Shelly's BTE Bacon Tomato & Egg Salad
Shelly's Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Eggs

and find even more on my Easter Pinterest Page.

Drum roll...

Thank you to all who entered The World According to Eggface Healthy Happy Easter Giveaway

The random generator has selected:

Joanne E.

joma8142@xxx.xxx

Congratulations Joanne! You are the winner of the latest Eggface Giveaway! You win the Nike Workout Bag (aka Eggface Easter Basket) filled with some of my favorite protein shakes, bars, vitamins, healthy weight loss friendly products and more. You have mail!

Want to learn more about any of the contents of the giveaway above. Click here for more info and sources.

Not a winner this time... no worries another Eggface Giveaway is starting very soon! Follow along on the Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and now Instagram for the latest eggciting announcements!

In fact... hint hint... you might want to watch for one of my 1-day Pop-up Giveaways on Instagram starting very soon.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: A dollop of Greek Yogurt (sweetened with a little SF Vanilla Torani Syrup) Strawberries, and topped with a squirt of No Sugar Added Homemade Chocolate Whipped Cream.

6 Protein Packed Yogurt Parfaits
More Eggface Breakfast Ideas

Lunch: This was one of those "why have I not done this before now?!" meals. It's sort of a Mexican Shepherd's Pie. So good. This will definitely be put on rotation at my house. Cinco de Mayo is coming up this might have to be on the menu instead of the usual Crockpot Carnitas.

Shelly's Individual Tamale Pie

1/4 lb. Ground Beef (or Turkey or Chicken)
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
2 small Zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
a few twists Black Pepper
Salt to taste
2 Green Chili & Cheese Tamales

Saute beef till no pink is seen, drain any fats. Set aside. Saute onion and zucchini till just tender and starting to get a little color. Mix in cooked beef, tomatoes and seasonings. Spoon evenly into 4 ramekins.

If you are using frozen tamales (I used Trader Joe's Green Chili & Cheese, any flavor will do) nuke them per instructions and then mash with a fork. For freshly made skip the nuking and just mash. Form into 4 patties and place like a lid on top of filled ramekins. Bake at 30 for 25 minutes.

You could certainly make these vegetarian or instead of cooking any meat, use up leftovers like grilled or rotisserie chicken.

More Eggface Healthy Mexican Recipes

Dinner: I had a phone meeting then ran some errands... I was going to make a Caprese Salad for dinner but I saw that Burger Lounge had opened (SoCal locations only) and I thought I'd give it a try instead. I had been craving a juicy burger for a few weeks. The choices are great all organic, grass fed meat. They have beef, bison, turkey, and a quinoa & black bean veggie patty. I got the beef, had them wrap it in lettuce instead of a bun, grilled onions, cheese, no sauce.

Mmmm so good. I put a good sized dent in the burger, my mouth wanted more but my rearranged guts said otherwise (ALWAYS listen to the guts.) What I ate was delicious though.

Most any burger joint will do a lettuce wrapped burger on request some are better at wrapping than others. In & Out Burger calls it Protein Style, Five Guys places it on a bed of lettuce so a knife & fork is required, Red Robin, etc. even the fast food places will do it.

Tips for Eating Out Post Weight Loss Surgery

Snacks: Too much coffee and a hunk of a Premier Protein Chocolate Mint Protein + Fiber Bar. I love these... they taste like those little, rectangle Andes Mint Chocolates. They are a great Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie alternative.

More Days in my Pouch

I'm sitting here now planning my Easter menu. I think I'm going to repeat that yummy salmon dish I made the other day. I'm just not feeling ham. It's been pretty warm here and I usually made Split Pea soup with ham leftovers.

If you haven't put your name in the hat for the current giveaway be sure to do that. It ends Sunday at midnight pacific. Winner announced sometime Monday.