What's Cookin'...for Breakfast?!

Morning Lovely Readers!!! Y'all know I love to cook...or at least I'm getting there! And I try really hard to eat healthy as I follow my own version of the South Beach Diet...

You see, I have all these amazing cookbooks that my mama (a wonderful cook) gave me, or I received as bridal shower gifts, or what-have-you, and I can't bear to not use them... So I South Beach-ify them! I substitute fat free half-and-half for heavy cream, brown grains for white, reduced fat cheeses, etc. I also have the South Beach Diet 30-Minute cookbook (pictured here), which really is amazing! I started out using just the SBD cookbook, until I got the hang of what ingredients were "allowed" and which should be avoided. I broke the rules about different phases of the diet and jumped around to whatever recipes look tasty. I didn't suffer through two weeks of no carbs, sugars (to include natural sugars in fruit), and only the leanest proteins. I tried that once. It ended with a huge plate of nachos and a pint of Ben and Jerry's!

The SBD cookbook I have is awesome. There are recipes for party-style dips, quesadillas, and even macaroni and cheese (that is one of my favorite recipes, and I'll have to share it in a future What's Cooking post). One of my favorite recipes from this book is their breakfast yogurt shake:

In a blender, combine two cups vanilla yogurt (I use Dannon's Light & Fit and I buy the large tubs, which are about four cups each) and two cups frozen fruit (usually located near the frozen fruit concentrates; make sure you get the kind that is not immersed is sugary syrup...I usually only use strawberries, but to change things up, I'll get one of Dole's mixed fruit smoothie combos-one package is enough for one batch). Blend to desired consistency. You might have to stop the blender a few times to stir. If you're having a really hard time with it, add a splash of skim milk to thin it out!

This will make you two normal glass sized shakes or one huge shake! I usually pour the whole thing in a large plastic cup and milk it all morning. It comes to about 400 calories, depending on the type of yogurt and fruit you use and how large you make your shake. I like the larger portion to curb my appetite until lunch time, or to give me a boost of energy before the gym!