My Chili is a little different every time as it depends what I have on hand. This makes a large pot of chili, for smaller or half a crock pot use 1 lb ground meat 1 pepper, and leave out salsa, passata and chick peas.

 

2 lbs Ground Beef ( you could use ground pork, or turkey or chicken or a mixture)1 lg Onion diced

2 stalks Celery sliced

1 Green Pepper diced

1 Orange or Red Pepper diced

2 Cloves Garlic minced

1 28oz can Diced Tomatoes (no added salt)1 can Red or White Kidney Beans drained and rinsed

1 can mushrooms sliced or P&S drained and rinsed

1 can Chick Peas drained and rinsed

1/2 bottle Passata (optional strained tomato puree, comes in a glass jar usually found with Pasta Sauce, you could use crushed tomatoes as well))

1 jar Mild Salsa

 

Spices are to taste and just estimates

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4Black Pepper

2 tbsp+ Ground Cumin

2 Tbsp + Chili Powder

 

Brown beef and onions and drain off or rinse. Combine all the rest of ingredients in crock pot. I cook on high until it starts to boil ( 2 hours) then turn to low (6 hours) o until you are ready to eat and veggies are tender. I do several taste tests and add more spice. I always serve the chili with sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt (cools the palate if it is too spicy) and shredded cheddar cheese on top.

 

From Weight |Loss Surgery for Dummies Cook book

Crustless Seafood Quiche

Seafood is good, but when it’s part of a quiche, it’s even better. Though egg substitute
can be used in many recipes, it’s not a good option here because egg yolks are needed
to bind the quiche.

Stage: Regular foods
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (1⁄2 cup each)
4 large eggs, whisked
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
4 ounces crabmeat, canned or fresh
4 ounces cooked bay shrimp
6 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-x-8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2 In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, ricotta, Parmesan, onion powder,
and nutmeg and whisk for 2 minutes or until smooth.

3 In a small mixing bowl, combine jack cheese, crab, shrimp, mushrooms, green onions,
and lemon juice and mix well.

4 Spread seafood mixture evenly into the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the seafood
mixture.

5 Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center
comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Vary It! Shredded cooked chicken can be substituted for seafood.

Per serving: Calories 273 (From Fat 128); Fat 14g (Saturated 8g); Cholesterol 234mg; Sodium 418mg; Carbohydrate
9g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 25g; Sugar 4g.

Recipe credit to  Formerfatdudes.com

 

Homemade Protein Bars

The Dry Stuff
1 cup rolled oats (anything but instant)
1 cup cooked quinoa (or a second cup of oats)
1-1/2 cups protein powder (unflavored or vanilla)
1/4 cup ground flax seed

The Wet Stuff
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Splenda or other sweetener
2 eggs

Other Stuff
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray.

Mix the dry stuff together in medium bowl.

Mix the wet stuff together in a larger bowl.

Dump the dry stuff in to the wet stuff and mix well. Fold in your nuts and fruit.

Pour in to baking pan, bake about 18-20 minutes.

Makes 12 bars. Store in fridge, or freeze and take out about 4-5 hours before eating.

Variations! It's all about the variety.
I use an unflavored, unsweetened protein powder. If you use a pre-sweetened (vanilla, chocolate or whatever you like!) you may want to eliminate the extra sweetener... unless you want it a bit on the sweet side.

Instead of peanut butter, I've used walnut butter and sunflower seed butter that I've made. I've also used peanut butter powder in which case you need to add some water per the powder instructions, and maybe a bit of oil to keep them from being too dry.

On the nuts and fruits, go with what you have or what you're in the mood for. Also try adding some other extras like SF chocolate chips or some shredded coconut (would be good with dates I bet!).

Also, instead of bars, try spooning out 1/4 cup portions and flatten in to rounds, it will make a sort of cookie. If you do this, you'll only need to bake them about 8-12 minutes.

That's it! Try it out and leave a comment with your favorite variations.

 

From Chatelaine Magazine

Ingredients

• 500 g turkey sausages, about 5, casings removed
• 1  small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno or poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 900 mL carton low-sodium chicken broth
• 540 mL can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups packed chopped kale
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Instructions

• Heat a large pot over medium. Add sausages. Using a fork to break up meat, cook, stirring often, until no pink remains, 4 to 5 min. Stir in onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder and tomato paste. Coo****il onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 min.
• Add broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Add beans and kale. Cook, stirring occasionally. until kale is cooked, about 5 more min. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice just before serving.

  Substitution Tip:

  Use chicken or Italian sausages instead of turkey.

  Nutrition (per Serving)

  calories 274 

  protein 28 g

  carbohydrates 22 g

  fat 9 g

  fibre 7 g

  sodium 1312 mg

•  

Adapted from Low Carb Crock

Low Carb Beef Stroganofff

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds of Beef Stewing meat
1/2 cup of beef broth
1/2 teaspoon of marjoram
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
3 cups of fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of cider vinegar
2 large cloves of minced garlic

Sour Cream (1/3 of a cup to 1 cup - depending on your tastes)

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients except sour cream in slow cooker and cook on low until the beef is tender  6-8 hours.
Stir in sour cream and serve

May serve over egg noodles or rice, but my preference is over Cauliflower Rice...

1 head Cauliflower
   Grate the cauliflower hand-held grater.

 Microwave it in a tightly covered dish for 1 minute at a time (do not add water)  just until tender but not mushy.
 

 

From skinnytaste.com

Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Part-skim mozzarella sticks coated with crispy seasoned breadcrumbs and baked until hot and golden. Serve them with my quick marinara sauce and you have yourself an appetizer everyone will love.

Hot mozzarella sticks, I can't think of a more popular finger food with both kids and adults alike! I mean, what's not to like? Baking them as opposed to frying and using part skim cheese doesn't effect how good these are. The cheese still melts, see for yourself!

Of course, you'll want to serve them hot right out of the oven, because like any cheese, as they cool they harden.

It actually took me several attempts to get these perfect. I played around with different brands of light string cheese to see which yielded the best results. The winner was Sargento part-skim, low-sodium. Although it's not the cheese with the least amount of fat compared to some other brands, it had the best flavor and wasn't as salty as I found some brands to be.

These are freezer friendly, in fact these MUST be frozen before you bake them or you will have one big cheesy mess in your oven! The good news is you can bread them all ahead of time then place them on tray with wax paper and freeze them until you are ready to bake. Make the marinara sauce a day ahead as well. Happy Superbowl Sunday!!

Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 2 pieces • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 2 pts*
Calories: 86.8* • Fat: 4.8 g • Protein: 7.4 g • Carb: 3.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Sugar: 0.2
Sodium: 168.6

Ingredients:

• 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp flour
• 5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp panko crumbs
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• olive oil cooking spray (I used my misto)

Directions:

Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.

In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs. Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Makes 24 pieces.

* There will be extra crumbs and flour after breading, I've deducted them from the nutritional info.

From WLS Surgery Center
 

Cannellini  Bean and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
2 carrots, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans (14 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic, thyme, and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in broth, undrained tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Mash half the beans with a fork. Add all the beans to the pot. Heat through and serve.

 

Makes: 6 servings

Nutrition facts per serving: 164 calories, 11g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 4g fat (1g saturated), 9g fiber

From allrecipes.com
 

Omelet in a Bag

Rated: Submitted By: maryann Photo By: WannaBeChef Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 13 Minutes Ready In: 28 Minutes Servings: 1

"Great for holidays when there are picky eaters in the crowd. Can make as many as needed or just one if you like. Got this from an internet friend. Good served with fruit and coffee cake." Ingredients:

2 eggs 2 slices ham, chopped (optional) 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1 tablespoon chopped onion (optional) 1 tablespoon chopped green bell pepper

(optional) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato (optional) 1 tablespoon chunky salsa (optional) 2 fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Directions:

1.	Crack the eggs into a large resealable freezer bag. Press out most of the air, and seal. Shake or squeeze to beat the eggs. Open the bag, and add the ham, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, salsa, and mushrooms. Squeeze out as much of the air as you can, and seal the bag.
2.	Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place up to 8 bags at a time into the boiling water. Cook for exactly 13 minutes. Open the bag, and let the omelet roll out onto a plate. The omelet should roll out easily.

 

Berrycotta Pancakes from Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies
 

Yup, you can still eat pancakes. These pancakes are made with whole-wheat flour for
some added fiber and ricotta cheese to give you a protein boost to start your day. If you
have any extra, these pancakes freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave for a
quick breakfast on another day. Regular syrup has loads of sugar, so serve these pancakes
with sugar-free syrup or a dollop of 100 percent fruit preserves.
Stage: Soft foods
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (2 pancakes each)
3⁄4 cup whole-wheat flour
3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
3⁄4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1⁄2 cup orange juice
1⁄3 cup nonfat milk
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 In a bowl, combine both flours with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In
another bowl, whisk together the butter, ricotta cheese, egg, orange juice, milk, and
vanilla.
2 Combine and stir the wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Gently stir in the
blueberries.
3 Spray a skillet or griddle with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
Spoon a small amount of batter onto the hot skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or
until browned on the underside, then flip the pancake. Coo****il golden brown.
Vary It! Substitute the blueberries with diced apples or peaches.
Per serving: Calories 229 (From Fat 69); Fat 8g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 56mg; Sodium 272mg; Carbohydrate
32g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 9g; Sugar 8g.

Bob's Chicken Casserole

Preheat oven to 350*

Serves 3-4

 

I zucchini sliced thin

1 yellow squash sliced thin

1 sweet onion chopped

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 chopped cooked chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper and garlic

1 cup Cheddar cheese grated

Parmesan cheese

Layer in greased casserole dish alternating rounds of zucchini, squash, chicken, cheddar x 3 layers ar more depending on your dish size

Top with stewed tomatoes, sprinkle with parmesan.

Baked covered at 350 for 1 hour till bubbly and browned.