~~posted by Jen Up close with Cowboy Caviar Happy New Year! We hope you had fun last night and are enjoying your day today with family and friends. Last night was pretty low-key for me since the roads are still bad here. We stayed home, watched some movies, and I set out several appetizers for the boys and I to …

~by Nikki This really was the MOST flattering shot I could get of my beloved trifle. Ok, so usually our posts are a “how-to” of your favorite foods. Because we do a pretty good job (if I do say so myself) of testing recipes and making sure we are on top of our game. This post is not like that …

~by Nikki In my family, Christmas dinner isn’t exactly dinner. It’s more like a compilation of appetizers. We have a very laid back holiday tradition. The divas and I open presents at home, then we trek to my mom’s house where we open presents there, watch movies and eat…all while never getting out of our pajamas (we literally drive there …

~by Nikki  This year I actually made time to attend my support group’s annual Christmas party (not to be confused with the Bariatric Reunion that just occurred a few weeks ago). We’d all been invited to bring a WLS-friendly goodie to share. I offered to bring two. Damn over-achiever in me! (I’ll post the other side dish another day) Spinach …

My little army of ice cream toppers…stuff easily found in most post-op pantries! I know it’s winter and our bodies are cold so, theoretically, we should be celebrating hot desserts but something about ice cream transcends seasons to me. Besides…protein ice cream is a way to get your required protein in and carve out a little indulgence for yourself. Have you …

~~posted by Jen I shredded my chicken and put the mushrooms and gravy over it It’s a crazy busy time of year for most all of us, and we need a quick meal the whole family can enjoy that will still meet our protein needs AND sit well in the pouch, right? Y’all have heard me go on and on …

~by Nikki  I feel like I’ve deceived you peeps. The way I talk about my divas, you’d think they were these little culinary adventurers, ready to take on every new veggie and protein source with an open mind and an empty stomach. No. Sometimes when I propose (or make) new dishes they, like you, look at me like I …

~~posted by Jen A few weeks back, I shared my Mediterranean Tilapia recipe with y’all and it seemed to be well received. It’s been a busy few weeks, and I just realized I never did tell y’all what to do with the leftovers! I re-mixed the four leftover tilapia fillets and made some scrumptious stuffed mushrooms. No breading, all fish, …

  This is my version of the very first cheeseball I ever tasted. Picture it. Nikki. 2008. Support group holiday party. They served this cheeseball and it was…sigh…it was love. Now at the time I was only 11 months post-op so I could only eat a bite (and then couldn’t eat anything else after that) but man, was it worth …

~~posted by Jen (This recipe is a FREE preview recipe from the Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide available for instant download from the “Shop BF!” page.) Lots of people serve whole kernel corn, or creamed corn, (um in some Southern families, BOTH) at holiday meals. It’s not unusual to have some left over and wonder what in the world you’re gonna do …