071 Christiana's Turkey Chili

Christiana's Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 LB lean ground turkey
• 1 LB lean turkey sausage (optional)
• 2 Cans Chili Beans or Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Navy Beans 
• 4 Cans Tomato Sauce (or 2 Large Cans)
• 1 Pkg Chili Seasoning of your choice
• 1 T. Cumin
• 3 T. Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Open all cans and dump into crock pot without draining. I also rinse all the cans with a very small amount of water (each) and dump that into the pot as well to get all the beans out of the bottom, etc.
2. Mix all seasoning into the crockpot because it will mix best without all the meat in the way
3. Brown meat, drain, and dump into the crockpot. I like to brown my meat because I can never tell when Jimmy is going to try to sneak some out during the day so it's a safety thing plus it gets rid of some of the excess fat.
4. Set crockpot on low heat and cook for 8hrs. Stir occasionally.

Servings: Approx. 15 - 1 cup servings (it could be more but I really can't remember)

I hope you enjoy my chili recipe. It's one of Jimmy's favorites and he can still have it even after his gastric sleeve surgery. I love it because it's simple but very tasty. It also works great with lean hamburger and regular sausage although not quite as healthy. It is really a no fuss dish that you can eat several meals off of or that you can portion out and freeze for later. So it's a Win - Win!

057 A Family Recipe: Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Stage 3 Day 2 Dinner: 1 oz. green beans and 2 oz. of
Grandma's Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Last night I was thrilled to be able to use a recipe that my Grandma Miller taught me when I was in college to make some amazing and juicy baked chicken breast. It was nice on two levels. Number one, I know that I don't have to scratch all the recipes that I have ever used before. Most importantly is Number two. It made me feel good to use a recipe my Grandma taught me--no matter how simple it may be!

Luckily for you there are no secret family ingredients included so I thought that I would share it with you. It's a great recipe to make for anyone who is allowed to have foods which are high in protein and low in fat. Plus the chicken really does stay tender and juicy so it reduces the risk that it will get stuck in the stomach of a bariatric patient and reduces the need for barbecue sauce or ketchup.

Please realize that this recipe is the version I reduced down for Jimmy and I to share because he now eats much less than before. Also in the picture above I have cut the chicken in tiny bite size pieces which aides with his digestion, and has the added benefit of helping him to slow down the pace at which he eats. So anyway...here it is!

Grandma's Recipe for Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast (we shared)
• 1.5 T Light Mayo (approx.)
• Mrs. Dash or other seasoning to taste (Mrs. Dash is great because it is low in salt but high in flavor)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place chicken on baking sheet and evenly cover it with a thin layer of the light Mayo (top side only)
3. Sprinkle enter mayo covering with Mrs. Dash
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken breast is cooked through
5. ENJOY!

051 Hitting the Protein Goal

Over the past couple of weeks we have really been trying to adjust to this whole new way of life and this new diet. Two of the hardest things (related to food) which we have had to face have been #1 burn out on the food that Jimmy is currently allowed to eat and #2 trying to get in Jimmy's daily allotted protein. Thankfully, Jimmy will have more variety in his diet starting on Sunday, December 16th, when he can start his  Stage 3 diet. But what to do about protein?

Let me tell you...the liquid protein shots that he had to drink the first week after the surgery were just plain nasty! So we definitely don't want to go back to those. Some of the whey protein powder drinks leave much to be desired too. So we have been searching the internet, blogs, forums, and support group for some great protein shake recipes.

As Bariatric Foodie put it, "...there is no excuse for drinking a nasty protein shake!" So here are some awesome protein shake recipes that we have either tried or look forward to trying soon.

Berry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
1 Scoop unflavored protein powder
1c. 1% or skim Milk
1/2c. 1% Cottage Cheese
Frozen or Fresh Fruit to Taste

Pumpkin Pie
Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
2 tbsp pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp sugar-free pumpkin pie syrup (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
sweetener to taste

Cinnabon
Milk
1 scoop vanilla whey
1 tbsp Sugar Free, Fat Free cheesecake pudding mix
1 tbsp Sugar Free cinnamon syrup
1 tbsp toasted almond syrup 

Chocolate, Caramel, & Coffee Protein Shake
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
8 oz Decaf Coffee
8 oz 1% Milk
2 tbsp Sugar Free Caramel Creamer


Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake
1 Scoop chocolate protein powder
1c. unsweetened chocolate almond milk (could sub with sugar free vanilla coconut milk)
1 T. natural peanut butter
Sweetener to Taste (optional)
3-5 Ice Cubes