beans | Luv What You Do

Half Homemade January 26, 2013

Filed under: Clean Eating,Lunch,Yoga — Luv What You Do @ 1:58 pm
Tags: beans, chicken, Homemade, Recipes

Before I even start this post, I should warn you that this is my first time attempting to use Windows Live Writer on my new computer. I have no idea how it will work because the BOY set everything up for me, and he doesn’t even know the name of my blog…LOL! One of the things I still haven’t done is move my pictures and Eye-Fi onto this computer. I am so spoiled because my photos automatically upload, but I haven’t switched that around yet. It’s on my list of things (along with update music and take car for an oil change) to do this weekend.

I must say that snow is much more beautiful in the day light and when you don’t have to commute to work. The BOY and I were both up earlier than expected this morning. After a simple breakfast of banana walnut oatmeal and Elixer, I hit the road for Hot Yoga. The class was warm, intense, and rewarding. I felt strong in my balance poses, lightness in Warrior II, and utter fatigue in chair pose. I know that I have mentioned this before, but I really do feel different when my diet is clean.

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After yoga, I picked up Mediterranean for lunch. Our favorite place just happens to be on my way home from the studio. Although their pita is amazing, I knew I had some sprouted wraps and homemade hummus at home. I ordered my favorite Fattoush salad with grilled chicken with plans to create a half homemade lunch that was clean and satisfying.

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While the BOY dug right into his lunch, I created 2 grilled chicken wraps. One with garlic hummus and the other using this new Roasted Red Pepper Spread from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook that I whipped up earlier in the week.

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Both wraps turned out incredible! With my salad on the side, even the BOY commented about how good my lunch looked.

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I’m sorry I didn’t get more pictures, but after this morning’s workout, I was starving! I will tell you that this spread is really easy and versatile, and I would recommend using it to spice up your sandwiches.

I’m heading upstairs to pack and take a nap before heading into the city for a bachelorette party tonight. See you tomorrow!

How do you eat clean on the weekends?

Do you ever make ‘half homemade’ lunches?

Roasted Red Pepper Spread

From Forks Over Knives

Ingredients

2 cups or 1 15- ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, roasted (I used jarred)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tbsp finely chopped dill (or 1 tsp dried)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.

Store in the refrigerator.

Comments (10)

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Filed under: Clean Eating,Crock Pot,Dessert,Soup,Turkey — Luv What You Do @ 6:11 pm
Tags: basketball, beans, chili, Corn, family, magazine, Peanut Butter, Recipes, Sweet Potato

We haven’t made chili in a few weeks, so it was time to grease up the crockpot and chop up some veggies.

I found a wonderful looking chili recipe in Clean Eating Magazine. I picked up all my ingredients at the store last week, so that I could get right to work Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have white beans (kind of a big deal since it is in the title of the original recipe), but I knew that black beans would be a fair substitution. I was able to find tomato puree (I’ve never used that in chili before), and decided to use sweet potato instead of white potatoes for taste and nutritional value.

I like to slow cook on low heat. I don’t know much about slow cookers of the past but I think that my crockpot is super strong and therefore I can cook something on low (8-10 hours) for only 6 hours and have a thick bowl of chili.

After a few hours, my chili was smelling good but not as thick as I would have expected. I added in the roasted corn. Yes, it appears that microwaving a premade bag of roasted corn could be considered cheating, but when I saw this in the frozen section, I knew it would make ~~life~~ this recipe MUCH easier.

A few more hours back in the crockpot with some additional seasonings, and I had a THICK and smoky chili!

I was even more surprised to see how much thicker my chili was when I poured myself a bowl for lunch today. Although I shouldn’t be too surprised as soups and chilies usually taste even better the second day. I think some of my substitutions changed the flavor of the recipe as written, but I am totally digging this colorful chili. The sweet potatoes add the right amount of sweetness that compliment the smoky corn. Covered in avocado, this was a filling lunch after this morning’s challenging Hot Yoga class.

Meanwhile, the BOY grilled up some burgers for our Dad’s who came over to watch the Indiana v Northwestern basketball game today. It took a little convincing but the BOY braved the cold (it was in the 30’s) to make juicy burgers for the guys’ lunch. He even took the time to make roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions to go with the burgers.

We had a wonderful afternoon relaxing in the living room, devouring our lunches, chatting about sports, and telling stories. This was the first time that just our Dads came over and it was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. The boys were more than happy to save room for dessert, Peanut Butter Bon Bons.

And the Dad’s even took a few to go home. FYI, the BOY has decided that the vanilla coated bonbons taste even better than the chocolate ones in case you are already making your Valentine treat list!

I know it sounds crazy, but I could totally go for another bowl of chili for dinner. Maybe that’s because we are watching the football playoffs and chili just seems appropriate : )

Have you made any new recipes in your crockpot?

Turkey and Bean Chili with Roasted Corn

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey breast

4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (can sub in min red skin potatoes halved per original recipe)

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth

1 can black beans, rinsed (original recipe calls for navy beans but any white bean will work)

1 cup tomato puree

3 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

salt to taste

3 medium cobs of corn or 2 cups frozen and thawed corn kernels

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil or cooking spray over medium heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring frequently until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onion, stir and cook for 5 minutes until soft and well cooked.

Transfer turkey mixture to slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Add potato, pepper, broth, beans, tomato puree, and all seasonings. Stir and cook on low (6-8 hour setting) or high for closer to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, if using corn cobs, char on grill or over grill pan. When cool, shave kernels from cob. About 1 hour before finished, stir in fresh or microwaved corn and cook until potatoes are soft and chili has thickened.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

Comments (16)

Healthy New Year Soup January 2, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Clean Eating,Soup,Vegetables,Vegetarian — Luv What You Do @ 8:45 pm
Tags: beans, books, Health, mushrooms, pancakes, Recipes, Zucchini

I am swapping the sugary sweet holiday baked goods in for some veggie packed recipes. Well, at least one veggie packed recipe. I woke up January 1st with a craving for breakfast. I whipped up a batch of these Banana Flax Pancakes.

I forget how easy and satisfying these guys are!

The BOY and I spent my last day of winter vacation laying low, and watching some college football. Despite finishing my antibiotic, I am still nowhere near 100%. This definitely frustrates me (who wants to be sick for over a week?), and I just don’t have my usual energy levels. So I took advantage of my last day home finishing my third book this break, Emily Giffin’s Where We Belong (which in my opinion is her best book to date!) and cooking up some food for the week ahead.

We did make one trip out of the house to the grocery store to stock up on some fresh produce for the week. Since my soup pot was out and clean after NYE dinner, I figured some veggie soup was in order. I haven’t made a plain veggie soup in some time. Mostly, because my Mom makes some wonderful soups and is always happy to supply me with her leftovers.

I know that I have commented before on my huge soup pot. It was a gift to me along with some lessons in soup making when my Mom and our friend Beth came to visit me in Memphis a little over 5 years ago.

Beth makes some wonderful soups, and it was with her in mind that I picked up some cabbage along with all my other veggies for this Healthy New Year Soup.

I think once you’ve made a few veggie soups, you get a feel for what veggies to add, when to add them, and what spices work best. Needless to say, I ‘m not there yet!

So I just sorta winged it, chopping up veggies and sprinkling in spices to create this veggie packed soup. The outcome was a thick and hearty soup guaranteed to keep you warm in a winter chill and help you get started with your healthy new year. However, this doesn’t make it easy to write out a recipe. I’m not quite positive what I did, if it is typical of making soup, but I know the results worked. I will do my best to share the recipe but feel free to add in any thoughts or suggestions (I mean you Beth!)

This soup freezes well, so I know that I am well stocked with healthy options for the next few weeks (unless you want some soup and in which case I am happy to share). Sadly, I downed tonight’s dinner without getting a better photo of my colorful concoction. What can I say…after my first day back at work, I was starving when I walked in the door.

So I overcompensated by taking plenty of pictures of tomorrow’s lunch! I must say that it was tough to get up today. When my alarm went off at 6am, I had NO idea what the noise was (I hadn’t heard it in 2 weeks). Even my car seemed a little perturbed to be up and at ‘em before the sun. But it was nice to be back at work catching up with my friends after the break. This means that my posts might be a little less frequent as I adjust to the work/life balance and for right now I am done writing because I started book number four, Eat & Run (Thanks Brittany for the suggestion), and I am eager to get back to it.

Healthy New Year Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

10 stalks of celery, chopped

1 package of mushrooms, chopped

1 head of cabbage, chopped

6 carrots, pealed and chopped

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

6 cups of water

1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

Sea Salt (to taste)

Seasonings (I used a mix of basil, garlic, and a veggie mix)

1 bag frozen green beans

1 bag frozen zucchini (fresh if you can find it, but it didn’t look good)

Optional: Add your favorite seasonal veggies and sub in frozen as needed! Other ideas include okra, corn, peppers, beans, etc.

Directions

Spray the bottom of a large soup pot with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add in onion and garlic. Stir until soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes or so). Add in celery, mushrooms, and cabbage.

Stir often as flavors begin to blend and veggies soften (another 7-8 minutes).

Add in veggie broth, water, spices, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil (this takes time with a huge pot).

Add in frozen veggies (whatever you want, but I chose beans and zucchini…okra is good too!) and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Freeze in air tight containers and you’ll be set for the winter!

What healthy recipes are you staring the year with?

Comments (19)

Soup Before Sunrise March 26, 2012

Filed under: Clean Eating,Crock Pot,Soup,Vegetables,Vegetarian — Luv What You Do @ 9:47 pm
Tags: beans, crockpot, Recipes, Sweet Potato

I decided that I was going to make soup this morning even before I stepped outside into the blistering cold. Ok, let’s be honest, 38 is pretty typical for March in Chicago, but after our 80 degree heat wave it felt pretty chilly. This weekend, I finally had a little time to flip through my new slow cooker cookbook

I am a huge fan of this book as it is based around healthy and sound principles and carries lots of extra nutrition knowledge, slow cooker tips, and healthy cooking suggestions. The instructions are easy to follow and who doesn’t love a one pot meal. I didn’t even make it past the first chapter before discovering, like 10 recipes, that I had to make. I decided on the Mighty Minestrone. To save time, I prepped some of the veggies last night while I was making dinner.

This morning, it was super easy to chop up the rest of the veggies, empty the cans, add in some spices, and cover with broth.

I had everything stirred up in the crockpot before the sun was beginning to rise.

I set the crockpot on low and headed off to the gym with specific instructions for the BOY to add in the the last two ingredients.

When I walked in the door after work and a haircut, dinner was ready in the crockpot.

And it looked unbelievable!

And tasted even better!

This tomato based broth is perfectly seasoned and this chunky soup is filling enough to be a meal on its own!

Mighty Minestrone

From The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth

Ingredients

6 baby red potatoes, scrubbed, left unpeeled and diced (per recipe, I substituted 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 zucchini, coarsely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Parmesan cheese garnish (optional)

Place the vegetables, beans, broth, tomatoes, red wine, basil, bay leaf, oregano, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker, stir gently to mix, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until veggies are tender. Stir in the spinach and cook for 30 minutes, or until the spinach is hot. Add the red wine vinegar and stir. Stir to incorporate the spinach, garnish with the Parmesan, if using.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

*Chef’s tip: To save chopping time, use 4 to 5 cups fresh prepared vegetables of your choice (corn, broccoli cauliflower, peppers, sliced carrots, cut green beans, squash, etc.)

32-Bean & 8-Vegetable Soup March 4, 2012

Filed under: Soup,Vegetarian — Luv What You Do @ 2:49 pm
Tags: beans, Recipes, Soup

What have you gotten done today?

Me…

Although my toes are still pretty ugly and I didn’t work out, I did get whole bunch of things done around the house that needed to get done, including some cleaning, laundry and a trip to Target. However, my lazy morning has turned into a semi-lazy afternoon.

Yesterday, I bought this 32-Bean & 8-Vegetable soup mix from the bulk bins at Whole Foods.

It comes with a recipe card.

And only requires two additional ingredients, which is perfect for a lazy afternoon!

I used just under 2 cups of beans and combined it with 4 cups vegetable broth and 4 cups of water. After two hours of simmering, the beans were tender. I added in the diced tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and simmered for a few minutes more.

The soup is definitely chock full of healthy stuff (I can’t even name 32 types of beans) and the tomatoes are a must. Although I don’t typically add salt to soup recipes, I thought this one was a little bland. If I made it again, I would sauté up some onion and garlic first and then add in the beans and broth. Most soups taste better the next day, so I am looking forward to trying it again tomorrow! I’ll keep you posted!

You can find more tips and nutrition information on the North Bay Trading Company website.

Do you have any favorite dry soup mixes?

I’ve never tried making a soup from a dry mix before…it definitely cuts down on time, but I must say that I am a huge fan of homemade soups. Check out some of my favorite soup and chili recipes on the RECIPE PAGE!

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Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

Filed under: Bread,Crock Pot,Muffins,Soup — Luv What You Do @ 8:03 am
Tags: beans, chili, Corn, Recipes

A year ago, I made cornbread and taco soup for a friend. When she recently mentioned that her boyfriend loved the cornbread, I decided to make him another batch. I like this recipe for Sweet Corn Bread from All Recipes.com. I figured that I couldn’t just give him some cornbread, so I made a simple beef crockpot chili to go with it. The BOY loves chili, but he isn’t great about eating leftovers after 2-3 days, so it was a double bonus. Dinner for the BOY and a side for my cornbread.

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I haven’t found an easy crockpot beef chili recipe that I liked, so I just made up my own, with some input from the BOY of course. The result was a HUGE success!

Into the Crockpot:

1 lb ground beef

1 can dark red beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans in chili sauce

1 steam bag of corn

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Your chili seasonings:

Chili powder

Cumin

Garlic

Red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

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Giving everything a stir when I remembered…

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Onion!!!

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Can you even make chili without it???

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Cook according to crockpot directions.

Meanwhile, get started on your corn muffins.

So that when your chili is ready…

You’ll have something sweet to eat with it!

With some leftovers and extras to share with your friends.

Cutest ToGo box EVER!

Basic Beef Crockpot Chili

Trust me, if I can figure out beef chili, it is pretty simple

Plus, this recipe has the BOY’s seal of approval on taste!

Ingredients

1 lb 85/15 ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 bag steamed or 1 can corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans in chili sauce

1 cup water

Optional: chili or adobo peppers for heat.

Chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper

Directions

Cook beef on a heated skillet, sprayed with cooking spray until browned. Drain and place beef in crockpot. Stir in the remaining ingredients, adjusting seasonings to taste. Set per crockpot instructions.

Tastes even better Day 2. Freezes well.

Sweet Corn Bread (or Muffins)

From All Recipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

NOTE: When making muffins, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins!

Comments (3)

A Chilly Run Followed By A Warm Soup February 12, 2011

Filed under: Running,Soup,Vegetarian — Luv What You Do @ 10:18 pm
Tags: beans, carrots, Cooking Light, kale, parsnip, Running

So I finally got myself back outside for a run this morning. It helped that the gym was doing an AM run club so I was motivated to get up early, layer on the clothes, and be at the gym by 8:00AM. I must say it was so nice to run with people as opposed to on my own. I also met some runners doing the marathon, who I am hoping to recruit to log those long miles with me. In the end, the sun was shining and I finished my almost 5 miles with too many layers of clothes and a smile on my face. Looking forward to some (relatively) warmer days and some more outdoor workouts.

Coming back indoors, I was ready for a warm meal. My blogger buddy had made a two bean soup (as seen HERE) based on a CL recipe that you can find HERE. I have been looking for new soup recipes and this one peaked my interest. It was different and quick…plus, it had Kale the superfood, which I have been wanting to try. I used ideas from both soups to make my own fabulous (and healthy) bean and kale soup. It is definitely a keeper!

Grabbing carrots, parsnips, celery, and onion, I got to work. The parsnip was Meredith’s idea and a great addition. I used 4 carrots, 2 parsnips, 4 stalks of celery and 1 onion and combined them all with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in my dutch oven (recently found during a kitchen cabinet clean).

When I added my 3 cups of low sodium vegetable broth, it was obvious that I was going to need more liquid AND a bigger pot. Luckily, a close family friend bought me a HUGE soup bought during a soup lesson in Memphis, so I was good to go. I ended up adding 2 cups of water to the broth to make enough room after adding the Kale. In the end, this didn’t lessen the flavor at all.

Just a FYI, I found the kale at Whole Foods. It was the same price as the Jewel (local grocery) but looked greener and much fresher.

With the added liquid

An interesting piece of this soup recipe calls for blending 1 can of cannelini beans with the remaining 1 cups of broth. It made this horrible looking liquid (that probably shouldn’t be posted on blogs), but I am guessing it was meant to thicken the soup.

I added the cannelini bean mixture, 1 can of light red kidney beans and another can of cannelini beans. The CL recipe recommends low sodium beans. Other than black beans, I find it hard to find low sodium options, but I have heard that rinsing and draining the beans drastically cuts the amount of sodium.

After simmering for about 5 minutes, I added the last little bit of Kosher salt, pepper, and since I didn’t have red wine vinegar, I added balsamic vinegar. I was shocked at how flavorful the soup turned out considering its easy preparation. I was also amazed at how soft the veggies were after such a short cook time. The parsnips bring an additional flavor to the soup and the texture of the kale fits nicely with the beans (which I wouldn’t normally eat alone). I ended up with 10 1-cup servings of the soup. Typically, I would freeze half, but I have a feeling it won’t last long and I have family and friends to share it with during these cold days.

One thing that I learned after making this soup is that I am apt to follow a recipe line by line, especially the first time around. I should be less afraid to change recipes to fit my tastes and to explore new foods, such as kale and parsnips.

NEXT UP…to follow this incredibly healthy food…some not-so-healthy Valentine’s Day goodies!

Comments (5)

Fun with Sweet Potatoes February 7, 2011

Filed under: Crock Pot,Soup,Vegetarian — Luv What You Do @ 9:31 pm
Tags: beans, cat, chili, crock pot, Sweet Potato

Somehow I ended up with an excessive amount of sweet potatoes in my fridge. For my day in the kitchen, I searched through my binder for recipes with sweet potatoes. I settled on a chili and a bread, both fabulous in this cold weather. Then I made some sweet potato chips with my leftovers.

I started with the vegetarian sweet potato chili. All this cold weather has really put me in the mood for some chili and this is an easy crock-pot recipe. Begin by chopping an onion and a green pepper.

Place them in the crock-pot with the seasonings on the top. I’ve never used cocoa in a chili before, but I have heard that it is good.

Add canned tomatoes, beans, and chopped sweet potato. Then cover with one cup of water.

The colors in this dish are beautiful!

Someone heard the cans being opened and came looking for tuna fish.

Standing on the recipe is another way to get my attention.

I cooked my chili on low for about 7 hours. It turned out great! I got 6 cups making each serving 1.5 cups.

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Cut out from some magazine that I don’t remember

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped (I used yellow because I had one in the house but recipe calls for red)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed

1 15.5-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed

1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

-In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potato, and 1 cup water.

-Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 241

Fat: 2 g

Sodium: 1217 mg

Protein: 11 g

Carbs: 47 g

Sugar: 13 g

Fiber: 13 g

Tomorrow…I will post the Sweet Potato Bread! It’s a perfect pair with the chili.

Comments (4)

Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Half Homemade January 26, 2013

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Healthy New Year Soup January 2, 2013

Soup Before Sunrise March 26, 2012

32-Bean & 8-Vegetable Soup March 4, 2012

Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

A Chilly Run Followed By A Warm Soup February 12, 2011

Fun with Sweet Potatoes February 7, 2011

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Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Half Homemade January 26, 2013

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Healthy New Year Soup January 2, 2013

Soup Before Sunrise March 26, 2012

32-Bean & 8-Vegetable Soup March 4, 2012

Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

A Chilly Run Followed By A Warm Soup February 12, 2011

Fun with Sweet Potatoes February 7, 2011

Being Me

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