Meatless Monday: Beans

Beans:

Just like eggs, we eat a LOT of beans. Full of protein, heart healthy, and inexpensive as well.

Black bean quesadillas:

This is the number one thing that we make with beans. We have these at least once a week.

What's nice is they are versatile as well. Throw in salsa, avacado, sour cream, veggies - whatever you got and whatever you want. I like mine with a little ranch, and lots of cheese and lettuce. Brigham dumps hot sauce all over his. So fast and easy!

Bean tacos:

Hamburger is so expensive and can be fatty as well. I've found if you cook a can of kidney or black beans in taco seasoning - just as you would meat - it tastes the exact same and we don't miss hamburger at all.

I'll cook up some kidney beans in taco seasoning and throw them in pretty much any Mexican cuisine to replace the meat.

• Hard-shell tacos
• Soft-shell tacos
• Tostados 
• Taco Salad

I'm not the biggest fan of enchilada's so I haven't tried any of the several recipes that I've pinned yet, but the theory is essentially the same, just replace the meat with beans. I eventually want to try this Black Bean Spinach Enchilada recipe. Sounds healthy and could be pretty tasty!

If you don't like beans IN your Mexican food, you can be like Brigham and just add some chili powder, hot sauce, and lime juice to some black beans and pair that with a cheese quesadilla, that way you still get your protein.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa:

I've made this salsa a billion times, partly because it's to easy, and partly because it is SO delicious. Even my kids love it. I found the recipe on the back of a Western Family can of Black Beans:

1 can (or 2 cups) of Black Beans Drained

1 bunch of green onions sliced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 can (or 2 cups) of whole kernel corn drained

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chopped jalapeno peppers

salt and garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. EAT.

I let it sit for awhile to marry the flavors, and I like mine chilled. But then I eat it all. We will serve this for dinner with tortilla chips and some Mexican rice or cheese quesadillas. When tomatoes are in season we eat this a lot. It's full of veggies and has your protein with the beans, and it just tastes so fresh. You could also season it whatever way you like. Make it spicy, or add a garlic spin, or put in some cilantro or lime juice. Whatever you want! Ugh, now I'm craving this badly.

Baked Beans:

If you want to take a break from the Mexican bean meals, you can always make a good dish of baked beans. I have a slow cooker cookbook that has a billion baked bean recipies that I go through and combine a couple of them based on what I have around the house. Slow cooker baked beans are delicious.

Pair them with a baked potato and some corn on the cob. Or eat them with some steamed veggies. Basically, they'll take care of the protein if you're craving some bbq but don't have the meat.

Vegetarian Chili

My husband sure is a fan of chili. There are eighteen hundred different recipes for chili, including vegetarian chili recipes. On allrecipes.com I found a Unbelievably Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Chili Recipe. This might be helpful for you to use if you want to try it out.

Just like with the Baked beans, I usually combine a bunch of different vegetarian chili recipes based on what I actually have around my house. Some recipes you can throw in lots of veggies, some are more tomato-y, and some are more soupish. We prefer a more traditional chili recipe at our house and if I remember correctly, the one I linked above sticks closely to that. But you can just research the type you want to make and experiment with the different types of chili since there are SO many options.

Hummus:

I am not a fan of hummus; the texture really gets to me for some reason. Even if I enjoy the flavor, the texture of hummus throws me off and I really don't eat it. However, for the general population, hummus tends to be a favorite which is good because it's high in protein, since it's made out of garbanzo beans, and you can eat it on celery and other vegetables for a super healthy snack. There are tons of recipes for different variations of hummus, which I would recommend because garbanzo beans are so cheap and store-bought hummus can be expensive. 

There is one recipe that has been tempting me and that is Avocado Hummus.

This recipe has simple ingredients and, maybe because I love avocados so much, actually sounds good to me. I'd have to try it to find out, but I am veeerrry curious. For all you other hummus-lovers out there, with the avocado it has even MORE protein. So you've either got a protein-packed snack or lighter meal for lunch.

Roasted Chickpeas:

A great high-protein snack is roasted chickpeas, or garbanzo beans.

I've made these and they are pretty good. You can make them in many different flavors; this picture is a recipe for sweet and salty roasted chickpeas. I like them because they are crunchy and curb my craving for chips or popcorn.

Garbanzo beans are SO good for you. They have tons of protein and fiber, help prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent iron deficiency, and more. Studies have shown that people who have healthy diets already and eat these everyday have additional health benefits than those who don't.

Seven Layer Dip:

I love seven layer dip. It's easy to make, so so so so good, and a crowd pleaser. 

Although this might not be AS healthy as some of the other bean recipes because you are using refried beans, cheese, and adding sour cream, it still has the protein and you can pile it with salsa, tomatoes, avocado, onions, and whatever other vegetables you want on it.  It really can be a meal in and of itself with the protein, dairy, carbs, and vegetables.

For a casual Friday dinner, we've had huge helpings of seven layer dip and chips with corn on the side or rice. Just make sure that for every can of refried beans, you mix it with one tablespoon of taco seasoning. That's the secret to making it taste awesome. For years I was making seven layer dip without that key step. Finally, I complained to my mom that my dip never tasted as good as hers, and when I described how I made it she quickly pointed out my error. Don't skip that step. You'll regret it.

Those are my basic bean recipes folks. You can find way more if you try and you'd be surprised how much you can do with those things. As my dad would say:

Beans beans, good for the heart,

The more you eat them, the more you fart,

The more you fart, the better you feel,

So lets eat beans for every meal!

Protein Meals with No Meat

I've often been asked how we get protein in our kids and our diets when we rarely buy meat. In fact, we get plenty of protein and use meat only a few times each month. Although our kids are quite the vegetarians and despise most meat, Brigham and I love ourselves a good hunk of beef, chicken, fish, or pork. It's just too dang expensive for us to regularly buy, so we treat it like a treat instead. Eating semi-vegetarian can also be a healthier lifestyle since we are avoiding many of those fatty meats.

So what meals do we come up with that don't include meat? I mean what can you have for your main dish if you don't have meat? Well there are plenty of things. And often the meals don't include too much work to make since meat is usually what you have to spend so much time prepping and cooking.

I've broken down some of our go-to's based on the different kinds of proteins that we use. However, after compiling a list of our favorite dishes, I realized I had way too many for just one blog so I decided to do a new blog segment about mostly-vegetarian meals. Lets make it Meatless Meal Monday...well after today since it's clearly not Monday. This time we'll start with eggs. I hope you enjoy!

Eggs:

Eggs are a staple in our diet. They are cheap and delicious and we have them a few times a week. Here are some of our favorites.

Breakfast burritos:

These are a delicious, hot dinner that you can whip up quickly and make a variety of ways, depending on your mood. Scramble up some eggs, saute some onion and mushrooms, warm up some tortilla's, and toss it all together with some cheese. Sometimes we'll cook up some of the Banquet precooked turkey sausage, that you can buy frozen for a dollar, and throw that in there too, yum.

Or add some potatoes, or salsa, or ham, or whatever you like! Rummage around your fridge to see what you think would be good in your burrito.

I recently pinned this breakfast burrito idea, because I thought it would be awesome to make a bunch and freeze them. Then, when I'm too lazy to even whip up scrambled eggs and tortillas, I can just warm some frozen burritos up. I think next time we have breakfast burritos, I'll just whip up a few extra while I'm at it so we can freeze some for later. Genius.

Eggs and cheese will give you any protein you're looking for, especially if you add ham or sausage. Extra bonus if you use whole wheat tortillas since those are packed with protein as well.

Egg Salad Sandwiches:

Mmmm, we love egg salad sandwiches and you can eat these for lunch or dinner. What's nice is that you can make it ahead of time, when it's convenient for you, and then it tastes even better as all the dressings and eggs marinate together.

Breakfast for dinner:

From scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or omelettes that you can fill full of healthy veggies, we have a lot of dinner options when we make breakfast for dinner. We'll pair ours with toast, hash-browns, and fresh fruit. Omelettes are another great way to change up your eggs by adding whatever you want or have around the house. You can cheesy, veggie, or meaty.

Egg McSandwich:

One of my favorite breakfasts, lunches, or dinners is what I call an Egg McSandwich. Basically an egg McMuffin, but we rarely have English muffins, so I just use bread.


I fry up an egg, slather some mayo and mustard on toast, layer a piece of ham and cheese, then let the hot egg melt it all together. I seriously eat this every morning for breakfast when I'm pregnant. I find the protein keeps me full, which wards of sickness, and it's mellow enough that I don't immediately puke.

We often have these for dinner as well because they are so yummy. Sometimes I have them twice a day: once for breakfast and then again for dinner. They have some fat, however, so I probably should watch my Egg McSandwich intake. But they will provide that hearty protein meal you're looking for and are scrumptious.

Chef Salad:

And finally (I told you we eat a lot of eggs), we really enjoy chef salad. Cut up some hard boiled eggs, avocado, carrots, cucumbers, ham, croutons, green onions, broccoli, or whatever you want, and throw it on some lettuce and spinach, and you've got a super healthy dinner. I let my kids eat some extra eggs or garlic toast on the side as a reward for eating their lettuce well.


And for those puking right now from pregnancy (ahem, Caitlin), as I very well know, lettuce is the devil to barf up - number one worst thing, in fact. So just have all the chef salad toppings without the lettuce. You'll be surprised at how delicious a bunch of hard boiled eggs, avocado, carrots, celery, broccoli, cucumbers, croutons, all mixed together and covered in dressing is. I actually eat it for lunch all the time and call it my peanut salad since I add peanuts (more protein!). It is SO good. With the eggs it because high protein and low carb. Perfect.

Hard boiled Eggs:

Hard boiled eggs make for a delicious, fast, high protein snack. You can cook a bunch up one day and then have them ready to grab and go. I love them. In fact, we fight over them at our house and complain at whoever ate the last one.

So there are our main egg recipes. Simple, easy, delicious, and full of protein. Next up: beans.

Calling Friends and Family

Well folks, I gained some weight during my Christmas vacation. To be expected, but not welcomed at the same time. Not only that but I've been in a rut for awhile with my eating. My self control has took a serious plummet.

After talking with my family and finding that we had some common problems and that we all wished we could help each other, we decided to set up a healthy living blog. While some of us want to lose weight and some of us want to eat better, or some just want to help support others, now we have a way to do it even though we don't see each other everyday.

The blog I set up will be a great way to do this. Because everyone will be different in their goals, it will be simple and easy and a great way to just try to be more healthy. I'm excited to join with my friends and family in working together towards better health. My mom did a similar blog like this before and said that it really helped her and she really liked it. So she inspired the idea and I put it together with her help.

So any one of my friends or family that want to join and participate in this blog, send me your gmail address and I will add you. We are starting Monday and going private so get me your info and join us on living more healthy.

I'm super excited! If you want to just check it out before we begin, just look up http://findingourfitandfabulous.blogspot.com/ and see what's going on. Please don't be afraid and join us. I love helping others try to be better and getting tips and support in being better myself.

New Segment: Body Boosts

This segment has been a long time in the making, and I'm finally coming around to it. I think one of the reasons that I've been putting this post off for so long is because I knew I would need to start out with my story from the beginning. Just thinking about it makes me feel flushed and nervous. But here goes:

Most of the people I see day-to-day didn't know me back in high school. But if they had, they would know a different girl. In fact, when I tell people that I used to weigh 210 pounds in high school they often reply with, "I just don't see that" or "I can't picture you like that at all". And while it might be hard to believe, it is true.

These pictures were taken during a church history tour that I went on my junior year of high school. I started putting on weight during puberty and due to my love affair with food and laziness, I steadily put it on and on and on. At first I didn't really know that I was. I was just discovering what a body image was, let alone figuring out what mine projected.

But soon I did learn. I'll always remember the day in fifth grade that the high school marching band came to play for us at the elementary. I was curious about the clarinets because I thought that I might like to play one someday. As the clarinet section marched by, I was suddenly horrified by a large girl marching around with her clarinet. Her bulky frame was so unattractive to me as a fifth-grader, and I naively scorned her thinking to myself, "I will never be a fat clarinet player marching around like her!"

I'll also always remember the day that I realized I was JUST like that girl. I WAS the fat clarinet player in the marching band. I was exactly what I abhorred years earlier. It was that year, my Sophomore year, that I started to truly understand how I looked. First it started with comments from people I thought were my friends, then it was comments from family. Then it was not finding a prom dress that I could actually fit into for the Young Women fashion runway show. I slowly started to hate myself. And then I naturally turned to food to make me feel better. Those two things combined only led me further into a downward spiral.

If you go back and look at any picture of me during my high school years, it's easy to see how uncomfortable I was. Every day I either wore baggy t-shirts or hoodies to hide. In almost every photo, I'm in a giant hoodie, and I had plenty to cycle through. When I think back now, I realize I still didn't really understand what was going on. All I knew was that I was fat and that it was hopeless. I would try to eat less and fail. And then I would give up and eat more because it was hopeless anyway, and that made me feel better. I remember being put on diet pills and forced to stick to protein diets from a well-meaning dad who struggled with the same issue and just wanted me to be happy. I remember sobbing on my bed in pain and having my mom come in and cry with me because she couldn't stand to see me hurt so bad. I remember looking in the mirror and hating myself every.single.day.

The thing that hurt the most was that I never got asked to one school dance. Not one. It still hurts. I've always wanted to go to a school dance and wear a beautiful dress with fancy done-up hair. I've always loved dressing up. Watching all my friends leave on their dates and knowing it was a night in for me was awful. I wanted to be beautiful and special. It wasn't only that, but I felt as the oldest child, I was letting my parents down too. I was keeping them from experiencing prom night with their teenager because I was fat and worthless. It was all such a disappointment and made me hate myself more.

I remember seeing my senior picture and hating it with everything I had. My senior picture ended up being done by the the school and I had tried on dozens of outfits to wear but I couldn't find one that I liked. I looked bad in everything. I remember picking my big, blue shirt out because it was my go-to shirt that worked. I wore it even though we had been warned not to wear blue because the background would be same color.

When my mom put the biggest print of it in a frame and displayed it on top of the piano, I wanted to die. I begged her to take it down, but she refused and said it was a good picture of me. I looked good she said. I remember cringing every time I walked by. I hated it. All I saw was fat and ugly. And you know what, it's still hard not to look at this picture and still feel that about that girl. Along with sadness and pity because I know how much that girl hurt inside.

Despite feeling determined to change things my senior year, I didn't improve much and I still ate like a grown man (working at KFC/Taco Bell didn't help much). However, I did start to exercise more. I would go on walks by myself, and even jogs sometimes. Then I left for college. It changed everything.

College was a complete fresh start. I felt it when I left and utilized the opportunity. First of all, without a pantry constantly stocked full of food I loved combined with living off a college student income, I suddenly had a lot less food at my disposal. Choosing my own foods when I went grocery shopping and purposefully avoiding the junk - knowing I would gorge if I bought it - really helped. Add that to an active job of cleaning a cafeteria, weekly ward basketball/flag-football/volleyball, having to walk anywhere I wanted to go, and a new habit of daily runs, things started changing. And I loved it. I started feeling good about myself and I'll never forget the first thing said to me when I stepped off the plane to visit for Christmas, "You're face is SO thin! You look great." I remember looks from old ward members at the Christmas party that had me smiling and then the icing on the cake during that holiday trip home was being asked on a date by the guy I had been in love with for the last two years (who cares if he was a jerk that night).

I still hid behind the same black pullover (which I still have) and my self-esteem wasn't great, but I gained more confidence in my abilities. The thing that really helped me shed the final pounds was a full time job where all I had to eat was what I had packed that day, and a daily morning jog with the best friend a girl could have. Just a half hour, five days a week.

In that first year of college and first summer back home, I lost sixty pounds! I was in the normal weight range for the first time of my life and the consistent compliments from people just kept me going.

I also started dating a lot. For the first time guys were actually asking me out instead of the other way around. And eventually I met my husband and got married. I remember when I fit into a size ten wedding dress, I almost cried with happiness. Maybe that's a big size for you, but for me it was a miracle. And I have never felt more beautiful than on my wedding day.

I wish it were all a fairy-tale story after that and that I have manged to stay skinny and beautiful forever. But alas, I will always, always, ALWAYS struggle with my weight, my self-image, and self-control. Plus having babies is hard on a body. 

Once I was dead in the stress of marriage, working, school, and pregnacy, I fell back into bad habits and put on a lot of weight. I had already gained a bit of marriage weight and when nine months pregnant I actually got back up to the heavy weight I had been in high school (which I swore I wouldn't get to). I then assumed all that excess weight would just shed off with the baby.

It wasn't until we had family pictures taken a couple months after Lydia was born and looking through them, that I realized the weight wasn't going anywhere. In fact it was going up. All the old feelings of self-loathing came back.

I couldn't believe I had let myself get to this point again. I knew I had not been watching what I ate and my exercise was slim to none. I had let every excuse of pregnancy keep me from being healthy. The thing that I probably hated the most was that my body felt heavy and bulky again and I had little energy. And when you start running when your body feels like that, running=the devil. Running is hard anyways, but when you have no energy, extra baggage, and no conditioning, getting yourself going is the worst part and you feel like you have cement bricks tied to your legs during the run. I longed to be past that arena of mud-running and to the confident, great, workout run that knew existed. So I changed my mind set once again and determined to get the weight off.

Let me tell you baby weight is THE hardest weight to come off. I have had a lot of chances to lose weight people and baby weight sticks like glue. So all you moms out there do not be hard on yourself, just keep going! Eventually it does come off. It took me a good year before I finally felt comfortable with myself again. I know because we took my daughter to the zoo a few months after she was born the pictures were just depressing.

I truly felt like a gorilla. But then after my daughter's first birthday, I was going through the pictures of her birthday trip to the zoo and realized all my hard work had paid off, I actually liked what I saw.

I determined to never slip back to those same habits. And to some degree I haven't. With my second pregnancy I exercised SO much more and I ate so much better. I still had some weight to lose afterwards (of course, NORMAL women always will) but I had gained a healthy amount and lost the excess in a healthy amount of time.

The picture above is five months after Ammon was born.

And the next picture is nine months after Ammon was born. It was also the first picture that both my mom and sister called me skinny.

And now I'm where I am today. Honestly, I am probably the thinnest I have ever been, I run farther than I ever have, and can do more than I ever thought possible. In fact I just recently won second in my division at a community 5k.

I'm not saying this to toot my own horn. It's to show where I've come from. Honestly, when I look at this picture, it's hard to believe it's me. Why? Because I still battle fat-girl mentality everyday.

I was recently told that I need to accept a compliment when I'm told how good I look. It's very hard for me. I still struggle with body image, self esteem, and staying on track. I still love food and I am a very emotional eater. I celebrate with food, I comfort myself with food, when I'm mad at someone I get back at them by eating food. It almost never fails making me feel better...for the short term. It has taken me these YEARS to learn how to mange these compulsions. And fighting them is a constant battle. I am also still naturally lazy and the workout drive declines quite often. As I recently discussed this with my sister-in-law, I realized that until I don't have these tendencies, I don't think I'll ever feel skinny. I fight that fat-girl every day and I have weeks were I slip right back into the bad habits I've spent years overcoming. Then I spend time in fear, self-loathing, and panic and have to get back on track the next week. As you can tell it's still a work in progress. But you know what, that's all it needs to be is progress. And look at where I've come from. I have learned to manage my food compulsions and laziness. I also have become dedicated to health and fitness. I know our bodies are meant to MOVE, and now my muscles ache to get used again after the weekends rather than complain from being used. And exercise feels good now, rather than all torture (still some torture, lets be honest, but good torture now). I enjoy the treats that I do indulge in so much more because they are special and my body isn't already loaded with so much garbage.

I have also gained such a testimony that God gave us these bodies and we are to learn how to overcome the natural man and push past the laziness and gluttony. It has brought me so much closer to Him as I develop self-discipline. It has also taught me that it's not all about how I look. While I may sound so concerned with image and weight, and although that's what started this whole journey and begrudgingly will probably always be a part of it, I have learned that being healthy and fit matters more. I really am passionate about that. I want to spread the news of the importance of health to everyone. When you're healthy and fit you'll feel good, you're quality of life improves, you can do so much more, and looking good just naturally follows. It's awesome :)

As you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about this aspect of life and I have plenty to say on the matter. That's why I decided to start this new segment. I've been at both ends of the weight spectrum and I know what it's like to yo-yo, to look at the start of it all and feel so intimidated, to be in the middle and sweating through the rough parts, and to look back and see where you've been. I also have studied so much on the subject, and have lots of tips and ideas to share.

So welcome to Body Boosts! Posts with my personal insights on how to improve that body you're living in and mine as well. I'm grateful for my body. I want to build it to be the most beautiful temple it can be. And what better way than a few pick-me-ups, or boosts, here or there? I hope you enjoy what's to come and I promise that the posts won't all be as weighty (no pun intended) as this one.