South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up for March 2012 (Low-Glycemic Recipes)

Kalyn's favorite Phase One Recipe from March 2012 was definitely this Spicy Thai-Style Cabbage Slaw with Mint and Cilantro.

(I've finally finished this round-up, which was delayed by me being seriously under the weather.  Thanks again for all the get-well wishes everyone, and happy Cooking!)

I know, I say this every single month, but has another whole month really gone screaming by?  Not that I'm complaining about the arrival of April, the month when spring delicacies like asparagus start appearing in the stores.  Of course in Utah it can still snow in April or May, so I try not to get my hopes up too much for good weather.  Spring-like recipes have been appearing all during March, and I'm happy to be sharing some really fantastic South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes that I've posted on Kalyn's Kitchen or found on other blogs during the month, including my personal favorites that I'm now spotlighting every Friday for Phase One Fridays.

(You can use the label Low-Glycemic Recipe Round-Ups to see all the posts like this one.)

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CrockPot Pineapple Chicken Recipe

Day 140.

This is a very simple dish--and chances are you have all four ingredients already! The sweetness of the pineapple works great with the salt from the soy sauce and the touch of spice from red pepper flakes.

The Ingredients.

--enough chicken for 4

--20 oz can of pineapple chunks

--1/4 cup soy sauce (Tamari wheat free or La Choy are gluten free)

--1 t red pepper flakes

The Directions.

plop the chicken into the crockpot. I used frozen breast tenders. Drain the pineapple, and add the chunks with the soy sauce and the red pepper flakes.

cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

The cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of chicken are, and if they are frozen or not.

My frozen breast tenders only needed to cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or on a bed of fresh spinach.

The Verdict.

We ate this over spinach and ate outside. It was a hot evening, and we were in swimsuits. The kids had a ball feeding the guinea pigs any spinach that fell to the ground. I liked the flavor a lot, and the kids ate the chicken and picked at the pineapple. I did open a fresh can for them, though. Eating hot pineapple weirded them out. I added more red pepper flakes to my dish, and I can't remember what Adam did.

Our chicken was dry. I'm always a touch disappointed when I use the frozen breast tenders after using thighs for a while. The breast pieces just don't retain moisture the way the thighs do. I don't seem to remember this while I'm at the store, though.

Hot Tea and Chicken Broth on the Menu (and this is not an April Fools Joke!)

Nothing but hot tea and chicken broth has been on the menu at my house!

It's April 1, and if I wasn't incredibly sick with a terrible cough, body aches, a fever, and chest congestion, I'd be posting the Phase One Recipes Round-Up for March 2012 today.  I actually worked on it yesterday for a couple of hours before I gave up, called my gorgeous niece Alyson to bring me cough medicine, and then retired to the chair.  And last night I finally gave in and went to First Med, so hopefully I will soon be on the mend.  I'll be back as soon as I can!

Our Weekend

We had a super fun, busy weekend!  

Saturday, we met Papa Jay and Lovie for lunch and a little shopping in Southlake.  My kiddos looooove to color (so it's especially handy when they can do so at a restaurant!).

Love him!

Love them!

Not quite sure what the look is about...but I know Smith loves his Papa Jay!!  He is so excited to be in Brooke's wedding with Papa Jay (he talks about it constantly!).  Smith is ring bearer and Papa Jay is officiating.  They get to stand next to each other.  Four words for you...Smith in a tux.  Just wait.

Oh look!  During lunch, we ran into some of our very besties, Kara (and Tim).  Love you guys!

Sittin' around with his giant sucker.

My girl!

Saturday night, we went to Grandmother's house to celebrate Aunt Pam's birthday.  Me and the bride to be :).

Kensington was in the yard trying to help her cousin Paisley get her head band back on.

I think she quickly realized that it's not easy dressing a one year old :).

Such a little man!

Then Sunday afternoon, we went to a bridal shower for Brooke.  Kensington is totally excited about being a flower girl!

Kensington and Grandmother

Me and my girl

Kensington and Lovie

Bride and Flower Girl

Last night, we had burgers in the backyard and then played in the front yard.  Here are my kids riding their "horse" (a.k.a. the broom).  They did this forever!

All clean and cuddly with Dad about to go to bed.

Wow!  Fun and busy weekend!

Recipe for Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Ham

Roasted asparagus wrapped in slices of lean ham.

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  This roasted asparagus wrapped in ham tastes perfect this time of year.)

It's a sure sign of Spring when recipes featuring asparagus start popping up on the food blogs. Both of the markets where I shop regularly are selling low-priced asparagus, so I've been having fun experimenting with it lately. I've seen recipes using asparagus paired with prosciutto or bacon, but to make it more South Beach Diet friendly I thought I'd try asparagus roasted with lean ham. The smoked and slightly browned ham paired wonderfully with the barely roasted asparagus, and this is something that would make a nice addition to a menu for Easter brunch or lunch.

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Randoms

Here are some random pictures from my camera...

The other night when Ebby and Nixon came over, after bath time, I found the girls doing this in the play room.  Matching Disney jammies, sharing a blanket, matching cups.  Two peas in a pod!

Sweet girls!

I don't know about you but I've never seen Nixon Slaughter look more handsome.  Hmmm...I really enjoyed finding a t-shirt for him to wear out of Smith's closet after his bath.  Oddly enough, when his Daddy came to pick him up, he wasn't fond of that shirt.  Oh well.  I was just trying to show Nixon what the shirt of a team capable of winning a World Series looks like (ouch!).

I went to wake Kensington up from her nap last Friday (please don't hate me but yes, I almost always have to wake my kids up from their naps because they sleep so long.).  She was apparently sharing her pillow with her princess friends.

Today, the kids asked to watch Spirit (a cartoon movie about a horse).  I went to check on them and noticed they weren't the only ones watching the movie.

Some of their horse friends were watching too :).

Recipe for Lentil and Barley Greek-Style Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Capers

A wonderful meatless barley and lentil salad to welcome spring!

I bet I'm not the only salad-obsessed person who starts thinking about new salad combinations as soon as the weather gets warmer.  It's no secret that I love salads of every type, but I think grain and bean salads are especially nice in spring, when it's not really hot weather but you're getting in the mood for lighter meals.  I loved the idea of a salad combining barley and lentils, and it worked perfectly with the tomatoes, Feta, capers, and a Greek-style vinaigrette for a lovely meatless salad.  There are many types of lentils, and you can probably use any green or brown lentils here, but I used lentils du puy, a green lentil from France that holds its shape well in a salad.

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