Strawberry Smoothie

Try drinking this delicious smoothie for dessert instead of reaching for the ice cream after dinner.  Or make it for a quick and healthy breakfast (as Dr. Agatston suggests).  The original recipe doesn’t list liquid of any sort among the ingredients and I thought it turned out a little too thick, so I thinned the smoothie with a little water.  Do that at your own discretion.  It was quick, healthy and delicious.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Smoothie

recipe adapted from “The Southbeach Diet Cookbook,” page 28

2 ½ cups strawberries

1 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1 tablespoon sugar (more or less depending on how sweet the strawberries are)

¼ cup nonfat dry milk

¼ cup chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 handful ice cubes

2-4 tablespoons water to thin to desired consistency

Combine strawberries, yogurt, sugar, dry milk, walnuts, wheat germ, maple syrup, and ice in a food processor or blender.  Puree until smooth.  Add water (if using) and blend well.  

Tasty Broccoli

I’ve been South Beach dieting and just about every day I think, “I should post something,” but either the food is too terrible (some of it really is), or I’m afraid I’ll meander over to cookie pie, which will just tempt me to bake up some sweet, floury goodness, which, regrettably, is prohibited. Instead, I’ve been making foods like South Beach “Surprise Mashed Potatoes,” which aren’t mashed potatoes at all. Surprise! They’re steamed and mashed cauliflower flowerets. When I offered my two year old a taste she started crying and promptly threw up.

I steamed broccoli and seasoned it with a dot of Smart Balance butter and some soy sauce, and it actually was quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick, tasty vegetable to serve along with dinner one night I recommend it (and not mashed cauliflower). There was no throw up at the dinner table the night I served it.

Tasty Broccoli
recipe from Jardine Winnefred’s “Managing Your Meals”
printable version of this recipe

2 bunches broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender but still firm. Add butter, soy sauce and pepper to taste; stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Dipped Strawberries

I bought my first container of strawberries last week and ate most of them myself. I guess I was making up for lost time during the long wintry months of fresh strawberry bareness. I'm so happy they are back in season and within reasonable purchase price.

Strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar may sound a bit strange, but trust me; they're really easy and really good.

Sour Cream & Brown Sugar Strawberries

strawberries, wash and pat dry
sour cream
brown sugar

Wash strawberries and pat dry. Do not remove stems—they look pretty and it makes dipping easier.  Roll strawberries in sour cream, making a thin sour cream coating on each berry then roll in brown sugar.