Foodie Fridays is back! This show is all about healthy eats and tasty treats. In this episode, I went over to Lauren Chiodo-Benmuvhar house to see and taste some of her weight loss recipes. You see, Lauren has and incredible weight loss story. I actually made a separate blog post and video about her weight loss. Weight loss can be tough. What can prove to be even more difficult is to find a weight loss plan or diet that you can actually stick with. As a Personal Trainer in San Antonio, Texas I have seen first hand how hard that can be. I was very over weight growing up and one thing that really helped me was changing my diet. I was able to find healthy but tasty foods and weight loss recipes that helped me stick to my goal. Now, I want to help you find weight loss recipes that will show you that weight loss doesn’t mean you need to eat celery sticks for all your meals lol! I wanted to see what she has been eating at home. I am of the opinion that eating healthy does not mean you have to eat bland, boring or tasteless foods. Lauren has managed to make healthy eating fun and delicious. Watch the video and let us know what you think! QUESTION OF THE DAY: What kinds of Healthy foods do you like to eat at home with you family? Please, Leave those down in the comments section below because you never know who you might be helping!

Resources:
Laurens Website

Lamb Kafta

18 servings (1 meatball per serving)

Nutrition per serving: Calories (50), Fat (3.1 g), Saturated Fat (1.1 g), Cholesterol (15.7 mg), Sodium (15), Carbs (0.1 g), Protein (5.1 g)

1# ground lamb

1 Tbsp chopped mint

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1.- Heat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Finely chop mint, cilantro, and time.

2.- In the bowl of a food processor, break up the ground lamb into a few chunks. Add spices, chopped herbs, and garlic. Pulse for a minute or two until the meat is well-mixed and becoming smooth.

3.- Roll into 15-20 meatballs (I made 18, so the nutrition is based on 18 meatballs) and place on baking sheet. Cook in oven for 18-20 minutes. Serve with tzatziki.

Tzatziki

Makes about 3 C. Serving size is 1 Tbsp.

Nutrition: Calories (20), Fat (1.6 g), Saturated Fat (0.5 g), Cholesterol (1.6 mg), Sodium (3.4 mg), Total Carbs (0.7 g), Sugar (0.5 g), Protein (0.9 g)

16 oz full-fat Greek yogurt (2 C)

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced (set back 1/2 cucumber’s worth of fine dice in a bowl and save)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp tarragon

2 tsp chopped mint

2 tsp chopped dill

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste
1.- Put everything except the reserved cucumber mince in a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixed well.
2.- Pour into bowl, stir in reserved cucumber, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I added about a tsp of Lebanese seven-spice as well, but that’s just a personal preference.
3.- Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. This goes well with pretty much every meat on the planet.