Birthday?

Hi everyone, At work, we celebrate everyone's birthday with a sugar-filled cake (usually ice cream, I started this a couple years ago). We all file into the conference room, sing Happy Birthday stand around all uncomfortable like, and everyone but me eats the cake. This doesn't bother me, even though I have to turn down cake three and four times for people to get it. "Are you sure you can't have just a little?", etc. I told them that sugar free ice cream makes me sick, and they leave me alone. However, my OWN birthday is coming up in two weeks. I have made it clear that I can't have cake, but that doesn't mean that everyone else can't. (there are three birthdays on my birthday too (for all you astrologers out there, it has to show some sort of hiring trend. In fact there used to be FOUR until the vice president cashed in his stock and ran away to Florida.) Anyhow, of the three of us, one guy always takes the day off, and the other is IT and generally isn't there unless one of us breaks something. He does show up for his cake, but doesn't expect it. That leaves me. I've been asked what I wanted, and I jokingly said a salad. Well the idiot who takes care of the birthday celebrations has taken me seriously, even though I flat out told her that I was kidding . She keeps talking about having salad on the 20th. Anyhow, my real question is: Does anyone know of a dessert-like food that would substitute in this situation? Something high in protein? I would love to show the rest of the office how I eat every day. I can find sugar free cake recipes and the like, but the word "cake" kind of scares me to begin with. Thanks for any help you can give, Julie PS: NO JELLO. If all else fails, I'll ask for sugar free popsicles. I love those things.

Someone told me that Dairy Queen has a LF ice cream bar - maybe they could make an ice cream cake from their LF variety ice-cream. Sorry unsure if Dairy Queen is in the US. But a LF ice cream or frozen yogurt could work - if someone is inventive they could form it into a cake and even top with LF whipped cream???? Just a thought. I'm going through something similar - no one at my work knows and I have two lunches next week - I'm scared to death cause I haven't eaten out much and have no idea what to have. I just see ordering a normal lunch meal taking 3-4 bites than not eating anything else - people are going to think I'm a freak. Never mind if god forbid I get sick.....Know what I mean. Good luck. When's you b-day by the way - mines the 19th Carolyn

Thanks for the suggestion. We DO have DQs here, but they're few and far between. I'll take a look into it. Happy birthday to you too! It's cool -- we had surgery the same day and your birthday is the 19th, mine is the 20th. Are you going out to eat? I went out for the first time to a real restaurant on Tuesday. It was Chili's and I got an order of fajitas (chicken and shrimp, mmm protein). I've been eating them for lunch every day since, and I still have some left over for today's lunch. Maybe you could do something similar. I am surprised no one at your office knows about your surgery. I work in such a small office, that if I hadn't gone right in and told them what was up, they definitely would have known when I came back from a two week "vacation" eating pureed food! Just make sure what you order is high in protein, eat what you're supposed to, and take the rest with you. If anyone asks, you "don't feel well" or something. Or tell em you're on a diet. Julie

Does the NO JELLO caviot include jello pudding? I just got a recipe on the main message board that sounds good. SF chocolate pudding unflavored protein powder skim milk SF cool whip 100 calorie packs of oreos Make the pudding with the protein powder and pour it in a pyrex pan to set. Crumble low cal oreos (or any other SF cookie that you like) on top. Spread SF cool whip on top and refrigerate overnight so it is nice and cold. An hour before serving, put in freezer. It makes a sweet, creamy-crunchy pie like thing. You can also put crushed pecans on the very bottom before the pudding for extra protein and more crunch.

No, pudding is okay. I just got turned WAY off of jello when it was all I had to eat in the hospital, and pretty much all I had to eat leading up to the hospital. I haven't eaten it since (and really, I didn't eat that much of it IN the hospital either). That sounds like a great recipe. I'll have to try it. Thanks! Julie