My Favorite Things - Panda Express Entrees

I love Panda Express and pre band I ate my fair share of rice and sauce. ; (

I don't necessarily crave Panda Express but occasionally I like to treat myself (but I can't eat rice or noodles anymore)... I just found out that you can buy the entree from Panda Express by itself... I think it runs about $3.50, the little box fits in your hand.

It is the perfect size for a bandster meal. If you grab a "wok smart" entree they are all under 250 calories. It's not the most food for your buck but for a fun lunch out, I think it's great. (no noodles/no rice)

Enjoy!

P.S. Just watch out the Orange Chicken Entree it is 400 calories.... check out this link for more nutritional information:

http://www.pandaexpress.com/menu/nutrition.aspx

My Favorite Things - 100 Calorie, Cottage Cheese

Pros: Yummy, pre-portioned, easy to grab and go, .88 cents at Walmart

Cons: Has high fructose corn syrup

My Favorite Things - GNC Low Carb Protein Powder

Gave this a try and yum! Pretty darn good... (I have only tried the dutch chocolate so far)

I like to have a protein drink in the mornings, it holds me over until lunch and gives me some extra protein.

It has 50g of protein, 3g carbs, and 220 calories per serving. It's on sale at GNC until the end of the month.

Just passing it on.... : )

My favorite things - Bistro Sensations - YUM!

Since it's BBQ and bratwurst season, I thought I would share... (see package above) ONLY 110 calories!

Sure beats some of the calories that I have seen on the back of brat and hot dog packaging and I think they are yummy!!

Fiber...

I don't think I am getting enough fiber these days so I thought I would check out Benefiber... all I have to say is "this is NOT your grandmother's fiber supplement"

It actually tastes good... (kinda like Tang) and where is the gritty flavor?? Sooooo, not what I was expecting! Just passing on a good thing...

Turkey bacon

I was craving bacon and saw this package at the store.... Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon. I bought it and gave it a try today... I was extremely leery at first because it looks so completely unnatural but once I fried it up it was surprisingly pretty good!!

O.K., O.K. so nothing can replace "real" bacon but it was a good substitute that did quench my craving.

1 slice has 35 calories and 2g of protein.

So, if you are having a "I want bacon" attack... try these for a lower calorie substitute.


* Paid for by the people at Oscar Mayer. NOT! - I am open to negotiations... ; )

My Favorite Things: Morning Star Burgers

Morningstar Farms® Grillers® Original

I actually like these a lot... I just toss a burger in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes add my favorite toppings and wrap it all up in a big ole piece of romaine lettuce and enjoy. One of my favorite lunch choices at the moment.

I think it's pretty darn good... and I'm not even a vegetarian. lol.
It has: • 130 calories • 15g protein


Wanna try it?

1 Morning Star Griller Original Burger
large romaine lettuce leaf
sliced tomato
ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
optional: a tsp of mayo or slice of swiss cheese

Warm the burger up and then wrap all the burger and the toppings up in the lettuce leaf.



If you are want to see more burger ideas & recipes look here:
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/recipe_search.aspx?productid=331

Wasa Crackers - My favorite Things

YUMMY! If you haven't had a chance to taste these,
you should track these bad boys down! YUM!

Healthy
Yummy
Low Calorie

It's a win, win!

Here is a link for what to do with your Wasa Crackers.
http://us.wasa.com/health-recipes.aspx

Eating Out.

Pilot and I took our son, Cuddlebug out on a Saturday afternoon date. We went to lunch at Golden Corral and we saw the movie, How to Train your Dragon. (which was a great movie... loved it!)

So now you are asking... How in the world did I make Golden Corral work?

Well, it was my first attempt at eating out since the surgery. (woops, I mean second, the 1st was 2 days after surgery... my inlaws took me to a restaurant where I order french onion soup without the bread/cheese topping) Anyways... Golden Corral was great! Golden Corral can be a really a great place for a Bandster to go. I just showed my handy dandy Lap-Band Card... and I got my meal for the 9-12 child rate.

I am still on mushy food so I loaded my plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, some calm chowder and a crab cake (which was really, really soft). It wasn't the most amazing meal I have ever had but it was pretty dang good for a mushy dieter. lol. I than topped it off with a couple bites of banana pudding. I liked that I had so many choices and I loved that I was able to pay a child's rate. (my frugal side)

I have to say... this was the 1st time that I have EVER gone to Golden Corral and ONLY had one plate of food. Of course, I couldn't even eat all that I had. It is amazing how very little I can eat at a time... even without a fill. Anyways, if you are a Bandster... make sure you get one of these cards, why pay for a full adult meal??

My Patient ID CARD - http://www.lapband.com/

My Favorite Things

Just call me Vanna White!

I just had to give a HUGE shout out for the Magic Bullet!! If you are a new Bandster, I would suggest borrowing or buying one of these puppies. It has been a God send to my post-op diet.

The last few days when my hunger has gotten out of hand and another Campbell's soup or Protein Drink just sounded impossible to get down... I ran out and got a bowl of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup, added a bit of milk, and blended it to a nice consistency... another favorite is Wendy's Chili... just blend it up and YUM!

Also, I LOVE that I can make a protein shake and if I can't eat it all at once I can put a handy dandy Magic Bullet lid on it and save it in the fridge for later.

Oh, and I can leave it on my counter and it doesn't take much space. But I guess mostly it's my favorite because it is SO easy to clean. I love it when I can find something that is practical and easy to use.

So, there you have it! I LOVE MY MAGIC BULLET!!!