Hi here is a post thread from the grads board that I found really interesting re TSP/TVP. Read on if you want to - there are some great ideas of what to do with it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some of you have noticed mention of TVP or TSP on this board and others. It's Textured Vegetable Protein or Textured Soy Protein. I got it the first time at a health food store and have since found it at Vallarta Market. Great stuff. It's tiny little chunks of protein material that you can substitute for ground meat or just about anything. It doesn't taste like meat so you can also add it to your hot cereal or sprinkle it on your ice cream for that crunchiness. I saw the protein I was getting at Vallarta Market was huge chunks. And since I like it in my malto meal in the morning it's a bit big and chewy for that, even cooked..Like tasteless ground beef in my cereal (blah) and I was looking for a way to make the chunks smaller. Long story short: don't put it in the food processor to make the chunks smaller. Put it in the coffee grinder and it powders so fine a cup of it is now less than a half cup...This will be WONDERFUL in my cereal in the morning. and the protein count and fiber count is pretty good for this stuff. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the hint - I'm going to try that. I've got some sitting in my cupboard and I only use it to bulk up savoury food - like soups, but if I can start using it in new wasy that will be great. I would neer have thought to use a coffee grinder. Have you tried baking it? I was thinking of experimenting with it to try and make a crunchy high protein snack - maybe adding honey, or cheese or somthing and trying to make crunchy balls? Not sure if it will work out though. For now it's definitely going in my cereal, and being sprinkled on what-ever else I can think of.Ruth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ruth... I was gonna try to make my own protein snacks too! (Been too lazy to try it) I just bought some WASA wafers to use as a base and was going to try making a crunchy baked protein bar with my powders and TVP (tiny pieces) and peanut butter! LOL I think it's great to try these things...let us know if you come up with anything! I'm going on 6 days of rain and I really have nothing better to do....I should go try a few crazy recipes! This is the stuff I use...I find it at the nicer grocery stores that have a health food /organic/ type section in the store. More and more stores are catching the health bug! YAY! A ten oz bag of this stuff costs me about $2.25-2.50 a bag! Not expensive at all! https://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdet ails&product_ID=396 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What are WASA wafers? I was also thinking that it could be used as a powder mixed with honey instead of a graham craker base for a dessert? i'm feeling very creative now...Ruth --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I used to get Wasa Wafers in Germany at IKEA or the Werkauf (German Walmart type store or Britain's ASDA) ...then they caught on here....They are incredibly light crackers that look like the size of a full graham cracker...Only they are sooooo light that 3 full wafers are only 60 calories, 0 fat, 13 carbs, 2 fiber, 2 protein... I get the "crisp and light 7 grain" and they taste like crunchy nothingness! LOL But they'd made an awesome base for gooey... protein.... honey... peanutbutter....crunchy...healthy....something or others! I thought for sure you'd have heard of them...They are all over Europe... Here's a website! LOL (I have not life lately! ) LOL http://us.wasa.com/wasa/smpage.fwx?page=506&SMLanguage=US --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK...Honey Crunch 1/2 cup TSP mixed with 2 tablespoons honey. Lay out on a cookie sheet and bake in a hot over for max 10 minutes - turning every so often checking it isn't burning - which it does easily. Leave to cool. This is delicious!!! And VERY filling. Lovely on fruit, or Greek yoghurt (Fage), or just as a snack to dip into. For the whole serving: 345 Calories 50 Protein 35 Carbs 1 fatRuth ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haven't tried baking with it yet but I'm sure you can cuz you can bake with the soy protein powder too. I bet you could sub this stuff ground really fine for just about any sort of flour. I bet the stuff not ground up would make an awesome trail mix with raisins and carob chips (provided you toasted it with some sort of coating and maybe splenda)...Hmmm. Now I have my grey matter working. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trail mix - just what I was thinking. It's amazing what a few great minds together can come up with hehe. If you 'bake' it with honey (like the honey crunch), then it would work great as a base for trail mix. I was going to add in some dried cranberries and raisins maybe chopped dried apricots and some peanuts. Ooh, and some yoghurt coated stuff too --- yummy.Ruth -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I use it in place of oatmeal or bread crumbs in my meatloaf recipe.....Karen --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ooh, good idea - I can use it in my meatballs instead of breadcrumbs Ruth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Really good idea! That and meatballs..I sure hate to put bread crumbs in anything anymore. Also thinking about the sugar free version of the honey in those snack balls...Seems to give me an idea. OR TWO.

1. I have signed up for a 5k (don't quite know what got into me)...so Deanna if your out there...help me! Everything hurts. 2. Started bringing my lunch to work again instead of going out everyday. 3. Didn't throw the scale out of the window this morning...come on how can there be a 4lbs difference in the wrong direction in one day...so I decided the darn thing needs new batteries...must be a mechanical malfunction. Trish

Boca is the brand name and this brand is very good, I've tried a few others and I found them tough to get down my throat. They probably have less protein then a regular burger but also WAY less fat and they fit well into my weigh****chers program. I got to take off (2) paper clips this week and that thrills me to death. The next weigh in is the day after the bar mitzvah, i doubt that'll be a rousing success but i'll hop back on the band wagon and go it from there. ANDI

Thanks Andi, you always seem to post these just when I need them to drag me out of the blues. Yay about being in a size 10 - that's fantastic. Love the comments from the tailor! 1. I have lost 80% of my excess weight and kept that weight off for an extended period of time. The first time I have a) lost that much and b) not gained it all back and more immediately after. I have exceeded the doctors measure of wls beign successful - that being 70-75% of excess weight. 2. I am back to work and so will be resuming my walking/running home again tomorrow. The sun is shining, and even though we've had snow - it has been beautiful. 3. I am being positive about my eating, being accountable and honest. I am planning, and preparing - and WILL make more plans to eat more protein. 4. I can run upstairs

Maybe that's why my body feels like it is craving all the time - it needs more nutrients? I got this Special K sustain cereal (it's actually the only one I can eat without dumping) that has extra protein in it - not sure how much though, it has crunch balls of soya protein...got me thinking today that maybe I could take unflavored TVP and make my own. I like crunch and most protein things aren't crunchy are they. I'm going to experiment with them - roasting in the oven, adding honey/cheese, etc and see what happens. I'll let you know if I come up with any goodies. I am so scared to gain weight that I am getting into being scared to eat. And then I end up snacking. I know it's a vicious circle that I need to break. Yes, I definitely need to get back to protein, protein protein. I've never heard of Boca Burgers - I guess they are just veggie burgers? Do they have more protein in them than meat burgers? I'm going right now to google them.