Fat Frog Diary

The much-anticipated news arrived on Friday, Sept 27. I got an email saying I had either a referral or an authorization. I knew what it had to be, having received the referral approval for the surgeon himself a few days ago. Now I must wait on the surgeon's staff to get the message and choose to set my date. I'll be surprised if it's before Halloween, to be honest. I know where: St. Vincent's Riverside, where I spent my three delightful days in June with the bi-lateral pulmonary embolism. In the meantime, I will be getting serious about the Phase 1 of the pre-surgery diet. I admit readily that it was difficult to be motivated before today. Going on a low-carb diet is not fun, but I've been at least trying. So, we start with a shopping list. Mine is mercifully short, because I'd already been buying and stocking up. I've made stocks and broths, purchased a few more, and even purchased a few frozen fish. I'm not very well-versed in cooking fish, so I ...

Have you seen the 21-Day Fix diet? I kept coming across pins on Pinterest related to it, and I was intrigued by the seeming simplicity of simply measuring by using colorful containers. No counting! Let me state right at the beginning that I didn't buy the book, nor did I buy the colored containers. While they are inexpensive enough on Amazon, I want to "try before you buy" and simply see if it would help me in my weight loss adventures while I wait for surgery. I'm a dedicated foodie. That's one reason why my BMI is a whopping 43. I love food, and I love combining my foods into interesting and tasty combinations such as mini-peppers cut in half and stuffed with half a mozzarella stick. Yumm! Who says diets have to be boring? Anyway, I checked around and found the number of colorful containers for my weight. Each color represents a different food group and each container is a specific size to match a serving of that food group. For instance, I am allowed 3 gr...

Just a quick little tip for a snacker who doesn't want to fall off the wagon. (Me!) I'm sure you've seen those mini-peppers in the store in bags, looking colorful and tempting. Were you scared of the heat? Don't be. No heat! Those things wouldn't cause a hot flash even if Leonardo DiCaprio walked by stark naked. (Sorry Leo!) Cut them in half and you can stuff them with cream cheese and ground beef, but for a simple snack with no fuss, cut a mozzarella stick in half and stuff the pepper with that. I stuffed four peppers with four halves of two mozzarella sticks and microwaved them for a minute to melt the cheese to gooey deliciousness. Yum!

I found this on the side of a box of Jell-o Vanilla Sugar Free Pudding and tried it. I made one change and one omission. I changed the cookies to a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and I didn't use any Cool Whip. Oh, and I used the sugar free varieties of the pudding and gelatin. However, I will type the recipe faithfully. Do what you want. It's your life. Mini Lemon Cream "Pies"  1 pkg (3.4 oz) Jell-o Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding 1 pkg. (3 oz) Jell-o Lemon Flavor Gelatin 1-1/2 cups boiling water 8 vanilla wafers (or graham cracker crumbs) 1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping (optional) Combine dry pudding and gelatin powder in a medium bowl. Add boiling water, stir for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Place 1 wafer in the bottom of each of the 8 dessert dishes. Cover with the pudding mixture. Top with the Cool Whip. Chill for at least an hour. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Pre-cooking meat in the crockpot works! Being an "old hand" at the crock pot, I already knew the trick of adding Kitchen Bouquet to my ground pork to give it that "browned" look, but this was a side adventure. After cooking, I drained away the grease and weighed what was left. Two pounds of raw ground pork became 10 oz each for two quart bags of cooked pork ready for a meal another day. The stock "pucks" made in my silicone muffin tins are now ready  for use! I can't wait for my next beef stew. It worked great when I melted one in the microwave for use in my stroganoff!  I already know making tea and coffee cubes work for iced tea and coffee. The big experiment for the day is: does Almond Milk freeze well enough to be used in my daily protein shake? I have used frozen yogurt and of course ice cubes. I'm looking for a different boost to my shakes. Let's go into pre-cooking the meat a little deeper.  1. Pre-cooking Meat in the Crock...

Go out for a walk Paint your nails Try cooking a new dish Read a book/ Go to a bookstore Take a long bath Write in your journal Catch up on your favorite shows Watch an inspiring TED talk Meditate Organize your room/closet Get a massage Experiment with your makeup Try a new workout class Explore your neighborhood Unplug Watch a funny Youtube video Apply a face mask Listen to an album you haven't heard yet Go to a comedy show Visit a museum Write a handwritten letter to someone you care about Make your own face scrub Head to a cafe for coffee/tea Research something you've been meaning to learn more about Clean your home Create a playlist Declutter your inbox Fix your resume Write a letter to your future/younger self Set intentions Work on manifesting all you desire Listen to a podcast Go to the movies Create a budget Drink water Take a nap Meal plan/ prep Find a new affirmation for your week Browse your favorite website Draw or color in a...

Today I start on a long-term experiment in food management. I have a deep freezer, and I'm going to follow some of the Pinterest ideas for keeping food long-term rather than wasting it. For instance, tomato paste. What if the recipe calls for 2 T.? What do you do with the rest of the 6 oz can? Cut it into rounds, stick them in an extra ice cube tray, freeze them, then pop them into a labeled freezer bag. Voila! No more waste. Bonus: The cubes are perfect for popping into a stew or other emergency recipe. Yesterday I found three gallon bags of saved items I can't use because of the size of the bag. One giant bag of beef stock doesn't do any good if I only need 2 cups. Two cups in quart bags, labeled and frozen flat for easy storage. I did this for chicken stock and that was pure joy. The recipe was twice as good with homemade stock and it wasn't a massive amount of salt. Same goes for the giant bag of frozen watermelon. Good idea done wrong. That needs to be sa...

I don't know about you, but most Jell-o Jiggler and Knox Blox recipes want you to use 4 boxes of Jell-o, and the Knox Blox formula looks like a chemist's list of ingredients. But what if you want enough for one person? What if you only have one box of three different flavors? Now what? Break out the calculator and guess? NOPE! Here's your simple formula. You can commit this to memory. For every one box of Jell-o, use one cup of hot water. Now here's the rest of the tricks: 1. Use a spray like Pam to lubricate the inside of your mold. Wipe most of the foam away with a paper towel, leaving just a slick surface. 2. When mixing the gelatin and hot water, stir with the whisk for two minutes. Yes, set a timer. There's one on your phone, microwave, and probably your stove. Use your Echo device. Use a timer. Seriously. Stir for the whole two minutes and pay attention. Create as few bubbles as possible. Stir, don't whisk. Bubbles leave unsightly pock marks on...

Yield: 4 servings 6 bacon strips, diced 2 small zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices 2 small yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 medium onion, thinly sliced In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 2 T drippings. In the drippings, saute the zucchini, yellow squash, and onion for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with bacon to serve. Lee Plumb, NCICS

I'm setting my wish list now, even though I have no surgery date as of today, August 26, 2019. These items make sense to me. I gain no props for these links, and no commissions. They were chosen because they were reasonably inexpensive and had features I'll try to point out.  1. Sport Shaker Bottle -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C1Z6WW6/?coliid=ICYRQPZGNMKKW&colid=1BNJ6DW3D6BG4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it This shaker bottle is leakproof, and that alone is a big deal. I've got 3 or 4 shaker bottles that I can't take outside the house because the lid pops off at the least provocation. Their metal balls make enough noise to wake the dead and I prefer to be discreet with my bottle. This bottle above has a plastic ball, and all of it is dishwasher safe. There's even a place to store pills.  2. Liquid Protein https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C1Z6WW6/?coliid=ICYRQPZGNMKKW&colid=1BNJ6DW3D6BG4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it They say that, at least...

A creamy, smooth blend of three convenient mixes that's very versatile. 1 package (3-1/4 oz.) Jell-O sugar free pudding and pie filling 1 package (3 oz) Jell-O sugar free gelatin (any fruit flavor) 2-1/2 cups water, boiling 1 tub sugar free Cool Whip, thawed or whipped cream! Y Combine pudding, gelatin, and water. Stirring until thick and clear. Chill until slightly thickened. When thickened, add to Cool Whip, folding together. Spoon into individual dessert dishes. Chill until firm. Makes about 4 cups or 6-8 servings.

Look at this... https://pin.it/qtnnjo64t5wfxo Powered by Cricket Wireless Cheap plastic bins to hold SOS pads, Dish tablets, sponges, magic erasers, wash cloths. Rods hung from the cabinet tops to hold trigger sprays.

Yield: 2 Servings ½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed 3 Tbsp peach preserves Dash cayenne pepper 1. Place beans in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. 2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine preserves and cayenne. Cook, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds or until preserves are melted. Transfer beans to a serving bowl; add peach mixture and toss to coat. Lee Plumb, NCICS

Pork Diane Makes 4 servings Introduction (if any) Ingredients: 2 T water 2 T Worcestershire Sauce for chicken 2 t lemon juice 2 t Dijon-style mustard 1 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into four 1" slices 1 t lemon-pepper seasoning 2 T butter 1 T snipped fresh chives or parsley Instructions: For sauce, in a small bowl stir together water, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and mustard. Set aside. Sprinkle both sides of each piece of meat with lemon-pepper seasoning. In a 10" skillet or electric skillet, cook meat in hot butter over medium heat for 6-10 minutes until done (160F) and juices run clear, turning once. Transfer meat to platter; cover to keep warm. Remove skillet from heat. Add sauce to skillet and stir to remove brown bits from bottom of skillet. Stir until well blended. Pour over meat. Sprinkle with chives. Notes: The sauce is so good, you can use it for pork or chicken. Delicious! I got this recipe from BHG Phase 1 Low...

Powered by Cricket Wireless We made this recently and it was surprisingly good. Manufacturers do this a lot, and it's a great source of recipes. They want to showcase their product, so they have test kitchens make the recipe well before they put it on the label. These recipes survived the test kitchen, so they're the best of the best.

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Ranch Stew 1990 Powered by Cricket Wireless Another of my secret weapon recipes. Other than the ground beef, it's a "shelf special" recipe. My shelf specials are often made with ingredients I keep on hand, like vegetable soup and pork-n-beans. It's pushing 30 years old, and still one of our favorites.

Back on 07/22/2018, I mentioned that I was going to get my lap band removed and a hiatal hernia repaired. I had the surgery in August of 2018, and was doing okay. Then, came problems. The kinds doctors label "unfortunate" but most don't consider a serious issue. Yeah bud, you try living with acid reflux that goes into your lungs and makes you cough like you have a permanent case of pneumonia. It took a pulmonologist from the USN Hospital to finally figure it out. So, now I sleep on a wedge pillow. I stopped coughing almost immediately. Problem #1 solved. Problem #2 was my doctor himself. I did not want to have the second surgery until I'd cleared my lungs and the holidays had passed. I've had surgery at holiday time before, and it sucks big green donkey balls to miss out on the holiday fun. So I waited, gained a few pounds during the holidays (who doesn't?) and presented myself to the doc in January. Not surprisingly, he wanted me to lose the 8 pounds I...

Powered by Cricket Wireless This recipe is so old, it's "foxing." I have no idea how long I've had it, but at the time bulk Sweet-n-Low was what diabetics used mixed with sugar in their baking. It's still the best zucchini recipe I have.

What to keep in the freezer Let's go beyond coming home and dumping the meat you're not cooking tonight, the frozen veggies in the bags, and maybe the ice cream. Let's save money by using our freezers to actually make our cooking easier. None of this is difficult. It just means thinking ahead.  Note: Label your bags before you get your fingers wet or covered in food! And while we're at it, use good freezer bags. They're thicker than sandwich bags and made to hold up while in the freezer. Call it an investment in the future. You can write directly on the bag with a Sharpie. Don't forget to include the date so you can rotate out the oldest to use first.  I highly recommend a deep freezer if at all possible. After you see what you can store, you’re going to need extra room. While chest freezers are more efficient and can hold large items, upright freezers give you better access to your stored items. It's up to you.  Tomato paste – make sma...