Mia and the word “diet” are inseparable. Being chubby since her teen years, Mia believed that there probably was never a time in her adult life when she was not on a diet. She would always try different diet trends, fail, and then start another diet again. All of these attempts were unsuccessful and that was evidenced by the hundreds of pounds extra she was carrying on her body.

 

Mia got to a point when she felt dieting was a hopeless case. It seemed that the more she would deprive herself, the more she craved food. She would crash and over indulged for several weeks, then transition to another ineffective diet again. It was a vicious, painful process.

 

What frustrated her more was how some of her friends and family would react whenever they heard she was on one of her diets.  They would raise their eyebrows, as if saying that they do not believe she would be successful anyway. Her younger brother even joked that Mia was on a “see-food diet”, meaning she eats everything she sees! Instead of fighting back, she would just laugh along and eat her frustrations later on.

 

When Mia heard of bariatric surgery, she jumped at the chance to change her life. She said she was tired of all the diets that were not helping her and was ready for a long-term lifestyle change.

 

In one of her sessions, I told Mia that she could change her “see-food diet” into an actual “seafood” diet and incorporate healthy seafood into her eating plan. She said that she was not comfortable to cook seafood but when I actually showed her some videos of how easy it was, she was amazed that seafood such as shrimp and crabs are even quicker to cook than chicken or beef!

 

One of Mia’s favorite meals is this Caesar Salad that uses shrimp instead of the usual grilled chicken. It also incorporates kale into the salad mix. This is a great recipe especially for those who want to take break from chicken breast! Just try it once and you’ll be surprised how easy it is, and that the end result is worth the effort!

 

 

 

Kale Shrimp Caesar Salad

 

You’ll Need:

1 cup kale, shredded

1 cup cole slaw mix

2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup light Caesar dressing

Cooking Method:

 

Shred kale and add to large bowl. Add coleslaw mix and parmesan cheese and toss.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and toss with lemon juice. Spray pan with cooking spray and add shrimp. Cook on each side approximately 2 minutes or until cooked through (no longer transparent).

Add shrimp to kale mix. Add light Caesar dressing and toss to combine. Serve.

 

Nutrition:

This recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving provides an estimated 31 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate and 6 grams fat.