Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Yesterday’s healthy and delicious menu…

Breakfast: I made a batch of Ricotta Pancakes. It makes 8. Always plenty leftover making tomorrow’s breakfast super easy. They were supposed to be Lemon Poppy Seed but I was all out of poppy seeds so if you have some add some.

Low Carb High Protein WLS weight loss surgery breakfast

Shelly’s Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Lemon Pudding Mix, dry
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix

Mix all ingredients together. I use whole milk ricotta, if you use part skim, drain first. Spray pan with nonstick spray. Spoon a dollop of mixture in pan and pat flat. Cook on low till golden, flip, pat flat, cook till done. Makes 8 pancakes.

Great with a drizzle of warm Sugar Free Orange Marmalade or I topped them with chopped strawberries that had been tossed with a Tablespoon of SF Strawberry Jam, they are delicious just plain though. They can be frozen between slices of wax paper or kept in the fridge a day or 2 and reheated (nuke 25 seconds) for breakfast during the week. Surprising good cold too. I usually eat the leftovers cold, smeared with SF jam or almond butter, wrapped in foil and they become a great breakfast-on-the-go.

More Eggface Pancakes
More Eggface Breakfasts

Lunch: I received the latest Your Weight Matters Magazine (Obesity Action Coalition members get this with membership) in the mail and so I took a break from the day to read a few articles and have lunch. I never thought I’d be a “covergirl” but that’s me… the first chick in the group of four ladies.

The magazine was great (a HUGE article on the Your Weight Matters National Convention and an awesome article on walking meditation) and so was lunch. I made a sort of Ham & Cheese Lettuce Wrap (Low Sodium Ham, Muenster Cheese roll-up wrapped in a piece of curly green leaf lettuce, a slice of tomato and mustard to dip it in.)

5 Things to do with Cold Cuts

Dinner: I make quinoa patties “quinoa burgers” often and always have a cup of cooked quinoa leftover. I usually just toss it on top of a salad or in soup but I was in the mood to experiment yesterday and came up with a great new use. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

Garbanzo Middle Eastern Healthy Recipes Weight Loss Bariatric Food

Shelly’s Baked Chickpea & Quinoa Falafel

1 (15 oz. can) Chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 cup Cooked Red Quinoa
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1 Green Onion, diced
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chives
a few twists of Black Pepper
zest of 1/2 a lemon

Whiz drained chickpeas in a mini food processor till ground, still a little texture. Pour into a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix together till well blended.

Spoon into a 12 cup mini muffin tin that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then 2 minutes on broil to make the tops golden. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

I served them with a dollop of Parmesan Oregano Yogurt Dip for dipping.

3 oz. Greek Yogurt, plain
1 Tablespoon Parmesan, grated
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
Salt to taste
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix till well blended.

These were soooo good. If you love falafel they are very much like those. I loved that they are baked, way healthier than the deep fried versions at Middle Eastern restaurants.Will definitely be making these again and of course we have leftovers for today so I’ll let you know how they reheat.

I was going to make a salad with them but I wasn’t in the mood. They would be great with a salad or soup or a veggie.

Cook’s Note: For savory dishes I cook dry quinoa in broth (1 cup quinoa to 2 cup chicken or mushroom broth, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer till no liquid remains 20-25 minutes, fluff with fork) and allow to cool. Basically it’s the directions on most packages of quinoa but I use broth versus water for added taste. This makes about 3 cups cooked.

More Eggface Bean Recipes Don’t be afraid of the carbs of beans, They are so good for you and umm help things you know keep moving…. with all that awesome fiber.

Snacks: Too much coffee as usual and a coffee protein shake.