Ok, when the weather starts getting warm I want something refreshing!!! The other day I went to the supermarket looking for a sorbet with no sugar and no dairy. I couldn’t find anything. And the containers that said all natural no sugar added well, when you read the ingredients it did have sugar but it called it something else, like juice from cane (well that is sugar cane and I don’t eat it!) So instead I purchased frozen fruit with no sugar added and came home and maid this! I love this recipe! It is a healthy alternative to ice cream. It is far richer and has a more intense flavor than anything you can buy, and yet it's almost all just healthy fruit.
I have used all kinds of fruit combinations in recipe so use your imagination. You can use mangoes, peaches, apricots, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries or a combination of them. Seedy or watery fruits can be used, but it is best to use them mixed with something that has a smoother denser texture, and to use less of them.
Ingredients (makes 6 servings)
• 4 cups prepared fruit, pieces
• 2-4 tablespoons splenda (or to taste)
• ½ small lemon or lime (this is really optional I usually use orange crystal light instead)
Directions
(Your choice, either buy the fruit already prepared and frozen with no sugar added)
Or
1. Prepare the fruit by peeling, if necessary, and cutting it into chunks.
2. Place on a plate or tray covered with plastic wrap.
3. Make sure everything is as spread out as possible.
4. Cover with more plastic wrap.
5. Freeze overnight.
6. Put the fruit in a food processor and process until very finely chopped.
Add the splenda and lemon juice, adjusting either according to the sweetness and acidity levels of the fruit you are working with; if you use pineapple use orange crystal light or water instead of lemon or lime juice and add a little vanilla extract if it seems appropriate.
Feel free to taste the mixture!
• Blend thoroughly, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the food processor regularly.
• This may take up to five minutes.
• Spoon into serving dishes or a covered storage tub and return to the freezer until dessert time.
• Put in the fridge to temper 15 minutes before serving.
If you like you can put this mixture in Popsicle holders and re-freeze and take out when ready to serve as a popsicle. This is great for a baby whom is teething. But make sure he can tolerate the fruit you are giving him.
Enjoy!!!
Some suggested combination
• 1 large mango
• 8-10 apricot
• 2 medium bananas
• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 medium bananas
• 2 cups chopped pineapple
• 1 large mango
• 2 cups strawberries
• 3 cups peaches
• 1 cup raspberries (add them late to retain some texture)
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
9 years out from Weight Loss Surgery and I love my life!!!!
Today I am 9 years out from Weight Loss Surgery! Wow how time flies!!! When I was pre-op I promised myself (like so many others do) I would finally lose the weight and for once in my life keep it off!! With a lot of work and a lifestyle change I have been able to accomplish these goals.
In the 9 years I have heard so many people say, “5 lbs, 10lbs, 20 lbs, 100 lbs gone forever!” And a few years down the road they were eating their word literally! The reason I think this happens is because initially the weight just melts off sometimes without much effort from the individual. And in their euphoria they think, “This is so awesome, I have lost the weight and I will stay like this!” (They think it is so awesome because for the first time in their lives they can eat whatever they want and still lose weight because of the small portions they are eating!) THEY ARE WRONG!!!! Guess what, later you will be able to eat more!!! I know it will come to a surprise to you when you can….however it WILL HAPPEN!!! I remember the first 6 months or so post-op, I could only eat 2 oz 3 times a day….and I felt like I was going to pop!!! Now, I am just like anyone else who has not had the surgery. I can finish an entire meal. I could go to lunch with you and with the amount of food I can eat you would never know I had Gastric Bypass.
So, keeping this in mind…..Use your “Honeymoon” stage as a time to create Healthy Eating and Exercise Habits FOR A LIFETIME!!! (This is not a DIET they are temporary). Otherwise you will be back where you started before WLS (or close to it). Through the years I have seen it so many times! I DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!!!! And if you find after a few years you are falling back into you old habits….STOP….Get back to your healthy habits….IT IS NEVER TO LATE!!!
Beware of who you are getting your advice from, where are they in their WLS journey, are they a newbie? (If so they have no idea what it will be like later…how could they possible know?) Are they successful with “their” journey? Think about it like this….would you chose a personal trainer who didn’t look like one? I know I wouldn’t.
Plan your healthy meals, get your water in, take your vitamins, and exercise at least 4 – 5 times per week (and there are no excuses….for not doing it) You may think, “I’m too busy, I don’t have time, the kids need me, I need to spend more time with my significant other, I’m too tired”. OK, THEN DON’T DO WHAT YOUR SURGEON TELLS YOU TO DO! That’s ok, it is your life and this is your weight loss journey! But ask yourself, “Do you want to be successful?” I know you do!!! Then do what it takes to get where you want to be and stay there!!! It really doesn’t matter which surgery you have….if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do you CAN GAIN WEIGHT BACK!!!! SORRY, THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL!
Weight loss surgery is only a tool to use to lose the weight! How are you using your tool? Where will you be years from now? I hope you will be where you want to be and living life to its fullest and doing all those things you always dreamed of doing!!! Off all the medications, living a happy healthy life!
Here’s to you, living the life you want!! I can tell you from personal experience, the life I am living in this body now is a life I have dreamed about living since I was in middle school!!! I truly cherish it and you would have to drag me kicking and screaming to go back into the 400 lb body I used to live in!!!
Believe in yourself…..You can get where you want to be!!! I believe in you!!!!
Hugs,
Ginger
In the 9 years I have heard so many people say, “5 lbs, 10lbs, 20 lbs, 100 lbs gone forever!” And a few years down the road they were eating their word literally! The reason I think this happens is because initially the weight just melts off sometimes without much effort from the individual. And in their euphoria they think, “This is so awesome, I have lost the weight and I will stay like this!” (They think it is so awesome because for the first time in their lives they can eat whatever they want and still lose weight because of the small portions they are eating!) THEY ARE WRONG!!!! Guess what, later you will be able to eat more!!! I know it will come to a surprise to you when you can….however it WILL HAPPEN!!! I remember the first 6 months or so post-op, I could only eat 2 oz 3 times a day….and I felt like I was going to pop!!! Now, I am just like anyone else who has not had the surgery. I can finish an entire meal. I could go to lunch with you and with the amount of food I can eat you would never know I had Gastric Bypass.
So, keeping this in mind…..Use your “Honeymoon” stage as a time to create Healthy Eating and Exercise Habits FOR A LIFETIME!!! (This is not a DIET they are temporary). Otherwise you will be back where you started before WLS (or close to it). Through the years I have seen it so many times! I DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!!!! And if you find after a few years you are falling back into you old habits….STOP….Get back to your healthy habits….IT IS NEVER TO LATE!!!
Beware of who you are getting your advice from, where are they in their WLS journey, are they a newbie? (If so they have no idea what it will be like later…how could they possible know?) Are they successful with “their” journey? Think about it like this….would you chose a personal trainer who didn’t look like one? I know I wouldn’t.
Plan your healthy meals, get your water in, take your vitamins, and exercise at least 4 – 5 times per week (and there are no excuses….for not doing it) You may think, “I’m too busy, I don’t have time, the kids need me, I need to spend more time with my significant other, I’m too tired”. OK, THEN DON’T DO WHAT YOUR SURGEON TELLS YOU TO DO! That’s ok, it is your life and this is your weight loss journey! But ask yourself, “Do you want to be successful?” I know you do!!! Then do what it takes to get where you want to be and stay there!!! It really doesn’t matter which surgery you have….if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do you CAN GAIN WEIGHT BACK!!!! SORRY, THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL!
Weight loss surgery is only a tool to use to lose the weight! How are you using your tool? Where will you be years from now? I hope you will be where you want to be and living life to its fullest and doing all those things you always dreamed of doing!!! Off all the medications, living a happy healthy life!
Here’s to you, living the life you want!! I can tell you from personal experience, the life I am living in this body now is a life I have dreamed about living since I was in middle school!!! I truly cherish it and you would have to drag me kicking and screaming to go back into the 400 lb body I used to live in!!!
Believe in yourself…..You can get where you want to be!!! I believe in you!!!!
Hugs,
Ginger
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tilapia Stuffed with Crabmeat
Some people think when you eat healthy the food has no flavor and you are not satisfied with what you are eating and you feel deprived. I choose not to eat bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and sugar. The food I put on my table is very tasty and I do not crave the unhealthy things that used to be in my diet.
I have learned I can change a recipe to make it healthier. Once you learn how to do this the sky is really the limit on what you eat. I experiment in the kitchen all the time converting recipes and I urge you to do the same. One of my favorite recipes is fish stuffed with crabmeat or shrimp. I will share a recipe with you that has no breading and is an explosion of flavor in every bite.
Tilapia stuffed with Crabmeat
Ingredients
• 4 large pieces of Tilapia (you can substitute your favorite white fish)
• Crabmeat (found in the seafood department in a can. It is not the imitation crabmeat but the lump crabmeat or the crabmeat from the claw. Using the real crabmeat does make a difference in this recipe).
• 1 jar sun dried tomatoes (drained and patted dry)
• 8 oz Low fat mozzarella cheese
• 2 Slices low fat provolone cheese
• 1 Vidalia onion (Diced)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (Diced)
• 1 bunch of green onion (finely chopped)
• 2 shallots (Diced)
• 5 cloves of fresh garlic (finely minced)
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 2 tbs. Olive Oil
• Fresh Lemon
Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a glass baking dish with Pam and set aside.
In a medium skillet, add the olive oil, and when hot, add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, green onions, shallots and sauté, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain crabmeat and pour into a bowl add the sautéed vegetables and also the mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning, mix together and set aside.
Place 2 pieces of the tilapia in the glass dish that has been sprayed with Pam and season it with salt and black pepper. Divide the crab stuffing evenly among the 2 pieces of tilapia and place the other 2 pieces of tilapia on top. Squeeze half of the lemon over fish and salt and pepper. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the fish is just cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Take out add once slice each of provolone cheese and place back into the oven until cheese melts.
When the fish is done, remove it from the oven and divide each fish into portions and transfer to serving plates and add a slice of lemon on the side. This entre is great with a salad or fresh spinach sautéed in olive oil with fresh garlic.
So, you see you have a very tasty healthy meal without the fillers of bread or bread crumbs. If you would like to cut the calories even more you can use fat free cheese. I hope you enjoy it!
I have learned I can change a recipe to make it healthier. Once you learn how to do this the sky is really the limit on what you eat. I experiment in the kitchen all the time converting recipes and I urge you to do the same. One of my favorite recipes is fish stuffed with crabmeat or shrimp. I will share a recipe with you that has no breading and is an explosion of flavor in every bite.
Tilapia stuffed with Crabmeat
Ingredients
• 4 large pieces of Tilapia (you can substitute your favorite white fish)
• Crabmeat (found in the seafood department in a can. It is not the imitation crabmeat but the lump crabmeat or the crabmeat from the claw. Using the real crabmeat does make a difference in this recipe).
• 1 jar sun dried tomatoes (drained and patted dry)
• 8 oz Low fat mozzarella cheese
• 2 Slices low fat provolone cheese
• 1 Vidalia onion (Diced)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (Diced)
• 1 bunch of green onion (finely chopped)
• 2 shallots (Diced)
• 5 cloves of fresh garlic (finely minced)
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 2 tbs. Olive Oil
• Fresh Lemon
Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a glass baking dish with Pam and set aside.
In a medium skillet, add the olive oil, and when hot, add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, green onions, shallots and sauté, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain crabmeat and pour into a bowl add the sautéed vegetables and also the mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning, mix together and set aside.
Place 2 pieces of the tilapia in the glass dish that has been sprayed with Pam and season it with salt and black pepper. Divide the crab stuffing evenly among the 2 pieces of tilapia and place the other 2 pieces of tilapia on top. Squeeze half of the lemon over fish and salt and pepper. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the fish is just cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Take out add once slice each of provolone cheese and place back into the oven until cheese melts.
When the fish is done, remove it from the oven and divide each fish into portions and transfer to serving plates and add a slice of lemon on the side. This entre is great with a salad or fresh spinach sautéed in olive oil with fresh garlic.
So, you see you have a very tasty healthy meal without the fillers of bread or bread crumbs. If you would like to cut the calories even more you can use fat free cheese. I hope you enjoy it!
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