QOTD 11/7/06

HAPPY ELECTION DAY! I hope each and every one of you will go out and vote today to make our GLBT voice heard! I was the first person to vote in my precinct this morning. Even though I don't know how big of a difference it will make in a conservative state like SC, I still wanted to make sure my voice was heard! Ok so I have been out of pocket for a while and as we enter the Holiday Season I know all of us will be traveling and busy so anyone should feel free to do the QOTD... First come, first post you know! So here is today's question... What is your most creative recipe for either a food or a drink that you either created or discovered as part of your new pre/post op diet??? *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Mine, of course, is a coffee drink... I just can't afford to go to Starbuck's or a coffee shop for a latte' every day. And, especially at this time of year when the air is filled with the smell of pumpkin spice and gingerbread smells, it is hard to order a plain old decaf sugar free vanilla non fat, no foam latte'. I need and deserve variety like everyone else. So I discovered the secret of Celestial Seasonings Tea. They make the Gingerbread Spice Holiday Herbal Tea available in almost any grocery store. I add one of those tea bags to 3/4 a cup of piping hot mild brew decaf coffee and allow it to steap for 4 minutes making sure to stir once or twice and squish the bag for flavor. After removing the tea bag I sweeten and cream to taste with splenda and cream of choice. The coffee has a yummy, Christmas-like flavor that will put you in the holiday mood. The best part is the tea bags are caffiene free and portable. Have a wonderful day!

I love this recipe! The flax help me get in fiber and it provides oils that keep my skin healthier. For a more pancake-like result, omit the cinnamon and bake in muffin-top pans. THen top with butter and sugar-free syrup. KIM'S FLAXMEAL CINNAMON MUFFINS 3 eggs 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil 1/4 cup sugar free syrup, such as Da Vinci or Torani 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup flax meal 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons cinnamon (the amount is correct) In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. With a fork or spoon, beat in oil, syrup, water and vanilla. In small bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients, then stir into egg mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Spoon into 12 well-greased muffin cups (without papers). Bake at 350º 12-15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and seem set to the touch. Remove from tin at once to cooling rack. Store in refrigerator. Makes 12 muffins Can be frozen Per Serving: 85 Calories; 7g Fat; 4g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carbs

Hi all , This may sound weird but, I had been dying to eat a sandwich and of course the bread is so filling that I just can't eat enough to make the sandwich nutritionally worth it. So this is what I cam up with. Ham and Cheese with some low-fat mayonaise a bit of mustard (optional) in the blender. Blend it up until it's spreadable. Then I put that on some low fat crackers. Now it isn't exactly a sandwich but for some reason I can handle crackers better than bread. Ps. add sald & pepper to taste. I know it sounds weird but it tastes pretty good. M.

Hi family, I guess I would have to say that I don't eat bread anymore since surgery so when I make a burger I use the lettuce leaf as my bread to make a sandwhich.

I've been buying romaine hearts and using those leaves like bread. My latest favorite "sandwich" creation is turkey, cheddar cheese, red onion and red pepper strips rolled in a lettuce leaf and dipped in FF/SF honey mustard.

You'd think that editing recipes and cookbooks all day would take its toll on me. But I just concocted a recipe I'm calling "Hot Fat Apple Crisp" and made it. It tastes pretty good, too. You can get the recipe on my blog: www.hotfat4sale.com

CAM..........you are looking terrific!!!! Amazing photographs.... I think that a treat every now and then is important. I love these muffins. It is simplified version of an upside down cake. Plus I modify it so that it is as sugar free and fat free as possible... PINEAPPLE MUFFINS 1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple (sugar free....if possible) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar substitute 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (or substitute... I am prefering butter, though) 10 maraschino cherries (or fresh cherries) 1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin. Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later. Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup. Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.

One of the guys I work with has joined "Body for Life". He gave me a recipe for pancakes that I tried and were pretty good. It consists of 1/2 cup of quick oats, 1 cup cottage cheese, a couple of tablespoons of splenda, 5 egg whites, cinnanmon and vanilla extract. Blend it all up in a blender and fry in a pan like regular pancakes. Top with sugar free syrup. Talk about protein, protein, protein. They taste good too.

EVERYONE, these are awesome recipes!!! Yumm!!! I have loads of new things to try now. And I am looking at the pinapple upside down muffins and the pancakes and wondering if I can use the pancake batter instead of buscuits. I still can't eat those, they are too dense for me. But all of it sounds so scrumptious, yum. You all are the best! Cam