Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa

Every once in a while someone sends me a food picture that is just..."screen-lick-worthy."

Such is the case with Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa. I mean look at it. I know from VAST experience from island food that it has a kick to it (so proceed with caution if you don't do well with even slightly spicy foods). And the sauce looks luscious, the shrimp plump and succulent, the quinoa perfectly cooked. Sigh. 

Basically I wanted to reach through the computer screen and have a bite.

I'm posting this earlier than I normally would on a Saturday (the Google tells me that weekend posting should be done in the evening!) but I wanted to give you guys a chance to get the ingredients to create your own little island escape dinner if you wanted. 

Enjoy. And thanks Selby!

Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa

• 1 c. quinoa 
• 1 c. chicken broth (Selby used Goya chicken bouillon pack reconstituted with 1 c. of water)
• 1 c. crushed pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapple 
• 10 shrimp
• Jerk sauce mild or hot your choice 
• 1 scallion sliced
• Crushed pineapple, to taste

Selby's Instructions:

The recipe was really super easy the longest cook time was the quinoa . 

I rinsed 1 cup of quinoa really really good like 4 or five times. Rinsing removes the bitterness associated with quinoa . (Nik note: I don't rinse quinoa and never noticed any bitterness but if you have, go for it!)

I placed quinoa in microwave safe bowl and a added 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup  unsweetened pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapples . 

Cover and microwave until liquid is absorbed. Mine took about 10 minutes (there was still a slight amount of liquid but it absorbed as it sat covered).  

Taste and adjust seasonings with garlic powder, onion powder, scallions, pepper, and some crushed pineapple .

The shrimp was super easy I peeled and deveined the shrimp and sautéed them in store bought jerk sauce. I sometimes add a little of the pineapple juice to the shrimp if the jerk is too spicy.  

Cook shrimp just until no longer pink . Plate with a serving of quinoa on the bottom and top with shrimp!

A few Nik Notes (in the spirit of playing with your food):

• I am totally making this!!!
• I'd probably add more veggies, colorful ones! I'd at least do some diced onions and tri-color diced peppers, chopped small and mix those directly into the quinoa before microwaving for a "confetti rice" sort of look.
• Again, a disclaimer: you can certainly buy mild jerk sauce but jerk, by nature, is always going to be at least a bit spicy. 

There...now go make this!

Foodie Fitness Corner: Bob Harper's Kettlebell Workout Review

Bob Harper's Contoured Kettlebell and Workout DVD

by Hillery Kelly

Despite non-op opinions to the contrary, luck doesn’t get you very far after weight loss surgery. It’s a combined effort: working our new tool, changing our mindset —  and, of course, physical activity.  We here at Foodie News want to make starting an activity routine  a little bit less daunting for you.

Because in reality, fear of the unknown can be a strong deterrent to trying something new. Most of the time you can do it, you just need to know what “it” is! So this month, we’re demystifying kettlebells.

Bob Harper, of NBC’s  television series The Biggest Loser, has endorsed a contour kettlebell and training DVD developed by GoFit. The contoured kettlebell is ergonomically designed to wrap around the wrist and forearm and provides a much more comfortable user experience. These kettlebells range in weight from 7lbs-45lbs with a price range of $30-$85, which includes a 30-minute workout DVD, designed and performed by Bob. 

For those wondering “What the heck are kettlebells?” here’s the lowdown.  Kettlebells are cast-iron weights that are a little bit smaller than a bowling ball have  a single-looped handle on top.  They first became popular in Eastern Europe  in the 1700’s but started appearing in American workouts in the 1960s.

The awesome thing about kettlebells is that they encourage functional, whole body conditioning.  Lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, (especially the core) to contract as a group, building both strength and stability at the same time. 

Because kettelbells engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, they ‘re a great way to get a complete workout in minimal time.  That’s why,  about a year ago, I purchased Bob’s 15 lb. contoured kettlebell and DVD and instantly fell in love.

Bob’s kettlebell is less bulky than traditional ones and has a slimmer, sleeker design that makes for an easier, tighter grip. This was the perfect introduction to kettlebell training for me.  If you've only seen Bob's Biggest Loser style workouts, this is not the same. The DVD features just him and one other young lady and you feel like you’re right in the room with them, complete with Bob’s straightforward approach, which I love.

As with any strength workout, you can injure yourself with kettlebells if you have back or shoulder issues or a weak core. The key to preventing injuries is to start with a low weight, use good form (which Bob covers in the DVD) and progress slowly. In the DVD you’ll go over the basic kettlebell maneuvers such as swings and squats.

Since my initial purchase, I’ve graduated to using between 16 – 20 kg. (36-52 lb.) kettlebells. If you’re looking for a good, at-home, total body workout that fits easily in your schedule (30 minutes start to finish!), l HIGHLY recommend this DVD.  It’s great for beginners and gives you room to improve as you get stronger. All in all, this is a great workout that you can do!

From now on I’ll include an overall grade summary for the workouts I review. I hope it’s helpful in motivating you to try the workouts!

Grading

Price	Availability	Workout Level	Overall Impressions	Final Grade
B-	A	B	A	A-

Did Hillery's review convince you? Here's where you can buy!

About the Author:  Hillery is a year post-op (gastric bypass). She is a chemist and environmental engineer residing in the suburbs of the Nation’s capital….a country girl at heart turned city slicker! She fully admits to being addicted to makeup, skin care, hair creams, soaps, lotions, and potions of all price ranges…an equal opportunity product junkie with a special passion and love for lipstick.  Read about her makeup addition, product reviews, and anything worth dishing about in the world of beauty at www.platinumpjs.com.

If you've got a fitness question or concern, hit Hillery up at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com

"Will I REALLY be able to maintain after weight-loss surgery?"

This has nothing to do with food but I see a lot of folks question the long-term success of bariatric surgery. I've never shied away from sharing my experience because I think it's important for longer-term post-ops to be honest about where they've been and what they've been through in order to paint a realistic picture of life after weight-loss surgery.

So here goes. My journey in pictures (or a bit of it at least!):

This is me before surgery. About 330-ish pounds. I didn't willingly pose for many pictures so they are hard to find! In this one I was in a laundromat. And yes, that is generally how I looked. 

The date stamp on this is actually wrong. This was taken in about March 2008 and while you can't see all of you can tell I'm still a plus-sized diva in this picture. It's interesting how WLS works because I went from this size at about 2 or 3 mos post op (forgive me for not remembering exactly, all this WAS five years ago!) to...

Whoa! What the HELL??? That chick is a lot smaller, isn't she? Funny thing is I thought I was still huge. (Snicker) By the way the smarmy character standing beside me is my brother, Manuel. 

Photo Credit: Melting Mama

Oh time...and pouch capacity. They both can sneak back up on you...as they did here with me. As you can see, I regained. In the pic directly above this one I was 172. In this pic I'm either at or over 200. (Although don't I pose nicely???)

And this is me today (literally...I took it this morning!)...five years post-op. 189 lbs. Smaller than my biggest, bigger than my smallest but still smaller than my biggest since surgery (did you get all that?).

Where will I be next year? I dunno. Only time will tell. BUT, I think it's noteworthy to say that part of the reason I know I can continue to be successful (and I'd argue I never ceased being successful so much as I just lost my way a little bit) is because I tell myself affirming stories about my process and progress. I say this over and over: The story you tell yourself is important!!!

"What the heck does that MEAN, Nik?"

I'm glad you asked. My friends over at ObesityHelp asked me to blog about this very subject so I have been. Check out my blog series which has so far touched on your overall story, those we tell ourselves as we make the decision to have WLS and as new post-ops. Then tune in for the remainder of the series and join the conversation!!! It is only through open and honest dialogue that we can paint a realistic picture of the struggles and realities of WLS. Obesity is a lifelong fight and our stories are our ammunition.

I hope this post has at least helped some of you get perspective. Maintenance isn't doom and gloom, even if you do have some regain. You are in control. You're driving the car. You're steering the boat. You have the power. So claim it!

BF Review: Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar

Free samples of this product were provided for the purposes of this review. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Chocolate. Chip. Cookie. Dough.

Really Quest? It's like you looked into the mind of the average weight loss surgery post-op and searched for the one thing we miss and cannot seem to find a reasonable substitute for and THAT is what you made your next flavor.

Well played, Quest. Well played...

So this is the newest offering and they were nice enough to send me some to try! So here, of course, is my review.

The 360

I didn't do a complete 360 photo (showing both sides of the packaging) because...well I didn't. BUT, here are the stats for this bar (from the Quest website):

So let's go over my protein rules. For me to consider something a good source of protein it must:

• Have one gram of protein for every 10 calories
• Be significantly higher in protein grams than net carbohydrate grams

So how does this stack up? Well for the first, it would need to have at least 19g protein to match up with the 190 calories. It has 21. So CHECK!

For the second it has 3 net grams of carbs (since we don't digest fiber or sugar alcohols, here erythritol, we don't have to count either in the net carb count), so yeah...21g protein vs. 3 net grams of carbs would be significant in my book. So CHECK!

Aesthetics

For those new to my reviews, aesthetics are the look, smell and texture of the actual product.

The Look/Texture: Now, opening the bar, it looks like most any other Quest bar. 

I recently had the pleasure of having an in-depth conversation with the folks at Quest about how they make their products and learned that all Quest bars are made with a base of nut butters (for those with allergies usually this is almond butter except in peanut flavored bars) which contributes to their...waxy...appearance and semi-tough texture. 

BUT no worries, Foodies! We know from former Quest experiences that we can get around that texture by microwaving the bar for about 12-15 seconds in the microwave (more on that later).

The smell: Ok, here's a mystery. I opened the package and I smelled chocolate, that wonderful "sugary" cookie dough smell and...coconuts. So I look at the packaging. There is no ingredient that indicates the use of coconuts in any way. But I smell them. So...that's interesting. Just to make sure I asked the Foodie Nation on Facebook and several others picked that up too. It's noteworthy that when I gave a bar to La Grande Diva to sample she also mentioned it. I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine!

Mouth-feel/Taste

This is where I go into the actual taste. When I say mouthfeel it literally does refer to what happens when the product goes into your mouth!

Mouth-feel: I took a bite before nuking my bar just to test it out. Quest must be playing with their formulation because this bar is WAY easier to bite unheated than past bars. It's still a bit chewy though, so on to the microwave we went and after 12 seconds, here's what I had:

Notice the ability to make indentations easily with the finger. It's soft and gooey! It's also noteworthy that there's a good bit of chocolate in this thing. It's like when you grab a cookie fresh out of the oven - you have melty bits of chocolate on your fingertips! 

Taste: Ohhhhhhhh, Quest. You had me at cookie dough but...(cover the kids eyes) HOT DAMN AND HOLY SHIT! (sorry, I'm not usually a big fan of expletives but they really are necessary here). These bars are GOOD! It really does taste like cookie dough. Again, you get the sugary, buttery taste, the chocolate, the gooeyness. It's all there for you!

It is noteworthy to mention I also picked up the TASTE of coconuts in this bar. Not strong. Very slight. Where is it coming from???? I'll give a dollar to the first person who can tell me! ;)

Value

A box of these bars will set you back what any Quest bar will ($24.99 for a box of 12, which shakes out to $2.08 a bar).  However, they are also sold in some retailers as individual bars if you'd like to pick up just one to try or a few instead of a whole box. I believe they are sold at GNC Living Well. I would be remiss not to tell you that if you order through this link OR the ad on the right menu bar of this blog, Bariatric Foodie gets a little kickback, which keeps the Foodie Nation rolling!

Final Verdict:

So Quest sent me two boxes of these bars. Those boxes are now gone (although to be fair they sent them MORE than 2 weeks ago). I loved them. My kids loved them. My friends with whom I shared them love them (I really should be on Quest's payroll for my conversion abilities). The bars have great stats (high in protein and fiber, excellent number of net carbs) and they just taste goooooooood! So I deem them worthy of consumption!

I know I usually do a giveaway with a review but since the Bariatric Foodie Pledge just ended I have some sorting out to do before I do another giveaway. HOWEVER, Quest would like to give you some bars so look out for a giveaway of these babies within the next two weeks! 

In the meantime don't forget to use the ad in the right menu bar if you want to order yourself some!

The Winner of the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge Grand Prize

Is...

THE PERSON I NAME IN THIS VIDEO!!!

"That's dirty Nik...for real..."

It's short. I promise.

Anyway, congrats to the winner! Please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com as soon as possible with your mailing address so I can forward it on to the grand prize sponsors! Then, be nice to your UPS guy. You're gonna get to know each other REALLY well, because you're gonna get:

• A three-month subscription to Kalorie Box!!! 
• SIX full-sized bottles of Torani sugar-free syrup of the winner's choosing!
• A custom vitamin prize pack (retail value of $50) from Celebrate Vitamins catered specifically toward their surgery type!
• Two tubs of Chike protein in the flavors of their choosing!
• A gift package of protein snacks (retail value $50) from Kay's Naturals!
• And of course, you know Bariatric Foodie has something for you! The grand prize winner will get a copy of The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes plus FOUR protein shake sample kits to have a protein shake sample par-TAY!

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff, Nik!"

It sure is and I am happy for the person who won it because they made goals and stayed accountable for those goals throughout the Pledge! Congrats!

You might also remember that everyone who voted was entered to win one of THREE bottles of sugar-free syrup from Davinci Gourmet. I'm happy to announce those winners are (in my infinite wisdom I did not ask your name so here are your email addys with domain names hidden to protect your privacy):

• greensfamily@xxx.com! 
• love_mybabies2009@xxx.com!
• sheerchristina@xxx.com!

Congrats to you three You also need to email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com by Wednesday at noon EST to claim your prize and send your mailing address. If I don't hear from you by then I will have to re-draw. Please don't make me do that!

Anyhoo, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making this year's Bariatric Foodie Pledge the biggest yet. We'll do it all over again next year (with better technology). Until then look out for more great recipes, giveaways and all around fun to come on Bariatric Foodie.

Play with your food!

Bariatric Foodie Pledge - Vote for the Grand Prize Winner!

Grand prize voting for the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge has CLOSED!

Good luck to all the finalists. Tune back in this evening when the winner of the grand prize will be announced, as will the three winners of a bottle of sugar-free syrup from Davinci Gourmet!

The 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge grand prize was sponsored by:

• Torani Syrups (Facebook, Twitter)
• Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
• Chike (Facebook, Twitter)
• Kay’s Naturals (Facebook, Twitter)
• Kalorie Box (Facebook, Twitter)

Nik's WLS-Friendly Shamrock Shake

So you may have heard of this holiday...St. Patrick's Day? I keep hearing about a guy who drove snakes out of Ireland but I'm pretty sure the holiday is about wearing green, drinking ale and being promiscuous (if the Baltimore bar scene can be trusted to tell the tale).

You guys have been thinking about St. Patty's Day for a while. Know how I can tell. Because beginning in JANUARY many of you have emailed me asking if I have a protein version of the "Shamrock Shake."

And yes I do! But before I give you the recipe I have to say that this is what I call a "dessert shake," meaning it's a bit higher in calories than a 100% upstanding protein shake might be but it's meant to replace an even WORSE choice you could make. It's still way less calories than an actual Shamrock Shake with no added sugar, very little fat and a LOT of protein. But don't drink this everyday, k? It's a WLS-friendly indulgence.

Nik's Shamrock Shake

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. milk (whatever kind you use but NOT water0
• 1 scoop GOOD vanilla protein (I like Fit Frappe Vanilla, Pure Protein or Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte best for this)
• 2 tbsp Davinci sugar-free Peppermint Paddy or Peppermint syrup (if you don't have this, you can use a LITTLE bit - like 1/8 tsp - of Peppermint extract. But I am SO serious...do NOT overdo it!)
• 5-8 drops of green food coloring (less if you use the Peppermint Paddy syrup as it's already green)
• 3-5 ice cubes
• Optional (but CRAZY good): whipped cream and 1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips (Hershey makes them. I get mine at Wal-Mart!) + a few more for garnish

Directions:

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips and whipped cream according to the Super Chill Method of Making Protein Frosties. 

Then add the chips and whiz about 3 seconds more just to distribute them. Top with whipped cream and SLURP!

BF Top 5: Mini-sizing BF's most popular recipes!

Believe it or not, I do listen to you guys. And what I hear you saying is that some of you want smaller batch recipes that yield only a few servings, maybe even a single serving.

Today is your lucky day! Here are five of BF's most popular recipes - mini-sized! Click the title of each for the original recipe.

Taco Casserole
(Make this after your family's next taco dinner with a portion of leftover meat OR make a small batch from scratch with the modifications I suggest! Makes a 4 oz. ramekin)

Mini-sized Ingredients:

• 2 oz. taco seasoned ground meat (leftovers) OR you can use 1 oz. TVP w/ a splick of salt, 1/8 tsp each of: ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder and chili powder mixed in. 
• If you happen to have some random chopped & cooked veggies laying around, feel free to mix 2 tbsp into the meat mixture. 
• 1 oz. refried beans (TIP: Put the rest in a random ice cube tray, freeze then store them in a freezer safe bag for the next time you want one of these bad boys! Ice cube trays make perfect 1 oz. portions!)
• 1 oz. shredded cheese

Directions: 

Layer the meat, then the beans, then the cheese in a 4 oz. ramekin. 

Stick in the broiler for about 2 minutes or in the toaster oven until cheese is melted. 

Serve hot with a dollop of Greek yogurt and salsa!

Click Frapp

(Think of the original version as the Venti and this one as the Grande)

Mini-size ingredients:

• 1/3 c. milk
• 1/2 scoop of Click Espresso protein, flavor of your choice (they have decaf if you need that option!)
• 1/2 scoop protein powder (compliment flavors, so vanilla with vanilla latte, etc.)
• 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 packet no-cal sweetener (if desired)
• 3 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine milk, proteins, sweetener and cocoa powder in a blender and blend two minutes. Add ice and blend again until smooth.

Four Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

(Makes one 4 oz. ramekin)

Mini-sized ingredients:

• 4-5 frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 oz. + 1/2 oz. of a shredded four-cheese blend
• 1 heaping tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt
• Your favorite seasonings (I like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a dash of smoked paprika)

Directions:

If you can handle microwaved stuff, microwave your florets in a microwave-safe bowl with a little bit of water for about 3 minutes on high. If you can't do nuked stuff, boil in a small pot.

Drain then mash the cauliflower (if you make it tender enough you can use a fork). 

Add Greek yogurt, 1 oz. cheese and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 4 oz. ramekin.

Sprinkle remaining cheese across the top and either stick it under the broiler for 2 minutes or in the toaster oven until the cheese is bubbly and brown!

Eggchilada

(I'd call the mini-sized version an "egg-taquito")

Mini-sized Ingredients:

• 1-2 slices of deli meat of your choice, chopped
• Again, if you happen to have any chopped veggies, a tbsp or so of them
• 3 tbsp liquid egg substitute
• 2 tbsp. shredded cheese, divided
• 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp salsa

Directions:

Spray a pan with nonstick and sautee meat and veggies until warm. Remove from pan and set aside.

Spread egg in a circle in sprayed, hot pan and allow it to spread to desired size (remember, this has to be big enough to roll things into the middle). Allow it to set before flipping. Cook other side.

Remove from heat, fill with meat,veggies and one tbsp of cheese and roll into a smaller enchilada shape. Top with other tbsp of cheese, Greek yogurt and salsa!

Protein Pancakes

Makes 1 regular sized, or a few teeny weeny, pancakes

Mini-sized Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. Atkins Baking Mix
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp liquid egg substitute
• 1 packet no-cal sweetener

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If mixture is not wet enough, add milk one teaspoon at a time until a thick pudding consistency is reached.

Spray down a griddle or frying pan with non-stick and allow it to get HOT.

Dole out your mix (should make either one regular sized pancake or a few teeny-weeny ones) and allow them to cook on one side (bubbles will appear on the surface when bottom is cooked), then flip and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and enjoy!

Nik's Taco Soup

Looking for the Bariatric Foodie Grand Prize post? Click here!

So I didn't invent Taco Soup. I just want to put that out there. I try my very best only to claim what I truly believe to be my own inventions (like I think Taco Casserole is all me...I had never heard of it before I made it...but I invite you all to prove me wrong on that one!). In fact, I got the idea to play with this recipe from a Foodie, Teddie, whose version I published a few months back. Her pic is SO much better than mine. Lookit:

I decided to play with the version because the divas and I are into spicy food. No...scratch that. We are into REALLY spicy food. So I decided to make a version where I spice it up a bit! Plus, in my house hauling out the crockpot is a major affair (it's stored in the basement) so I wanted to come up with a "weeknight" version of this recipe.

As I was looking at different variations, I found that there are many, many, MANY ways of making taco soup. Some of you make it with beef tips or chicken meat in a slow cooker (as Teddi's recipe calls for) and folks tend to put a MULTITUDE of toppings on it. In my estimation, that makes taco soup a PERFECT "play with your food" kind of recipe.

Here's how I made this recipe my own. I call it taco soup. The kids call it "Taco Chili." Whatever you call it, it's YUMMY!

Nik's Rendition of Taco Soup
(This made about 6-ish "Nik-size" servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 lb. ground meat of your choice 
• 1 can each of:
• Dark red kidney beans
• Light red kidney beans
• Black beans
• 2 cans of tomatoes & chiles (I used regular heat, you can also use mild OR just plain diced tomatoes)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• Optional: A dash of either cayenne pepper or ground chipotle powder if you like spicy food
• Possible toppings (the possibilities are endless): shredded taco-blend cheese, unflavored Greek yogurt, black olives, red onions, crushed whole wheat tortillas (for the fam). In fact, you could just make the soup and put out a "bar" of toppings. That'd be fun!

Directions:

This goes exactly like making weeknight chili. Spray down a pot with non-stick, set it over medium heat and let it get hot. Add your onions and peppers and sautee until soft.

Add your meat to the mixture and brown it thoroughly, mixing in the onions and peppers. Depending on the level of fat in your ground meat, you may need to drain the meat mixture afterward. I use 90/10 and I just leave it in there!

Drain your beans and rinse them in a colander (removes a lot of the sodium) and then add those to the pot. Empty the tomatoes & chiles in there too. Stir all that together. You should have a halfway decent amount of liquid in there. If not, no worries, the tomatoes have more water to give up as this all simmers!

Mix in your taco seasoning and any additional seasonings you like (If it doesn't taste taco-y enough for you, you might add additional cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder to taste until it's got a strong enough taco flavor for you. You could also add another packet of taco seasoning but be advised that will add more salt, so if you're going low sodium you might wanna take pause!). 

Drop your heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. 

Serve hot with your desired toppings but I will tell you this: it tastes WAYYYYYYYY better the next day. So make it ahead, put it in a container and let it have an overnight "love thang" in the fridge. Trust me. Your taste buds will thank you!

Bariatric Foodie Pledge Grand Prize Competition - Leg One!

Click here to see the final grand prize pledger list. Are you on it???

So…like I said yesterday, in the first leg of the grand prize competition, the grand prize pledgers will compete to be one of 25 finalists for the prize. The 25 finalists will be chosen by random name generator. Each grand prize pledger gets ONE entry simply for making it this far. HOWEVER, there are ways to get your name into the hat more than once.

(NOTE: Earning extra entries is NOT mandatory. If you are good with your name being in the hat only once, sit back, relax and enjoy the show!)

You may earn extra entries by doing any combination of the following between now and Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Once you've completed your extra entries, come back to this post and leave a comment saying what you did so I can verify! (You can either do this daily or in one blog comment no later than Wednesday, but PLEASE be sure to leave your name in the blog comment!).

Easy ways to earn one extra entry:

• Like Bariatric Foodie on Facebook or follow @Bariatric Foodie on Twitter
• Create a status update on Facebook and tag Bariatric Foodie (if you aren’t sure how to tag a Facebook Page, here are some instructions) – You may do this once daily for a total of THREE extra entries.
• Send a Tweet and mention Bariatric Foodie (if you aren’t sure how to do a Twitter mention, here are some instructions) – You may do this once daily for a total of THREE extra entries.
• Sign up for the Bariatric Foodie Monthly e-mail newsletter. (If you’re already signed up, leave your email address in your blog comment when you report your extra entries) 

Easy ways to earn two extra entries:

• Like any of our prize sponsors on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (you may like/follow all grand prize sponsors for a total of 18 extra entries. See below for links to sponsor pages.)
• Leave a note on the Facebook Page of any of the Bariatric Foodie Pledge prize sponsors thanking them for their participation (You can do this for all prize sponsors ONCE, for a total of 18 extra chances. See below for links to the sponsors Facebook Pages.)
• Send a tweet mentioning any of our prize sponsors (You may do this for all prize sponsors ONCE for a total of 18 extra chances. See below for links to the sponsors Twitter pages.)
• If you have a blog, grab the BF Button (right menu bar, scroll down) and put it on your blog. Then when you report what you did, include your blog address so I can verify!

Easy way to earn as many entries as you can get:

Tell your friends, family and especially your surgical office staff to check out this post (Here is a shortened link to this blog post that you can Tweet/Facebook to your friends & family: http://bit.ly/WFHxKY), then ask them to leave a blog comment telling me that YOU sent them (They must use either your full name or first name/last initial. See below for instructions on how to leave a blog comment). You’ll receive 1 extra entry for every 3 people who mention your name!

Here are the links to connect with our sponsors on Facebook and Twitter:

Weekly prize sponsors:

• Week 1: Click (Facebook, Twitter)
• Week 2: Quest Nutrition (Facebook, Twitter)
• Week 3: Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
• Week 4: Big Train/Fit Frappe (Facebook, Twitter)
• Week 5: (Grand prize week prize for VOTERS...more on that later!) Davinci Gourmet (Facebook)

Grand prize sponsors:

• Torani Syrups (Facebook, Twitter)
• Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
•  Chike (Facebook, Twitter)
• Kay’s Naturals (Facebook, Twitter) 
• Kalorie Box (Facebook, Twitter) - NOTE Facebook Page is here so you can like it but you can't currently leave a not on their wall. Sorry!

"How do I leave a blog comment?"

If you come to this blog post by way of a direct link, simply scroll down and you should see the comments. At the bottom there is an "add comment" button.

If you come to this post by typing in the blog address, you'll need to look directly under the text for this post. You'll see some buttons for Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Directly ABOVE that there should be red words that say (# comments - except the # will be the number of comments that already exist). Click that and you can leave a comment.

If you have any questions about any of the extra entry choices, please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I’m happy to answer questions.

Good luck everyone!

Week 4 Pledge Winners + FINAL Grand Prize Pledger List

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Grand Prize Week - Bariatric Foodie Pledge!

It's grand prize week! YAAAAAAY! Remember: all pledgers who were both pledged and checked in all four weeks are eligible to compete for the grand prize.  In addition, today I will choose three "wildcard" pledgers who are only missing one week to compete for the prize. I'll publish the FINAL grand prize pledger list later on today.

Ok, so we celebrated…now let’s cut to the chase. Even if you are not on the grand prize pledger list, you have the chance to win something this week so PAY ATTENTION! K?

First let’s go over the awesome grand prize. The winner of the Bariatric Foodie Pledge grand prize will receive:

• A three-month subscription to Kalorie Box!!! 
• SIX full-sized bottles of Torani sugar-free syrup of the winner's choosing!
• A custom vitamin prize pack (retail value of $50) from Celebrate Vitamins catered specifically toward their surgery type!
• Two tubs of Chike protein in the flavors of their choosing!
• A gift package of protein snacks (retail value $50) from Kay's Naturals!
• And of course, you know Bariatric Foodie has something for you! The grand prize winner will get a copy of The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes plus FOUR protein shake sample kits to have a protein shake sample par-TAY!

"Holy crap! That's a lot of stuff!"

It sure is...and one of you, dear Foodies, is gonna win it all! 

So here’s how grand prize week will work. Grand prize pledgers PLEASE read this entire post. Things move fast during grand prize week and I don’t want you to miss out on an opportunity!

The competition will happen in three legs:

• Leg 1: Monday – Wednesday all grand prize pledgers will compete to become one of 25 finalists. There will be more details on how you get to be a finalist tomorrow.
• Leg 2: Thursday – Saturday, those 25 finalists go up for a vote by the Foodie Nation (and non-grand prize pledgers there’s incentive for you to vote, so stay tuned!)
• Leg 3: Sunday (Not really a leg, but a two-legged race sounds so commonplace!) the winner will be chosen, even MORE prizes will be given to non-finalists and we all celebrate!

Not to sound like a broken record but...non-grand prize Foodies (and even Foodies who did not take part in the pledge at all…even though…why???) there are prizes for YOU this week as well. So be sure to stay involved this week to learn more.

So tune back in tomorrow to learn more about Leg 1 of the Grand Prize competition!

Nik's Cheesesteak Ramekin

Looking to check-in your Week 4 Bariatric Foodie Pledge goal? Click here!

I know. Ok? I KNOW. I do. I know.

Some of you live alone. Some of you have families who hear healthy and say "[BLEEP] no!" And so with many of my recipes you make them and you have a WHOLE lotta food left. What can I say? I blog my truth and my truth is that I've always had two other mouths to feed (and very often the occasional adopted, hungry drifter).

This time I'm going to give you an individual recipe. It is small. It is fast to make. It only requires a few ingredients. But here's the "catch." It's friggin' DELICIOUS! So don't be surprised if those same people you struggled to feed before try to swoop in and steal this. And don't blame me! After all, it's easy enough to make another one, right?

Nik's Cheesesteak Ramekin
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. thin-sliced deli roast beef (you can go for low-sodium if you need), chopped
• 1 tablespoon of finely diced onions
• 1 tablespoon finely diced green peppers (if you can do them)
• A few slices of mushroom (if you like mushrooms)
• 1 Laughing Cow Light French Onion-flavored cheese wedge
• 1 slice of reduced-fat provolone cheese
• Any condiments you used to love on your steak sub
• A three-ounce ramekin 

Directions:

Spray down a pan with nonstick and let it get  hot. Add onions, mushrooms and peppers and sautee about a minute.

Add the beef and sautee that until either warmed through (if you are new out and/or have a sensitive pouch) or crispy (if you, like me, have an Iron Pouch).

This flavor added a LOT of flavor to my beef/veggie mixture

Turn off the heat in the pan and drop the Laughing Cow cheese wedge right on top of your steaming hot meat mixture and allow it to soften. Then mash it through the mixture (it doesn't really melt into stuff but you can mash and mix).

Next add any condiments you like directly to the meat mixture. I just wanted ketchup so that's all I added.

Place the mixture in your ramekin and top with a slice of provolone. Then stick the whole thing in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese.

And voila! A cheesesteak sub. No bread. In a ramekin. In a size that does not make you want to cry.

...my work is done here...

Week 4 Check-In: Bariatric Foodie Pledge

Week 4 check-ins are now CLOSED! This was the last week of pledging for the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge. Thanks for taking part and stay tuned for big fun during grand prize week!

This is my official week 4 check-in list:

Once again, and always, we give our shout outs to our grand prize sponsors:

•  Torani Syrups (Facebook, Twitter)
• Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
•  Chike (Facebook, Twitter)
• Kay’s Naturals (Facebook, Twitter)
• Kalorie Box (Facebook, Twitter)