Good Grub

In my quest to eat on my diet and keep my taste buds happy I (like most women watching their diet) is always on a search to try new things. Since I like to cook, whether it turns out right or not, I am adventurous more so than my husband. I like to cook new recipes and I'm always trying to make something new. Today I tried something that one of my favorite bloggers suggested for lunch. Though I was skeptical I thought why not try it. Here is goes: toss out your crackers and put in place cucumbers. Why? First, no carbs. Second, very low in calories. Third, easy for our tummies to process. So I wanted tuna for lunch (high in protein) and I made it with greek yogurt and a tad bit of mayo. On the cucumber slices, which I peeled the skin off, I put a little cheddar cheese and some tuna. Voile' yummy little sandwich bites!!! It was great to eat and it was yummy as well. It was crunchy just like a cracker, but much healthier for me. Total meal cost was pennies and I will get more than one serving out of it. All in all the idea is a great one and I'm really glad I tried it. Definitely need to get some more cucumbers now.

Second cucumber recipe is something that I've been craving since I had it in the cafeteria in my residence hall. It is a salad that I can have! It consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions all mixed with italian dressing. I am sure the cafeteria doesn't use low fat dressing, but when I want to make it at home I like to use the fat free zesty italian dressing. It gives it a little zing to the salad. Low calorie...no carb...crunchy yummy salad. I've also been adventurous with this salad and put it on top of a burger that I cooked (no cheese) and seasoned it with a little extra pepper. Gives the hamburger patty a little something different. It is also good on top of a grilled chicken breast that has been cooled. I like to season the chicken with some italian seasoning and bake it. Cut it up and put it in the fridge. Take it out, cube it, and mix it with the salad. Super easy...good protein and veggies!

Since winter is coming I am looking forward to experimenting with squash. When I was in high school my dad cooked a lot of squash and I really learned to love it. I found a couple of recipes for it and I am excited to experiment with it. I also want to learn how to cook my own pulled pork. I wonder if I can crock pot that? Just seems like a good yummy food to cook in the crock pot :-)

Do you have any favorite recipes for your pouch? Anything you made WLS friendly?