I am not a big chip or cracker eater but while we were shopping at the grocery store a week ago we saw some Keebler Wheatables products on sale where if you bought a box of Wheatables you would get one of their new Nut Crisp varieties for free.  My little guy loves crackers (Cheez-Its are his favorites) so I figured what the heck I will grab some- after all they are made with stone-ground wheat!  Typically I wouldn’t indulge in these because they are a little too carb heavy for me but there were here and I love pecans.  They are delicious!  19 net carbs in 16 crackers is not so bad for a once in a while treat.  I can’t really eat a whole serving anyway- more like half!  They have a wonderful crunchy texture that is full of nutty, pecan goodness mixed with just enough saltiness to make it tasty.  I think I will have to eat another one just to make sure.  Yup- still delicious!  Each cracker has a smattering of pecan bits so you don’t have some with and some without pecans so that’s nice.  It’s not a perfect post-WLS snack but it is really yummy!  And both the kids approve during a blind taste test.  No really, I literally told them to close their eyes and open their mouths and tell me what they thought!  Here is a coupon for $1.50 off a box of Wheatables Nut Crisps!  That is almost free!

Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt in Carmel Flavor & Breakstone’s Live Active Cottage Cheese

I didn’t read the package well enough with the Greek Yogurt and was confused when I opened it up.  I was expecting a carmel color but it was the usual pale off white color.  Until I stirred it- AHHHH the carmel sauce is on the BOTTOM.  Got it- I’m an idiot because the package even says “pure pleasure on the bottom”.  Which.. kind of sounds naughty but I digress!  I don’t like yogurt.  Ever.  Before surgery or after.  I keep trying Greek yogurt because lots of other people like it and it’s a good protein source.  I tried it again and it is official- the taste of yogurt makes me want to hurl.  So I can’t really give a fair review so I am going to make Scott eat and review it!  So I tried the cottage cheese next- it smelled like a dirty gym locker room (but I do have a cold so maybe it was from that) and it tasted like how you would expect a wet gym sock to taste.  Again, perhaps because I have a cold but I still can not write a fair review about the product!  So I will make Scott eat and review it!  Wait till he finds out he has some blog homework to do!

If you don’t know what it is basically KFC has taken two original style fried chicken pieces (without bones of course), two strips of bacon, and Taco Bell’s fiesta sauce and made it into a sandwich so you have fried chicken in place of bread.

Sorry about the crappy pictures- I left my digital camera at home and had to rely on my crappy phone!  I know the WLS world is a-buzz about this sandwich, some for and some against.  I think the biggest debate with this seems to be revolving around the DS surgery (hey- I had that!) so let me break this down for you.  With a DS we don’t absorb 80% of the fat and 40% of the protein we eat (approximately- the DS can be customized with the length of the common channels so this can vary person to person).

Here’s the nutritional info:

Double Down
540 calories
290 calories from fat
32 grams fat
10 grams saturated fat
0.5 grams trans fat
145 cholesterol
1380 sodium
11 carbs
1 fiber
1 sugar
53 protein

On average a DSer only absorbs 223 calories and 6.4 grams of fat.  Most DSers don’t even bother looking at calories or fat and just stick to counting carbs and protein.  I count everything and track my food so I know how many calories and grams of fat I am getting I just don’t really care.  I try to keep my carbs under 50 grams (a common goal for DSers) and my protein intake between 90 to 120 grams.  For a “normal” person or WLS other than a DS the nutritional info might not make you to happy but for a DSer this is the kind of food we look for- high in protein, low in carbs.

So how does it taste?  Well it tasted great!  If you have ever seen So I Married an Axe Murderer (and if you haven’t go watch it immediately- its available for instant streaming on Netflix) then you know that KFC puts an addictive chemical in their chicken that makes you crave for it nightly, which I can totally see happening with these juicy, delicious fried chicken pieces.  I was going to order the grilled version because the breading on things usually gives me a stomach ache (side affect from the DS- flour-y or starchy carbs kills my gut) but I decided I needed to try it how it was suppose to be eaten to give it a fair review.  I personally have a hard time with dense protein so I put sauces on everything and there wasn’t quite enough of the fiesta sauce to help me eat it easily so I followed Scott’s lead and put mashed potatoes and gravy on a bite.  Not only did it taste better in my opinion but it was much easier to get down.

Yum- mashed taters and gravy!  I could only eat 1/3 of it but I am only 5 months out from surgery but I can see how some other WLS peoples can eat the whole thing- my stomach just hasn’t stretched out that much yet.

The Good: Well it tastes good!

The Bad: high calorie and high fat if you haven’t had a DS

The Ugly: could easily be addictive if KFC is your thing

So a while ago I ordered some protein samples from Vitalady and they have just been sitting in on my shelf of protein supplements in the kitchen.  I am still entirely uninterested in food today so after rummaging around looking for something to consume I knocked over the Tupperware container I had the samples stored in and figured I would try one out.  I checked the expiration date on the samples to make sure none had expired then grabbed the one of top- BSN Lean Dessert Protein in a Fresh Cinnamon Roll flavor.  Scott thought this entire line of protein powders sounded disgusting but I figured I would give it a shot.  I went ahead and mixed it with 8 ounces of 1% milk this time (the last protein supplement I tried I used water and it tasted pretty gross) in my pretty purple Blender bottle.  I was surprised that it didn’t foam up after being shaken pretty vigorously in the Blender bottle.  I had to do a second round of shaking to get all the clumps out but managed to have a foam and clump free final product.  If you have ever wondered what a cinnamon roll batter would taste like, I am pretty sure this is it.  Pre-mixing the powder had a pleasant cinnamon roll scent but after it definitely smelled like cinnamon flavored whey protein.  Mixed with 8 ounces of milk it was still pretty thick, but I think I prefer it a little thick to really thin.  I cannot taste the whey protein which is good for me because I hate that taste!  The Vitalady sample says there is 30 grams of protein but the label says there is 20 grams in 1 serving so I am not sure how much was in this little sample baggie but 20 grams of protein per serving isn’t bad.  Only 130 calories, 7 carbs (6 net carbs)- so not a terrible protein supplement option and it tastes decent- if you like cinnamon rolls.  I think next time I would use more milk because it really feels like drinking cake batter with only 8 ounces of milk!

Product: BSN Lean Dessert Protein: Fresh Cinnamon Roll

Price: $22.99 for an 18 serving tub or $1.99 for a one serving sample from Vitalady

The good: It doesn’t taste like whey protein- it tastes like a cinnamon roll, 20 grams of protein per serving, did not foam or clump

The bad: in 8 ounces of milk it was really thick like cake batter (just add more milk to it, I know!)

The ugly: Scott wouldn’t even try it and he is usually like Mikey and eats everything

Yesterday I was like, well maybe if we go out to eat to somewhere delicious this will go away.  So we went to a Chinese buffet.  Man, was it gross!  All it did was fuel my want to not eat anything.  It’s 1:30 in the afternoon and I haven’t eaten a damn thing yet today.  I don’t really feel hungry (yet, I am sure it’s just lurking around and will show up soon) but I do feel slightly empty in the stomach.  It sounds weird but sometimes my stomach just feels empty and it is uncomfortable but it is not really hunger.  And yet some other times I don’t know if I am just really hungry or have a killer stomach ache!  I have some serious issues, huh?

I can’t think of a flavor combo better than raspberries and chocolate.  It is definitely one of my favorite flavors.  I am also hopelessly addicted to Luna bars.  They are super yummy and easy to eat when I am away from home and need to eat something.  This morning I bought some Chocolate Raspberry Luna bars to try and WOW are they good!  As soon as you open the package you smell the raspberry (which I happen to think is extremely yummy).  It’s not too crunchy and not too chewy- it has just the right consistency.  It tastes just like it should- chocolaty and like raspberries.  Again these are Luna bars so they do not have the greatest numbers as far as carbs go.  This particular bar has 21 net carbs and 13 grams of sugar, but it is really yummy!  The 8 grams of protein is certainly on the low end of what I would want from a protein source but they are really yummy!  I had a duodenal switch (DS) so I don’t have to worry about dumping (but if you do then be careful with the sugar content in these) and I hardly absorb any of the 5 grams of fat they have so for me it is not such a terrible choice.  The carbs aren’t stellar but I usually eat them in the morning so I think that helps (as opposed to loading up on carbs at night right before bedtime).  Plus I will take a few more carbs to have a protein bar that actually TASTES good!

Product: Chocolate Raspberry Luna Bar

Price: $0.98 at Walmart; priced on average $1.00 – $1.50 per bar

The good: It is YUMMY; has 8 grams of protein

The bad: 21 net carbs (almost half of what I like to eat in a day!)

The ugly: if you have an issue with dumping, the 13 grams of sugar may not be very nice to you

TIP:  I have actually heard of people freezing the Luna bars and then eating them (especially the chocolate kinds) and they say it is a very yummy treat.  I think I am going to freeze the other one I bought and update on how it is!

Coming soon: I have also tried/have to try these flavors of Luna bars: Peanut Butter Cookies, Lemon Zest, Chia Tea, Carmel Nut Brownie, and White Chocolate Macadamia.  For protein powders I have Biggest Loser singles, Body Fortress (the cheap stuff from Walmart!) in a few different flavors, 4EverFit, protein shots (liquid protein bullets), and a whole box of samples for Vitalady!  Expect more frequent postings!  I also bought a Blender Bottle!

1-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
8 oz water
ice
1/2 cup frozen banana
1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter

Blend it like crazy and it is a yummy frozen shake!

I use water to minimize the carbs I eat in a day but you can replace the water with milk easily.

I am still making my way through my stack of protein that I have bought and have decided maybe it is time to get one of those protein shaker cup things.  I know what they do and what they look like but the few stores I have remembered to look for one at did not have any!  Where the heck do you get these things?!  And is one kind better than the other?  I see some with strainer lids, some with wire coils at the bottoms and some with wire balls inside (like the  picture above).  How do you know which one to get?

Oh . My. God. It was delicious! It was every bit as good as MM described it. Now the carb count is a little high for everyday eating but I think it is a great “purse/backpack snack”. Even with 28 grams of carbs it is better than most anything that would come out of a college vending machine! Plus it has 8 grams of protein and every little bit helps! It looks like a cereal bar with a peppermint white chocolate coating on the bottom but it tastes like a cross between a candy bar and a cookie. I normal hate sweets (even before surgery I hated sweets) but I am addicted to these Luna Peppermint Stick bars after just having one. I immediately went to Amazon.com (my favorite store ever, plus with Amazon Prime everything I order ships for free which is super convenient with as much as I order!) and saw the had a case of 15 bars for $20. On the side bar it said “sign up for subscribe and save and get this item for only $17!” I forget how much I paid at Walmart for the one bar I got but I think it was $2.09. When I was at Fresh Market I saw they had them for $1.59. So I can order them from Amazon at $1.13 a bar AND they will automatically send me a case once a month?! Of course I ordered them immediately! I ordered them yesterday morning and they got to my house tonight!
So as I mentioned, I order a lot of stuff from Amazon. This is not a shameless ad telling you to buy from Amazon- I have legitimately ordered from there very regularly for the past several years! This week alone the UPS man has been to my house 3 times already. We’ve had 10 “dates” this year so far you would think we would be on a first name basis by now! Then again he only ever sees me in my pajamas and sometimes they are the same pajamas from the day before, but still! I’m just kidding about having an affair with the UPS man, but I have seen him at least ten times this month so far! I ordered a Tag Jr Reading System and a Tag book for my niece for her second birthday next month, so the Reading System came yesterday and the Tag Book (Panda Bear, Panda Bear) came today with my Luna bars.