Let's Talk Dessert

 Let’s talk dessert. Valentine’s Day seems like a good day to do that.

 Leading up to my gastrectomy there were so many uncertainties. No one could provide a list of foods you would and would not be able to eat after surgery as it varied person to person. Dessert was one of the biggest unknowns. Having no idea whether I would ever be able to eat sweets again, I tried to make up for it the months before surgery, having dessert with virtually every meal. I figured if I wasn’t going to be able to eat them again, I was definitely going to enjoy them now and I didn’t care how much weight I gained. I was going to quickly lose it anyway.

 I am thrilled that I can still eat dessert. It’s often just a few bites, but I still enjoy sweets. I get to enjoy the wonderful taste and am usually satisfied with just a few bites, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to have a whole dessert. A couple of years ago, I made a favorite dessert for a time we were having some friends over. It’s one I’ve made for years. I made a couple of variations to make it better for me, but was still surprised when I find myself eating the whole thing. Usually my body tells me when to stop, but it didn’t. I wondered if I was going to regret it later, but I didn’t. I’ve now made it several times, and I’m almost always able to eat a whole slice of my Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie. It’s quick and simple to make: mix together one 8 oz. tub of thawed cool whip, 3 8 oz. containers Greek strawberry yogurt, and 1 14 oz. container of sliced frozen strawberries. Spoon into a graham cracker crust and freeze. Most people enjoy it best if thawed for awhile before serving, although I also enjoy it frozen. The only changes I’ve made from the original recipe is substituting regular yogurt for Greek yogurt and using unsweetened strawberries instead of sweetened strawberries.

 I don’t usually worry about grams of protein or calories or anything, but I have tried to calculate for those that do. The counts will vary a little based upon the brand of Greek yogurt, etc., but cutting the pie into 8 slices, each slice is approximately 240 calories, 16 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

 Having discovered that I can eat a whole slice of this pie, it got me curious if there were similar ones that I could eat as well.  I found one that I modified a little, but also enjoy: Cream cheese chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Combine 8 oz. thawed Cool Whip, 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, 1 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips. Spoon into a chocolate cookie pie crust. Refrigerate. If cut into 8 slices, each slice is approximately 700 calories, 32 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein. This one does have more calories and more sugar, but also more protein. Since it is quite a bit richer, I usually actually cut it into 12 slices. I can usually eat 1/12. I often can’t eat 1/8.

I continue to look for other desserts with high protein and low sugar, but these are definitely the best I have found so far. The great thing is that as well as me getting to enjoy a whole dessert, my friends and family like them too.

 Happy Valentines Day!