A Happy 4th of July is all up to YOU!

Living with Bariatric surgery takes dedication and commitment because life includes holidays, anniversaries, vacations, and parties with friends.

Food choices do not just magically fall into place. We can make believe we didn't surgically change our anatomy, but that is probably not the best path to choose.

I learned just hours before that the July 4th barbecue we were invited to was 'pot luck' style. My husband took the call and missed communicating that critical info to me. I had planned to make some sugar free cannoli tartlets, as I always take a sugar free dessert to a party, but now I needed to create a dish or two on the fly.

Macaroni salad, potato salad, baked ziti, burgers and hot dogs on buns, a bucket of wings... all the barbecue standards will definitely be there. Knowing that these high carb, higher fat foods are hard to eat and create hunger, why would you want to go off the rails for even a day? It's better to plan ahead and make our offering not only something good for us but also something the group will also enjoy!

The challenge is always in coming up with foods that are not diet or identifiable as bariatric.

How about a platter of old fashioned deviled eggs! Pure delicious 'low tech' protein that everyone loves. They keep you full and it's a lot easier to not eat chips and macaroni salad when you're full.

Nothing fancy, just some light mayo, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper blended with the yolks and a paprika sprinkle! You have ingredients in your fridge right now.

I had picked up pound of freshly ground chicken breast at the grocery store yesterday and happened to have some crisp romaine hearts.

That will turn into my amazing Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and I can whip up a refreshing bowl of Asian Cucumber Salad as a side dish. I have great ingredients to work with because I always have vegetables for a salad and these fantastic sauces in my pantry.

If you are going to a party this afternoon it's never too late for Deviled Eggs! Healthy protein rich food you can eat that others love as well!