Wow. Another year gone by. And this year I have mixed feelings about the New Year. On the one hand it’s a new start, a chance to do better with my health, career and finances. But then the passage of this year also means goodbye for me: goodbye to a year when my mother was alive, goodbye to the self I was before she passed. But still, I’m hopeful.

And you guys have a LOT to do with that.

When I needed time off this year, you understood. You sent me encouraging notes and cards and some of you still write to me just to make sure I’m ok. This is what I love about community. I care very deeply for you all and this year you all showed me in so many ways that you care deeply about me and I am humbled.

S’anyway…enough of all the mushy stuff! Without further adieu, I present to you the Bariatric Foodie Year in Review!

January

The beginning of January is always a special time for me because Jan. 8 is my surgery anniversary! Check my 2012 reflection on being four years post-op.

So far as food, there was lots of yumminess to be had here at BF. From Melissa’s Oatmeal, walnut and cranberry protein cookies, to my Protein Caramel Apple Salad  to Zesty Skillet Mushroom Chicken, there was great food to be had in the Foodie Nation in January!

February

Anyone who’s been hanging around here a while knows what February means. The Bariatric Foodie Pledge!  The Pledge will return in 2013 for its third year and I am working on gathering up great prizes as we speak! But I have to give shouts to last year’s sponsors: Davinci Gourmet (maker of fine sugar-free syrups I use n many protein shake recipes) Click Espresso protein, Building Blocks Vitamins, CarbSmart and Quest Nutrition!

Even though we worked hard on our goals all month long, we did manage a few yummies in February too. Among my favorites were a tutorial on how to make protein pudding, fellow Foodie Kelly showing us how to make yummy fruit compote and my Curried Chickpeas!

March

Even though this was the month Mama Foodie was called home, the month began pretty well. Kelly (who now proudly serves as your Foodie Vitamin Correspondent for the BF email newsletter) wrote the fabulous BF Basics: Veggie Tales, on vegetarianism after weight-loss surgery!

We also had quite a few Foodie submissions including Cauliflower Crust pizza, Lois’ Banana Butterscotch Protein Blizzard and Carissa’s Cinnamon Muffins!

April

The first part of April was pretty quiet in the Foodie Nation. It was a strange month, I must admit. On April 1st we “celebrated” La Grande Diva’s 13th birthday and on the 5th we laid Mama Foodie to rest, I took a few weeks off to cope with that loss. But I found that keeping touch with you all helped me through my grief so it wasn’t long before I was back to posting.

We went over my no-fail secret to marinating meat post-op (which has a 100% success rate so far!), I tried mustard greens for the first time in this delicious recipe and I came up with yet another casserole, this time my Cheesy Chicken & “Rice” Casserole.

OH! And how could I forget??? April was the month the “Eggchilada” was born! Life has never been the same. 😉

May

I think May was when burn-out really hit me. I also moved out of our home of 13 years that month so things were REALLY quiet around these parts!

In May, we did manage the “All Click’d Out” contest where some of you won some Click protein. La Petite Diva and I also reviewed Click Decaf and I shared my recipe for some “Kick Arse” Veggie Chili.

June

In June I got this crazy idea. Well, maybe not crazy but…crazy. I came across this website that challenged people to learn about global poverty by taking a challenge: for five days spend only $1.50/day on food. Yeah. That was not fun. But I did it, called it “Nik’s Hunger Games” (Get it? Cuz…y’know…hunger games and…never mind…)and recorded it so you all could watch me suffer…er, learn.

So after all that business was over…I ate! Let’s see, I had some of Dana’s Fauxtato Salad (well, actually I didn’t but a fellow Foodie was nice enough to share her recipe) we also got to sample Teddi’s Taco Soup!

…And in a move that proved that life definitely marches on, Mama Foodies two Basset Hounds – Leroy and Loretta – became the proud parents of NINE puppies, one of which is my baby boy Benji!