[38withfreckles]

Hi Chickies,

I am going to my quarterly scrapbooking weekend with some girlfriends, and we normally consume the following: Outback cheese fries (my adaptation), the large bag of peanut M&M's, muffins, and tons of chips & dips.

Now, I am on South Beach, and I would really like to stick to it. I will be finishing Phase I this week, so I thought I would hop on Phase 2 so that I could have a fighting chance to stay on my diet! I have lost 5.5 pounds, and I am motivated to keep going, but I have to have something delicious.

I am surfing the internet and this message board for great Phase 2 appetizers. I love anything Tex-Mex, and I can't eat celery sticks, bell peppers, or anything with ricotta cheese.

What appetizers do you recommend? I would appreciate any recommendations/recipes!

Thanks,
Ange

[beachgal]

Ange, I regularly go to scrapbooking things where there's a groaning snack table. I feel your pain!

Here are some of the things you could try:

• My SIL has this super-easy recipe for a great dip. You could modify it for SBD and serve it with WW pita chips or WW homemade tortilla chips. You take a can of chili (look for a vegetarian one...NOT Hormel or anything with wheat and sugar) and spread it on the bottom of a medium-sized glass or ceramic baking dish. Spread one package of cream cheese (use 1/3 less fat) on top. Then top with shredded cheddar cheese (use reduced fat). Bake in 350* oven until cheese is hot and bubbly (personally, I just microwave it to save time...but I'm impatient! ).
• Bring assorted veggies and WW pita chips and a selection of hummus
• Pistachio nuts
• Sunflower seeds in the shell (takes longer to eat!)
• Fruit salad
• Cut up apples and serve with homemade low-fat cream cheese dip (I found one online that blended defrosted frozen raspberries--with no juice or sugar-- with cream cheese and cottage cheese, Splenda, and a bit of ginger. It was yummy!!)
• Cut up pears and laughing cow cheese (divine... )
• Mess around with the Taco Bake recipe to make it more like a seven-layer dip. Serve with veggies and/or crackers or pita chips
• Make a low-fat version of spinach artichoke dip and serve with veggies.

Hope this helps! Have a great time...one of the best things about scrapping is that your hands are busy so you can't eat as much!

[38withfreckles]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I wasn't expecting all the fruit ideas. I guess I do get to add that back to my diet!

I was thinking about making Sugar free chocolate pudding with a layer of ss/ff cool whip on top. Maybe that would be a good treat.

I am also try the toasted pita chips as well.

Thanks again!
ange

[Schmoodle]

There is a Rachel Ray recipe I posted in the recipes section called "antipachos", which is made with WW pitas. I make that for parties fairly often and people just gobble it up and never think that it might be healthy.

[femmecreole]

Jars of bruschetta (like eggplant and artichoke) are easy to transport...along with laughing cow cheese and LF trisquits.