Your Stories & Tips

• Gift cards for iTunes or video rentals
• Movie coupons
• Power bars
• Bath/Beauty items
• Easter socks/earrings
• Origami kit
• Gas cards
• Money tucked inside of plastic Easter eggs always works for my teens!

1. Crack and peel the eggs.
2. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise.  Place the halves yolk down on a plate.
3. Slice tiny black olive “eyes” and radish “ears.” 
4. Make small slits in the eggs for the eyes and ears and push in the olives and radishes.  Add the chive “tails.”
5. Serve a pair of egg mice with a wedge of Swiss cheese for a playful touch.  

• Broccoli – The federal diet recommendation for adults is at least three cups of dark leafy greens per week.  Think broccoli, kale and spinach.  Add broccoli sprouts to your foods as they pack a bigger vitamin wallop than the adult version.
• Green tea – Drink it "fresh brewed as bottled" as instant teas have little effect on your health.  Green tea contains catechins that work as powerful antioxidants. 
• Limes – Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant.  A trick that my dear friend taught me is to cut up a lime and keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to squeeze it over your food or beverage.  That way the limes don’t go bad and they’re cool and ready when you are.  Use some in your green tea!
• Pesto – Garlic blocks the formation of carcinogens in the liver and has antifungal and antibiotic properties. 

St. Patrick ’s Day is now celebrated with parades, music and songs, green rivers, and Irish food and drink.  However, many years ago St. Patrick’s Day was considered a holy day of obligation and pubs were not open for business.  There were no parades and no drinking but rather a day of prayer and fasting.  So now that you’ve had weight lost surgery, don’t think that you can’t change the way you celebrate holidays.  Rather than bacon, ham, or corned beef and cabbage, try this bariatric friendly recipe for this St. Patrick’s Day.  Your kids will love finding the “coins” at the bottom of the bowl. 

     Pot O’Gold Soup
Butter Flavored PAM spray
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup skim milk

1. Spray the bottom of a large pot with PAM .  Add the chopped onion and cook about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, and garlic and continue cooling for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Now add the broth, stir to mix, then cover and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to low and let simmer 20 – 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.  Use a slotted spoon and fish out about ½ cuts of the carrot slices – reserve.
4. Working in two or three batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.  Return the blended soup to the pot, stir in the milk, and cook until just heated through – don’t let it boil.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper or seasonings you enjoy – we use Old Bay in just about everything we cook. 
6. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and add a few of the reserved carrot “coins” to each serving. 

May your neighbors respect you,
 Troubles neglect you,
 The angels protect you,
 And heaven accept you.
   Old Irish Toast
 

• For an appetizer, serve homemade guacamole with celery sticks. 
• For a main dish, try stuffed green peppers. 
• For a green beverage, how about sugar free lime Kool-aid or green tea with fresh mint. 
• Serve kiwi or green pears in sugar free lime jello for dessert. 

• Download his iPod or MP3 with romantic music or make a CD with a picture of the two of you on the front cover. 
• Use a can of water-soluable, non-toxic aerosol paint to write your message of love in the grass or snow in your yard. 
• Find his car at work and leave a note on the steering wheel suggesting a romantic  rendezvous. 
• Leave a trial of paper hearts, each with a loving message, from the front door to the bedroom for him to find as he comes home from work. 
• Who doesn’t love a foot massage or a back rub with some scent oil or lotion?
• Do something unexpected:  If he loves a tidy yard, go outside and pick up branches and other stray objects, fill the bird feeders and clear the walk ways.

• Leave a note on her pillow, her dressing table, the kitchen table, and a note on her car steering wheel.
• Draw a heart on her makeup mirror. 
• Call her favorite radio station and request “Your Song” during the time she drives to work.
• Show up at her workplace, meet her as she takes a break, and give her a homemade card or a letter recalling your romantic history. 
• Print out “I Love You” posters on the computer and put them on your garage door and on light posts around your home and neighborhood. 
• Do something unexpected:  If she always does the laundry, you take it on this week.  Add some fragrant fabric softener and make sure you fold and put it away too.

• Take a professional dance class – Local ballrooms are offering reduced rates for private and group sessions.  Once you learn the steps, you can practice together anytime.  This will connect you as a couple, and it’s a fun way to enjoy each other’s company. 
• Does he love a clean car – Arrange to have his car detailed with an indoor polish and an exterior shine.
• Sushi lessons or couples cooking classes- Many local chefs teach private classes for less than $100 per session. 
• Paintball game – Paintball is a great day to have fun and exercise at the same time.  For about $30 per person you can play all day. Think of the fun you’ll have shooting your husband with paint. 
• Trip to the spa/couples massage – nothing is more relaxing than a massage with your loved one.