Tuesday, September 15, 2020

VIDEO: Zoodles with Creamy (Vegan) 'Alfredo'

This is a great recipe for anyone looking for a plant based menu item that is high in protein. Also safe/appropriate for bariatric patients on the soft solid stage. You won't miss the cream and cheese!! ENJOY!

 

Thursday, September 10, 2020


It's cucumber season, and man oh man do I have cucumbers!! We've never had such a large harvest, in more ways then one! The cucumbers themselves got away from us and are much to big to be delicious raw, BUT, they make great pickles! 40 jars later, I have pickles for days ...or months and still have a mountain of cucumbers to go. The limiting step in the process is the jars. I can't find glass jars fast enough.While I'm taking a break from pickling, I thought I would share the recipe for these refrigerator pickles with you. No need to boil the jars to seal the lids, just mix up everything, put it in the jars and store in the refrigerator. Because they are pickled they will be good for years as long as they stay cold. And don't forget, pickled and fermented foods are great for GI health ;)


For one jar (12-16oz)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1.5 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 sprigs dill
1 large cucumber, sliced into chips (you can also do spears but you won't fit as much into the jar)

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the cucumber and dill in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once the brine boils turn heat off and let come back to room temperature. 
2. Meanwhile, slice up cucumber and place cucumber and dill sprigs in the jar.
3. When the brine has cooled, pour over cucumbers. Cover all the vegetables. If you don't have enough liquid, top off with a little more vinegar. 
4. Close lid and place in refrigerator. Let pickles sit in brine for 72 hours before taste testing. 
ENJOY!!



Wednesday, September 9, 2020

VIDEO: ROAST CHICKEN

 Fool-proof recipe for perfectly moist, crispy skin, roasted chicken every time! Fabulous idea for dinner parties or a casual night at home, one chicken is enough for 4 people. Enjoy the video antics and the chicken :)


Wednesday, September 2, 2020

VIDEO: Coconut Curry Shrimp

This recipe is a definite crowd favorite at parties as an appetizer or can be made as a fast and simple weekday dinner entree. It is also suitable for anyone who has had bariatric surgery and is at the soft solid or solid food/regular diet stages. 

ENJOY!!



Friday, August 21, 2020

High Protein (AND Vegan!) Creamy Tomato Soup

This Creamy Tomato Soup is high protein AND vegan! It was created to be an example of a puree stage food for bariatric patients but it is delicious for everyone! In the process of making this we realized it can be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold like a creamy gazpacho. ENJOY!!

 

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

VIDEO: Hummus a Pantry Staple!

The first video in a 10-segment series with my good friend and fellow bariatric dietitian Vivianne Donahue. Stay tuned for more healthy, EASY, tasty recipes. Great for weight management, or those having bariatric surgery, and we also have four vegan recipes in the series!!
 

Monday, July 27, 2020

"The Range" Restaurant Review

When your friends are in town and want to meet for lunch what is a girl to do during these COVID times? My answer was shower up, find an outfit that can get sopping with sweat sitting outside on a high 80s degree day and grab my cutest mask. Off I went to Hingham (MA) to meet the girls at a driving range complete with a local favorite restaurant, The Range Bar & Grille.

I have no qualms about sitting outside COVID or not. I much prefer it to the over air conditioned, dark dining rooms at most establishments. This place did a great job of keeping people separated and keeping the service level up. The dining area was well stocked with giant umbrellas and while our table was more like an outdoor booth we still had plenty of shade. It would have been nice to have a cushion under our bottoms but we understood why they had been removed.

It was a 'ladies who lunch' event so obviously we ordered a bottle of prosecco to start. The only option was Chloe, it was a little flat in flavor department, but it was cold and refreshing, and beggers can't be choosers right?!


Our food order came. A strawberry and goat cheese salad with added salmon ($13+$11), a turkey club wrap with sweet potato fries ($12) and a 'veggie sandwich' with sweet potato fries ($14). The portions were very large, in my opinion definitely enough food for two lunches. The serving of salmon was a dinner portion size but had good flavor and the salad was light, crisp and fresh. The turkey club adorned some excellent additions like avocado which are not usually seen in a club sandwich. The veggie sandwich was a portobello mushroom cap with cheese and pesto on top of a Beyond Meat patty with normal vegetable accouterments. It had a good amount of flavor, but the patty was unnecessary and made the sandwich to heavy. I would have given people the option of the mushroom cap or the patty but not both. The sweet potato fries were a big hit among all three of us. They did not appear to be frozen, prepackaged fries, and they were wide which is much more to my liking as opposed to the shoe string varieties.

All in all, I would go back here. It was a nice quiet location, the food was good and it was sold at reasonable price. And hey if you get bored of your dining companions you can always watch the peeps at the driving range smashing balls around!