CHEAP Foods

You know, I see on the boards all the time that eating post op is so expensive. It really doesn't have to be. I don't eat expensive foods, heck... my original band paid for itself in 18 months just by my grocery, fast food, and soda bills! I honestly don't spend very much money on food at all and I eat foods I really enjoy.

When you are grocery shopping don't shop in the aisles. That's where all the crap is. Overly processed foods, foods filled with fat, calories, and carbs. Anyone that knows me knows I eat a full fat diet. Don't misunderstand, I am not referring to a high fat diet, just a full fat diet. We didn't get fat from dietary fat, we got fat from white carbs. Shop in the outsides aisles of the store. Produce, meat, and dairy. Yeah, ignore the bakery department.

We NEED fat in our diets. This is a point I fully and totally disagree with my surgeon. He wants us all on a low fat, low carb diet. Bleh... I got to goal and maintain easily with a full fat diet. We actually need fat to burn fat.

Some of my staples...

Beans. Lots and lots of beans. Black beans, pinto beans, lentils, no lima beans for me! Gross!

Lentils are a perfect protein, meaning they contain all the amino acids we need unlike pinto or black beans. But put a little full fat cheese on those beans and you have a full protein chain.

Some examples of my food choices - and keep in mind, if you are pre op you are going to look at this and think GROSS! But also keep in mind, this is a life style change AND your tastes will change post op. Just hang in there with me, try this stuff, see what you think.

Beans, cheese, Pico de Gullo. YUM! A staple around here. Buy a bag of pinto beans. Soak in water overnight. In the AM put them in your crock pot. Be lazy, buy crock pot liners. They are like oven turkey bags but they are for your crock pot instead so you don't spend the day scrubbing your crock pot.

After your bean of choice has soaked in water throughout the night place a crock pot liner in your slow cooker. Add beans and a whole heck of a lot of water! Cook on low all day. DO NOT ADD SALT to your beans, they will come out tough and yucky. Wait until after they are cooked to add spices.

After 8 hours or so turn off your slow cooker, let the beans cool. Pick up the entire bag of beans and hold over the sink and poke a hole at the bottom of the bag. Let the excess water drain out. About 90%. Then dump them into a HUGE bowl. Smash them, add spices. Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Chili powder, whatever you wish. Keep smashing. What do you have? UNrefried beans! Filling, loaded with fiber, protein, and good!

Then make Pico de Gullo. Now that I live in MX I understand true Pico de Gullo is really a specific combo of fruit but in the US it is accepted that it is tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. OUR version of the stuff is actually called salsa fresca.

3-4 large roma tomatos (quarter, cut out seeds, dice)
1 large tomatillo if you want extra color and texture
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion
20 sprigs of cilantro
Garlic powder to taste
1 small lime or 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice
Salt to taste, I use Kosher

You have a meal! Beans, cheese, heat, add Pico de Gullo. Protein, fiber, the beans freeze well, full protein chain.

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I love this idea:

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Salad. Like it? Cold, crunchy, full of flavor. Your lettuce of choice. If you are a newbie pre op I suggest iceburg or white crunchy parts of various lettuce such as Romain. Top with Pico de Gullo, cheese, protein such as chicken, and dressing of choice.

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Bean/cheeze burrito. Buy low carb tortillas. I do not suggest tortillas for newbie post ops, you might not do well with them. If you are a noob just put it in a bowl instead of a tortilla. A bit of beans, cheese, nuke, add Pico de Gullo. YUM!

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Chili, I have a clone Wendy's Chili recipe:

This is taken from the CD Kitchen website -- lots of great recipes there.

Ingredients:
2 Pounds Ground Beef
1 Can (29 Ounce Size) Tomato Sauce
1 Can (29 Ounce Size) Kidney Beans With Liquid
1 Can (29 Ounce Size) Pinto Beans With Liquid
1 Medium Onion, Diced
2 Green Chili, Diced
1 Rib Celery, Diced (I add more)
3 Medium Tomatoes, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Cumin Powder
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Black Pepper
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Cups Water

I also add some green bell peppers.

Buy really lean ground beef and you don't need to brown it first. Just throw it in a slow cooker raw. Cook the whole mess all day on low. Add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to cut down on he acid from tomatoes.

Top with cheese, onions, and ..... Pico de Gullo. Great protein, full protein chain, full of flavor, great for soft foods.

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Shrimp Cocktail.

This one couldn't be easier.

For post ops 3 large shrimp will be about all you can handle. Add some Mango/peach salsa, and a sprig of Cilantro, you have Shrimp Cocktail! I buy the Mango/peach salsa fresh from the grocery store. Buy the shrimp on sale and your entire meal is less than $1.00 USD.

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Microwave Frozen Chicken

Don't laugh, this is good stuff!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place in a microwave steamer bag.... frozen!

Add 2 tablespoons Soy sauce, a bit of kosher salt, garlic powder, pepper, and Thyme! Defrost for 5 minutes, cook for 4-5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. You have chicken! Eat it as is, add to salads, do what you will with it. Of course, microwave times depend on the strength of your microwave!

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Steak!

Buy a big honken porterhouse steak. Spend the money! Think about it, a 16oz porterhouse is going to be at least 6 meals for you, maybe 8. Cook it how you wish, broil, grill, whatever. Eat, enjoy.

Cheap! Perfect protein, fills you up, great stuff! That steak, maybe it's $8.00 USD, so it's like what... a dollar a meal?

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BTW, buy a chest freezer! From Home Depot DELIVERED is less than $200.00. Make your food, freeze in single servings and freeze the rest. Totally worth the money. I promise you that if you freeze leftovers they will last well!

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Chef's salad. You know the drill, use your left overs and create a feast!

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Quinoa... To be honest I've had this stuff sitting in my freezer for months. Have not tried it yet. It is pronounced keen-waa. It is supposed to be a whole grain, full protein chain. No clue what it tastes like.

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Machaca! Spanish for shredded beef. Add it to tacos, add cheese, and Pico de Gullo, good stuff! A little goes a verrrry long way! Or, put it in a bowl and add cheese, nuke, add Pico de Gullo, enjoy!

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Black Bean Salad ~  Yum!  Full of protein, fiber, and good nutrition.  Add diced chicken if you want a full protein chain and added flavor:


3 tablespoons EVOO
1+ tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or 1/3 tsp reg salt)
1/3 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp lime juice

Mix the above well.

To the above add:

1 16 oz can drained/rinsed black beans
1/4 C diced celery
1/4 C diced red bell pepper
1/4 C diced green bell pepper
1/2 C diced onion
1 mild chili pepper (or other type if you like heat)
Cilantro to taste (I like a lot, 3-4 tbsp chopped)
1 large Roma Tomato diced
1 small Tomatillo diced (optional, adds more color and texture, if no tomatillo double tomatoes)
Pineapple - as much as you want, maybe 1/2 cup or more

For the veggies just dice and add whatever you happen to have iin the frig.  It doesn't have to be the above.  I also make it with corn instead of pineapple, it gives it a lot more color.  If you want it to look a little fancier add as many colors and textures as you can.

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Insalata Caprise or more simply put, Caprise ~ Great if you are trying to impress someone or for a romantic meal with your spouse:

Soooo easy!

Layer the following ingredients:

Slices of Mozzarella cheese
Tomatoes (I prefer Roma)
Fresh Basil

Season with Kosher salt, drizzle with Olive Oil, and a bit of pepper

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This is an interesting idea.

Take romaine lettuce and douse it with Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing. Then you pop it on the grill for 5 min. Add a few almonds or just a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to add taste.  Parmesan Cheese sounds the best to me.

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