Aaron James is now 1 yr old!

My little monkey boy turned 1 yr old on the 13th, but we had his party today.

This is the Spiderman cake that Aunty Jammie made just for him.

Aaron wouldn't make the big mess that we were hoping for! Granny had to dig his hand in the cake for him.

Before and After Photo's

So, my son took the new picture of me today. As of Monday I am down 147 pounds.
He now says that I have chicken legs. LOL
I still have a few more to lose, but, until I look at these pics side by side, I don't really see it. I guess I still have the fat brain.

Almost Sugar Free Chocolate "Dream" Dessert

I had to make those boys dessert to go with dinner last night, so this is what I conjured up. It is not totally sugar free as I did not have anything but dream whip on hand. But, it is not high in sugar.
It is basically a Dream Pie, I used a dream whip recipe as a basis.

It isn't the prettiest dessert that I have ever made, but it is the taste that counts, right? I got no complaints from my taste testers.

How to make your sugar free cookie crust: (recipe courtesy of bariatriceating.com)

One package chocolate sugar free cookies (example: Murrays)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Crush cookies in a sealed bag using a rolling pin, wine bottle, or heavy saucepan. Pour into a bowl, and add two tablespoons of melted butter. Use real butter as margarine spreads contain water and make a mushy crust while we want firm and crunchy. Mix crumbs until evenly moistened and firmly press into a glass or metal pie plate. Use the bottom of a small measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly and evenly on the bottom and up the sides. (I save aluminum pie pans to reuse. Hey, its my frugal side!)
Makes 1 pie crust.

Dessert Filling:
2 boxes sugar free chocolate fudge pudding mix (Jello)
2 envelopes whipped topping mix (Dream Whip)
2-3/4 cups cold skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (can be omitted, but I felt better about having a piece with it in there. I also skipped the crust on my portion and just had the filling. My life as a bariatric patient,,,,LOL)

I just put it all in the blender, mixed it up and poured into the shell.
Refrigerated for about 4 hours and topped with sugar free dessert topping. (Sugar Free Cool Whip)

Chicken & Black Beans

I got this recipe from bariatriceating.com. I just added a few of my own touches for a healthy throw together meal for myself and two of my son's tonight.

It got a thumbs up from them.

Chicken & Black Beans

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup Salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Splenda
One 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded cheese, sour cream, olives

In a large saucepan, sauté the chicken, onion, and garlic in the olive oil until chicken is cooked through. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Serve with cheese and sour cream, and sliced olives. (For your family, roll up in flour tortillas and top with cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is bubbly. Add a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle with diced tomatoes or avocados.)

Makes 6 servings. (bariatric patient servings not men with healthy appetite servings! I doubled the recipe for them)
Per Serving: Calories 164; Protein 13 g; Fat 6 g; Carbs 11 g; Sugar 1 g; Sodium 265 mg

I added 2 cups of instant brown rice to the mix and did not drain the tomatoes. I just let the rice cook in the juices. I also used a hot salsa to give it more flavor.

The rice is not included in the stats above. I was just trying to make it more filling for my boys!

Spicy Brown Mustard Chicken Tenders

I once saw a recipe for spicy brown mustard coated chicken breasts.
Of course when I went to find it again, I couldn't. So tonight I came up with my own version. If I step on any ones toes here, it is totally unintended. I just don't know who to give the credit to for the original.

With my surgery eating plan, chicken is one of my main protein sources. But, it is so hard cooking for one. I buy and freeze my meats into individual portions. When I decide what I want that night I just thaw and prepare. Of course, it is also a lot cheaper to buy family packs too. So, my freezer is usually stocked.

I have also found that these new Steamfresh fresh frozen veggies are a good choice for me. I don't have to worry about fresh vegetables going to waste before I can use them. Tonight I used the lightly sauced broccoli with cheese sauce. A one cup serving has 2 grams of fat of which only 1 is saturated fat, 60 calories plus 2 grams of protein. So, I don't even feel bad because of the cheese sauce.
There is about 3 servings per bag. So, I have my veggies ready to just heat and eat for a snack or lunch tomorrow too.

Here is how I made the chicken tenders.

I took a non stick baking pan sprayed it with cooking spray.
I used 2 tenders, which equaled approx. 4 ounces. I coated them in about a tablespoon of the spicy brown mustard, and then dredged them in seasoned bread crumbs. I melted about a half tablespoon of butter and the juice from half a lemon and drizzled it onto both sides of the chicken and then re dredged them in the breadcrumbs. I baked at 350* for 30 minutes turning them over at the halfway mark.

I can't promise that my numbers are correct, but this is what I got from a calorie calculator.

1 Serving
Calories 254.4
Total Fat 6.7 g
Saturated Fat 3.2
Total Carbohydrate 19.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 1.8 g
Protein 23.7 g

That makes my dinner at about 315 calories, 8.7 g of fat,(yeah, a little higher than my usual 6 g.) and 25.7 g of protein.

It may not be right but I can live with it. It tastes good too, and that's a plus for me these days.

A BIG Reminder

I ran across this picture last night.

This was taken 2 yrs ago this month at a gathering that I put together with my husband for his 1962 high school graduating class. It was the first time they had gotten together in all those years.

I remember I was exhausted when this was taken. Now that I am looking back, I can certainly see why. This was my highest weight, a whopping 350 something pounds!

Every once in a while I feel like I am not making any progress. I still feel huge sometimes. Like I had the surgery for nothing.

Finding this picture kinda puts me in a different frame of mind. I look at it and compare it to some of the newer ones. Now I can see how big I really was.

Perhaps I should have a wall size poster made of this. That's what they do on The Biggest Loser. Hang it on my wall to remind me daily of just how far I have come after all.

Jovie and Granny Hanging Out

Today I got to babysit Jovie Lynn for a few hours. It is also her 4 month birthday. I just love her little squeals!