Sweet Potato Puffs

This is a great ay to get the kids in the kitchen! They can make this recipe with minimal help.

• 2 17oz cans sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• cinnamon to taste
• finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 large marshmallows

Combine mashed sweet potatoes, butter and salt. Mix well.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and pecans.
Pat 2 generous tbsp of sweet potato mixture around each marshmallow. (the kids will love this! Just like play dough!)
Roll each ball in sugar. Place in 8x8x2 microwavable dish. Microwave on high 4-7 minutes or until puffed or thoroughly heated through.

Bacon and Gorgonzola Cheese Ball

• 4oz cream cheese
• 4oz gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
• 2 tsp finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
• crackers

Beat 1st 5 ingredients at medium speed until well combined.  Cover tightly, chill at least 1 hour or until firm. (up to 3 days)
Roll cheese mixture into a ball and roll in cooked bacon. Serve immediately or chill until served.  If you chill it, let it stand 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

From Southern Living

Healthy Milkshake

Looking for a yummy and healthy way to get more milk and bananas into your kids?  We've got you covered!  These are delicious and have the smooth, creamy consistency of a Frosty.  Hint- peel your bananas before you freeze them.  Just throw them in a zip top bag.  Trust me, peeling a frozen banana is no fun!

• 1 frozen banana, chopped 
• 1 cup skim milk (or whatever you like)
• 8 regular size ice cubes
• a big squirt of chocolate syrup
• a scoop of peanut or almond butter is optional

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  You can also add any mix-in's you like.  Try Oreos or anything else you'd add to a milkshake!

Cracker Snackers

This is not exactly a recipe as much as is a snack idea.  My boys love this simple snack and think they're getting a big treat! The secret is the cinnamon.

• whole wheat crackers or graham crackers
• peanut butter (almond or cashew butter works too)
• sliced bananas or raisins 
• cinnamon

Spread cracker with nut butter (almond butter shown above).  Then top with a banana slice or raisins.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.  Remember, too much cinnamon is gross. Just a sprinkle.

Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars

These are a great lunchbox snack.  We have used cashew butter and cashews in place of the peanuts and it is great either way!

1 tbsp trans-free margarine or butter
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 tbsp creamy, all natural peanut butter
3 cups wheat square cereal (like Chex)
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Coat and 8x8 pan with cooking spray.
Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. ( or microwave for 15 seconds)
Add marshmallows and cook, stirring until smooth. (4-5 minutes)
Stir in peanut butter.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in cereal and peanuts and chocolate chips.
Transfer to prepared pan and smoosh down to flatten.  
Cool for 20 minutes and cut into squares.

*Recipe from the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook.
For this diet, a serving is 1/4 of the recipe and counts as one meal without any add-ons

Low-Fat No-Bake Cheesecake

Usually recipes are 'good for diet food', but not this one! I would eat this any day, diet or not!  Fantastic!  

• 8oz fat free (or reduced fat) cream cheese (neufchatel will work)
• 1 cup fat free (or reduced fat) sour cream
• 1-2 tsp of Crystal Light drink mix, depending on your taste (I used Lemonade flavor)
• 2 cups Cool Whip Free
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and sour cream.  Add drink mix.  Fold in Cool Whip Free.
*Spoon into 6 containers and refrigerate.  Then you'll have perfectly portioned desserts ready to go!

All 3 phases of the South Beach Diet!

Beany Brownies

All 3 phases of the South Beach Diet! 

No one will ever guess there are beans in here!  While they do have a diet taste, they are absolutely amazing for phase 1 SBD!  My 5 year old ate them and said they were yummy.  Then he asked for more!

• 1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained (you could use black, but white beans have less 'bean flavor')
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if you are out of this, double the unsweetened chocolate)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 egg whites or 2 whole eggs
•  1 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 cup sugar free caramel syrup
• 1/4 agave nectar (or 1/2 cup Stevia)
• 2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.  Pour into an 8x8 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  

 Recipe from 3 fat chicks

Banana Soft Serve

• Frozen bananas
• Cool Whip & chocolate syrup (optional)

Chop frozen bananas and put them in a food processor for 5 minutes.  That's it!  They will have the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  You can add any toppings or mix-ins you like!
*Bananas are hard to peel when frozen, so consider peeling them and putting them in a freezer bag before freezing.
Leftovers can be stored in a container in the freezer.

Mason loving his banana ice cream!  He mixed Cool Whip and chocolate syrup into his!

Vanilla Fruit Salad

This is a great way to get your kids to eat two healthy things at one- fruit and yogurt!  They will never guess it is healthy!  You can use any fruit you like, but stay away from overly juicy fruits like melons. They water down the yogurt too much. You can also change the flavor of the yogurt if you like. Pina Colada yogurt and more tropical fruits work great as well!

• Chopped fruit- (I used bananas, grapes and strawberries)
• vanilla yogurt (the single serving size should do fine for a large bowl of fruit)

Mix chopped fruit and vanilla yogurt. Chill and enjoy! 

Bacon and Onion Spread

2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 strips cooked turkey bacon, diced
1 green onion, finely sliced

Mix all ingredients until well combined.  This filling can be used in celery, cherry tomatoes, on crackers, on cucumber slices or anything else you can think of.

*All phases of the South Beach Diet

South Beach Sundae (All Phases)

• 1 box sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding mix (+ 3 cups cold skim milk)
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp Cool Whip Free

Make pudding according to package directions.
Melt peanut butter for about 20 seconds and mix into Cool Whip, stirring until combined.
 Layer pudding and peanut butter mousse or just mix it all up!

Chocolatey Popcorn Snack Mix

• 1 bag of microwave popcorn
• 1 packet hot chocolate mix
• mini marshmallows
• chocolate teddy grahams

Pop the popcorn and pour into a large bowl.  Sprinkle hot chocolate over popcorn and toss.  Add marshmallows and teddy grahams and mix together.