I'm Baaacckk!

Muah ha ha ha! At this insistence of my sister  (<3 you Ashley) I have returned! I promise to try and catch everyone up on my WLS progress and all of the other exciting happenings of my uneventful life. One of my favorite times of year is fastly approaching and I must plan my Halloween costume! I have something in the works and will definatly post pictures. Anyone else out there thinking of dressing up and if so...what are you going to be?

Listening to: Smell of Desire by Enigma

Quote of the day: This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask.  And the best part?  With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him.  ~Conan O'Brien

A 40th Fiesta!

My Bubba turned 40 last weekend. For those of you who don't know, my Bubba is my big brother (Randy).

His wish was a birthday fiesta a la mexicana.

We had a blast! We had the party at his church fellowship hall (so that meant no margaritas) but we had a great time. We served grilled steak, grilled chicken, peppers & onions, mexican rice, refried beans, tortillas, and a taco bar for the lil' ones.


After the festivities we had piñatas for the kids.

All that attended had fun and it was a day Bubba won't forget anytime soon.

8 month surgiversary

At the demands of my sister (I love you, Ash) I have returned breifly to post! I have been busy working at the new job (which I am enjoying) and on the weekends I am having fun with the family. It has been hard for me to find time to update properly.

I regret to say that my weight loss has officially stalled.  * sigh*  I will continue to loose it's just that my body is adjusting. At least I hope. I am sure that next month I will have lost some more. Yes, it is slightly depressing. However on a more exciting note.....my family has joined the local YMCA. I started the Zumba class and I love it! It makes me feel like I am somewhat co-ordintaed. (Notice that I said "feel".)  Either way, it gives me a good workout trying to keep up with the skinny young girls.  :)


My hair loss has slowed down dramatically (thank goodness) and I cut my hair so that the new growth doesnt look so odd. My hair looks frizzy and like broom-straw but hey, its hair! LOL
Here is an updated photo of my progress.

7 month Surgiversary

It has been a long but wonderful 7 months since my surgery. I have lost about 90 pounds and I am excited and looking forward to hitting the 100 mark! I have a follow up appointment with my surgeon this week and I will be talking to him about an issue I am having. You see, I am pretty sure I have developed an umbilical hernia. I'm hoping it's something that doesn't have to be fixed soon. I'd like to at least save up some sick & vacation time at work first. If I have my wish it will be fixed when my tummy tuck and breast lift are done! (I am definatly counting my chickens before they hatch!)

I have included 2 quick photos to document my journey! :O)

Photos courtesy of Nathan (age 9). Stick around I will be letting you all know how my follow-up appointment goes!

Quote of the day: Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. ~Thomas Jefferson

Listening to: "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses

Spicy Cheddar-Onion Sliders

Surprise! As you can tell I have been on the ball cooking! Yesterday I showed you how to make my version of Mexican Restaurant salsa and today we're making sliders (aka miniature burgers). Get ready cause here we go!




Start with 2 lbs of lean ground beef. Mix in a package of dry onion soup mix, 8-10 dashes of Worshchestershire sauce, and about 6 dashes of hot sauce. Mix well and you will have something similar to what I have below.

Lay this out on foil or plastic wrap on your counter. Form into a square and cut into equal pieces.

I have 15 rolls (buns) so I will be making 15 sliders. Therefore I divided the meat into 16 (mostly) even sections.

Now patty them out with the little dent in the middle. (this helps them from swelling while they cook).  The next step is easy.

Fry up the patties (or grill them if your weather permits).

Throw some Cheddar cheese on there. Let it get gooey! This is what they should look like when done. (umm.. duh, who hasn't eaten a hamburger?) Sorry, bear with me!

Saute some onion rings in a little butter then put them aside.


Now for the secret spicy sauce: (muah ha ha ha ha!)

You will need equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup (I used 1/4 cup of each). Throw in 1/4 tsp seasoning salt and 1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper. Mix well.

I guess it's not to secret anymore huh? Oh well.


Now get out your slider rolls.

This is what I use. You can use whatever floats your boat.
These do not come halved, so do that first.

Butter them well.

Whatever you have, be it dinner rolls or not.... butter them.

Then put them under the broiler for a few minutes to toast.


Now you should be ready to start the assembly line.


First put the bottom buns. (duh) then follow with the burger, then onions and then sauce.

Just like so! Now top it off with the top of the bun.

Make sure these stay warm so that they will be yummy and cheesy when you eat them. Trust me. They're good.




Oh yeah....one more thing before I go..............



GO PACKERS!

Superbowl Preparations

Let me start by saying that we (meaning the Otero family) are not really American football fans. No, we like the other type of football. I hear you now asking "What? You mean that there is another type of football?" Yes, I am afraid so, but not to worry, tomorrow we WILL be celebrating and watching the Superbowl like the millions of crazed fans that do this every year. We are watching it this year (for the first time, believe it or not) in memory of one of those crazed fans. To make a long story short, the son of a very dear friend of mine passed away recently and he was a fan of the GB Packers. I know he has a much better seat to view the game than we do. So this year we are watching the game in his honor.

I have planned out a menu of Superbowl snacks that are (for the most part) WLS friendly. I'm going to share one with you so that you can enjoy it too.

Many people ask me about Mexican restaurant salsa. There are 2 main ways to make it: 1. involves using all fresh ingredients (time consuming)  2. involves using some canned ingredients (quick & easy). They are both good and the end result is the same. Here is my version. I think you'll like it.

First let me show you the participants:

You will need a large can of whole tomatoes, 2 cans of Rotel (or equivalent), cilantro, 1/2 large onion, 1 lime, 1 jalapeno, sugar, salt, and cumin (not pictured). Forgive me and my being frugal, but I try to buy store brand to save a penny or two.

First of all, get out your food processor (or blender).

Roughly chop up your half an onion, like so.

Then chop up about a cup of cilantro. Leave it kinda leafy.

Chop the jalapeno too. (I didn't take pictures of this. I don't like to handle anything after chopping peppers.)

Open the cans of tomatoes and Rotel and pour them, juice and all, into the fp. Throw in the onion, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Now add 1/4 tsp of each of the following: sugar, salt, and cumin.


Now pulse the fp a few times.

Pulse it again.

And again. Until its the right consistency.

I personally do NOT like chunks in my salsa. I like it to have an even consistency.

This (for me) is just right.



This makes alot of salsa. Cut it in half if you want just enough for a few people.  Make this ahead of time so that the flavors have time to love on each other. It will keep for several days in the fridge. I'm telling you now though, it's so good,  it won't be around long enough to go bad.

Fix some for your family and friends and they will love you.


You're welcome! :O)


Stay tuned tomorrow for something REALLY special!

F is for...

F is for FOOD!

Many overweight people have a very unhealthy relationship with food. Food, over the years, has evolved from the necessity that it once was. It has become a source of comfort as well. Just think about it.

Holidays
Sports events (Superbowl)
Weddings
Birthdays
Funerals
Church events
Sickness

Do I need to continue? Most every celebration includes food.

WLS patients have to learn how to change the relationship that they had previously with food. Essentially you are forced to change. You can not eat a bag of chips when you feel bad. You can only have a handful or else you'll throw up the rest. You can't have a half pint of ice cream either (you're lucky if you can eat it at all). Umm hello dumping syndrome . WLS makes you face the head issues that caused you to develop the unhealthy relationship with food to begin with. Now do you see why it's not an "easy way out"?
I believe that my issues with food will be a life-long battle (as with any addiction). I also believe that learning about and facing the issues is an essential part to being successful.