Cabbage, Cabbage, Everywhere!

I had my one month follow up yesterday, and I've lost 30 lbs in a month and a half! I feel great, and have so much energy it feels surreal!

Michigan is soooo chilly right now! Rainy, gloomy, and cold! I decided to make one of my favorites that I haven't had in a while...unstuffed cabbage rolls!

I stumbled upon this recipe randomly, I wanted cabbage rolls but didn't have the time to do all the extra work, so I hope you enjoy!

I seem to be having problems with my camera uploading, so I will update a picture later!

Sarah's Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

2 lb Ground Beef, Extra Lean
1 can Tomato Sauce
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 jug Low Sodium V8
3 cups Whole Grain Rice, prepared.
1 onion, chopped
1 Cabbage Head, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic
1 Tbsp Basil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Parsley
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
A few crushed Bay Leaves
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Brown and drain ground beef. In large pot, combine tomato sauce, juice, onion, cabbage, spices, and ground beef. Bring to boil and stir. Add cooked rice. Reduce heat and simmer until cabbage is soft.

This even makes a great crockpot meat if simmered overnight. Yum. Enjoy!

Painful Day!

I had my oral surgery appointment for the adjusting of my screws in my jaw today, so the soup played in perfectly with my new sutures and swelling.

Today was White Chicken Chili from bariatriceating.com

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoon olive oil

Two 15-ounce cans Cannellini or white beans, drained

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups diced, cooked chicken or turkey

1 cup corn

One 4.5-ounce can diced green chilies

Two 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat until onion is tender. Puree one can of drained beans and set aside. Stir the flour into the onion mixture and cook for one minute. Add chicken, corn, chilies, broth, cumin, chili powder, oregano, beans, reserved bean puree, and one cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Makes about twelve 1-cup servings

I followed this recipe exactly as stated except for the addition of extra garlic. Overall, I was really pleased with the soup. It wasn't as thick as I had expected, but had some great flavors working together well. My brother also had a great opinion of it.

Next soup is Cheesy Chicken and Califlower Chowder!

Pumpkin Mania!

Being from Michigan, I am insanely obsessed with the fall: cider mills, apples, pumpkins, anything! I needed to use the rest of the pumpkin from last nights dessert so I searched long and hard for a VSG friendly recipe...

and WOW, it is delicious!
From lowcarb forum:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Half of a 29 oz can of pumpkin
8 oz cream cheese
1 box of sugar free vanilla pudding
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all the ingredients above till well blended. Serve cold and with unsweetened whipping cream.

MY CHANGES: I only had the Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix (worked amazingly, and more cheesecake taste), and I used Fat Free Cream Cheese to reduce the calorie and fat content.

I can't wait to enjoy some more tonight!

Day 1

Today was a pretty eventful today. I went to the doctor to address my issue of passing out at Meijers on Monday. She told me that I'm very hypochloric and hypovalemic (fancy words for low chloride and low body volume), and she ran some tests. Hopefully, I will have the results tomorrow!

My friend Jeff came over because I prepared dinner for us. First on the menu was Tomato Crab Bisque Soup from http://www.bariatriceating.com/BEhealthnutrition/recipes.php

It is pictured above, and it was delicious! Probably the best soup I've ever made or tasted. Dessert was the "Maple Pumpkin Bake" also from this website.

I love the fall flavors!

Saturday night, I plan on preparing White Chicken Chili from the site. It seems that this website knows its food! I will share a picture on Saturday, along with any other great websites I find.

Welcome to My Life

Hello Everyone! My name is Sarah, and obviously, this is my blog dedicated to my new life. For the basics, I am a senior student in pre-medical studies and hope to begin medical school in the Fall of 2010. I'm also an EMT, and work in an Emergency Room and love every minute of it. This is my crazy, beautiful life...

On August 21st, 2009, I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG). As of today, I am officially down 75 lbs, and 20 lb of this total was post-op. In March of 2009, I looked in the mirror and said "this is it, Sarah, we have to do something". I weighed a hefty 283 pounds at 5'7". I began watching my caloric intake, and followed the Low Glycemic Index diet. As of June, I'd lost nearly 50 lbs, but I was ALWAYS hungry! Then I heard about the VSG, and couldn't wait to start my new life.

I was always overweight as a child, and was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome at age 13. I did every plan out there: low carb, low fat, diet pills, etc. It never stayed off.

I'm a little over a month out, and I couldn't be happier with the results. I've had some bumps in the road, but haven't regretted my decision for one minute. I plan on using this blog to share my recipes, successes, failures, and general thoughts on life.

I hope to help any other people out there considering this surgery.

Since I am still on "mushy, soft foods", I found a way to enjoy my italian cravings without the guilt:

Psuedo-Lasanga

1/4 c Low Fat Ricotta Cheese
2 Tbsp Tomato Sauce
1/4 c Fat Free Mozzerella Cheese

Place in coffe mug and microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.

I was also told this recipe can be converted for "post mushy" foods by adding turkey meatballs. Yum!

Low Sodium Turkey Chili
(This recipe is very large, and can last several days and can serve the whole family)

2 lb Ground Turkey Breast
1/2 large container Low Sodium V8 Juice
1 large can Chili Bean Mix
1 pck Low Sodium Chili Seasoning
2 Green Peppers, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 can Diced Tomato

Brown turkey and drain. In crock pot, mix remaining ingredients and simmer overnight.

Simple, easy, and can last days!