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I love food and cooking, but most days I like to eat the same things. It’s just easier and quicker to have some meals I always go to. While I am not one to eat the exact same thing daily, I have ‘base’ meals that I have, with some variations, daily.
I love posting “what I eat in a day” videos so I thought it would be good to put together a round-up of meals I eat regularly as post, in case anyone is looking for quick meal ideas. Heck even I got inspired to go back to some old usuals, when I started looking back through my camera roll for meal inspo.
Breakfast Options
Most of the breakfast items, can be eaten as a snack. Honestly, I’ve been known to eat dinner leftovers for breakfast, and we love a good breakfast for dinner around here so do not limit yourself, or the foods you eat, to certain times of day only.
Yogurt Bowls – I love basic yogurt and berries, but sometimes I fancy up my bowl with chia pudding, granola, and nuts. Greek yogurt has the better bang for your protein buck, so I choose it more often than not.
Egg bakes – I either get them from Starbucks, or make them myself – my recipe is here
Smoothies– Same as the bowl, Greek yogurt is my first choice for smoothies. I like to mix it up with the type of fruit once in a while, but berries and bananas are my favorites. This Berry Banana smoothie recipe is my go-to.
Protein coffee – Good ol’ “proffee”, as simple as mixing espresso (or any coffee) with a protein shake. It’s the quickest way to get 30g of protein, but not really a meal, unless you’re at the very beginning of your bariatric journey.
Nowadays I need solid food within an hour of having protein coffee for breakfast, but again, quick protein – and caffeine!- is the goal with this “meal”.
After trying more protein shakes than I care to mention, Quest salted caramel is my favorite. I never tire it of it and I’ve put many people on to it. It’s really good!
Breakfast burritos – Usually enough to split into two servings. I load a low carb tortilla with sausage, eggs, cheese, salsa, and sometimes potatoes. *Chef’s kiss*
Egg & veggie scrambles – I’m not the biggest fan of plain eggs. More often than not, I remove the yolks, but throw some veggies into eggs and any yolk-y flavor is masked. Onions, peppers, asparagus, and tomato are some of my faves but you can go nuts with whatever you like.
This is one the best veggie/egg combos I’ve made. It’s not a “scramble” but it’s just as delicious: zucchini hash and boiled eggs
Egg whites, bacon, and avocado– My absolute favorite meal for breakfast, though I’ve been known to have it for dinner as well.
Boiled eggs on sourdough toast – simple and perfect. After I discard most of those yolks of course. ; )
Lunch Options
Salads– I love a salad full of all the things- veggies fruits, greens, nuts, a crumbly cheese, beans, you name it. But sometimes a quick salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers, topped with a protein and a good dressing is all you need.
Lettuce wraps – my favorite fillings are tuna salad, chicken salad, and deli meats
Tuna salad – Tuna salad is always on rotation for me, whether on top of a green salad, in lettuce wraps or on inside a low carb tortilla as a wrap. This one from Bon Appetit is my favorite lately. I can’t get enough of the briny taste from the capers.
Sandwich wraps – Not just for tuna, I love the above mentioned low carb tortillas. When I buy them, I wrap anything them, including deli meats. My stomach handles them much better than any bread.
Dinner Options
Veggies and meat – good old meat and veggie options are always effective. It’s up to you whether you add a carb or not.
Lettuce wrapped burgers – buns usually feel too dense to me so I’ve come to prefer my burgers wrapped in iceberg lettuce.
Taco salad – a taco salad always feels more substantial than the salads I would eat for lunch. Put together your favorite taco (or burrito?) toppings on top of greens/lettuce and you’re good to go.
Fish, broccoli and a carb– don’t forget the lemon! I just love fish- cod and salmon being my faves.
Cottage pie– Meat and potatoes, what’s not to love. I like to bake this dish in individual ramekins, which is the perfect small size for my sleeved stomach.
Gluten-free pasta and meat sauce– I like red lentil and chickpea pastas the best but Barilla makes gluten-free pastas made with rice flour as well. I’ve tried multiple brands but Banza is my favorite so far.
Salmon and rice bowls – easy air fried salmon, on top of jasmine rice, and paired with cucumber salad, and avocado is the perfect quick dinner.
Red beans and rice – I’m Dominican, so rice is a staple for us, and that hasn’t changes since surgery. I know it can be a “no no” for some bariatric patients, either because of tolerance or because they choose to skip carbs, so adjust accordingly. Remember, iI’m just showing what I personally eat on a regular basis.
Snack Options
Chia Pudding – My favorite way to eat chia seed pudding is to layer it on top of yogurt, but sometimes just a cup of the seedy pudding topped with fruit is all I need for a quick snack. This cinnamon raisin chia pudding is my favorite.
Fruit and cheese – Green grapes and mini babybels are my favorite combo
Yogurt – yup, you guessed it. Greek yogurt with fruit
Nuts – pecans, almonds, and cashews – sometimes a handful is all I need to tide me over until the next meal.
Rice cake with peanut butter– add banana and a drizzle of honey and it feels like dessert.
I know a lot of my meals are not the typical low carb meals that you normally see recommended to bariatric patients, or anyone on a weight loss journey. However, I am someone who strives for “normal” and realistic every day eating.
My goal is to get all my protein and maintain my weigh loss, while staying away from traditional diets as much as possible. I hope this post was helpful and has given you some idea on what you can eat on your bariatric journey.
Take care,
