Taco Salad

I had all the fixings for a taco salad and I was craving it, so here's what I did.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces (you could also use the leaves as wraps)
sliced black olives
diced tomatoes
ff shredded cheddar cheese
ff sour cream

Put desired amount of lettuce on your plate/bowl. Top with the above ingredients. Eat and enjoy!
Note: This was kind of bland when I made it. I need to add more spice/seasoning the next time I make it. I probably should have tossed in some taco seasoning to give it that zip.

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Breakfast is a hard meal of the day for most people. Some skip it all together, some grab something light, and some (like me) use it to get in their fair share of carbs for the day. In the past, I've grabbed cereal, bagels, pop tarts, etc. because I need something to grab and go in the morning. Most of the "breakfast food" on SBD needs preparation the morning of or beforehand. I'm so not in the mood to cook a hard core breakfast in the morning so cooking the day before is much better for me.

4 oz. turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
5 large eggs
1 can (12 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I forgot this at the grocery store!)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese

*Chef's note: I hate chopping veggies because it seems to make the prep time so much longer. I bought pre-diced green bell pepper and onion and things so much easier!

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 6 cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups (I recommend the baking cups if you're going to eat these on-the-go).

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, cook the sausage, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the eggs and mushrooms. Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups (the hardest part, in my opinion). Sprinkle with the cheese

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the egg is set.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
140 calories, 9g fat, 3g sat. fat, 12g protein, 4g carbs, 1g dietary fiber, 195mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium.


Source:
Agatston, Arthur. The South Beach Diet Cookbook. 2004 edition.

Going back to the "Beach"

This little blog has struggled and so has its writer. What started off as an attempt to cook Weight Watcher friendly meals (mostly dinners) and help me keep focused on my weight loss journey has turned into a neglected little thing. Its writer has also suffered and most likely has put back all the weight she had previously lost (maybe even a little more). However, I'm not going to dwell on the past, but instead focus on the future. I realized that while Weight Watchers helped me take off weight, I was eating way too much processed stuff and not enough "fresh" stuff. So I went back to what I know had worked for me in the past...the South Beach Diet. The first two weeks are tough...no fruit, bread, pasta, etc. It's mostly veggies and meat for phase 1. There have been a few changes since I last did this diet, so I'm thinking the first 2 weeks may not be so bad after all. I also want this blog to be an inspiration to other South Beach Dieters. Some place where they can look up ideas for recipes and hints. Let's see how this turns out!

Sausage Corn Chowder in Italian Bread Bowl

Ok, it's been awhile since my last update. Today was the perfect day to try out a new recipe. The "spring" weather has been rainy, cold, and windy--great time for a comfort food dish. I don't know the WW points for this because I'm too lazy to figure them out right now.

Italian Bread Bowls
Ingredients
2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2.5 c. warm water (110 F)
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
7 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil, and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf, scoop out centers, leaving 3/4 inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

Sausage Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 c coarsely chopped onion
4 c. peeled potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.75 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the potatoes, water, salt, marjoram, and pepper
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add the corn, cream-style corn, and milk; heat through.

Cheesy Chicken Biscuit Cups

This recipe originally came from the Meals that Matter website

Ingredients

1 (7.5oz) can	Homestyle or buttermilk biscuits
1 5oz	Chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 can	Healthy request cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup	Shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1 tsp	Dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp	Black pepper

Preparation

Place biscuits in muffin pan, pressing dough into the pan to form cups. In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, cheese, parsley, and pepper.

Mix well. Spoon mixture into cups. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

10 Servings...2Pts each

Apple Crumb Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving and everyone raved about it, so I'm making it again for Christmas!

9 inch unbaked pie shell
6 cups pared, sliced apples (5-7 apples--I use McIntosh)
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/3 cup butter

Placed sliced apples in unbaked pastry shell. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar with flour; cut into butter until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool.

Cookie Extravaganza Part 2

So I've been baking up a storm. Seriously, I don't know what got into me. I must be channeling Martha Stewart or something because this is so atypical of me.

Best Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies (also known as the "BBFCCCs" on TheNest
2 c. all purpose flour
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
.5 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (I used one cup of Reese's peanut butter chips and 1 cup of Hershey's dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 c. at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Red's Ultimate M&M's Brand cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
.5 cup granulated sugar
.5 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
.5 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 12 oz. package of M&Ms (since it's Christmas, I used the red and green kind--ain't I festive?)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in M&Ms. Drop by heaping tablespoonsful about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container

Makes about 3 dozen