Dinner, South Beach Style

Okay, so like I said before, one of my New Years resolutions is to lose weight this year. One thing that you have to know about me is that I like love bread and sweets. Really, it's my downfall because I swear, my body converts it to fat faster than you can say "mmmmmm, doughnut." That being said, I found the South Beach Diet years ago, and I swear by it. Really it's not a diet, it's a way of eating, and I get to eat yummy food, which is a total plus! When I was about a year away from getting married, I stared Phase 1 and was completely commited. I lost a little over 10 pounds in 2 weeks, and was able to keep the weight off. Let's not talk about the cliche' of post wedding, being lazy spending all your time hanging out, eating bad-for-you food! Let's just say, I'm back in the position where I need to clean up my diet, get active, and get back in shape.

Back to my excitment of being able to eat good food, we tried a new recipe from the South Beach Diet cookbook yesterday: Warm Beef Salad. Oh, was it tasty! We added in some slivered almonds, but beyond that everything was just as it was in the recipe. One thing to keep in mind is that the dressing tastes bright right out of the bottle, but it really complements the salad once on.

Warm Beef Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, 1" thick

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cups mixed greens

4 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 small red onion, thinly spliced and separated into rings

1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

Heat grill to high. Grill steak 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 5 minutes; slice thin.

Place lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, and oil in a jar with a lid. Close tightly and shake vigorously to combine. Place greens in a large mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing, and toss to coat.

Divide greens among 4 serving plates, top with steak, tomato wedges, onion, feta, and almons, and serve!

P.S. I'm currently on day 3 and I've already lost a little over 2 pounds! It's the little win's you need to celebrate!