Good Eats

I had SUCH a superb day yesterday, and I’m chalking it all up to the morning workout. I got my body movin’, my blood pumpin’, my mood jumpin’ — perfect way to begin the day. I felt so great yesterday that I got up this morning for another jog-o-la! I decided to begin at Week 3 of the C25K program. I’ll be cruising through my 5K in no time! Running an entire 5K right now, however, notsomuch.

Before I start talking about my recent tasty eats, I need to clue you in to Jen’s fab contest on priorfatgirl.com. She’s giving away an EatingWell Diet cookbook and the cutest apron EVER.

Check it out and enter if you haven’t already. Then, be the lucky winner, try out the recipes, and share the food you make with me ;)

Onto the easy peasy food I’ve made lately. Last night I was planning to make one of my yummy veggie sandwiches that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. But, since I jogged in the morning AND went for a walk with Elizabeth after work, I wanted a little more oomph.
I opted to throw on a MorningStar Farms garden veggie burger onto my already-amazing veggie sandwich, and it totally hit the spot. I never thought about eating veggie burgers before I became a vegetarian, but I’m so glad I found them. Yum yum yum! On the side of my burger/sandwich I had green bean fries.

Haha! OK OK they’re just green beans. Long and skinny like french fries, but crunchy and a little sweet like something I would much rather eat on an already-healthy day. I blanched the beans Tuesday morning so that I could have a go-to snack. If you don’t know what blanching is, people do it to vegetables to keep them crisp and tender while locking in flavor and color. Check out how green those beans are! To blanch my beans, I tossed them in boiling water for a little more than two minutes and then quickly plunged them into an ice water bath. Simple simple simple and they taste soooo good. I really enjoy my blanched green beans with tzatziki dip or Sabra roasted garlic hummus.

And now for a super simple black bean chili recipe! I really don’t cook meals. I’m a big fan of microwavable foods, sandwiches and peanut butter toast — none of which require slaving over a stove. Well, this recipe requires a stove but absolutely no slaving. Prep time WITH cooking time is only 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 small/medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 15-oz can of black beans, preferably organic
• 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup cilantro

Directions:

1. Chop onions and mince or press garlic. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to enhance their health-promoting properties.
2. Place all ingredients in a pot, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Top with cilantro and serve.

Nutrition: 365 calories, 13.63 g fiber, 18.32 g protein, 77.5% daily value of vitamin A, 65.4% daily value of vitamin C, 39.5% daily value of iron, 29.5% daily value of phosphorus

The nutritional info is using this recipe as 2 servings, but I’d say it makes more like 3 or 4 servings, especially if you eat anything else with it. The beans make it SUPER filling. I’ve added a can of corn before, and I might try adding a diced green pepper next time — both of which would alter the nutrition facts. Easy, though, right??

Do you have any simple and tasty recipes in your repertoire? I’m always open to new foods, so please pass them along if you’ve got ’em. Or, after you win the cookbook from Jen’s contest, you can share some recipes from there!

Peace :)