Chicken Burrito Salad

It is more important than ever for my family to eat healthy.  I have been working almost daily to find winning dishes that satisfy all of the needs and picky taste buds.

Ingredients:
Chicken Burrito Salad:
3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning (I use my own you can find here.)
Green Leaf Lettuce (You can use your favorite lettuce.)
Roma Tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Favorite Salsa

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Juice of One Lime
2 Tbsp. Favorite Salsa


Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and toss into a pan with the olive oil over medium-high heat.  After the chicken starts to cook, add in the taco seasoning.  I don't measure the taco seasoning.  I season to taste.  Stir around the chicken regularly until almost done.  Add in some of your favorite salsa. Cook until chicken is done and most of the water has cooked out of the salsa.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad bed.  I used green leaf lettuce because that is my favorite.  Tear it into bite sized pieces and dice up a tomato.  Add the chicken on top.

For the dressing, stir together all ingredients and pour the desired amount over the chicken and salad.

Protein Pancakes

There are so many versions of protein pancakes out there.  So as usual, I combined a few and made it my own. 

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 scoop of protein powder**
1 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. milk***
oil/spray for the pan

Directions:
Prepare skillet on medium heat.  Mix eggs, protein powder, baking powder, and milk in a bowl.  Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop out the batter onto the skillet.  When the pancake bubbles, flip it.  You can also add other ingredients to the mix, such as fruit or cinnamon.  I made some with blueberries.  You can serve with butter, syrup, jam, or my favorite... cream cheese.

Using this recipe, I get about 5-6 pancakes. 

** The amount of protein powder depends on the type of protein powder you use.  I use Jay Robb.  It is one of the few that do not hurt my stomach, tastes decent, and has the best ingredients.  One serving is one scoop in this kind.  Some protein powders require two scoops.  Use the amount for one serving.

*** You can use water or any type of milk for this.  I use Fairlife Skim Milk.  It is lactose free, high protein, and does not bother my sensitive to milk stomach.  I also use almond milk at times but it is not as high in protein.

Turkey Chili

One of my favorite meals that I have made since weight loss surgery is turkey chili.  I say "I" but really "we" made the chili.  My husband and I both worked on this pot.  I mixed a recipe I found on Baritastic, the weight loss app for people who have had bariatric surgery, and my husband's recipe.  I am going to give you the recipe I used and a note at the end about which things could be switched out if you have different preferences or needs.  Some of my measurements are not exact and can be changed to taste.  I use base measurements and then add as I see fit to work for us.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. ground turkey
3- 5 oz. cans V8
1/2-1 poblano pepper*
1/2-1 onion
4-6 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. cumin
1 heaping Tbsp. chili powder
1 box chopped tomatoes*
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the ground turkey in a skillet.  Mince the onions, garlic, and peppers and add them to the turkey as it is cooking.  Then stir in the cumin and chili powder as well as salt and pepper.  In a pot, pour in the chopped tomatoes.  When the turkey is cooked, pour it into the pot with tomatoes. Then add the V8.  Bring to a simmer for at least 15-30 minutes.  Honestly, the taste was better the next day so let it simmer and sit for as long as possible.  You can even cook an extra batch to freeze for easy lunches.  You can, of course, garnish the chili as you like.  I like a little dollop of sour cream and/or and bit of shredded cheese in mine.  My husband likes crackers and cheese in his.  This chili is the first chili I can eat without any garnish.  That is how good this is.

*Notes: We use poblano peppers because we prefer the taste and spice level.  The original recipes called for bell peppers, but my husband cannot eat them.  You can use the peppers that work for your needs.  We use the boxed "Pomi" brand of tomatoes.  We cannot use canned unless they are canned by me because of my daughter's corn intolerance.  Pomi is corn free.

Here we go again...

I am going to give this ago once again...  If you look through my older posts, you can see that my family has been through a lot of ups and downs.  We have all struggled with health problems.  We are finally starting to get better and I would like to share our stories.

To get started, I have a secret...  Only a few people know but I'm going public now.  I had weight loss surgery.  I am almost three months out and have already lost 46 pounds.  I was at the point where I had exhausted all other options.  I was gaining weight again, no matter what I did.  I struggled with PCOS (I had a partial hysterectomy to get relief from endometriosis, but still have my ovaries), fibromyalgia, a rare foot problem, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and my cholesterol was borderline.  I was less than a hundred pounds overweight but I was having all of these problems.  In fact, I only qualified for the surgery because of the health problems.  When I started the process, I did not qualify based on weight/BMI alone.  I have been fighting this for most of my life, especially since my teenage years.  I am almost 35 and headed for not much longer.  My husband had this surgery four years ago and it was a miracle for him.  He was very supportive and I had to do something.  I felt very selfish as I rarely do anything for myself.  Now that it is done, I wish I had done it sooner.  It was not just for me, but for my family's well-being as well.

Now, my husband and I use a new specific diet as well as keeping mostly corn free for our daughter who has a severe corn intolerance.  Many of my old recipes on the blog do not fit our family's needs now.  Some, however, can be modified to fit.  I have been working on this a lot lately and I would like to share.  Hopefully, I can help others who have been through my struggles and others who have gone through the surgery and struggle with recipes.

Here are some pictures to show my progress so far.  This was a few days ago when I hit the 44 pound mark.  Ignore my face.  I am still struggling with my skin at the moment.  However, my blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are all where they should be again.  I am no longer on any medication.

***Disclaimer: If you have gone through bariatric surgery, always make sure the recipes you use are okay according to your needs and the advice of your doctor/surgeon/dietitian.  I am very careful to follow the advice of my own but everyone is different.  It is important to keep communicating with your doctor/surgeon/dietitian, especially if you have had or will have bariatric surgery.

Homemade Ranch

Hello!  It has been well over a year since I last posted on my blog.  I always have good intentions but my plans just rarely work out properly. I do intend (again) to start posting more, even if it isn't always recipes.  Today however, it is a recipe.  At one time, I had a recipe for homemade dry ranch mix and ranch... After a few years of messing with the recipe, it was all messed up.  So I started over and I am pretty happy with my ranch routine now.  My main concern was that my daughter could try the ranch if she ever wanted.  She still doesn't have the varied diet I would like but she is healthy and now and then I can get her to try something.  So most things in our house are made corn free and safe for her.  Many recipes for homemade ranch include ingredients such as mayonnaise or pre-bottled/bagged mixes. My daughter can have none of these.  So I looked through many recipes and came up with a mix that worked for us and I actually enjoy.  There are options and I will list them in the ingredients.  As I have said before, I don't measure exactly so measurements are approximate and easy to change to taste.  Also, many people will complain about the use of powders such as garlic powder and onion powder... If this doesn't suit you, by all means, use fresh.  However, we have to do a LOT of cooking from scratch so we do take short cuts when we can safely.  Not all powders are safe, but there are a few manufacturers who have made many great changes in the ingredients they use. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
squeeze of lemon juice
1 Tbsp. onion powder/dried chives or small bunch fresh chives
1 Tbsp. dried parsley or small bunch fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1 fresh clove garlic
1/4 tsp. paprika (a little goes a long way)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
extra sour cream and milk to adjust thickness

Directions:
Start by pouring the milk, sour cream, and lemon juice in a mason jar.  I usually use pint size and make fresh regularly.  This doesn't last more than a week or so and this is really easy and quick to make. Add in the rest of the dry/fresh ingredients, secure the lid, and shake up the mix.  When the ranch is all mixed, add more sour cream and/or milk to adjust thickness to your preference.  I know that I like the ranch thicker or thinner depending on what I am eating or dipping.  Keep shaking to mix when ingredients are adjusted or added. 

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken

I tried a new recipe this week.  It was a win after a few modifications.  I made slow cooker garlic chicken and paired it with couscous and green beans.  Green beans are our favorite vegetable around here.  This was the first time I tried couscous.  It wasn't too bad but a little goes a long way.  I also cooked it a little differently than the package directed.  I don't like my pasta or rice to bite back.  I found this recipe here, but I modified it quite a bit for our family needs and personal tastes.  I am including two recipes.  One is for the garlic chicken and one is for the couscous.

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken 

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Tbsp. favorite cooking oil
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup flour
salt and pepper

Directions:
-In the bottom of the slow cooker, add oil, thyme, onion and garlic.  Take the chicken breasts and roll in the mixture at the bottom of the cooker.  Add salt and pepper.  Lay chicken in a layer in the bottom of the cooker.
-In a bowl, whisk/blend together chicken stock and flour.  Make sure to mix until smooth with no clumps.  Pour the mixture on top of the chicken in the slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  We always shred our chicken up when it is done but you can keep it whole if you would like.


Couscous 

Ingredients:
1 cup dry couscous
2 cups water
salt

Directions:
Bring water and salt to a boil.  Add couscous to boiling water while constantly stirring.  This process will only take a couple of minutes and the couscous is done.  As soon as the water is soaked up, remove from heat.  Stir and fluff with a fork (much like rice) right before serving.


We made this into 4 meals but it was WAY too much and there was a lot of waste.  None of us could eat an entire serving.  Next time, I will be dividing it into 6-8 meals.  It is great leftover!

Banana Pancakes and Blueberry Mash

I made this recipe for breakfast hoping that my daughter would try something different.  She is still very afraid of different foods and has latched onto about 4 foods she will eat.  She is also a child who will starve herself until she is very sick.  We've been there, done that.  She obviously takes after me because she is INCREDIBLY stubborn.  I, being her worrisome mom, am very worried about her health at this point.  She is almost seven and is still very afraid of expanding her food choices.  I still get very angry at her previous doctors when I think about it.  She did not eat this either though, despite my pleading, manipulating, and yummy noises.

My husband, however, did eat some.  He normally hates pancakes but loves waffles.  He says, next time, I should pour it into the waffle iron. I will consider that a win!

I did not pull this recipe from anywhere in particular.  I looked through a lot of recipes, posts, and blogs and this recipe, and small variations thereof, is fairly popular.

Pancakes:

Ingredients:
3 bananas
4 eggs
cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
Mash or blend bananas.  (I used my Ninja blender.  It's awesome!  If you don't have one, you should check them out.)  Then, mix in the eggs.  It should be looking a bit like a batter now.  Sprinkle in cinnamon to taste or personal preference. Spoon into heated pan or griddle and flip as needed.  My griddle was otherwise occupied so I used a pan on my stove.  Cook low and slow...

HINT: Make the pancakes smaller.  I learned very quickly that this type of pancake cooks much easier and more even if you make them smaller.

Blueberry Mash

Ingredients:
Blueberries
Sugar (optional)

Directions:
In blender, blend up the blueberries.  Add sugar to taste, if desired.  Spoon over pancakes.  I prefer something like this instead of syrup.