I was hit with inspiration the other day as I was planning our meals. I have been doing a lot of recipes with soft cheeses stuffed into flattened chicken.

I had some low fat ricotta left over from another recipe and I was trying to think how could I use this up. Lasagna was the first thing that came to mind, but I cannot do pasta.

That’s when I came up with Low Carb Chicken Lasagna!

Low Carb Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (4 ounces each)
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup low fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 T Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1.  Pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness and season with salt and pepper
2. Mix ricotta, cottage cheese and seasoning
3. Pour 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of your crock pot
4. Place chicken breast in dish and fill with half of the ricotta mixture. Roll meat around filling. If you need you can hold it closed with a toothpick. Repeat with second breast.
5. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce on chicken
6. Cook on low for 4-6 hours
7. 10 minutes before serving sprinkle cheese on top and place lid back on crock pot to melt cheese

I cooked ours for 8 hours and it was a little dry that’s why I adjusted the timing, if you do make it and find the perfect timing let me know! Oh and yes I used cheddar cheese because I forgot to get mozzarella at the store, still very yummy.

I hope you enjoy my recipes as I’m not a great cook, but am having fun learning how to make healthier meals for me and my family.

It’s been 4 months since my surgery and I wanted to share a little more about my recovery and my progress so far.

I recently had a request for some recipes here on Pepper Scraps, now I’m the first one to admit I’m not the best cook out there. But sometimes I do a good job combining a few flavors and making something yummy. Today it was a very yummy light lunch: Creamy Shrimp Cucumber Sandwiches.

• 3 oz cooked frozen shrimp meat
• 1TB light mayo
• 1 TB cocktail sauce
• salt & pepper
• fresh dill
• 5-8 cucumber slices (cut very thin)
• 1TB light cream cheese
• 1 slice bread (my bread was 90 calories/slice)

1. Defrost the shrimp. A quick way to do this is to run the shrimp under cool water in a colander (Dry shrimp in a paper towel if you do this).
2.  Mix shrimp, light mayo, cocktail sauce, and dill in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Toast the bread
4. Spread cream cheese on bread, layer on cucumber slices
5. Spoon shrimp mix on top of the cucumbers

If you are not eating bread you can change this recipe to serve the shrimp on the cucumber slices instead if you wish or on salad.

I found this today and am very excited to do it. I will probably be posting these photos on my weekly “Friday Favorites” post. What I’m excited about is I’m going to create a google calendar just for this challenge (maybe use it in the future for other challenges too) and enter each day’s challenge into it’s day. That way I can pull up the days challenge on my phone.

Want to join me?

One of the things that you will find on many weight loss forums is people sharing their non-scale victories (NSVs). I haven’t been really good about keeping up on my NSVs, it is one of the things I’m supposed to keep in my weight loss journal. So today lets catch up, and while we are at it lets have a little fun.

5 Great NSVs

1. Pulling out my box of too small clothes and finding things that are too big
2. Being able to run up and down the stairs and being able to do it without being out of breath
3. Having people ask me what is different about me: “Have you changed your hair?”
4. Having Hubby hug me and make the observation that there is less of me to hug
5. Being able to paint my toes, easily
6. Being able to buy and fit into a Large sweater
7. Being able to see my whole lap when I sit down
8. Being able to walk into a normal size clothes store and not feel like people are staring at me
9. Being able to run around in the parking lot with my littlest boy in the cart and having fun
10. Having  to update all my profile pictures because the old pictures look nothing like me

5 Not So Great NSVs

1. Hubby letting me know that as my face thins out my nose is becoming more prominent
2. Hubby making the observation that loosing weight is making me look older (yes he is batting a hundred here)
3. Having to buy clothes but knowing they won’t fit me in a month
4. Shoes getting too big, including my favorite boots
5. Realizing I will need my wedding ring re-sized soon or I may loose it

So what are some of your NSV with your weightloss? Have you had any Not so Great NSVs before?

The time has flown and a year has passed by so very quickly. I wanted to stop and take the time to share with you the last year in review at Pepper Scraps. I hope you will stroll down memory lane with me or find some good reads that you may have missed the first time around.

January

• I start Project 52: Self Portraits with Lynda from DigitalWoe.com. I made it almost halfway to my goal. This year I may choose to do another Project 52.
• I vowed to defeat my weight issues last January. I have lost 60lbs this year, I hope to loose another 50lbs this year.
• Zarek learned how to crawl out of his crib. Today we will be converting his crib to a “big boy bed”.

February

• CommentHour was created by me and Jenny. I’m not sure what will happen with #commenthour this year, I have to think long and hard about it’s future.
• I received my acceptance letter for my weight loss surgery!
• I shared a photo of me and the hubby on Project 52. Not the best photo, but when you consider it is one of very few it’s pretty nice to have it.

March

• I tried doing March Vlogging Madness with Jendi at SimpleVloggingTips.com. I made it through about 10 videos, but it seems as if life had gotten in the way. I will be trying to do another 30 day vlogging challenge this year!
• I participated in the Ultimate Blogging Party. I was a little disappointed in the event this year 2010 was a lot more fun it seemed.
• My sleep study revealed I have severe sleep apnea. This year I hope to get another test done to see if my sleep apnea is better after my weightloss.
• I shared my typical day of a working mom. My hope to stop working out of the house is being delayed as we try and work on our goal this year to become debt free.

April

• I shared my imperfect life with a photo of me and my messy house.
• I had my first weigh-in required by my insurance for weight loss surgery.
• Zarek turned 2 this year and I wrote him a letter to tell him how much he means to me.

May

• I wrote a post all about how to slowly invest in your web design. If you are on a budget but would like to learn how you still might be able to update your website you should read this post!
• I shared about the 7 major elements of blog design. Are you re-evaluating your blog for the new year? Use this post as a guide at the different key elements you want to look over.
• In Beauty vs Budget I compared a website or blog to buying a house, which would you rather own: a travel trailer, a  mobile home, a pre-built home, or a custom home?

June

• I started a new version of A Craft A Day where each craft was related to a letter of the week. We have made it halfway through the alphabet and I hope to finish the rest of the alphabet this year.
• I drove up to Seattle to attend Bloggy Boot Camp and got my first speeding ticket.
• #commenthour went live all on it’s own with it’s own hashtag, twitter account, and website!
• I shared how you can create an amazing about page in 5 easy steps.

July

• I hit a plateau in my weight loss and struggled to keep my motivation. I finally made it through my plateau to only hit another this December. I hope to just keep going and keep on losing.
• I talked about 15 ways you can clean up your sidebars in a post called How Much is Too Much? Which had a few people question my thinking but I promise your blogroll is doing less for you than you realize.
• I introduced you to my newest toy my Iconia Tablet and started a series about some of my favorite Android apps available at the Marketplace.
• If you are struggling with creating an editorial calendar or getting people to read your posts you should run back and read my post about How to Use a Magazine for Easy Headlines.

August

• I had my first guest blogger on PepperScraps and her post was a huge hit, if you missed it you have to go back!
• I offered my first freebie for kids and moms looking to get active with their kids. I have a video showing off my boys using the printable activity cards and if you want you can still like Pepper Scraps on Facebook and get them free!
• As summer came to end I felt my blogging motivation dwindling and saw many of my blogging friends struggling so I shared one of my favorite posts on how to beat Blogging Burn Out.
• I started a new series all about bloggers you should follow.  I really enjoyed sharing some of the great people I have met through blogging and I hope to share more this year!
• One of my last posts of August I took the time to thank some of my favorite blogging buddies, but also encouraged others to thank someone special in their lives also.

September

• I posted about my thoughts about getting Invisaligns and why I was considering this great product. I’m still thinking about this as I get my dental work finished and am continuing my quest for healthier living.
• I shared a little more about one of my favorite blogger Darren Rowse and how you can learn more about blogging from him.

October

• I got invited to an awesome little party by Kristin from Our Ordinary Life that was sponsored by Diaper Genie and had tons of fun. I’m hoping to do more fun things like this this year and to learn more about different products and product sponsorship. I may even do a series on how to be a sponsored blogger.
• I really nailed down a great system for creating an amazing editorial calendar and I shared my secrets with you!

November

• November 2nd I had lap band surgery! I shared with you all the steps that led up to my surgery the day after surgery.
• I didn’t write much in November due to my recovery but I did share a very detailed account of my surgery day, including my ride to the surgery room with my hilarious anesthesiologist.

December

• My recovery was harder than I thought after surgery, it wasn’t the pain but the exhaustion that got me. Do to this there was only one post in December.

Now onto a new year with Pepper Scraps. I hope you will join me in all the adventures I share here. I hope that I can share more about blogging, more about crafting with your kids, more about how to lose weight and become healthy, and who knows where this adventure shall lead us.

I hope that you, my loyal readers, are not too upset with the lack of updates, I promise I will be doing more!

As I have been healing I have been thinking about PepperScraps and trying to decide with the new year coming up where I should take this blog. This is where you come in, my readers.

What is your favorite posts at PepperScraps? Blogging, becoming healthy, kids & crafts, or do you like the mash up of everything?

At first when thinking about eating liquids for two weeks you can feel like your going to go crazy with the cravings and lack of variety. So far I have to say it hasn’t been bad! So I wanted to share some of the things I’ve eaten and some of the things still in my pantry to start eating.

Protein Shakes

Premier Protein Shakes (Vanilla) – This is a premixed protein shake that I got a large box at Costco. These are okay, my favorite is still Muscle Milk Light, tastes great and the low calories with the high protein is great. I will probably get more Muscle Milk when I’m out of the Premier shake. But the premier was great for when I wasn’t up to blend up a shake. Try adding a little cinnamon or Torani Sugar Free Caramel Syrup.

Muscle Milk Light, Vanilla Creme – Since I liked the premix of the Muscle Milk I thought I would try this also. I was a little disappointed you can taste the protein in this powder, but this is what I’ve had in my house and I want to use it up. So I have been making up shake recipes to use this powder in.

GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 Cookies and Cream 1.22 LB – Loving this protein powder! What I love the most is that they haven’t over sweetened the mix to try and hide a flavor. Plus the flavor is very subtle which I like. After drinking sweet stuff for a few days not having something sickeningly sweet is great! I’ve also tried the Chocolate
and Vanilla.

Greek Yogurt

Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt – This is an absolute post op must! Having something with just a little consistency has been so nice. I got the large container to easily serve out 4 oz at a time. This is also great to add to shakes to thicken them up and add some more protein.

Try using 4-Ounce Containersand freeze some of the yogurt for a quick ice cream replacement!

Soups

I make soups with milk or add milk to them to raise their protein content.

Chicken Broth - This is really nice just after surgery. Just something comforting and so easy to digest to enjoy.

Pacific Natural Foods Butternut Squash Soup – This is a sweeter soup, so if you like sweet soups you will like this. I found with all the other sweetness with the shakes that I looked forward to a salty treat which this soup didn’t provide.

V8 Tomato Herb Soup – This was a great soup! I loved the herbs in it. I didn’t blend it the first few times I ate it, I just used a straw and left the chunks in the bottom of my cup. But now that I have my Handy Dandy Hand Blender I will blending it up to get all the yummies.

V8 Garden Broccoli Soup – This is a great option for a creamy soup! Again this has a few chunks in it, so it needs to

Bean With Bacon Soup – I just had this last night and I made it with milk. It was sooo yummy and creamy. It’s rich and definitely helps with my salty craving.

Treats

I let myself have one of these per day. These are things that were not specifically on my doctors list but that I have for pick me ups and as a break from the routine.

Fudgesicles – I haven’t even had one of these yet, but I figured they will be a good treat when I’m feeling a real need of something “chewable” or something with more consistency

Ice Cream – The other night my hubby really wanted a treat from the store so he got me a little one serving of chocolate ice cream. This was perfect as I only had the one serving in my house so no more temptation once it was gone. This was the day after my surgery so it was also a mood pick me up which was nice.

Light Eggnog – Tis the season. This is one of my favorite treats and even when I drank it before I would count it as a snack, not as a drink. I am using this more as a twist on something to mix up with my protein mixes instead of milk.

Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding – SF Caramel – Yummy! I had this as my treat today and loved it. I wouldn’t even share it with my boys – I know I am a terrible mommy. But this was a nice treat as the consistency is a little different than anything else I’ve had this week. And when you are limited to liquids you start being able to really tell that everything is the same consistency.

Drinks

MIO Mango Peach – I’ve talked about Mio’s before, but I have to say they are the greatest. I will drink crystal light, but I find it too strong and too sweet. I love how with Mio you can make the sweetness just how you want with small little squeezes. My boys absolutely love this for their drinks also and since it is sugar free I don’t feel bad about giving them a tiny squeeze. I also have Berry Pomegranate and Fruit Punch available for me to mix it up (oh yes try mixing the flavors too!). I also have enjoyed Strawberry Watermelon.

True Lemon, Lime & Orange – I love these. While I was pregnant I was avoiding too much of artificial sweeteners, but I also could not drink straight water without getting sick. If you are finding that you can’t drink straight water or if you are like me and tend to drink more when your water has flavor definitely get yourself some of these. I also use these in my recipes for muffins, chicken and more!

V8 Vegetable Juice – You won’t be getting a lot of veggies in your diet right now so think about getting yourself some V8 juice. Plus it is one more thing that is easy to swallow and satisfies your salty cravings. I’ve been having about 1 4 ounce serving a day.

V8 Fusion Juice – Juice is one option I’m allowed to drink on my diet, but I’ve been really cautious about juice in my diet for years now. But I did get myself a bottle of the V8 fusion juice as this can be one more serving of veggies for me a day. Plus I know that with as little food as I’m taking in a little juice would be good to get nutrients into me.

Low Calorie Cocoa Mix – Again this was on my list of items I could have from my doctors office, but I haven’t had any. I did buy a box last night just in case I wanted to have some. It is a nice comfort food and I think having a few things in the house I haven’t tried yet, will not make me feel like I’m being too restricted.

Tea – Again I haven’t had any tea yet, but this is something I always have in my house and like to have available. If you are shopping for your post op diet I would considering getting a few kinds to try. I would recommend a minty tea like the Tazo linked because mint really helps with nausea and upset stomachs, so this may be a nice soothing drink option for you.

Tools

Immersion Hand Blender – I actually borrowed the one I’m using this week from my sister-in-law as I wasn’t sure if this was what I wanted. But I’m sooo in love! What a great little tool and so much easier to clean up than the blender. Plus I don’t have to have special cups like I will need for a personal sized blender. This is on the top of my Christmas List this year!

Double Wall Tumbler with Lid and Straw – Got to have at least a few of these. I find if I have these filled with my water for the day I can watch more closely how much I’m drinking. Also when you are going out and about it’s fun to have a cute cup for your drink or meal. Plus the doubled wall is nice as you don’t leave water rings wherever you go!

Bendy Straws – I have a lot of these from parties I have hosted in the past and I actually have to say if you are having surgery, buy yourself a pack or two. It made my drinks a little more fun and festive and much easier to drink. Plus with things like soups that may have chunks I knew if it didn’t go through the straw to not eat it!

4-Ounce Containers – I just picked up some more of these as it was frustrating to see my glasses all get dirty when I was only putting 4 ounces of liquid in them. Also having something like these cups is great so you don’t have to measure out what your are serving, you know if you fill the container it is 4 ounces. Plus you take a little more time to go back for seconds if you think you can handle a couple more ounces and this bit of time may make you realize no you are full.

Black & Decker Food Processor – This food processor has the best reviews and the best price I have found and I did a lot of research. This is a great little tool to have before hand.

Premake soups. Then using your Food Processor bring them to a liquid consistency. Spray a 12-Cup Muffin Pan with Pam. Then pour the soup into the pan and freeze them. After a day in the freezer I popped them out and place them in a freezer bag. You now have single servings of soups ready to microwave in the freezer!

Black & Decker Blender – If you are making a shake filled with peanut butter and banana you may want to pull out your blender for the job. So before surgery make sure you have a good one!

My Wishlist

This is my quick wishlist of things to have as I continue on my adventure with my lap band:

• Laptop Lunch Bento in Black And Magenta
• Bento Buddies Set of 4
• BlenderBottle with Blenderball, Pink
• Nonstick Mini Donut Pan
• Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
• Black & Decker 1-1/2-Cup Electric Chopper
• Just the Cheese Mini Round Snacks
• CLICK Espresso Protein Drink, Vanilla Latte
• PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
• Torani Variety Pack, Sugar Free

Hope this Helps

To Be Continued…

After the two weeks of liquids I will be going onto two weeks of mushy foods. Which I’m very excited that Thanksgiving is landing on mushy foods and not liquids! So I hope to share with you some pantry ideas and recipe ideas for a mushy diet. But also I will probably share with you a Mushy Thanksgiving Menu! I hope you will stay tuned to my adventure!