Breakfast: After I ate this delicious, weight loss surgery friendly, super easy breakfast, I packed up my lunch and took off for most of the day with a to-do list a mile long...
Shelly's Strawberry Almond Yogurt Parfait1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (I use plain 2%)
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Almond Torani Syrup
1/4 cup Fresh Strawberries, cut up
a sprinkle of Toasted Sliced Almonds
Mix Yogurt and SF Torani till well combined. Top with berries and nuts.
I sometimes make these Yogurt Parfaits in plastic cups the night before, cover with plastic wrap and that way in the AM when I'm in a rush I can just grab one and go. Don't forget a plastic spoon.
Lunch: I spent the day picking up special order items for a pal who is catering a big event this week. A few of the errands brought me to a town very close to the beach so I brought my super cool bento box and sat for an hour staring at the ocean before heading back home.
Pink Box (top left): Shelly's Roast Beef & Cheese Cucumber "Sandwiches" and Mustard for dippingGreen Box (top right): Leftover chopped Strawberries from breakfast
Blue Box (bottom left): Peanut Butter & Jelly Quest Protein Bar
Orange Box (bottom right): Sliced Tomato and 2 Marinated Mozzarella Balls
More Eggface Bentos
Shelly's Roast Beef & Cheese Cucumber "Sandwiches"Slices of Cucumber
Cold Cuts (I prefer low sodium Boar's Head brand)
Sliced Cheese
1 slice of cheese and meat makes about 4 "sandwiches" you can spear them with a jazzy food pick for parties. For ease of assembly the day of a party (great weight loss friendly appetizers) or for a quickly made lunch during the week pre-cut the cucumbers the night before and place in a Ziploc baggie in fridge.
Aside: My cat Charlie just stepped on my keyboard and sent you all a message. Ready for it... 022222222222222222222222222222222222222 Profound Kitty. Wishing she could pick the winning lottery numbers.
Dinner: I came home and made a casserole. Sunday I had roasted eggplant. Just eggplant cut into cubes 1" or so (skin on), tossed on a baking sheet with kosher salt and olive oil, baked at 425 for 45-50 minutes or so (move them around every 15). It's great to have in the fridge as a cold side dish to cold cut roll-ups or reheated sprinkled with cheese or tossed with marinara and sprinkled with cheese for a sort of Faux Eggplant Parmesan. I used some in this AMAZING casserole that has become a staple post weight loss surgery dinner at my house.
Shelly's Middle Eastern Casserole1 Onion, diced
1/2 pound Ground Beef (or Turkey or Sausage)
1 cup Roasted Eggplant (see above)
1/4 cup Storebought Hummus (any flavor, I like roasted garlic)
1 (15 oz.) can Cannelini Beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 Tablespoon Za'atar, divided use (it's a spice, don't leave out)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
2-3 Tablespoons Feta Cheese, crumbled
Saute onion till golden set aside. Brown meat till no pink is seen. Add back onion and remaining ingredients with the exception of the feta and 1 teaspoon of Za'atar. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring to combine. Spoon into a Pyrex. Top with Feta and a sprinkle of Za'atar. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It's great on it's own like I had it last night or with sliced cucumbers dressed with Greek yogurt and fresh herbs. Leftovers reheat great the next day for lunch.
Find Za'atar (aka Zatar, Zahtar) in ethnic aisles of well stocked super markets, 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.
Snacks: Samples at the "Costco Buffet" a hunk of ham and piece of turkey cold cut, a few of my Frozen Protein Yogurt Drops while I vegged finally in front of the TV watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Sugar Free Vanilla Latte from Bux in my travels.
A very yummy day. Today I've got some casserole leftovers makes for an easy night which is good because right around dinner time is the first of the Obesity Action Coalition's free webinar series (14 part series throughout the 2012/2013 on a variety of obesity related topics)
12 comments:
This cucumber talk kills me. My stomach can take just about anything BUT cucumber. I ate two slices and "SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK, GUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRGGGGGLE, YREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP" for half an hour.
Just a thought for those of us who can trust themsleves with a little bit of carbs. I need fiber to stay, ahem moving and I found these little crackers at Cost Plus called Sommersaults that are high protein. They are made from whole wheat and sunflower seeds. I stick a half serving in my little Bento box.
I want to try cucumber again later because I love it.
Sometimes, no often, there are ingredients in the recipes that I have never heard of before. I wish I knew where to find these mystery things. Unfortunately, I'm the world's worst cook, so this all comes pretty hard for me. So far I've kept it very simple, but would like to branch out. I LOVE the blog. I now own my very own Bento Box and will be getting mini meat loaf and muffin pans soon. Thank you EggFace.
Thank you SO much. I'm only three weeks post surgery, and your beautiful recipes give me so much hope that food will always be fun, and so much incentive to think ahead and cook/prepare. Made the frozen protein pops today, yum! I really appreciate the effort you put into your website/blog. When is your book coming out??????
You can come make my meals for me please! That would be okay! I wouldn't mind a bit!
Hi Shelly! Thanks for OK'ing the use of your bites picture- I make them often and they have been a wonderful addition to my eating plan. Blogging for my employers website is something new and I'm having fun with it and wanted to be sure to give credit where credit is due!
Could you make the pancake bites without the syrup? Wanted to do this, but didn't have this syrup handy without ordering? Or could you suggest a substitute
Thank you :)
***
On the pancake bites... Not really it's the liquid and sweetener... umm you could do a different flavor SF vanilla is usually easy to find in coffee aisles of regular supermarkets and Walmart... or Starbucks sells all the SF flavors too. Ask at counter.
I did your cucumbers as crackers today! Yum!!
Tonight I made the Middle Eastern Casserole - so delicious! Thank you for this blog and for your hard work.
Love the cucumber "sandwiches"! So cool and refreshing...will be even better on a warm spring day...which will be here soon!
I've always had trouble with cucumbers so wouldn't eat them. I mentioned it to an acquaintance and she told me she had the same problem, but someone told her that British cucumbers don't have the same affect as the american ones. I tried them and have been eating cucumbers with no problem since then. They are the long cucumbers wrapped In plastic. They're a bit more expensive but worth it.
Exactly what I was going to post. I live in Texas and they call them English cucumbers. They cost a little more but no stomach problems with them! They have long ridges down the length and are longer and sometimes thinner(thinner is always good, right?) are wrapped in plastic usually right close to the regular cucumbers. Good Luck!
Post a Comment