Christmas Fun

Lots of Christmas-y fun yesterday. My Mum and I braved the crowds at the mall. We didn't really need anything but it doesn't seem right to not take a little part in the holiday ritual of mass consumerism.

We had fun. We window shopped, people watched, stopped for coffee, laughed a lot. As we were leaving I was going to get a picture with Santa as a sort of joke gift for my Mum but the line was way too long.

I've never taken a picture taken with Santa. When I was little I would stand in line and just as it got to my turn I would refuse to sit on the big guy's lap. No crying or screaming fits, I just refused. His "elves" would of course give me a candy cane anyway. Score. So every year this would repeat until I started calling it "the line to get a candy cane" instead of "the line to see Santa." The parental units were on to my sugary deception. My true goal was revealed. I just wanted free candy. That put an end to that holiday ritual. So no pictures with Santa still to this day.

When we got home we watched a Christmas movie marathon and ate tidbits...

Cucumber Rounds with Salmon Cream Cheese (just smoked salmon and cream cheese mixed together till well combined) and some with Hummus on top, stuff from the olive bar at the supermarket and these super yummy Beef Lettuce Wraps...


Shelly's Beef Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Raspberry Drizzle

Sliced Tri-tip or Flank Steak
Leaves of Boston Lettuce
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Raspberry Jam
1 teaspoon any Fruity Vinegar (Champagne, Apple Cider, Raspberry)
dash or two of Southwest Seasoning (any Cayenne, Cumin, Paprika, Oregano Blend)

Wash and separate lettuce leaves. Arrange some sliced beef (also great with grilled chicken) in each lettuce leave. Nuke jam, vinegar, seasoning for 30 seconds till thin, stir. Makes enough drizzle for 6. Drizzle over each beef & lettuce cup. Eat like tacos.

Soooo good.

Hope everyone is having a great December. Remember... "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." ~Robert Brault

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the Merry CLICKmas Giveaway. All the 411 on the super groovy prize pack and how to enter is HERE.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

My day in post weight loss surgery eating...

Breakfast: I drank this yummy shake (tastes just like Apple Pie) while I packed up my super cool bento for a day away from the house.

Shelly's Apple Pie Protein Shake

8 oz. Soy Milk (or 4 oz milk/4 oz. water)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon No Sugar Added Apple Butter
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Torani Syrup (SF Caramel, SF Brown Sugar Cinnamon, or SF Vanilla would all work)
dash Apple Pie Spice
2-3 Ice Cubes

Whiz in blender till smooth. Top with optional squirt of Homemade, No Sugar Added Whipped Cream, drizzle of Sugar Free Caramel Topping and a dash of apple pie spice.

More Eggface Protein Shakes and Smoothies for Post Weight Loss Surgery

Lunch: One of my favorite salads. It has all the flavors of a California Roll without the pointless white carbs of rice. Sometimes I serve it on a bed of baby spinach.



Pink Box (top left): Shelly's California Roll Salad
Green Box (top right): Manchego Cheese
Blue Box (bottom left): Shelly's Peppermint Espresso Protein Truffles
Orange Box (bottom right): Almonds

More Eggface Bento Box Lunches

Dinner: I spent most of the day making meatballs for an event my friend is catering and the rest of it running errands including standing on a hellacious line at the post office mailing a special surprise to my sister. I can't tell you about it until she gets it but later this week I'll share pictures (I have a matching one.) When I finally got home I was wiped. Here's what I managed to wrangle up...

Shrimp and Imitation Crab Meat Cocktail in my cute Cactus Glasses

and a super yummy Avocado Dip


Shelly's High Protein Avocado Dip

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (I used plain 2%)
1/2 an Avocado
a few twists of Black Pepper
Kosher Salt to taste

Whiz all ingredients in a mini food processor till smooth. This dip is soooo good. You would never know there is cottage cheese in it. I served it with a plate full of cucumber "chips" just some slices of English (Hothouse) Cucumber.

It's also great for dipping meats (moisture is key to eating meat post weight loss surgery) or veggies or use as a high protein salad dressing replacement. Mmmm a dollop of this dip on top of some refried beans and/or ground turkey or beef spiced with taco seasonings would be a great weight loss surgery friendly way to get your Mexican food fix without the big pile of greasy chips or taco shells. You might want to make a double batch, non-ops love it.

Snacks: Stuff out of my bento (above) and a Starbuck's Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce No Whip, No Foam, Soy Latte

Hope everyone is handling the holiday stress and food temptations well. Here's some tips that help me. Remember...

"Don't trade what you want most, for what you want at the moment."

More Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus

Cool New Product Alert: Chicken Burgers

Spotted these Amylu's Sweet Caramelized Onion Chicken Burgers with Red Bell Peppers and Gouda Cheese at Costco the other day and tossed a box in the cart. I love quick & easy protein sources like this because some days (yep even I have them) you just don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

They sounded really yummy but I was leery. I always hate buying a big box of something I've never tried. My problem with frozen chicken products is that they usually taste and have the texture of little sponges but these are great and not spongy at all. I served them with some Cucumber Dill Refrigerator Pickles and sliced avocado. It was a great lunch. The burgers have little flecks of sweet bell pepper, caramelized onion and Gouda cheese. Really yummy.

They are all natural (breast & thigh meat), gluten free, no preservatives, no nitrates, no MSG, zero trans fat.

Nutritional Facts

Serving Size: 1 Burger
Servings Per Container: 10
Calories: 150 Calories from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7.5 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 2 grams
Sugars: 1 gram
Protein: 22 grams

They are fully cooked. Just heat & serve. I pan seared them in a non-stick pan sprayed with Pam for a few minutes on each side. I was worried they would be dry but they were super moist and juicy. According to the box, you can also microwave them or grill them on the BBQ but I thought that might dry them out since they are fully cooked. Moisture is key to successfully eating meats post weight loss surgery.

They came in a box of 10 for $11.99 at Costco. The box contains individual pouches of 2 patties each. Once you open a pouch the burgers need to be used from the fridge within 3 days but you can freeze the pouches for up to 6 months. Just take them down into the fridge the night before you plan on using them.

If you don't have a Costco near you here's where you can email them perhaps they can direct you to a store that carries them near you. They are made by ATK Foods.

Verdict: Yum. Soooo good. They were very juicy and the flavor is great. I will definitely add these to my Pantry Essentials List. Give them a try.

If you are wondering about the Cucumber Dill Refrigerator Pickles those are great too. I've been getting 3 packs of Hothouse Cucumbers at Costco and I always have one sometimes 2 that I need to use before I want to use them. So I make a batch of these... they last at least a week in the fridge and make a great side with burgers, steaks, chicken, cold cut roll-ups.

Shelly's Cucumber Dill Refrigerator Pickles

1 or 2 Hothouse Cucumbers (aka English Cucumbers), sliced very thin
1 (2 oz.) jar Pimentos, drained
1/4 of a White Onion, sliced very thin
1/2 cup any Fruity Vinegar (Champagne, Tarragon, Cider but even plain White will work)
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Apple Juice or Cider
1/2 teaspoon Dried Dill
a dash of Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve drain solids from liquid. Drained they are also great mixed into Greek yogurt (sort of like a Tzatziki Sauce) and served with BBQ'd kabobs.

Drum roll...

Thank you for the wonderful response to The World According to Eggface & Torani Syrup Taste of Torani Holiday Giveaway.

The random generator has selected:

Deanna R.
ddmitsch@xxx.xxx

Congratulations!!! You are the winner of the AWESOME Prize Pack of Torani's Holiday Flavors including a bottle of their latest release Sugar Free Salted Caramel (make that cocoa, ASAP!) Check your email and follow instructions for claiming your prize.

If you weren't the lucky winner this time and still want to try Sugar Free Torani... here's a link to an AWESOME Variety Pack. A great way to introduce yourself to the super yummy world of Sugar Free Torani.

Thank you for playing everyone. I have some very cool giveaways planned all month long! Keep checking back.