Clothing

So, I've mentioned that I've had to buy new pants, because, well, my old pants had literally become dangerous... as in, I fell twice while wearing them, and scraped my elbow BADLY the second time. What I hadn't realized is that I've been losing on top too! My sister and I went to a concert last night, and I wanted a t-shirt from one of the bands we were seeing. Knowing that I'd need a smaller than normal size since I'd want to be able to wear it post-op too, I bought an XL. It looked a little big for an XL, but I normally (well, normally in the past it seems) wear a 3XL.

Well, when we got home after the show, I decided to try it on for fits and giggles, and hey, to my utter surprise, IT. FIT.

(Ignore the dirty mirror) What do you think? It was a little snug, but NOT BAD! Do you know the last time that I wore an XL? I sure as heck don't! Talk about a Non-Scale Victory (NSV)! So, how was your weekend? :)

~hearts;~
Lady D

Walks and Naked Lasagna

Hello again, ladies and gents. It's Monday again. Blech. I had a really good weekend though! Friday night, my husband and I tried a new dish, naked lasagna (lasagna without noodles). The recipe is quite simple, and even my husband, who has been fairly picky about the recipes I've been trying, liked it. :)

Naked Lasagna

-1 lb. lean ground beef
-About 3 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
-About 2 c. Low-Moisture, Part Skim Mozzarella cheese
-About 2 c. Any brand low sugar marianara sauce (I used Aldi's Organic Tomato Basil Sauce)
- A few tablespoons parmesan cheese
-Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Garlic Powder to taste

-Brown your ground beef, adding spices to taste.
-Strain the Ground Beef
-In a Bowl, Mix the ricotta cheese with the spices, a tablespoon of parmesan cheese, and a small amount of the mozzarella until well blended
-Spread the ricotta mix into the bottom of a well sprayed (I use Crisco non-stick spray) glass baking dish.
-Sprinkle a little Mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top of the ricotta mixture
-Top with the Ground beef
-Spread the sauce on top of the ground beef
-Top with the remaining mozzarella, and a small amount of parmesan, and the spices.
-Bake in a 350* oven until bubbly.
-Enjoy.

Sorry the baked picture isn't the full baking dish. I forgot to take a picture of it baked before we dug in. Oops.

Saturday something kind of cool happened. We were out and about, and eating lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. I heard the lady in the booth next to us order fajita veggies and chicken, and ordered it in a kids' size. She was super thin, and so, I excused myself for intruding, but asked if she was a post-op bariatric patient. When she said she was, kind of warily, I told her I was pre-op. Turns out she had surgery with the same surgeon that I'm going through. Sse added me on Facebook, and told me that if I needed any help with anything, to just let her know. I have to say, that's one thing that I've noticed. All bariatric patients are super supportive of one another. It's great, and amazing, and I love it. It's such a hard thing to go through, so, it's good to know that I have my bari family out there supporting me in addition to all my other friends and family. :)

I signed up for the Walk From Obesity today, which will be here September 30. This is the second Walk I'm doing in September, the first being the St. Vincent Cancer Walk. I'm signed up for the six mile walk for that one... we'll see how that goes. I might be able to do all six miles, and I'll certainly try, but, 3 miles is looking much more doable. If you're local, and interested in joining me, here are the links for both walks to sign up.

St. Vincent Cancer Run/Walk
Walk from Obesity

If you're not local, I would still highly urge you to donate to the causes. Both are amazing causes, one fighting cancer, which has affected so many lives here in the United States, and across the world, and the second fighting the sweeping epidemic of obesity, which honestly, if you think about it has affected in your life in some way. American's are getting bigger, and I'm sure if you think about it, you know at least one person affected by obesity. If you're reading this, and can't think of anyone, I'm a person affected by obesity, so, you know one person. ;) If you want to donate to my individual fundraising efforts, let me know, and I'll get you the link to my participant pages (or if you know me in person, just search my name in the search bar).

I had a friend of mine over at my house on Sunday, who has decided to do my diet with me to get healthier. She deals with a lot of the same health problems that I deal with being obese, so, she wants to make the change with me. I was so happy, because I was able to give her quite a bit of the clothes I've... outgrown wouldn't be the right word, but I'm not sure what word to use for it? I've been trying to figure out what to do with my clothes, and, while I know that my surgeon's office has a clothing exchange they host, I really wanted to give it to someone who needed them that I personally knew. However, if she outstrips me, they're going to the clothing exchange, and whatever leaves the clothing exchange is going to Goodwill. :)

Well, I hope you all had an amazing weekend, and here's to an amazing week! :)

~♥~
Lady D

Pancakes and Pie

So, I think I made comment on here about the pancakes I managed to come up with? Well, I've decided to call them my French Toast Protein Pancakes. Mainly because they taste JUST LIKE eating French Toast in pancake form. I promised a picture, and now I can deliver. I also have the recipe below. The original recipe is adapted from BariatricEating.com, which, if you haven't checked them out yet, you need to. :)

French Toast Protein Pancakes

-1/2 c. 1% or Skim Milk
-1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I don't use the pure stuff)
-a pinch of salt
-1 Tbsp. cinnamon
-4 tbsp. Splenda

Heat the oven to 200* for keeping the pancakes warm while you make the rest.
Mix everything in a bowl until well blended.
Spray a small amount of Pam or another non-stick spray into a small skillet (I use an egg skillet... maybe 8" across at the top).
Pour enough batter into the skillet to coat the bottom.
Let the pancakes sit until bubbles start forming, and the pancake begins to look "Dry" on top.
Flip the pancake, and let cook for a little bit on the other side.
Put the completed pancake on a foil-covered cookie sheet until the others are ready.
Top with a little light margarine, and some sugar free maple syrup.
Enjoy! :)

I have had these pancakes like three times in the last two weeks. They're fantastic. I love them. The recipe makes three good sized (about IHOP sized) pancakes. You could always make them smaller, and keep the leftovers for later.

My second yummy thing that I found yesterday was Dannon Light and Fit Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt. OMG. It's amazing. I love it. I want to eat it all day every day. Someone else said that they have a caramel apple flavor that comes out in fall too. I promise to try it if I can find it, and let you know how it is. :)

Well, enjoy your day! :)

~♥~
Lady D

Crazy Girl

Last night was not a great night. I'm a great bottler. I will hold emotions in until literally they explode. Last night was one of those nights. I had an issue with my insurance company about a claim that should already be paid but isn't, and I think that's what set me off. I get really snippy on these nights until literally, I just start crying, and my husband just has to hold me, and let it all come out.

The weight of this whole thing is heavy. It's not a light thing, as I've mentioned before. The procedure itself is honestly pretty simple, even though it's major surgery, and that's not what was bothering me last night. I think I said on here the other day that I have been looking at fun clothes for when I'm in maintenance? Well, I started really looking at prices of those clothes, and just realizing how deep we're going to be in. I'll literally have to buy a whole new wardrobe. Now, I know that not all my clothes will be the fun clothes, and that Kohls, Old Navy, Meijer, Walmart, Target, and Goodwill will be my friends. But it's still a lot of money, and a lot to think about.

And I know I've mentioned that I'm starting to see myself shrink. Last night I was noticing that my forearms are smaller than they used to be. My thighs have shrunk, my butt is gone. This is a good thing, yes, it means that the diet is working, but, at the same point, what am I going to do with this body? This new body that I have? I'm not going to know how to act with it, and it's scary. I've literally been overweight my whole life. Looking into the mirror and seeing a skinny person... will I even recognize myself?

Connected with that is the attention that I'm going to start getting (I assume). I've read stories on my support groups that the women that have had this surgery all of a sudden have a lot more male attention than they're used to. I already got hit on via Facebook messenger this week. -.- Not happy about that. I don't want the attention. Maybe if I tattoo "I'm Married. Now go away." on my forehead it will work? Anyone? No? Ok. I've never really been the receiver of male attention before, and, frankly, I don't want it... well, there's only one man's attention that I'll be happy to receive, and he knows it. :)

Speaking of that man, in my mind he's a chubby chaser. His ex before me was heavier, and I've been heavy since we've been together. With my body shrinking, my mind was on, "What if he isn't attracted to me anymore?" Of course, that's not the case. He wants me healthy, and wants me with him for the longterm. This song was apt for last night... The video is funny, and the lyrics are super sweet. If you're a country music fan, you've probably already heard it. It was running through my mind all morning.

I know that part of all this emotion is from losing weight. Fun fact: Your body stores hormones in your fat cells. When you lose lots of weight, your body goes a bit haywire. Another part of it is from my new birth control. It's hormone based, and gives a lot of women problems. It's not really giving me problems, and once my body is used to it, it will be great. But yeah, I do feel kind of crazy for now... *sigh*

~♥~
Lady D

Dropping Sizes and Shedding Pounds

I'm really starting to wonder how much weight I'm going to lose overall. I'm still losing weight. I'm losing around 15 lbs. a month right now... and this is pre-op. I know that it will level off if I don't have the surgery, which is why I'm going to still have the surgery. But, I'm literally starting to see my body change before my eyes... my thighs and calves are getting smaller, I basically don't have a butt anymore, which is a good thing. My boobs, sadly, have not gotten smaller (sorry if that's a TMI, but, I'm a very large busted lady, and if they don't get smaller, I'm going to have some serious back problems), but for now that's ok. So, it's amazing to literally start watch your body shrinking before your eyes.

I finally have come to the realization that I need new pants. My work pants (size 26/28) are almost falling off my butt, and when I was doing my walks this weekend, I had to keep pulling up my shorts. My husband and I went to Goodwill over the weekend. We got several pairs of jeans and work slacks in 18/20, but, I'm about 1-2 sizes off that yet. So, these need to hold out for just a bit yet. :/ My shirts are starting to get a bit loose, but, I can hold off on those for a while. My bras are ok too, because I have several of my smaller bras, which I'm on the loosest hook for. So, I'm good for a bit on those. Clothes are going to be a big expense when I have to buy a whole new wardrobe. Not going to lie, I've already done some looking, and have a whole Wishlist of fun clothes on Amazon for when I'm in maintenance phase (a year or so post-op). :)

This weekend, I did two really fun things. I was craving pancakes again, and since I had purchased some SF Maple Syrup (Log Cabin Brand is my favorite brand of not-real maple syrup, and that's what I've got), and I had some Light I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, I decided to play. I made my normal Vanilla Protein Crepes, but, I added 1 tbsp. Cinnamon to it. OMG. Tastes JUST like French Toast when you add the butter and syrup. It's amazing. Next time I make it, I'll take a picture and post it. :)

The other really cool thing I did this weekend? I decided to up my walking workout game. I came to the realization that I'm signed up for a six mile walk in a few months, and I was only doing a one mile walk each morning on the weekends! Yikes! If I was going to get through that six miles, I was going to need to start walking more. So, I doubled my walk. I did two miles instead of just one. I was feeling pretty freaking proud of myself, honestly. I was actually going to push through for a third mile on Sunday, but my Little Miss (whom I call my coach), decided she was done sitting in her stroller. So, we went home. I was sweaty, and hot, and still took a pic with her, because I was so proud of myself. And now, my body is mad at me, because I didn't stretch when I was done, and it's not used to walking for that long at that pace. Oops. Oh well, it'll get over it. So, how are you guys? Miss me? :)

~♥~
Lady D

Weight Loss

So, I have two apps that I use to track my weight. I like them both, and I don't quite know enough people who use the second to quit the first. The first app that I use is MyFitnessPal. I've been using this for quite a while. But, right now, it's not tracking my weight from when I started this journey. In fact, it's tracking since September 2016. I was 378 at that starting weight. So, the number lost on MyFitnessPal is much higher than my number on Baritastic, which is the second app that I use.

So, what is my total weight lost since I started tracking? 57.6 pounds. That's, of course, with the MyFitnessPal app. My Baritastic app says that I've lost 43 pounds. So, there's a 14 pound difference. To me, that's pretty impressive. Before I started this lifestyle change, I was only able to lose 14 pounds in 8 months. Since I started the lifestyle change, I've lost 43 pounds. In 3 months. As I said, that's impressive to me. It's not easy, as I'm sure you've seen, and there's even more I'm sure that I don't share, or don't remember to share, but, I try. But it's definitely worth it. How are your weight loss goals coming? :)

~♥~
Lady D

Class 4/6 and BBQ sauce

Well, last night's class was actually informative. We talked a lot about protein, and protein amounts after surgery 60-80g (WOW!), which will be REALLY hard to get in, especially since for the first 5 months, I'll only be eating 2 oz. meals. After that, they'll slowly move me up.

The next thing we talked about was exercise. I'm working on getting in my exercise. They suggest we start small. I do AT LEAST 3- 20 min. walks each week. A lot of the time, they're a lot longer than that. Ideally, they want us doing 150 mins. of exercise a week, which is the minimum time that you have to work at it to get health benefits from it. I had already planned, once my walks got easy, and I had less knee pain, to up the number to 5 per week. No biggie. I'll just make sure I get at least 30 mins in each walk.

My dietitian read us an astounding statistic in last night's class though. As I'm sure you've seen on here, I have knee problems. Well, one knee. But my dietitian told us that one pound lost? One pound. That equals FOUR pounds of pressure off your knees. No wonder my knee is starting to feel a bit better. I've lost 40 pounds. That's 160 pounds of pressure off my knees. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY POUNDS. That's A LOT of pressure. This proves that every little bit helps your health. :)

Sadly, they informed us last night that they're no longer doing the food journals, which makes me really sad. They said that so many people didn't use them, because of all the apps out there on phones. I do have two apps on my phones that will help me keep track of food, so, I guess that's ok. I'll have to focus more on the Baritastic app, since they help majorly with tracking protein, which, as I mentioned above, is a BIG thing!

In other news, totally found a diet compliant BBQ sauce, and it's AWESOME. So, on one of my support groups, someone started talking about a Sugar Free BBQ sauce that they really liked. The posted pictures of it, and said they got theirs at Wal-Mart. Well, I found it.

And it IS awesome! It's sweet, even though there's no sugar, and smoky, since the one they had was hickory. I guess the company makes other flavors. It IS a bit expensive ($3.26 at my Wal-Mart, where I could get a bottle of Bullseye BBQ for $1.26), but it's totally worth it, since I can now do BBQ Ribs, Chicken, ect. Here's the company's website. I guess he also does ketchup. I actually just bought some Heinz reduced sugar ketchup, so, we'll see how that goes... I'll let you know. :)

~♥~
Lady D

Food! Food! Food!

So, coming up with new things to make can be difficult. But, I made something kind of awesome this weekend that's diet compliant, and it wasn't even for me! My daughter needed dinner, and I hadn't been to the store yet to buy her favorite things. So... I improvised. And came up with something kind of really tasty. Beef Taco Omelet.

It's a two egg omelet, with some salt, pepper, and taco seasoning, ground beef, lowfat American cheese (I'd switch out for a Mexi blend for me), and a little salsa. If I were the one eating it, I might also put a little lowfat queso sauce on top. I tried a bite, and it was actually really good. Other than my small bite, my kid ate the whole thing. My jaw hit the floor. Guess that's a hit. :)

In other news, I'm almost 40# down this morning. I have a dietitian class today. We'll see if she's as happy with my progress as I am. I do have to leave work a half an hour earlier than I originally planned though. I'm an idiot, and forgot my food journal at home. Oops. So, I have to run home and get it, and then run back to the hospital for class. So, how did your weekend go? :)

~♥~
Lady D

Infallibility and Surgery

Ok, so, no one is infallible. I can honestly say that I slipped big for the first time last night. I was baking red velvet cakes for a co-worker's birthday, and after I was done frosting them, I ate some of the leftover frosting. Like... two cooking tablespoons worth. Frosting is totally a trigger food for me. I'm not going to lie. I used to buy containers of frosting, and eat them over a period of days. Just literally take a spoon and eat some frosting. The thing that depresses me about last night is that I had just looked at the label, and exclaimed over the fact that two tablespoons of frosting has 22g of sugar in it! And, KNOWING that, I still ate some. After that, I threw the rest away, and felt really sick. And that, kids, is what happens when you don't have sugar for almost 3 months, and then decide to consume an entire day's worth in two small bites. -.- However, I'm not letting it get me down. Today is a new day, and I'm back on track. It's the only thing I can be. And If I were to try that stunt after surgery? I'd feel a lot more than sick. What do I mean? I'm talking about dumping syndrome, boys and girls. I'll get into that a little later in my post.

So, I know that I did a post here about the scariness of surgery. But I don't know if I really conveyed the severity of the surgery. This is not a small surgery by any means. Here is a video of the surgery. DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH! This is actual surgical footage, from the camera they use while they're performing the surgery. There is not a whole lot of blood or anything, but you do see someone's stomach and intestines, which some people would find pretty graphic. I found it cool.

Surgery can be a scary thing for some people. I'm literally surrounded by it all day. Hell, I work for a heart surgeon's office. The surgeries that they perform are a lot bigger and scarier than anything I'll face on the operating table when it's my turn. But still, any surgery carries with it its risks. To be honest, I'm not scared of my surgery anymore. I have an amazing surgeon, and I trust her. But I don't want anyone who reads my blog to think that this surgery is a little thing. They're literally going into your abdominal cavity, and rearranging your guts.

So, anyone who says this is the Easy way out? Easy? Really? Watch that video, and you tell me it's easy. Not to mention that anyone who has the RNY/Gastric Bypass will literally be facing a struggle with malnutrition the rest of their lives. A struggle to make sure that they're getting enough water, and vitamins, and protein every. Single. Day. Not to mention what can happen if you slip up. So, that donut is calling your name, eh? So, you eat a few bites. All of a sudden, you feel sweaty and clammy at the same time. Your heart is racing. You're running to the bathroom. Pleasant, eh? That, ladies and gentlemen is dumping syndrome. It's something that can happen after surgery. So, easy? No. Necessary? Yes.

I had a dream last night that it was surgery day. I was checked into the hospital, and sitting in the holding room for surgery. Already in my gown, my hair netted, ready to go in. And I was excited, and anxious, and just, yes, a little scared. Scared of the surgery? No. As I said, I've come to terms with the surgery, and I trust my surgeon. The surgery doesn't scare me. But I've had surgeries before. What am I scared of? The pain. The pain that comes after surgery. I'm hoping to be up and walking shortly after surgery so that I hopefully don't develop the horrible gas bubble that will develop from them inflating my stomach cavity. It can apparently settle in your shoulders and neck and be EXTREMELY uncomfortable. So, walking, I already know from my support groups is key. I'm also kind of afraid because I know I'll be alone at the hospital. My husband will drop me off, and depending on what time my surgery is, maybe stay through surgery until I wake up. But after that, he'll have to leave to go get our daughter. I know that he'll be there the next day (he's taking a week off with me for surgery), and that I'm not going to get much sleep that night anyways, since I have to be up every two hours doing a lap around the unit (to help prevent blood clots), but still. Oh well.

I'm only planning on taking a week off from work for surgery/recovery. I think that that will be plenty of time. My other fear is my daughter. She's 17 months right now. She'll be around 21 months when I have the surgery. But I don't know if she'll be able to climb into the car and her car seat by that time. I won't be allowed to lift for at least two weeks after surgery. But I'll be the one picking her up from daycare that second week. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if she can't get into her car seat. Hopefully she'll be able to. It's something we're going to have to start working on I guess. :/

Anyways, sorry for the long post. This is what happens when you start thinking late at night, and decide to post about it. :)

~♥~
Lady D

Exercise

Ok, so, exercise. I don't like it. You don't like it. Unless you're one of those people who gets perverse pleasure out of it (no offense if you are, I just don't get it. :/), you most likely avoid it like the plague, like me. But I know you're sitting there thinking, "But Lady D, how are you going to lose weight if you don't exercise?" well, dear reader, I don't "Exercise" is how.

There are a million excuses not to exercise, and I myself use many of them. Well, here's the deal, buddy. You can't use excuses when you're on your way to a better life. I try to get three "workouts" in a week. What do these consist of? A brisk 15-20 minute walk, or a more leisurely 1 mile walk. "But, Lady D! It's so hot and muggy out! How do you stand it?" Well, here's the thing. I'm 99.9% sure I mentioned on here that I'm the parent of a one and a half year old, right? Well, here's the thing about toddlers. They don't sleep in. My Little Miss is usually up about 7:30 every morning. Even on weekends. So, she and I wait for daddy to go to work (about 9:00, usually), and then we go for a walk. Even on days where it's going to be mid-upper 90's, you can get a decent walk in at 9:00-9:30 in the morning. You might be sweating buckets by the end of it like I was yesterday (it was super hot and muggy that early), but you'll at least get your walk in.

Now, I said that right now I'm only doing three walks. Well, when I'm post-op, I'm definitely going to have to up my walking game. But for now, that's just not happening. I'm fat. And my knee (I think I mentioned I injured my right knee in the Smokies a few years ago) hurts. These are not excuses. These are facts. So, post-op, as I lose weight, walking will be easier. So, what are you waiting for? Get up, get out, get moving! NO. EXCUSES! "Excuses don't burn calories."

~♥~
Lady D

Plateau/Stall & Halo Top & NSV

So, part of losing weight, as anyone who has tried will tell you, is that you will have a plateau or a stall. For a while, I was literally losing a lot of weight. 3-4 lbs. per week up until June 17. I hit a stall. I even gained three pounds back. But, seven days ago, my scale started moving again. And this morning, I can honestly say my plateau is over, and I've got my scale moving in the right direction again.

I'm not going to lie. I'm one of those people who weighs themselves every morning. I don't obsess over my weight, and I know that they say ideally you should be weighing yourself once a week. But I weigh myself daily to keep track of my water intake. I know this sounds strange, especially since I use two different apps to make sure I'm getting my daily water intake, plus my food journal given to me by my plan. But, if I randomly gain a pound or two, but haven't changed my eating/exercise habits, I know that I'm not drinking enough water, and my body has started retaining water.

I don't talk about plateau's/stalls, like, at all. Nor do I record them. I also won't talk about gaining weight back usually. But, as I've said on here before, I'm going to be completely honest about this journey. And part of this journey is hitting a stall or a plateau. It just is. And I know how frustrating it is, to stand on that scale, and look at the number that was the same as it was the day before, or maybe slightly higher. And you just want to cry... or punch something. Whatever will let out that frustration. But, we didn't get this way overnight, so, we won't be able to fix it overnight. If you are on this journey with me, and you are one of those people who get frustrated over the scale, don't weigh yourself daily. Weigh yourself once a week, and have someone hide the scale until that day.

You're not in this alone. And I know I'm not either.

Now, kind of a funny thing to include in a post about a plateau/stall, but, has anyone out there heard of/tried Halo Top Ice Cream? It's a protein heavy, low sugar, low-fat ice cream. It's great to satisfy an ice cream craving. Now, it still has 5g sugar, and 5g sugar alcohols (about another 2.5g sugar), so, still not great for you, but, if you're only using it like I am, and only having a spoonful or two at a time, that single pint isn't going to add much to your calories. I tried it for the first time yesterday (after the scale was moving in the right direction again). I couldn't believe I wasn't eating regular ice cream. I have the chocolate flavor, and it was so rich and creamy. I love it. Plus, if you live here in the Midwest, Meijer has a free pint coupon that prints when you buy a pint. Also, a $2 off 2 pints coupon prints, which isn't bad either. The pints run $5. I really want to try the Birthday Cake flavor. :)

Non-Scale Victory (NSV): Also, I was on my Baritastic app (great app, kind of like MyFitness Pal, but for my Bari sisters and I), and I noticed that my BMI was 49. That's still a horrible, horrible BMI, don't get me wrong, but, it's WAY lower than it was when I started... check it out! :)

~♥~
Lady D

Stuffed Grilled Chicken Italiano

So, I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Grilled Chicken Italiano. It looked really simple, and really yummy, so, I decided to make it and edit it. I can tell you right now that it was indeed very yummy, and so simple to make. I was always intimidated by making "stuffed chicken" recipes, but, man, I'm not anymore. In fact, I'm making another stuffed chicken recipe this week, so, stay tuned! :)

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Italiano

-Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
-Fire Roasted Red Peppers (I bought mine in a jar, but, next time I'm just going to oil up a red bell pepper, and throw it on the grill for a bit)
-Low-fat Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (As many sticks as you have breasts
-Fresh basil leaves (3-4 per breast)
-Salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano to taste
-Kabob skewers, soaked
-Grated parmesan cheese
-Marinara Sauce (or, if you're my husband, salsa)

-Pound out the chicken breasts so that you can easily stuff and roll them. (*Tip: No meat mallet? No problem! I put my chicken breasts into a large piece of saran wrap folded in half, and took a rubber mallet that my husband had in the garage to them. The chicken didn't get the dirt from the mallet, and the mallet didn't get chicken-y)
-Cut the mozzarella sticks in half length-wise, and then again width-wise.
-Lay the roasted red pepper, basil leaves, and mozzarella to one side of the breast.
-Season with the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano (I can't give an exact amount, because I know exactly how much I'll want taste wise. Use your best judgement, and alter the recipe next time if you need to.)
-Roll the breast up, trying to keep everything (especially the cheese) wrapped up.
-Preheat your oven to 350*
-Skewer the chicken with the soaked kabobs, to keep the breast together and everything inside (I did 2 skewers per breast).
-Heat up your grill.
-Place the breasts on the grill, and cook until they're almost done.
-Transfer the breasts to a baking dish, and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
-Finish the breasts in the oven.
-Top with a few spoonfuls of Marinara, or, as I said above, my husband wanted salsa on his.

As I said, these are very easy, and they're totally bariatric friendly! :)

~♥~
Lady D