Teriyaki Burgers

Well, things in our world are very crazy right now.  Big changes have happened for our little family at the same time and things have not gone as planned at all.  My husband and I have both found ourselves without our regular jobs during this COVID-19 craziness.  I really don't have another word for the current situation. I am still working but inconsistently.  My husband is not working at all.  Tough times...

However, I am lucky enough to have a decently stocked kitchen since I am normally a bit of a "prepper" when it comes to the freezer and pantry.  With the changes I have had since surgery, I am still working hard to be healthy and continue to lose some weight.  I have now lost 97 pounds, over 50 inches, and 5-6 sizes depending on the fit of the clothes.  I am no longer on the obesity charts, no longer prediabetic, no longer have high blood pressure, and no longer in plus size clothing.  Some think that surgery is the easy way out, but it is not.  I have still had to do a lot of work and after years of medical issues, it was truly a life saver.

I made this burgers with ground turkey.  However, in the future, I believe I will use other meat such as pork or bison.  I just don't care for the texture of ground turkey.  You could also put these on a bun like a burger but we did not.  I am very careful with carbs and usually prefer to get better carbs from other sources. 

Friends often ask if they can leave something out...  Of course you can.  Some things need a substitution but some don't.  If you don't like onions, leave them out and add flavor with something else... more garlic and ginger perhaps.  If you don't like ginger, leave it out. If you don't like ground turkey, use pork, chicken, bison, or whatever is your favorite ground meat.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey (or any lean meat)
1/4 cup scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce but I don't do soy)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 small chopped onion
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Directions:
Combine turkey, scallions, garlic, ginger, and pepper in a bowl.  Divide mixture into patties.  If you are putting this on a bun, make 4 patties.  If not, you can make the patties smaller if you like.  Spray the bottom of a skillet with the olive oil. Cook the burgers until cooked through on medium/medium-high heat.  Remove burgers from pan.  You can keep the burgers in the oven to stay warm or tent with foil.  Pour chicken stock, coconut aminos, vinegar, and onions to the hot pan.  Simmer until onions are soft.  Stir in sesame oil and serve over the burger patties.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not everything can be healthy.  During the holidays, I still ate some cookies, I was just very careful about how many I ate.  These cookies were a winner.  They were so good that J wants me to make some without chocolate chips next time.  (He doesn't like chocolate much.)  I used the recipe from BakerByNature and made a few edits to go with my own tastes.  But I must give credit where it is due because this is the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. 

Ingredients:
14 Tbsp. salted butter
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup 2Tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

(The chocolate chips is where I varied the recipe.  I prefer less chocolate and made my own mix of flavors. The original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.)

Directions:
Place the butter in a small sauce pan on medium-high heat.  Stir constantly until butter is melted and just starting to brown.  Scrape butter into a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator until butter is room temperature. 
After butter is back to room temperature, preheat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  In the stand mixer bowl, add the brown butter and all sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg.  Slowly fold in the flour mixture.  I still used the stand mixer for this but added it in slowly.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Roll the dough into desired size balls, I used 1-2 tablespoon size but I didn't measure.  I just did what felt and looked right.  Place the dough balls on the parchment paper leaving about 2 inches between each ball for spreading.  Back each baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.  The cookies should be golden at the edges but still soft in the center.  Let cookies cool a bit before transferring.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

I will start by saying, I am not a fan of fish.  I am not a fan of any seafood for that matter.  However, I do experiment now and then with certain fish.  Tilapia is one I like when it is done right.  Most recipes though, include things like bread crumbs, flour, corn meal, etc.  All of these add a lot of carbs.  I remembered that I used to order pecan-crusted chicken salad at a restaurant which we no longer have locally.  So, I thought I would try it myself.  This went over very well with me and J.  I would like to play around a bit more with the crust to make it stick a little better, but it was good whether I perfect that part or not.

Ingredients:
2-3 tilapia fillets (if you need more, double the recipe)
2 large eggs (If you would like to cut down on some fat, you can use egg whites)
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup ground pecans (I used a spice grinder)
1/2 cup chopped/crushed pecans (I used a mallet and a plastic zip bag)
salt and pepper
season salt
lemon juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
lemon wedges (optional)
Olive oil spray

Directions:
Preheat the broiler to high.  In a shallow dish, mix the eggs or add egg whites.  In another shallow dish, combine pecans, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle each fillet with season salt, then dip each in egg, and cover with the pecan mixture.  Then place them on a broiler pan coated with olive oil spray.  Broil each side for 5-6 minutes, or until done. 
Mix together the mayo and lemon juice.  Feel free to sprinkle some lemon juice on top of the fish fillets as well.  If you like, you could add some dill or pickle juice to the mayo sauce.  We don't like dill or pickle juice but many people like that taste with fish.

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.