You on the Beach?

If you know me well you'll know that I'm a fan of South Beach Diet. (Now if only I would actually stick to SBD faithfully I might actually lose a few pounds!) Hubb's calls my diet the Allison Beach Diet b/c I've changed so many rules regarding the diet that it looks like a distant relative of the original. haha

Anyway, I have a few recipes that I made up myself that follow the real South Beach Diet (Phase 1) that I thought I'd share. Most sound gross, but if you take the time to actually make it I'm sure you will love it. My kids beg me to make these meals/snacks for them. They call for mozzarella cheese, either grated or string cheese form. Mozzarella is a great type of cheese to use on SBD because it isn't too oily like cheddar and when you cook it it takes on a solid crunchy or crispy form.

Grilled String Cheese
-string cheese (not a Light one though - those don't work and are gross!)
-small saute pan
-cooking spray

Preheat the small saute pan on medium-low. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place string cheese in pan and let it cook on one side until the cheese is melted and grilled on one side (light brown). Flip cheese over and cook the other side. Enjoy!

Breadless Pepperoni Pizza/Calzone
-part-skim shredded mozzarella (maybe 1/2 C or so)
-Turkey pepperoni
-pizza or spaghetti sauce
-small saute pan

Preheat the small saute pan on medium-low. Place Turkey pepperoni over saute pan in a single layer. Add cheese all over the top of the pepperoni. Let the pepperoni and cheese grill for about 5 minutes or until the mozzarella is all totally melted and starting to get crispy around the edges. The cheese will now be cooked enough that you can flip the pepperoni/mozzarella mixture like a pancake. Flip it so that the mozzarella side is down. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is light brown and kinda crispy. Remove from pan and put on a plate pepperoni side up. Add a thin layer of pizza sauce on the top of it and then fold it in half like a taco. Enjoy!

Cooking the mozzarella makes it firm enough to be able to pick up and eat like a calzone. If you under-cooked it just use a knife and fork to eat it.

Caprice salad
-Mozzarella
-Medium tomato
-salt and pepper
-olive oil
-basil, fresh or dried
Get fresh mozzarella. Not the part-skim stuff. Buy a really good block. I buy mine in a 2 pack at Costco. Yummmm! Slice about 6 thin slices. They should be roundish. Slice the tomato into about 6 slices. On a plate place one slice of mozzarella near the edge. Then overlap it about half way with a tomato slice. Then overlap the tomato with another slice of mozzarella. Work your way around the plate alternating tomato and mozzarella. It should look like a circle or wreath around the plate. Drizzle a very small amount of olive oil over tomato and mozzarella. Sprinkle with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover with a thin layer or sprinkling of basil. Enjoy!

Cheesy Bean Taco meat
-1 lb ground beef
-1 can refried beans (TRY REALLY HARD to find Old El Paso brand. Even better, get the vegetarian Old El Paso. It is the best. All refried beans are not created equal and the type of beans you use will either make or break this recipe!)
-1 small can Tomato Sauce
-shredded cheddar cheese
Cook ground been in a skillet. When it's cooked add the can of refried beans and the can of tomato sauce. Mix well and cook until hot. Spoon a serving of mixture into a bowl and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. If needed, microwave until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy with a spoon, or add to a wheat tortilla for Phase 2 of SBD.

I've got more, but I'll post them later. Enjoy these really easy recipes. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. My kids even beg for them (except the Caprice Salad).