Tailgate Recipes for the WLS Community

There is a crisp chill in the air… can you feel it? The autumn leaves aren’t the only heralds of the changing seasons. Football teams are hitting the practice field, football fans are wearing their team colors, and tailgating is about to begin.

If you’ve undergone weight loss surgery, you may wonder if you will still be able to enjoy the tailgating and game day parties as you once did. Well, the answer to your question is a resounding, “Yes, you can!” Game day snacks fuel the excitement leading up to the big win, and with the following recipes, you’ll be able to join the fun and eat healthy, too. Not only will these recipes leave you feeling great, but you will have enough to share with hungry friends and family.

Protein Packed Pasta Salad

You may have thought that your bariatric weight loss plan couldn’t possibly include this picnic favorite. When you combine protein rich pasta and chicken with savory vegetables, however, this pasta salad is guilt free.

Ingredients

4 packets Bari Life Fettuccine Alfredo Protein Pasta
4 cups water
1 can shredded chicken
2 cups frozen green peas
1 can sliced mushrooms
Crushed red pepper and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine Bari Life Fettuccine Alfredo Protein Pasta and water in a large bowl. Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Let rest 1 to 2 minutes, until water is completely absorbed.
2. Boil green peas until soft, about 15 minutes. Strain.
3. Drain canned chicken and mushrooms. Stir chicken, mushrooms, and peas into pasta.
4. Season to taste with black pepper and crushed red pepper.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

Touchdown Deviled Eggs

Not only are these delightful eggs packed with protein, but their unique and creative football shape will help you to score at your next game day party.

Ingredients

1 dozen eggs
4 tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt
6-8 fresh green onions
1 tbsp chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika for garnish

Preparation

1. Boil eggs for 20 minutes. Cool and peel.
2. Slice eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully spoon yolks into a bowl.
3. Add yogurt, dill, salt and pepper to yolks. Stir until blended.
4. Place egg whites on a serving platter, “bowl” side up.
5. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg whites.
6. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut the green onion tops into 24 one inch long sections and 72 one half inch long sections.
7. Place a one inch long onion portion on top of each egg. Then, cross it with three of the one half inch onion sections. This will resemble the lacing of a football.
8. Sprinkle with paprika to garnish.
9. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 12 to 24 servings.

Serving Suggestion: If you’re really feeling crafty, build an edible football field to house your football shaped deviled eggs. Here’s how:

Ingedients

6 to 8 large lettuce leaves
6 to 8 tbsp cottage cheese
6 cheddar cheese sticks
4 toothpicks

Preparation

1. Lay lettuce flat on the serving platter.
2. Next, “paint the field” by spooning cottage cheese across the lettuce in straight, parallel lines.
3. Lay a cheese stick at each end of the “field.” Using the toothpicks, attach an upright cheese stick to each end, forming the goal post.
4. Populate the field with your touch down deviled eggs.

Cooking Tip: Cooling eggs quickly after boiling can make peeling easier. Carefully discard hot water, and run eggs under cool tap water. Add a bit of ice to the pot to speed the cooling process. Then, shells should release easily.

Broccoli Cheese Soup With Mini Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

When you’re huddled under your favorite stadium blanket watching the big game, nothing tastes better than a warm bowl of soup.

Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients

2 Packets Bari Life Cream of Broccoli Protein Soup
2 cups water
4 to 5 broccoli florets
3 tbsp cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices sprouted grain or grain free bread
1 slice smoked Gouda cheese

Preparation

1. Steam broccoli until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Chop.
2. Heat water. In a large bowl, combine water with contents of Bari Life Cream of Broccoli Protein Soup packets.
3. Add chopped broccoli, cottage cheese, and salt and pepper to the soup. Stir to combine.
4. Place Gouda cheese between the slices of bread. Heat in a toaster oven on the “toast” setting (or in a conventional oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit) until the cheese begins to melt.
5. Cut sandwich into 4 quarters.
6. Divide soup evenly into 4 bowls. Serve 1 mini sandwich with each.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

No party is complete without a rich, chocolaty desert. Is your sweet tooth calling? Stevia, a natural, plant-derived sweetener, is here to answer that call. This luscious chocolate pudding is not only a guilt free, sugar free indulgence, but it is also packed with protein and healthy fats.

Serves 2 to 5.

Ingredients

1 avocado, seeded and peeled
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk, canned
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet Bari Life Chocolate Protein Pudding/Shake
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Liquid stevia to taste
Pinch of cinnamon

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, mash avocado with a fork or potato masher.
2. Add coconut milk, vanilla, chocolate shake packet, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and 2 to 4 drops of liquid stevia. Stir to combine.
3. Add additional stevia, 1 to 2 drops at a time, until desired sweetness is reached.
4. Chill and serve in small, decorative desert dishes.

Your choice to join the weight loss surgery community represented your commitment to making positive changes in your life. You can succeed, and you can still enjoy your old pastimes – like watching a football game with the gang.