Saturday Morning Smoothie

I'm nearly through the first week of Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, and am feeling great and doing well, but boy, am I tired of breakfasts! And, I love eggs. But I'm not a "I'll have the usual" gal, so I need a little variety. And, I'm really ready for a nice bowl of Scottish Oatmeal! 

But, anyway... on this sunny Saturday morning, I decided to experiment with the smoothie recipes in the South Beach Super Charged book, and came up with this yummy, vanilla/almond/maple smoothie to go with my coffee today. I loved it, the kids gave it a "thumbs down" and Joel was indifferent.  

To sweeten it, I used a new sugar-free maple syrup that I found at QFC this week. It's Nature's Hollow brand, sweetened with Xylitol, and is fantastic!

So, here's the recipe:

Maple Almond Smoothie
2 servings


1 container non-fat Oikos Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla-flavored, unsweetened almond milk (Blue Diamond)
3 Tbs. Nature's Hollow sugar-free maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
about 1 cup ice


Blend all in blender and serve! 

Vegetable Moussaka

This makes four large, dinner-sized servings, and is delicious! It's adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Charged. I subbed kidney beans for canned lentils (didn't have lentils), added one more clove of garlic, and left out the chopped, fresh parsley (1/4 cup). I also subbed milk for the fat-free half-and-half (because I don't buy that - it's wrong!) and left out the nutmeg too. Serve this with a quick salad of diced fennel bulb, radish, cuke and a lemon/olive oil/S&P "dressing," and you're set!!

Veggie Moussaka (adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Charged)


1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (about 1.25 lbs)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained (but not rinsed) 
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh-grated parmesan
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (I subbed cinnamon, because it's what I had)


Heat oven to 425-degrees F. 


Spray eggplant slices with cooking spray and bake on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, until softened, about 20-25 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 350-degrees F. 


While eggplant is baking, soften onion and garlic in EVOO in a med-hot pan. When translucent, add the beans, tomatoes and liquid, and seasonings. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, and add milk, 2 Tbs. cheese and the nutmeg (or cinnamon). Reserve remaining 2 Tbs. cheese for the top of moussaka. 


Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray and layer eggplant, tomato/bean mixture, alternately, twice, and top with a final layer of eggplant. Pour the egg/milk/cheese mixture on top, then sprinkle the last 2 Tbs. cheese over the top. 


Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving warm.