Chicken Pita

-Pre-cooked grilled chicken (half of a small package)

-Portabello mushrooms sliced (can omit)

-1 Tbl. Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin)

-Sprinkle of garlic and italian seasoning (can omit)

-2 Whole wheat pita bread circles cut in half
-Veggies ex. baby spinach, bell pepper, green onion, grape tomatoes (what I used)
-Drizzle of dressing (I used ranch but you can use whatever you want)

Directions:
Heat up olive oil in a small skillet. Add mushrooms and chicken. Sprinkle with garlic and italian seasoning. Saute until chicken is browned.

Warm the pita bread for 15 seconds in the microwave. Cut it in half and fill half way with chosen veggies. Add 1/4 the chicken and mushrooms and drizzle with dressing. Repeat with the other three pita halves and serve.

Serves Two. (South Beach Phase two and three)

Baked parmesan zucchini

1 zucchini sliced length wise
Pam cooking spray
I can't believe it's not butter spray
parmesan cheese grated or powder (powder is crunchier)

Put foil on a baking pan, spray with Pam. Put zucchini on top, spray each with I can't believe it's not butter and put cheese on top.

Broil until cheese is browned and eat while warm.

South Beach all phases! Very good!

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Mexican Chicken

1 bag pre-cooked southwestern chicken strips (a little over 1 pound)
1 can low sodium black beans rinsed
1 cup red enchalada sauce
2 cups shredded mild cheese (can sub any cheese)
3 green onions chopped for garnish (can omit)

Cook chicken in a pan until hot, add rinsed black beans to chicken, stir together and heat. (I used my spatula to chop the chicken after it was cooked)

 Add enchalada sauce to chicken and beans, mix until hot. Spray a 8x11 pan with pam. Add chicken mixture to the 8x11.

Add cheese to the top and bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes.

Serves 6 and is great eaten alone or with tortillas. South Beach all phases (phase one without tortillas).

*Pinterest Thumbs UP! (altered)

Venison Chili

1 Back strap cut into cubes
2 cans black beans
1 large can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 zucchini minced
1/2 yellow onion minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbl. Cumin
2 Tbl. Chili powder

Directions:
Brown venison with minced garlic. Add venison, beans, tomato sauce, water, cumin and chili powder to a crockpot and set on low. Cook on low for 2 hours stirring occasionally. At the 2 hour point add the zucchini and onion and cook for another 2 hours.

Mexican Salad 2

•  lettuce, any kind
• ground turkey or beef
• cumin
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• fat free refried beans
• shredded reduced fat cheese
• spicy ranch dressing (if you don't have spicy ranch, use regular plus some taco sauce)

Brown meat, seasoning liberally with spiced.  Whn meat is browned, add 1/4 -1/2 cup water and stir, add more seasoning if desired.  (Taco meat- without all the crud and sodium.)

Warm beans in oven or microwave.  Top lettuce with meat, beans, cheese and dressing!

Mexican Salad

• Lettuce, any kind
• chicken breast
• olive oil
• chili powder
• cumin
• garlic, fresh or powder
• avocado
• shredded pepper jack cheese
• black beans
• Ranch dressing
• taco sauce

Marinate chicken in olive oil and seasonings, no need to measure!  Grill chicken or saute in a pan until cooked through.  Slice.

Arrange lettuce on a plate. Top with warm chicken, avocado. cheese, beans, Ranch dressing and taco sauce (I use Taco Bell sauce).

Greek Salad

I generally don't like greek salad because I don't like the vinaigrette.  So this is my version. So yummy! 

• lettuce (any kind you like)
• reduced fat, low sodium lunch meat (roll it up and slice it)
• feta cheese
• green onions, chopped
• kalamata olives, chopped
• tomato, chopped
• humus
• tzatziki ( I buy it premade at WholeFoods)

Arrange lettuce on plate.  Top with a scoop of humus.  Layer with all the veggies, cheese and meat.  Then top with a scoop of tzatziki.

Cheesy Beans

Now, this is good any time, but especially when you are on South Beach Phase 1!

When you are tired of chicken and veggies and fiending for carbs, this is a great lunch (veggies on the side, of course)!  Tastes just like a bean burrito! 

fat free refried beans
reduced fat shredded cheese
hot sauce (Taco Bell sauce!)

Heat beans (20 min in oven or 1-2 min in microwave)
Top with cheese and heat again until cheese melts.  Drizzle with sauce.

Greek Burritos

whole wheat wraps (such as Flat Out Wraps)

hummus

lettuce, chopped or shredded

green onions, chopped

tomato, chopped

feta cheese

sliced black or kalamata olives

lunch meat (optional, if you like it meatier)

Spread hummus on wrap.  Top with lunch meat, veggies and cheese.  Spread a little humms on side of wrap to seal the 'burrito' up.

*For phase one of the South Beach Diet, leave out the wrap and eat like a salad. 

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

Cobb Salad

• chopped lettuce
• diced tomato
• sliced olives
• diced red or green onion
• hard boiled eggs, chopped (about 1 per person)
• cooked, crumbled bacon (turkey bacon for South Beach Diet)
• blue cheese ( or shredded cheddar)
• Grilled Avocado
• Dressing such as Ranch
• *For a wrap we use 'Flat Out' wraps

Layer all ingredients on the wrap or on a bed of lettuce and enjoy!  

Grilled Avocados

• avocados
• lemon juice
• olive oil

Cut avocados in half, leaving skin on.  Brush with lemon juice, then olive oil.  Grill on med-high, two minutes on each side.

Scoop out of the skin and slice.  Serve warm avocados on salads or in wraps, tacos and sandwiches.

Cobb Salad 

White Chicken Chili

This one is so yummy, you'll never know it's healthy!  Serve it with Lite Cornbread on the side or crumbled into the chili!

• 1 lb ground white meat chicken or turkey
• 5 green onions, plus more for ganish
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 small tomatoes (vine ripened are better)
• 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp lite salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup skim milk
• olive oil

sour cream and shredded cheese for garnish.
**Freshly shredded always tastes and melts better.  If you have a food processor, it will shred a block in just a few seconds and you can store unused shredded cheese in a baggy or dish with a lid.

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add green onions and yellow onion.  Sauté 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken, tomato, garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, cilantro and cook until chicken is browned.
Add broth, cornmeal and beans.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat.
Simmer 30 minutes or until chili reaches desired consistency.  Reduce heat to low and add milk. stir and cook a few minutes more.
Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, green onions and shredded cheese.

**for South Beach Diet, omit the cornmeal.

South Beach Sorbet

• 1 pitcher size packet of Crystal Light drink mix.  (Any flavor will do- I used Lemonade)
• 3 cups fat free milk
• 1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip Free

Place drink mix in a large non-metal bowl.  Add milk and stir until dissolved.  Add Cool Whip and whisk until blended.  Spoon into a 13x9 baking dish.  Cover and freeze 3 hours or until firm.  Let stand to soften before serving.  

Serving size- 1/2 cup

Calories- 40

Carbs- 7

Sugar- 4g

*All Phases of the South Beach Diet

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

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you like our Buffalo Chicken Sandwich but would like to cut the calories, this is the perfect salad! All the flavor of the sandwich with a fraction of the calories, fat and carbs!

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 bottle of prepared buffalo sauce (I like Texas Pete's)
• 1 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Blue Cheese Sauce

Place chicken breast in a zip top bag with a 1/2 the bottle of buffalo sauce.  Marinate for 1-2 hours.  Grill on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until done.

Divide spinach leaves among four plates.  Top each with 1 chopped egg and tomatoes.

Chop chicken and toss with additional buffalo sauce.  Add to salad.  Serve with a dollop of Blue Cheese Sauce.

*All phases of the South Beach Diet

Blue Cheese Sauce

This sauce is delicious and has much less fat, sodium and calories than ranch dressing.  It's great as a salad dressing, dip or sandwich spread.  The longer it sits, the better it gets... so make a big batch!

• light sour cream
• chopped green onions
• blue cheese

Just eyeball this one!  Star with as much sour cream as you think you need. Then stir in as much cheese and onions as you like. The more you add, the stronger the flavor.  I like to add a lot and make it really chunky.

*All phases of the South Beach Diet

South Beach Chocolate Ice Cream (All Phases)

1 no sugar added fudgsicle
2 tbsp Cool Whip Free
1 tbsp peanut butter, melted for about 20 seconds (optional)

melt fudgsicle and stir  into Cool Whip.  Add peanut butter if desired.  Cover and refreeze.

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!