One of the healthiest and tastiest things that Portuguese people eat is their Soups. Their creamy and filling and full of Vitamins. This is a Soup for people who hate to eat vegetables and who don't get enough minerals and vitamins. There are many variations so I will start with the basics.

The base for any Portuguese soup:

-1 cup cubed pumpkin or acorn squash (Portuguese use pumpkin but I bet you can use any variation of squash and it should be nice, I know it sounds weird but trust me these soups are great!)

-2 cups carrots cubed

-1 medium onion chopped

-1 cup scallions chopped

-2 medium potatoes cubed or 1 can of Beans (your choice they usualy use navy or butter beans) (use ONLY potatoes OR beans but not both)

-1 tablespoon of sea salt

-4 tablespoons olive oil

Bring a large pot of Water and salt to boil. Add all ingredients and boil until soft, add water as necessary. When all the vegetables are soft, add the olive oil and blend with a magic wand (hand blender) until smooth. This is the base.

Soup Variations

If you used beans:

-1 cup chopped artichokes or 1 cup chopped cabbage or any other vegetable you like to eat with beans. Add to the pot, and boil until soft. If you want chunks the soup is ready, if you want it creamy, blend again.

If you used potatoes:

- add whatever vegetables you want, green beans, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, peas add as much or as little as you like, all chopped into smaller pieces. You can even add more potato or carrot if you want chunks.

-If you want a creamy soup, add these vegetables and boil until soft (always adding more water as needed) and then blend again when all the vegetables are soft. The more water you use the thinner it will be, the less, the thicker it will be.

-If you want chunks in your soup, add the vegetables cut to your desired size and then boil until soft.

-Small chunks of white meat chicken can also be added for extra Protein.

Options: you can always add herbs for different taste like thyme and parsley. I sometimes use Mrs.Dash for extra flavors and fresh ground pepper; it’s a taste choice so have fun with it. Also you can use bags of frozen mixed vegetables that are already chopped up to save time and to get a better variety.

Note: These soups freeze well, I often freeze individual portions and then thaw and microwave on the day I eat them. If you make a big pot it will usually stay in the fridge for about a week, frozen about a month. I know it sounds like a lot of work but 1 pot usually makes a weeks worth of servings so if you make it on the weekend it will last all week. Most Portuguese people eat these soups for dinner because they generally have a big lunch. I also like to eat a bowl of soup with some wheat crackers and sliced lunch meat like turkey or chicken. It makes a very filling and healthy meal.

Everyone has such great Ideas. I plan to try them all. But not at the same time. I really like the pimento cheese spread. I am just starting my mushy stage. Was banded 11/27/06. Have lost 14 lbs since post-op. Am very excited to have more than just liquids.

Tuna Morney

2 tablespoon of flour

a little melted butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of milk

small can of tuna

a handfull of grated low fat cheese.

on a low heat, mix melted butter and flour add dash of salt and pepper...slowly mix in milk so that it is smooth and not lumpy...add your lowfat cheese and finally the can of tuna...keep stiring until it is thick and smooth.

Hmmmm yummy my favorite recipie when on the mushies.

Becky

I am enjoying lots of your recipes...thanks...this helps on finding new and better things to eat at the different stages

I just ordered a lap band cookbook. i'll be sharing my favorite recipes here. Can't wait!

Where did you find a "Lapband" cookbook? would be neat to have one...

I went to Amazon, to the book section, and searched LAP BAND. Found 3 books, one of them being a cookbook. Found it used for $8. May eventually buy all 3........

I don't remember the name of it, but the one I bought was to foo fooey for me. It had a lot of things in it that I just don't have around the house. If I have to buy 5 or 6 items in order to make the recipe, it just isn't worth it.

Just my .02 worth.

I bought a cookbook called "Eating Well After Lap-Band Surgery" The author had Lap-Band surgery and she wrote this book to help all bariatric surgery patients eat high Protein, low-fat food at all stages after surgeries.

The recipes can be pureed and food-processed and they still taste good.

There are a lot of ingredients needed for the various recipes, though a few are fairly simple. She has a section in the front that tells you things to have in your pantry, etc. My husband and I went to the market and I bought almost everything she had in the lists, and I was excited to have a bunch of low fat tasty things and a book that shows me how to use them!

I will say that as an obese person, I quit cooking anything that was not quick and easy, and in my Quest for something that tasted good I often ate the wrong things. So now I find myself learning to cook in a different way.

In the mushy stage that I'm in, I need some better quality food that gives me the nutrients and doesn't get stuck. For later on, I will use these recipes as part of my lifestyle change in the food area. So far the recipes I've tried have been great! And I'm not afraid to spend time in the kitchen because I have another tool, this book!

Anybody got any ideas for cottage cheese? I like it but... you know, variety is needed. Maybe a recipe to jazz it up a bit.

Anybody got any ideas for cottage cheese? I like it but... you know, variety is needed. Maybe a recipe to jazz it up a bit.

I have a dip....Spinach and Herb I believe made by "Tastefully Simple" that is wonderful on cottage cheese. Chives are good on cottage cheese, too.

1 cup lowfat small curd cottage cheese

1 cup low or non-fat mayo

1 Tablespoon Uncle Dan's Original Dressing/Dip mix.

Mix all together and let stand in fridge for a little while for the spices to be absorbed.

This is delicious! Great on veggies, and other things.

I love all the recipes thank you, but what foods can I not eat? and what drinks? are there foods I will never eat again? or drink?

It's so individual... I'm still pretty new at this, but I would never risk chewing gum...swallowing it by mistake, and plugging the hole. I was told not to drink anything with bubbles so I quit Diet Coke...bought one and let the fizz go in my mouth and then swallowed, and decided it wasn't worth the effort. Things with casings are tough...sausage and hot dogs, so I either take the casing off or chew chew chew even more. Then there's the time of day. I can't do much more than drink a protein shake some mornings, but I can eat a small chicken dinner evenings. Let's see...I doubt if I'll try peanut butter, but I never liked it much anyway. It's really all about what won't plug the hole...and what you love enough to want to put in the effort to chew it enough..... But it's also odd that my tastes have changed. I used to love sandwiches and now I find bread too much of a hassle to eat. But I still love the insides of sandwiches. I used to crave chocolate, but I get enough of it in my protein shakes that it's no longer special to me (Muscle Milk Light---yum!). I probably won't drink alcohol because now that I have real restriction, it's hard to get enough protein in during the day, and I don't want to waste my calories on alcohol. That's kind of the gist of it. I'll also say this....until this last fill where I got enough restriction, it was really hard and I ate badly. When you get to that perfect restriction, it's a new world and there's truly freedom from some deeply ingrained bad habits!

Anybody got any ideas for cottage cheese? I like it but... you know, variety is needed. Maybe a recipe to jazz it up a bit.

I sprinkle "Tastefully Simples" Spinach & Herb dip on cottage cheese. I think any dip mix in moderation would be fine. I just love the one by Tastefully Simple.

Peach Crisp

1 20 oz can sliced peaches

2 or 3 packets instant oatmeal in a flavor like brown sugar/cinnamon

2 or 3 tablespoons butter

Drain peaches. Put in a loaf dish or something similar. In a bowl cut butter into instant oatmeal until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches and bake at 325* about 30 minutes or until topping is crisp (or well done).