Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
~~posted by Jen
Yes, I eat nachos as a WLS post-op. They were a pre-op favorite and not something I wanted to give up in my post-op lifestyle. So, I had to find a way to make them work in my plan. I don’t eat them every day, but I do have them probably once a week.
The first step was finding some chips with not too hideous stats. Trader Joe’s has their own brand of Soy Protein and Flax Tortilla Chips. The stats are pretty good for chips! A serving is 7 chips, 130 calories, 6 grams of protein, 9 grams net carbs (all whole grain).
If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, I found another brand called “Food Should Taste Good”, and their stats are also pretty good. They don’t have as much protein per serving as the TJ’s ones, but they’ll do in a pinch. Here’s how I make them:
Jen’s High Protein Nachos
Ingredients:
14 TJ’s Soy Protein & Flax tortilla chips
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh salsa
pinch of salt
Directions:
Spread the chips in an even layer on a microwave safe plate. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, making sure to get cheese on each chip. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, until the cheese is all melted. (Time varies depending on your microwave.)
In a small bowl, combine the greek yogurt, salsa, and salt. Stir together until completely combined.
Spread the topping mixture over your nachos and dig in!
This exact serving is a perfect meal size for me at 2 years post-op and comes out to around 380 calories and 26 grams of protein per serving. My average meal is 350 to 400 calories and minimum 20 grams of protein, so it meets my requirements. Again, this is not something I eat every single day but it sure tastes good when I get a hankering for nachos.
Optional toppings could include refried beans, leftover cooked chicken or ground beef, olives, lettuce, jalapenos, whatever you like. Now this is one of those instances, when I was talking to Nik, where she makes her own version, using some of the same ingredients but in a different way.
That happens often as we have different approaches to food. Since she is quite passionate about her version of nachos, we’ve decided to do this as a “One dish, two ways” set of posts. Look for her version next week!
Until then, play with your food! Come up with your own creative combinations, then share them with us! What are you waiting for? Say Ole’ and now go…get your nachos on!
