Favorite Holiday Recipes

Cheez-Its. They are my kryptonite. Can anyone relate? Baked cheese is not my invention but I appreciate it, as I do snacks like “Just the Cheese.” But…I’m a single mom with two kids, a dog and a cat to feed all on one meager salary so…sometimes a Foodie’s gotta do what a Foodie’s gotta do. So here’s how I get …

  I know, I know…there’s nothing like a cookie. It’s true! Especially a Christmas cookie. Oh, sweet confection! But we’re living differently these days and although we have options for cookies (check out, for example, my flourless coconut macaroons or my No-Flour Almond Butter Cookies), sometimes you just want something a little festive. Right? (Say right.) This is one of …

One of the biggest worries I’ve heard from post-ops about making WLS-friendly desserts for Thanksgiving is getting stuck with the leftovers if nobody else likes it. It’s a valid concern. Although I’d theorize if we stop TELLING people the dessert is healthy (instead, simply put it on the table and walk away!) we’d find this is not so much a …

This is my Sweet (and Salty!) Potato Casserole. It was a big hit at both the Baltimore and Pittsburgh Bariatric Foodie Holiday Food Tastings. (If you were at either and agree – holler!) But this casserole is keeping a secret. And no, that secret is not that it has added protein (although it does). Those who are in possession of …

All the pretty colors… (Before we get to this recipe…have you taken a look at the finalist recipes for the Fit Frappe recipe contest? Yes, ok. Well…have you voted yet so that YOU have a chance to win some Fit Frappe? Ah…you didn’t, did you? Go do it now! We’ll wait.)  Alrighty then! So anyone that knows me knows that …

Aside from the holiday, today is my late “Pop-pop’s” birthday. Manuel Fernandez was the first man I ever loved and I still miss him every day! In addition to being an awesome grandpa, he also laid the foundation to some of the recipes you guys enjoy from the blog. For instance, he taught me to make homemade pizza crust, which …

 For those who’ve read this blog for a while, you know I have this secret fantasy to take Starbucks DOWN!!! (Well not down…but at least have a higher protein answer to every nominous offering they have). This is why I took on the art of the Frappucino (using Click as my medium) and it’s what inspired my latest protein drink obsession. This …

I am not above admitting when something I have done is a dismal failure. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s Christmastime, or because I asked for a picture, or perhaps the prize wasn’t that exciting. But the response to this contest was not good. But alas…a contest is a contest. And I had three wonderful Foodies send in pictures, …

This year I am hosting Thanksgiving for the first time!!! It’s exciting but also a bit sad. Next year we’ll move from the house where we have lived for the last 13 years so this will be my first and last Thanksgiving in this house. That’s why I want to make this meal special. We’re not expecting a big crowd, …

Don’t mind the browned crust. Me and my oven are going through a divorce. Sniff… “Well, it looks like regular sweet potato pie…” Holds plate closer to nose and sniffs again. “Smells like it too…” Pokes with finger then tastes fingertip. “C’mon, Nikki, what’d you do to it? You wouldn’t be asking me to taste it if you didn’t do …