In an effort to keep us from getting bored with our food choices, I thought I'd try a little challenge.

It's a 3x3 challenge and here's how it works. Sign up for the challenge and three times a week for three weeks you must cook a new recipe. It has to be something that's new to you and you've never made before. It can be a main dish, side dish, dessert, whatever. You choose.

The challenge will begin on Sunday, August the 13th. and run for three weeks until Saturday on September the 2nd. During that time each person should have cooked 9 new recipes, and it has to be 3 per week. You will need to post your recipe and tell us how you liked it. Pictures would be appreciated but they aren't required.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/kitchen/1127-3x3-challenge-aug-13th-thru-sept-2nd.html

Now, here's where it gets even MORE interesting. If you don't get your 3 dishes done in the alloted time space, you have to post a picture of yourself in a bathing suit or your underwear! :OMG:

Any questions? Who's going to take the challenge with me?

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:OMG: The pictures are a VERY scary thought!!!!

But I love the idea for the challenge!! My only downfall will be that we'll be on vacation the week of the 13th... so I'll try lots of new things.. but probably nothing SB friendly and nothing I cooked... but I can't wait to see what everyone else does!!! :joy:

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Mary :Morning:
Phase I

I'm in!

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:Clap: Yay! Thanks for joining up!

It doesn't have to be anything complicated or elaborate. It just has to be something that's new to you and that you've never tried before. It would even be possible to get all 3 recipes made and over with in one meal with a main dish, side dish and a dessert. Easy peasy!

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Whoaaa!!! That's one heck of a penalty, Luv. You're getting tougher and tougher!!! :jester: :jester: :jester:

LOL I'm included in that, too, you know! I know the challenge doesn't start until the 13th. but I'm already looking in cookbooks and trying to figure out what I want to make! I definitely don't want to embarrass myself on this board!

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So, I tried my first new thing today, loosely based on a sbd cookbook item. It could be breakfast, snack, or desert, I think! This would be phase 2.
I mixed 1 cup of frozen mixed fruit, on small container of flavored sf, ff yogurt, and about 1/2 a can of fresca in a blender. I had it as a smoothie, but you could freeze it, too. It has 180 calories for the ~2 cups, but you could divide it into two 90 calories servings for a desert. Not really foodie... but there it was.

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Seriously Spicy Citrus Chicken
from Dana Carpender's "15 Minute Low Carb Recipes"

4 chicken breasts
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. lime juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 T. plus 1 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. plus 1 t. minced garlic
1 T. plus 1 t. grated ginger root
1/4 c. Splenda
4 scallions, finely sliced
2 T. chopped cilantro

Sauté the chicken in the olive oil over a medium heat, with a tilted lid. While it's sautéing, mix together the lime juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger root and Splenda. After the chicken has turned golden on both sides (about 4-5 minutes), pour the lime juice mixture into the skillet and turn the breasts over to coat both sides. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes on each side, then move the chicken to serving plates, scraping the liquid from the pan over the chicken. Scatter sliced scallions and chopped cilantro over each portion, and serve.



This stuff was really good! It was very colorful and made a nice presentation. It was also seriously spicey! My mouth is on fire and I'm not really into hot, spicey foods. But I love the ginger root and citrus juices with the Splenda. Next time I probably won't put as much red pepper flakes in it.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/showthread.php?t=1127

This recipe is suitable for phase one and is a really nice way to flavor up chicken breasts.

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Marinated Garden Tomatoes
From a "Taste of Home" cookbook.

6 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt
1 T. snipped fresh thyme or 1 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. coarsely ground pepper

Place tomatoes and onions in a shallow serving bowl. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingrediants; pour over tomatoes. Cover and refridgerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/showthread.php?t=1127
Yield: 10 3/4 cup servings




This is getting cold in the fridge right now and I can't wait to taste it later! I love garden tomatoes! This is a good phase one recipe. I probably should have made this dish yesterday to have with that spicey chicken. Maybe it would have helped tone down the heat from the red pepper flakes.

This recipe actually called for 1/3 cup of olive oil, but I used less. You can do as you please. Also, I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I used dried. Fresh would be better, I suppose. I just didn't feel like going back to the store. :Sarcastic:

Edited to add: These were pretty good. I had some with the leftover chicken from the other day and it was a nice combo. I added more salt to my tomatoes though. That's one of the things I really like salt on, tomatoes!

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Those look great, luv!! I especially can't wait to try the chicken. Great pics, too. I will have to be non-high tech as I live in the stone age and do not have a digital camera. People on the board were saying that cauliflower was a good sub for mashed potatoes, so I wondered if I could take potato principles and apply them to cauliflower. So, I took one whole cauliflower and about 4 tbs of sb italian and a shake of garlic powder. I baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes and it was tasty. I quick fall back when there's nothing to fix. I usually would put more into this, but I am starting a new semester and internship this week on top of work, so I am seriously crunched for time!!

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