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What Can You Eat On the South Beach Diet Menu?

Published
by
Nick Siegal
on July 7, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments
by Linda Miller

One of the first things anyone ever notices when checking out a diet menu to see if they think they can do it is the “can haves” and the “cannot haves”. You will soon form the opinion that you will not go far with a diet when it is unvaried and boring and all the things you would normally enjoy eating are off the menu. This however is not the case with the South Beach Diet.

When you take a look at the South Beach Diet you will be delighted to see that both the allowed and the forbidden foods are in fact varied in an interesting way and you will feel confident that you can use the “can haves” to come up with some super meal choices.

The diet has taken into account the fact that the majority of people enjoy eating meat of some description. Foodstuffs such as boiled ham, chicken breasts, Cornish game hen, lean cuts of beef and turkey feature on the list of items you can eat, even during Phase 1 when there is more concentration on cutting out bad carbohydrates and saturated fats.

The South Beach Diet is Mecca to the seafood lover. Eating the fruit of the sea is encouraged on all phases of the South Beach Diet, and you are especially reminded to eat fish that offer up high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, like cod and mackerel.

Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet takes carbs out of your system, and this means no fruits and grains for two weeks. While this may sound strict, your body will thank you for eliminating these foods that hamper digestion and prevent healthy weight loss. In Phase 2, you will begin eating some carbs again in a healthier way that will still help you lose weight.

Phase 2 also allows dairy products and full-fat cheeses back into your diet. As with the carbs you gave up in Phase 1, you will now find that your body does not crave these foods like it did before. This helps you to eat them in a healthier way.

When studying the South Beach Diet you will see that there are numerous vegetables which you can incorporate in your menu. Some of the more popular ones are celery and collard greens, asparagus and cauliflower all of which you are allowed in large portions and as long as sweetened with Splenda, you can even eat pickles!

Another great menu item on the South Beach Diet is salads. Take some of the meats and cheeses you can eat on Phase 1, and add a nice helping of romaine lettuce or spinach. You will have a meal-size salad that will be both tasty and healthful, and you wont’ feel like you’re on a diet at all!

The variation of the menu is one of the main reasons that the South Beach Diet is both popular and successful. You will be pleasantly surprised to discover that there are lots of food choices on the menu which you would normally eat so take a look at the South Beach Diet and see how following this plan can work for you.

About the Author:
Linda Miller loves to write about popular weight loss diet programs. Visit her site for more free South Beach Diet Recipes, information, and South Beach Diet menu plans

30 Ways To Reduce Your Spending

Published
by
Judy Turner
on July 2, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments
by Judy Turner

With the high cost of gas and groceries these days it is a wonder anyone can make ends meet. You might feel like your budget is already stretched as thin as it can go but you would be surprised. Here are 30 ways to cut expenses. Try just a few of them and see if you can start saving more of your paycheck each week.

1. Cut back on energy costs whenever possible. Hang clothes instead of using your dryer whenever possible (outdoors in nice weather and inside on racks during bad weather). Use energy saving CFL lights. Get in the habit of turning off lights and appliances when you leave a room.

2. Go for a matinee show on weekdays. Avoid weekends.

3. Instead of meeting friends for coffee or drinks invite them over for potluck. Take turns each week at each others house.

4. Carry your lunch to work.

5. Carpool to work whenever possible.

6. Save money on drugs with generics whenever possible.

7. Do you see a good sale for a product you use anyway? Stock up whenever possible! If you have coupons for the sale item you can save even more.

8. Try to limit long distance calls to nights and weekends unless you have an unlimited calling plan.

9. Piggy-bank loose change.

10. Buy clothes off season when you can get the best prices. I stock up on kids clothes a year in advance and just buy a size or two larger depending on the age of the child.

11. Can anyone really afford cigarettes anymore? For the sake of your budget and your health now is a good time to quit.

12. Save water - keep your showers short.

13. Save money by working out at home. Rent or borrow an exercise dvd before buying to make sure you like it.

14. Maintain your car yourself - i.e., do basic stuff like changing the oil, washing it, etc.

15. Dollar stores are a great place to stock up on items such as wrapping paper, gift cards, gift bags, etc.

16. Do you have high interest credit cards? Consider refinancing or making power payments each month (making more than the minimum payments).

17. Eat out less. Try to keep stocked up on the ingredients for quick meals to keep from going through the drive-thru on days you are just too tired to cook.

18. When shopping for large ticket items it pays to shop around. Some stores will even match competitor prices.

19. If you’re paying a high rent, move to a cheaper place.

20. Check out Freecycle.org for getting free stuff or getting rid of things that you don’t use. Many communities have their own chapter.

21. Stick with basic cable. Your family might balk at the idea but your wallet will thank you.

22. We all like to splurge once in a while on things like manicures but if are trying to save money consider doing this yourself.

23. Start a savings account just for emergencies. Start small like $5.00 per week.

24. When shopping for your work wardrobe try to avoid anything that is “dry clean only”.

25. Do some comparison shopping on insurance for anything from car, life insurance, homeowners, etc.

26. Drink more water. Sugary soft drinks should be an occasional treat instead of an everyday staple.

27. Have a yard sale. Not only will you make some extra cash but you will also get rid of excess clutter.

28. Don’t be late in paying your bills - the interest can be killing.

29. Consider planting a garden. Produce such as zucchini can be shredded and frozen for future recipes. Find information at your local library online on how to get started.

30. Know when to splurge. Cut back on the trivial things that eat up your paycheck and you can splurge occasionally on something fun.

Whether you implement some or all of these tips or even come up with a few of your own, finding creative ways to stretch your budget will really pay off financially.

About the Author:
Stop by Eating On A Budget for frugal recipes, money saving tips and more to help you make ends meet. Submit recipes or sign up for our free newsletter and we will give you Free Recipe Ebooks

What Do You Eat on the South Beach Diet Menu?

Published
by
Linda Miller
on June 19, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments
by Linda Miller

One of biggest draw-backs to many diets is the “forbidden” foods list. It is human nature to desire the things we know we can’t have, and this seems to magnify when you’re on a diet. Dieting is difficult enough without the disappointment of having to eat foods you don’t like.

Fortunately, that is not the case with the South Beach Diet. Contrary to other diet plans, the list of foods you can eat on the South Beach Diet is much longer than the list of foods you must avoid.

You can still eat the foods you love when you are on the South Beach Diet. The only difference with the South Beach Diet is that you are eating them in a way that is better for you. Let’s say you’re a meat lover. On the South Beach Diet menu, you can still enjoy a delicious steak, just make it a leaner cut and don’t totally pig out.

When you are first considering the South Beach Diet, have a long look at Phase 1. This is the most restricted part of the diet, yet you will find it is surprisingly varied and quite a few of the things you would expect you are not allowed are there on the menu.

Low in fat or fat free cheese along with beef, pork, eggs, low fat lunch meat and poultry are all allowed so long as you avoid greasy or fatty portions. For all you seafood lovers, you will be delighted to discover that products from the sea are allowed and even encouraged throughout all phases of the South Beach Diet. If you have a sweet tooth, that’s no problem, but you must keep your sweet allowance to 75 calories each day. Phase 1 is the strictest part of the diet but you still have the choice to include your favorite foods so you can see that this diet will be easy to stick to.

Many people who do their own cooking are often unsure about appropriate ingredients when adapting their usual recipes. At the start of the South Beach Diet, you are restricted to canola and olive oils and non or low fat milk and yogurt but these bans are lifted as soon as you have made your way past phase 1 and home-cooking becomes far easier and much more straightforward.

During Phase 1, you eliminate fruits, full-fat dairy foods and grains from your diet. After two weeks of this, your cravings for these foods are drastically reduced, and once your body is cleansed of these negative nutrients, your digestive system works better and you will lose weight more easily and consistently.

So when you are deciding which diet to go on and find yourself asking the question “What can I eat on the South Beach diet?” take a minute to look at the basic foods list and you will find all the information you need to get you started and sail through to a healthier way of life, losing excess weight along the way.

About the Author:
Visit popular diet guru Linda Miller’s website for completely free South Beach Diet Recipes, and to see what you can eat on the South Beach Diet Phase 1

How To Go About Making A Salad Nicoise

Published
by
Mark Thompson
on May 27, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments
by Kerris Samson

The Salad Nicoise is more commonly called a Nicoise Salad and is pronounced “Ni-suaz”. This particular salad originally comes from a region in the South of France called Nice and involves a number of different raw ingredients the details of which will provided for you later on in this article. Most authentic Salad Nicoise’s use only raw ingredients there are some restaurants who make this salad and will include rice, pasta, potatoes, cheese and cooked vegetables in theirs.

The real beauty of this particular salad over many others you may have tried is in the way that it is presented. It is not only full of color and texture but flavor as well because of the ingredients that are used. Below we now provide you with details of the ingredients along with the steps that you will need to take in order to produce a great tasting and looking Nicoise Salad.

In order to make this salad you need to get together the following ingredients which are sufficient to make enough for 4 people to enjoy. 1. Ten large ripe tomatoes 2. One clove of garlic 3. One large cucumber 4. One each of the following:- Green and Red Peppers 5. Six spring onions 6. Twelve anchovy fillets which come in a tin of olive oil 7. 125 grams black olives 8. Four eggs that need to be cooked by being boiled 9. 90 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil 10. One tablespoon of red wine vinegar 11. The juice of one lemon. The above three ingredients will be used to make the dressing for the salad. 12. A number of different salad leaves along with a good handful of fresh basil. Once you have the ingredients you can now get on with making the salad using the steps we provide below.

Step 1 - First get the ten tomatoes and cut these each into six pieces. Place on a dish and sprinkle with a little salt and allow them to stand for about 30 minutes in order that the juice in them can drain out. As you start to prepare the tomatoes you can put the eggs onto boil. In order to produce really good hard boiled eggs it is best if you allow them to stay in the water for around 5 minutes.

Step 2 - You need to now take the cucumber and cut it in half down its complete length. After cutting in half take a spoon and scoop out as many of the seeds inside. Once you have removed as many of the seeds you need to then slice each half of the cucumber which has not been peeled up. Make sure that each slice you cut is not to thin or thick. After you have finished preparing the cucumber you can now slice up the peppers and the spring onions. It is best if you can slice these two ingredients for the salad as thinly as possible.

Step 3 - Take the garlic clove remove the outer layer and then cut this in half and rub them around the inside of your salad bowl. If you are able to use a wooden bowl for placing the salad in.

Step 4 - Once you have rubbed the bowl with the garlic clove now you can start to take the ingredients and place them into it. First off get the salad leaves (which you will have washed and removed any excess water from) and lay these in the bottom of the bowl(s). Next on top of the leaves you lay the tomatoes followed by the eggs which have been cut into quarters. After the eggs you now need to lay on the slices of cucumber, spring onions and peppers and then on top of these you lay the anchovy fillets before you scatter over the olives.

Step 5 - The final step you need to take in order to make a great tasting Salad Nicoise is to prepare the dressing. So into a jug or jar place the olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice and blend well together and also season it with a little freshly ground black pepper and salt. Once combined you just very gently drizzle this dressing over the top of the salad and before taking to the table to serve roughly tear up some of the basil leaves and scatter these over the top of it. Now take it to the table and enjoy.

About the Author:
Here at SaladFacts.com we provide information and advice on everything to do with salads. However, if you would like to find out more about making great dressings for your salad ingredients click on this link here.

Simple Guide to Grilled Basa Fish

Published
by
Andrew White
on May 24, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments
by Andrew White

Basa is a farm-raised fresh water fish. Basa fish is part of the catfish family. One of the benefits of basa fish it the lack of smell. Unlike other fishes you will not get that fishy smell after preparing basa fish. An even better benefit though is the delicate and mild taste.

Basa fish is originally from the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Chao Phraya basin. The basa fish is an important food resource in its origin area, but has the later years gotten a lot of interest from the American and European market as well.

Basa fish is typically grilled much like we grill salmon. I usually give it a brush with some butter. You can use garlic butter if you want to. Spice up the basa fish with some white pepper or other spices as well to give it extra taste. You can add lemon and lime at the end to give it some extra flavor.

When you feel that you have spiced up the basa fish the way you want you need to pack the fish in aluminum foil. This is a very simple process. Take a sheet of aluminum foil for each slice of basa fish. Then simply wrap the foil to cover the basa fish completely.

When it comes to how long you are supposed to grill the basa fish, people have different opinions. It all depend on how well grilled you want it to be. I typically grill on each side for 10 to 15 minutes or until it flakes. There is no need to turn the fish around all the time. Lay it on one side for 10 minutes and then turn it around for an aditional 10 minutes.

I hope you got the main idea on how to grill basa fish. The rest is now up to you. You can buy basa fish in several supermarkets, and you can test new ingredients and spices if you want to.

About the Author:
For some great recepies for basa fish visit http://basafishrecipes.com. I also have a special section dedicated to grilled basa fish recipes. Enjoy!