Busy Busy Busy!

Long time, to type. I apologize! I have been super busy these past couple of weeks. Between working random hours every day, babysitting, and fun weekend activities, I've been go go go!

Here is the quick on what's been up!

Fall is my favorite season, especially since I live in lovely New England. So in honor of Autumn, I went apple picking in Hollis, NH last weekend. Where I pick there are 19 different varieties of apples and I had to get at least one of each. Yum! The problem with apples is, sometimes I can eat them raw and sometimes I can't. It depends on how the pouch is feeling on each individual day. Some days I make Shelly's Apple Pie Innards, and on days like today, I make apple sauce. It's super easy! Here's the recipe:

You will need:

A crock pot

Apples (however many you want as long as the crock pot closes!)

Water- for a 2.5 quart crock pot

filled with apples I used about 1/4c

Optional: Cinnamon & Splenda to taste

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice your apples

Place them all in a crock pot

Add water

Turn crock pot to low

Go get your nails done, do some shopping, hit the gym/spa/bed for 6 hours!

After 6 hours, turn your crock pot off

Mash your apples with a potato masher (I like my applesauce chunky so I don't mash it too much)

Stir in cinnamon and/or splenda to taste!

Serve warm or refrigerate to cool :)

Yummm!

I plan on going apple picking again this coming weekend so I can can some homemade applesauce.

Also this weekend, I will be attending the Walktoberfest. It's a lot of fun, I just haven't decided if I will be bringing my little Olivia because she has social anxiety... but she's so damn cute!

On Friday I watched my favorite child ever from work. We had so much fun in the hour she was awake. I don't think I've ever done so many different things in such a short period of time! Today I watched some strangers kids. They were super cute and the parents were so nice and down to earth.

This week will be busy. I started a "Hungry Heads" class with my WLS center. It doesn't really apply to me now because I can't eat a lot, but it will help when I am further along so I don't have a hungry head. I also have an appointment with my surgeon (The Jise, <3 him!!), a staff meeting, and something else that I am forgetting at the moment.

It's time for my to go make my yummy bento lunch for tomorrow. Gotta be at work for 7!

Nighty Night!

Miss Pink

Work & Food Groups

So, after 6 weeks of recovery from my gastric bypass surgery, I have returned to work. It is bittersweet to be back, honestly. The hours have changed. The pay has changed. The bosses I have worked for forever are gone. I miss me some K & J! My kids have obviously missed me, which I must say, is so heartwarming to me. I never thought I would get so many hugs and smiles from all of these kids. I really missed them, and I know they really missed me. It's one of the few things that make me smile at work. ::sigh:: It's just hard getting back into the "swing" of things because everything is different. It wouldn't be so hard if I had come back to the "same old same old." Oh well... what can you do?

Other than that, in the 44 days since my surgery, I have discovered a whole new food pyramid. On "Miss Pink's Food Pyramid" there are 5 food groups. They are: Meatballs, Greek yogurt, protein shakes, Wheat Thins Fiber Selects, and mini Luna bars. What a variety!

Tonight I tried steak. I know they say in all of the support and nutrition groups that steak isn't well tolerated, but I was hopeful. I was hopeful because for the first 3 months after my sisters surgery all she could eat was steak! Guess what? Steak is definitely NOT for me. Can you say frothing? Gross & painful. If you are not a WLS patient, google it. If you are a WLS patient, you probably know where I'm coming from, and if you don't, I envy you!! Does anyone else get really tired after a food doesn't agree with your pouch? I get so sleepy!

On that note, I am going to indulge in some mindless TV (Teen Mom) and go to bed.

Nighty night!

Love,

Miss Pink

Delicious Shakes & Doggie Baking

Today was busy! So busy in fact, that I know I didn't get in all of my fluids or protein yet and it's almost 6pm! This morning I had a delicious Berry Berry Protein Smoothie courtesy of The World According To Eggface.

The first picture is a booklet of Eggface's favorite shakes, which I made into a "cookbook" for myself. It is very handy! Do you like my photo instructions? 8oz milk, a scoop of vanilla protein, some berries, blend, drink. Easy. Delish.

NEXT! I made a doggie birthday cake for my co-worker's puppies today. It's a Banana Honey cake with Pineapple Blueberry cream cheese frosting. Very tropical, and it smelled yummy while it baked! I topped it with homemade doggie cookies. Recipes to follow!

I'm not going to post the pictures for the frosting & cookie mixing/baking because, frankly, that's just too many photos for a new blogger to try and post (especially since she doesn't really know what she's doing yet. Any pointers??) So here are the recipes!

Banana Honey Cake

2 Bananas

2 Cups water

1/8 tsp Vanilla

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 2 ripe bananas in your stand mixer and mash. Add all wet ingredients to bananas and mix until combined. Add baking powder. Add flour gradually. Mix until combined. Pour into 9 inch round cake pan and bake for approx. 1 hour 15 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean). When it's done, put the cake on a cooling rack- it will take a while to cool. When it's cool, you can frost it using this recipe!

Pineapple Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz low fat whipped cream cheese

1 6oz container pineapple chobani (greek yogurt)

1/4 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries-mashed (I used a food processor)

Combine all ingredients. If it's too watery, add a little flour or corn starch to thicken. Frost your cake :)

These are the ingredients for the Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies:

As you can see, I ran out of pumpkin, so I took a baby food pouch of sweet potato, pumpkin, apples, and blueberries (all things dogs LOVE). I had this left over from my pureed diet stage. I wasn't ever brave enough to try it myself, so the dogs are benefiting from my "loss" hehe. Onto the recipe!

2 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Pumpkin (or baby food!)

2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Ginger

Water- as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheet in tin foil. Combine all ingredients, except water, in a mixer. Mix until combined. Add small amounts of water until a dough ball forms. Flour your work surface, knead dough, then roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes, put on cookie sheet, and bake for 30-40 minutes (or until golden brown and hard).

That's it for today. I suppose I should stop blogging and spend some time with the BF :)

Miss Pink

First Post, Second Blog

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading my new blog. I plan (hopefully) to update this one regularly! Stay tuned for fun crafts, recipes, photos, and anything else I can think of. What would you like to see on this blog? I'm thinking of doing a "Preschoolers Say The Darndest Things Fridays." I feel like I will have a few cute ones every week seeing as I'm a preschool teacher! Tomorrow I'm baking a doggie birthday cake, so that will be my next post!

For now, a little about me. My name is Lisa and I will be 25 on Oct 27th (send gifts!). I'm a preschool teacher, photographer, aunt, girlfriend, sister, baker, cook, inventor, blogger (eek!), and facebook addict, among many other things.

I had gastric bypass surgery on August 1st 2011. I also (contrary to gossipers belief) had my gallbladder removed on August 1 2011. I know what you're thinking. "Gastric bypass is the easy way out." Well... if it's so easy, I would like you to try being on "the diet" (if you even know what it is- do a little research and you will find out it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change). I'm not complaining or ranting, I'm just saying that if you haven't had the procedure, you have NO IDEA what it's like, even if you "know someone who has gone through it." If you want to talk to me about it, or think you want to do it, I am always up for discussion. It was the best (and most drastic) decision I have ever made for MYSELF, ever. One of the major deciding factors was my PCOS.

I love shopping and probably do it a little too much. I am obsessed with my hair. My favorite color is pink, and I hate writing an "about me", so I'm done now.

Talk to ya later!

Miss Pink