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Thank you to all who entered The World According to Eggface Thank You Friends Giveaway! Celebrating Spring and the blog's 30,000+ Facebook friends who help me keep my head in the game.

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Tammy 
btjones84@xxxxx.xxx

Congratulations Tammy! You are the winner of the latest Eggface Giveaway! You win the pink Nike bag filled with some of my favorite weight loss friendly items including more than a month's worth of protein shakes and bars. 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 a Pop-up Eggface Giveaway begins sometime TODAY on Instagram! Be sure to follow along on the Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram for yummy protein packed, low carb, weight loss surgery friendly recipes, latest eggciting news, announcements and giveaways!

Lotsa Love for Leftovers 9 - Fajita Breakfast Casserole

Post weight loss surgery when you eat out in a restaurant it's a given there will be a lot of leftovers or waste. I hate wasting food. Sometimes I have no choice if I'm headed to a movie or I'm too far from home but if I'm heading home right after a meal you better be sure the leftovers are coming home. Those leftovers can be "repurposed" and transformed into a bunch of great meals.

Repurposing: Transforming leftovers into something equally as yummy. The goal is for them to taste & look so completely different you don't realize you are having leftovers.

Ask for a to-go box when you order. I just say, "I'm not terribly hungry and I know I will need a box so can you just bring it with the food." This does two things: it makes the food usable for repurposing for anyone to consume and it solves the problem we have post weight loss surgery of servers asking "Is everything OK?" "Are you sure everything was OK?" when we only eat our small portion. Why is it they always seem to ask questions when I have my mouth full?! Tip... if possible (dining with family or friends who understand) ask your dining partner to answer the servers if they ask questions. Quickly swallowing without enough chews to answer for the third time that everything is GREAT could result in painful misery for a few hours... do yourself a favor and establish a designated talker.

Yesterday, I was jonesing for steak. I went to a local restaurant ordered a Filet Mignon with Grilled Veggies. I boxed half my order right away.

The leftovers were repurposed this morning into this delicious dish. I'm calling it Fajita Breakfast Casserole the yummy star of our Easter Sunday brunch. I served it with veggies and dip.

Shelly's Fajita Breakfast Casserole

6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
2 Green Onions, diced
3 oz.-ish Cooked Leftover Steak, chopped
1/2 cup Cooked Leftover Veggies, chopped
5 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
dash of Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Saute mushrooms till golden. Add onions, leftover steak, and leftover veggies (it was a combo of bell pepper, zucchini, summer squash, and white onion.) Stir till combined. Allow to cool. Beat eggs, add cheese and seasonings. Pour veggie & steak mixture into egg. Stir till well combined.

Pour into 2.2 qt. Pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh salsa and hot sauce.

Shelly's Veggie & Dip Plant Pots

Small Plastic Plant Pots (I found some at the 99 cent store)
Clear Plastic 3 oz. Cups
Veggie Spears: Celery, Carrot, Cucumber, Jicama, whatever you like.
Dip (I used equal parts Spinach Artichoke Hummus and plain Greek yogurt, mixed together)

Wash pots. You can place a piece of plastic wrap in the bottom if they are not made from "food safe" materials. Place small cup filled with dip inside the pot (you may have to raise it up with a slice of cucumber) and place veggie spears all around.

These would be great healthy snacks for kid's to bring to a school party. A nice alternative to the sugar-fest that those usually are. The pots pictured were 99 cents for 4 so not too costly if you have a small class or here's an online source for 50 white ones for $15.

More Eggface Healthy Breakfast Recipes
More Eggface Healthy Snack Ideas

Potluck Recipe Revamp: Cheesy Broccoli No Rice Casserole

A healthier twist on the family friendly, classic comfort food and potluck staple Broccoli Rice Casserole. This is a riceless version using riced cauliflower (I great big puffy heart love this time saving product) and a "secret" spice that takes this to another level and makes this one of my favorite dinner recipes (and the best leftovers for lunch the next day.)

Shelly's Cheesy Broccoli No Rice Casserole

1 Yellow Onion, diced
6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of Cauliflower, riced
12 oz bag Broccoli Cuts, cooked
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 (10.5 oz) can of Condensed Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/4 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese
1 Tablespoon Za'atar
a few twists of Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Crispy Onions
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated
Optional: 1 cup cooked whatever protein (chicken, turkey, beef, sausage, etc.)

Saute yellow onion and mushrooms till golden. Set aside. Cook broccoli (I use those steamer bags of broccoli cuts and then chop them up even more when done) and set aside. Break up the cauliflower into small florets. Pulse the florets a few at a time in a food processor until reduced to the size of rice grains (about 2 cups worth after whizzing) or better yet find some pre-riced (Trader Joe's, Green Giant, make fresh & frozen, either is fine) which is soooo much easier/less clean-up. Place in a saute pan with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, the cauliflower will become slightly golden when it's done.

Add onions and mushrooms back. Add cooked broccoli, soup, celery, seasonings, shredded cheese and stir till well combined. At this point you can add meat if you'd like (I added about 1 cup of cooked chicken cubed. You can add cooked ground beef, turkey or sausage, even leftover steak chopped fine would work) or leave it vegetarian. Pour everything into a Pyrex baking dish. Top with crispy onions (the green bean casserole kind, admittedly not the healthiest but a couple of Tablespoons for the whole dish is acceptable to me I like the crunch factor, you can leave off maybe up the Parmesan then or hmmm might try using some of these cheese "crackers" whizzed up next time) and Parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 till golden.

Trust me on this one... don't leave out the "secret" seasoning Za'atar. It's key. I've got a few yummy recipes using it too. Find Za'atar (aka Zatar, Zahtar) in ethnic aisles of well stocked supermarkets, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, Persian markets, good cooking stores like Williams Sonoma, online, through someplace like Penzey's, or make your own...

Za'atar

1/4 cup Ground Sumac
2 Tablespoons Thyme
1 Tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds
2 Tablespoons Marjoram
2 Tablespoons Oregano
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Grind spices in a coffee grinder. I have a coffee grinder just for spices but if you use your regular one clean it really well before you make coffee or it will be an interested flavor ;) Store in a spice jar for several weeks.

If you choose to seek out the pre-riced cauliflower (now a pantry staple of mine) here's a few I have spotted (and used) all will work with this recipe. The frozen kind will of course just take a few minutes longer. I've seen it at Super Target, Trader Joes, Stater Brothers, Walmart locally.

More Eggface Recipes with Riced Cauliflower:

Shelly's Deconstructed Cauliflower Riceless Sicilian "Rice Balls"
Shelly's Cauliflower Chicken Fried Riceless "Rice"
Shelly's Sicilian Rice-less Rice Stuffing (Cabbaliata)

Eggface Thank You Friends Giveaway

When I started blogging my weight loss surgery journey I could never have imagined that it would allow me to cross life paths with so many awesome people. I truly believe that having all of you as part of my support network and staying active in the community helps "keep my head in the game" so THANK YOU for sharing the road with me and for sharing the blog and my other social media pages with your friends, family, support groups and thank you to the health professionals, surgeons and bariatric practices that share the blog with their patients. I appreciate the kind shout outs. You rock! I noticed my Facebook page went over 30,000 Facebook pals sometime last month and today is the first day of Spring I think those both deserve a fun celebration...

It's Giveaway Time!

The Prize: A Pink Nike Gym Bag - Hit the gym or use it as your carry-on when traveling (hopefully you are making plans to join me in Washington DC this year at #YWM2016.) The bag is jam packed with some of my post weight loss bariatric surgery, health and fitness favorites from some of my favorite companies.

1 - 60 count bottle of Celebrate Vitamins Multicomplete with Iron, Chewable (new Watermelon flavor)
1 - 90 count bottle of Celebrate Vitamins B12, Quickmelt Sublingual (Mint)
1 - 15 serving bag Celebrate Vitamins Protein 20 Protein Powder (Caramel Vanilla Swirl)
2 single serving packets of Celebrate Vitamins ENS 4 in 1 - Multivitamin, Calcium, Fiber, & Protein Shake (Chocolate Milk)
2 single serving packets of Celebrate Vitamins High Protein Meal Replacement (1 each Tomato Soup and Chicken Soup)
4 single serving packets of Chike Nutrition High Protein Iced Coffee (2 each Original and Mocha)
1 jar of Chike Nutrition Chike PB Powdered Peanut Butter (Chocolate Peanut Butter) I love it mixed in Greek yogurt to dip apple slices.
4 boxes of Celebrate Vitamins Essential Protein 2 in 1 Protein & Calcium Bar (1 - 7 bar box of each flavor Crazzberry Crunch, Lemon Crunch, Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch, Caramel Chocolate Crunch)
2 boxes of Premier Protein Protein and Fiber Protein Bars (1 - 6 bar box of each flavor Chocolate Mint and Peanut Butter Caramel)
2 - 150 ml Mini Bottle of Sugar Free Torani Syrup (SF Caramel and SF Vanilla)
28 oz. Black & Green Blender Bottle Shaker
Bonus (see below): The World According to Eggface Reusable Lunch Bag with a Slim Ice Pack

That's more than a month's worth of protein bars, powder, vitamins and other goodies...

How to Enter: LEAVE A COMMENT on this blog posting (be sure to include a name and some email address where I can contact you if you are the winner) Scroll down to # of comments/post a comment below to leave yours. That's it, easy peasy.

Example: Jane Doe jdoe@someemail.com

To qualify for the little bonus prize: (Eggface reusable lunch bag w/ice pack) just follow me on at least 1 of my other social media accounts and let me know in your comments.

Facebook (FYI: Best way to see pages you LIKE on Facebook... select see first in newsfeed or get notifications otherwise you only see about 20% of pages posts)
Instagram (I do pop-up random giveaways on Instagram. Don't miss them)
Pinterest (Oodles of recipes, divided into categories)
Twitter (Current events, news articles about health, weight, fitness, tips, motivation)

Example: Jane Doe jdoe@someemail.com
Following them all!

Enter the @Eggface Thank You Friends #Giveaway https://t.co/tSchhl4Kos Chance to win #health & #weightloss favs! pic.twitter.com/7gsbBbEC5R

— Michelle Vicari (@Eggface) March 20, 2016

Contest Period Ends: Sunday, March 27rd, midnight (Pacific), sometime Monday, March 28th. 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. One comment entry per person. Blog comments are moderated so there may be a slight delay (up to a few hours, especially at night if I'm sleeping Zzzz) in seeing your comment/entry post. Giveaway is open to anyone in the contiguous United States (48 contiguous, AK & HI) (sorry it's a legal issue: International laws govern giveaways)

Happy Spring Friends! Good Luck!

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. Yesterday's healthy and delicious menu...

Breakfast: Cottage Cheese & Spiced Chai Protein Granola. I had an very early AM phone meeting and after I took a walk to the park with my breakfast. The Obesity Action Coalition (I serve on the Board of Directors) offices are on east coast time and since I wake up super early it makes sense for me to schedule meetings early... it's already mid morning there.

Have you checked out the Your Weight Matters National Convention agenda yet? The lineup this year is especially cool. I'm a fangirl of a few of them Scott Kahan and Brian Wansink and Merrill Littleberry has a special hands-on session. I love the theme this year too... "Inspiring Health" because inspired is what I always come away feeling after this event. It's a few days of the year where I recharge my commitment to living the healthiest life I can. I gain inspiration from the education and the support from the other attendees. We become a family of friends and support system by the end of the weekend and those connections and the tools I take away from the sessions and speakers carry me the rest of the year. I highly recommend it.

Shelly's Spiced Chai Protein Granola Crumble

1/4 cup Oatmeal, dry
1/4 cup Big Train Fit Frappe Spiced Chai Protein Powder
1/4 cup chopped Nuts (I used Pecans & Almonds)
1 Tablespoon Almond Butter
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (Torani, Davinci)

Squeeze together with your hands till clumps form. You need to use your hands for this one. Place on a Pam sprayed, foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool. Crumble. Store in an airtight container. Great on cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein ice cream, on it's own as a snack on a walk or hike. 

More Eggface Grab & Go Breakfasts

Lunch: I made a variation of my Chicken Supreme Pizza Saute the other night for dinner. I did everything the same as the original recipe but added some sauteed zucchini (needed using up) put everything in a Pyrex baking dish and baked it for 25 minutes at 350 till the cheese was golden and bubbly. The leftovers were delicious for lunch today.

More Eggface Healthy Italian Recipes

Dinner: Speaking of leftovers I made corned beef and cabbage a few days early. I have a lot on my calendar tomorrow and it just made sense. Today I took the leftover corned beef (about a 1 cup chopped) and made some Egg Bites (mini crustless quiches).

Shelly's Irish Bites

1 cup Cooked Corned Beef, chopped
2 cups Coleslaw Mix (will yield about 1 1/2 cups when cooked)
2-3 Green Onions, chopped fine
1 Tablespoon Mustard, prepared/wet kind
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
2-3 oz. Irish Cheddar, cubed

Preheat oven to 350. Saute coleslaw mix till slightly golden. Set aside to cool. When cool mix all ingredients except cheese) together.

Spoon into a lightly greased (Pam works great) mini muffin tin. Place a small cube of cheese in each bite. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Makes 24.

Deli corned beef slices can be used or this is a great use for repurposing leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day dinner.

More Eggface St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Snacks: Too much coffee and I'm starting to go through all the samples I picked up at the Expo West Convention I went to this past weekend. I had a couple of bites of bars I picked up. I'll let you know a few of my favorites in the coming weeks... maybe I'd do a couple of Friday Five posts and put a few up each time.

I was grateful for the opportunity to check out the event as a member of the press. I was my first time attended and OMG it was HUGE. I was told it was but nothing prepares you for the sheer quantity of exhibits. It takes up 2 hotels and the Anaheim Convention Center. Over 70,000 exhibits... the booths are literally set up like mini stores. I made a real college try at seeing it all. I conserved calories the day before to try and make up for all the samples and tastes. I was pretty choosy... well sort of... I did sample protein bars made out of crickets!?!

My Fitbit buzzed 10,000 steps at about the 1/4 of the day mark. My calves are still screaming and my shoulder is bruised from the bag of samples that got heavier and heavier as the day went on. As if I didn't get enough steps in I also took a turn on the Stonyfield Smoothie Bike.

More Eggface Days in My Pouch

Happy and Healthy St. Patrick's Day

Whether you are Irish, of Irish descent or like me Irish-for-the-day here's a few recipes and ideas to celebrate healthily and get your green on this St. Patrick’s Day...

Shelly's Shamrock Protein Shake
Shelly's Avocado Deviled Eggs
Shelly's Broccoli Fritters with Garlicky Greek Yogurt Dip
Shelly's Ricotta Cheese Pistachio Pancakes
Shelly's Awesome Guacamole & Shrimp Cocktail
Shelly's Irish Avocado Dip
Shelly's Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream
Shelly's Mini Pistachio Protein Muffins

and I had to christen my new Keep Calm and Shamrock On glass (found at JoAnns)

Shelly's Shamrock-on Pistachio Protein Shake

8 oz. Milk (any cow, soy, almond, coconut)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar-Free Pistachio Pudding Mix, dry
a few Ice Cubes
optional: a few drops Green Food Coloring

Whiz in blender on high. I topped mine with No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream and a few nonpareils.

Shelly's Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream

1 cup Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar-Free Torani Syrup (any flavor will do)

Whisk till well combined. Every batch I make a new flavor: SF Vanilla, SF Coconut, SF Almond, if you want pink cream SF Raspberry is great. 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. Great on berries, protein shakes and smoothies, protein cake.

Need more ideas: Make a lettuce wrap, grab a handful of green grapes, make my green bean salad, good ole "ants on a log" celery sticks, cucumbers, grilled zucchini, stuffed peppers or cabbage.

More Eggface St. Patty's Day Ideas

Grasshopper Pie Premier Protein Pudding Jars

These Premier Protein Pudding Jars are the perfect St. Patrick's Day or Welcome Spring dessert. A healthified version of a Grasshopper Pie, a rich, chocolate mint protein bar "crust" topped with a creamy, minty cool protein pudding will have you and any little leprechauns in your life jumping for joy.

Shelly's Grasshopper Pie Premier Protein Pudding Jars

6 - 4 oz. jars (or clear cups)
2 Premier Protein Chocolate Mint Fiber Bars, chopped
2 cups Premier Protein Vanilla Shake (Ready to Drink RTD, chilled)
1 - 1 oz. small package Sugar Free Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (dry)
Optional: 1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup
a few drops of Green Food Coloring

Spoon a layer of chopped protein bar on the bottom of each 4 oz. jar. Set aside while you mix up the protein pudding layer.

Pour the chilled shakes, pudding mix and optional: syrup flavoring and color (I used 6 drops for this gorgeous Spring green) into a shaker bottle. If you choose to add a flavoring put one less Tablespoon of the shake.

Shake for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly and place in fridge for about 5 minutes to thicken further. Spoon the thickened protein pudding on top of the crumbled protein bar base.

You can top with all sorts of things: a squirt of Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream, nuts, berries, crushed sugar free mints... I made 2 with nonpareils, 2 with crumbled Premier Protein Bar and 2 plain.

You can make these a day in advance and just don't put the toppings on till you serve them or better yet put out little bowls of toppings and let everyone create their own delicious masterpiece!

This post is sponsored by Premier Protein. For the purposes of this post Premier Protein provided me with products used. Thanks for the yummy shakes and bars. Want to learn more about Premier Protein products LIKE their Facebook page and tell them The World According to Eggface told you to stop by.

Your Weight Matters National Convention Registration Open

Excited to announce that REGISTRATION IS OPEN for the 2016 Your Weight Matters National Convention. If you have read my blog for awhile you know this is the amazing convention that the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) puts on each year. I never miss it.

For those of you who are not familiar with the event it's an awesome few days of education, experts from all over the country (and world) come to share evidence based education about health and weight, speakers that can turn the science of weight, health, fitness, nutrition, emotional wellness into real world ideas and tools you can use right away in your life to improve your health. It's also a wonderful support network and a super fun weekend. I highly recommend attending.

Check out this year's: AGENDA. I am honored to serve as the chair of the planning committee, so I can tell you first hand the care and thoughtfulness that was taken in designing a weekend that will inspire and educate. Here's my OAC blog entry about the event.

Hope you can join us in Washington DC. August 25-28th.
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
For more info and to register: www.YWMConvention.com

Register early to get in on the early bird contest and pricing.

FYI: I'll be giving a couple of lunch table talks: Friday, 8/26: Holidays and Celebrations: Tips for Staying on Track and Saturday, 8/27: Linking With Others: Finding Your Support System and Tools Online.

Healthy Crunchy Snacks

It's raining. Woo hoo. I've been looking forward to it. I ran all my errands yesterday so I could stay home today and enjoy watching it through the window. It's a perfect day to make a pot of soup and that is the plan. If you are looking for a little healthy, crunchy snack to go with soup or anything else... Here's a few of my favorite ways to get my crunch on post weight loss surgery:

Homemade Crunchy Cheese "Crackers"

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Place cheese on paper about 1/2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden.

Remove from parchment and place on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil (some cheeses are oilier than others.) Cheese "crackers" will crisp completely when cool.

You can make these a day or two ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container. Great with chili, gazpacho or tomato soup, on a salad, as scoopers for chicken or tuna salad, as a snack on there own.

Roasted Chickpeas

Rinse and drain 2 cans of Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans), very well. Toss beans with a Tablespoon (I use a little less even) of olive oil, any will do, I used a basil flavored oil. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt.

Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for approx. 50 minutes, turning them every 15 minutes or so till crunchy and deep golden brown. In the last 5 minutes you can change up the flavor by sprinkling them with spices Za'atar or Curry or Chili Powder, or leave plain.

Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. If they soften, toss on a baking sheet and reheat till crisp again. They won't be around long. Soooo good. These are a great snack to take with you when traveling.

Cucumber Crackers

As scoopers for dips, guacamole, salads (chicken, tuna, crab, salmon, egg salad), as plated appetizers like my Greek Hummus Rounds or turned into little sandwiches... cucumbers are my go-to "cracker" choice. Bonus: you can crunch away because they are super low in calories.

15 Protein Packed and Portable Snacks