Lenten Kitchen leftover use-up potato salad recipe for weight loss: how I lost 100 pounds

 So now the holidays are over and it's only winter but no Christmas, to quote Narnia, are you as sick of cold and snow as I am? I seriously need some summer right about now. Well you can create that summer vibe and use up all your leftover veggies to boot. AND create a great die recipe for New Year's weight loss. Just in time for Lent (a period of fasting from meat and sweets in the Catholic Church),  here's my leftover use-up recipe for a fat-busting New Year potato salad recipe. Lighten the calorie load and your mood with this veg out recipe that will bring the summer sun to a winter blah. 

My recipes are purposely adaptable to all tastes, budgets, special diets, etc. I focus on "green" recipes that don't call for certain ingredients besides what you probably have on hand. And if you don't, I'll share improvising tips for workarounds. The goal is to create a delicious dish that uses up all those assorted leftovers, not to create more leftovers or waste. 

Leftovers Use-Up Potato Salad: The possibilities are endless with this popular vegetable salad. And after the holidays, you'll have lots of itsy bitsy bits to use up. We're gonna chop 'em all up and blend with some simple condiments. First, gather all the miscellaneous potatoes from the larder. Doesn't matter what color. Mine featured has a few red, a Yukon gold and some russet potatoes. Wash, cube and toss in a pan to boil. Don't peel them. That's where all the vitamins are. 

Boil some about to expire eggs in with them. Or don't if you're a vegan. 

 Next start scrounging in your fridge for all those stray Zip-loc bags and dishes of half used and withering herbs and vegetables. You can include as many or as few as you like or have on hand. 

celery (include leaves, so much flavor)

onions (red preferred)

colored bell peppers or mini peppers left from the relish tray, the more colorful the better

scallions 

cilantro 

fresh dill

radishes

dill pickles ( or dill pickle relish)

chopped jalapeno if brave

avocado (not a fan, myself)

shredded carrots if desired

leftover ham cubes if you wish ( I don't. I'll use that for other recipes) 

You can even use up capers or olives if you wish. Now, mix with the partially used mayonnaise and any mustard you like. I'm a Dijon or stone ground girl, myself. And I'm not a stickler on much but I do beg you not to use light mayo. I always have and finally treated myself to full strength and oh, Mama, it was like coming home! 

We believe I must have Russian in my heritage because both they and I adore mayonnaise. Not Miracle Whip (ick). Now of course if you're vegan use the avocado kind. Or make your own. I think you just sub avocado for egg. Mix till coated.  

Season with multi-colored pepper, a dash of celery salt, dill weed if you had none in fridge, paprika (smoked if you prefer. I don't in this recipe.)  Taste test and add more of whatever you think it's missing.

And for the piece de resistance, add a little Herdez creamy salsa verde (the roasted poblano cremosa, oh so mosa good!) and cayenne pepper to taste. I'm trying to work myself up to using more hot pepper in my dishes as it's sooo good for natural treatment of arthritis and inflammation. 

Now, a note on garlic. I use it on pretty much everything except my potato salad. But you can if you like. 

You can garnish with sliced eggs, cilantro or dill fronds.
The garnish on mine is pickled turnips and beets.  I'll share that recipe later. Eating veggie forward like this was part of how I lost 100 pounds. 

Now to keep these two little thieves out. Yes, Mordecai and Moishe, I'm telling your secrets! 

Lenten Kitchen Pretzel Recipes: Kinky Twists for knot-your-average boring pretzels

 As the Catholic Christian world approaches Lent, we think of meatless and vegetarian ways to simplify our eating habits. One thing I always made was homemade pretzels. Did you know there's actually a National Pretzel Day? Yes, we actually celebrate those boring breadsticks. If pretzels as salty snacks leave a ho-hum taste in your mouth, how about some kinky twists on pretzel recipes for "knot" your average pretzels? Many of these are gluten free pretzel recipes. 

For gluten free pretzels swap out that wheat flour for oatmeal, oat bran, milled flaxseed, ground edamame, fava bean or chickpea flour and enjoy. 

Lowfat pretzel recipes: Are you calorie counting? So make your homemade pretzel recipes with lighter oil that's high in MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) like olive oil. Or try avocado, flaxseed or coconut oil for (seriously!) Twisted Sister pretzels. 

How about some kinky twists on pretzel dips? Lots of people go nuts over Nutella. And it's a perfect sweep fondue dip for salty pretzels. dip pretzels in warmed Nutella, melted dark or white chocolate. Roll in crushed almonds and serve with fresh raspberries. 

Sweet pretzel recipes for weight loss. Nutella is super high in calories so do a lighter pretzel dip version mixing yogurt and fresh fruit. To choco-fy it, blend cocoa powder into light vanilla yogurt. 

Knotted Guac pretzels: Make an easy batch of guacamole by blending avocado, celery salt, lemon juice, minced onions, garlic, cilantro and chopped tomatoes. Add a dash of cumin and serve with sides of mango salsa and sour cream. These are great calorie -trimmer recipes for Super Bowl tailgate parties or backyard BBQs. 

Deutsche Pretzels: Serve warm soft pretzels with spicy German horseradish mustard. Serve bratwurst on pretzel buns with German Pilsner. Make hot German potato salad by serving regular potato salad immediately instead of waiting for it to cool. Prosit! 

Dutch pretzel dogs. Spread corned beef, pastrami and/or smoked Gouda cheese with your favorite mustard and sauerkraut. Place a pretzel rod in the middle and roll. Serve with creamy cole slaw of cabbage, carrots, apples and raisins. Dress with vinegar, oil, and celery seed. 

Omit the meat in these pretzel to make Lenten Kitchen dishes to enjoy during Lent. Photo is my Screaming Pretzels recipe for Halloween. 

Diet foods that feel decadent but aren't: weight loss without self-deprivation

Hello my fellow foodies! Chef Omi (grandma) here to share some diet foods that feel decadent. At Great Foods 4U, we are about healthy as much as hungry. A few years ago (wow 15, where did the time go?) I began a mission to lose weight I'd gained from depression, anti-depressants (yes, both) and loss of two stillborn babies. One part of  how I lost 100 pounds was by amending my eating habits. Calorie counting, intermittent fasting and portion control worked for me. But more surprising methods did too, such as periodic indulgence and eating foods that felt decadent (but aren't). Because we're also about emotional self-care, here. And constant self-deprivation helps no one. It can actually lead to obesity, when starvation or deprivation mode kicks in. Our bodies take control of the helm and store fat because they wisely know we can't be trusted to take care of ourselves and eat right. So, on with my list of foods that feel decadent that aren't. 

 --olives. Fermented foods are getting a lot of attention in weight loss communities for their antioxidant, probiotic, fat-burning properties. Olives are nutrient-dense, calorie forward (with fiber balancing out fat). They're loaded with antioxidants and MUFAS (monounsaturated fatty acids) that burn fat, boost metabolism, lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and reduce inflammation. The thing to watch out for is salt or sugar content. I rinse pickles and olives before eating to reduce sodium. Also, I eat them in  moderation as I would any other treat. 

--pickles and pickled vegetables. Pickled vegetables aid weight loss in similar ways. With zero calories, pickles fill you up. And by making them yourself, you can cut down on salt. 

--pickled turnips and beets. Oh my, so delicious! I'm going to do a separate post on these Mediterranean diet treats! 

--capers. These brined flower buds are my new obsession. They have similar fat-burning properties to olives. And they're high in quercetin and rutin which reduce inflammation and improve circulation. 

--pumpkin seeds. Hulled and lightly salted, I use these in salads as a gluten-free replacement for croutons. Pepitas are high protein and a good MUFAS boost. 

--sunflower butter. In place of peanut butter, sunflower butter kicks protein fat-burning into high gear.  Plus it fills you up and curbs cravings. Sun Butter is my go to for weight loss. And believe it our not, lightly sweetened SunButter has more protein and fewer calories than the unsweetened kind.  As always, practice portion control 

-- figs, dates and dried cranberries. Dried cranberries, figs and dates are nutrient dense metabolism boosters with high fiber, potassium  and good sugar. Get the Medjool dates as they taste so much better than regular. And I get the reduced sugar dried cranberries. A handful adds a nice zest to salads to offset the saltier foods. Figs and dates are great for curbing hunger and sugar cravings. 

Fun Food Fact: Olives, figs and dates are part of the Jewish Seven Species of ceremonial and cultural food, along with lemons, pomegranates wheat and barley. Which brings me to..

--pomegranates and lemons. Pomegranates and other seed-dense fruits (like figs, blueberries, and raspberries) are great fat-burning fruits. The high fiber in the seeds balances out the sugar to make them calorie forward. I use lemons in cooking all the time. As lemon water, they boost weight loss in fat-burning and antioxidant vitamins. 

--mushrooms. The health benefits can and have filled volumes. There are too many to list here so I'll let UCLA list mushroom health benefits for me. We portabellas as meat substitutes in meatless dishes during Lent and on Fridays. Mushrooms are a must-have for my Lenten Kitchen. 

--sprouts (broccoli, clover, alfalfa, radish, lentil, mung and wheatgrass) For the longest time, didn't buy because they were so costly. But now I  make my own for cents on the dollar. I also love brussels sprouts roasted with garlic. 

--ghee (clarified butter) Could anything be so addictive and still good for you?! Ghee has as high smoke point and is great for grilling but beyond that, it's lactose free and fat-forward in that its MCTs and CLAs have some fat burning properties. Ghee is a good keto fat source. Ghee should be consumed in moderation.   

--smoked salmon. I cannot get enough of it. One tin gives like 26 grams protein for only 100ish calories. But be sure to get smoked salmon packed in oil. It tastes so much better. 

--arugula (aka rocket salad) and other spring mix greens. I only used to buy iceberg lettuce but now I treat myself to the fancier, healthier greens. Give me that bitter crunch of arugula with a dash of avocado oil, lemon juice and cracked pepper, topped with spicy sprouts and I'm a  happy girl. 

All these foods were part of how I lost 100 pounds, without drugs or gastric bypass surgery. Above photo is my foods that feel decadent salad with spinach, smoked salmon, lemon juice, capers, cracked black pepper, pomegranate seeds and freshly grown sprouts!