Work Gets in the Way

I can't believe it's been so long between this post and my last one! Mostly due I believe to the extra time I've been at my regular job and how worn out it makes me. The good news is that more savings get put away for retirement, the bad news is that I have less time right now to do that which is enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I still get out and about on some weekends. Katrina makes sure of that. But during the week it becomes a drudge just to go through email, much less write about life and food. 

So I took the plunge and bought the new Blackberry Storm II. Now I can get my email anywhere I go, from all of my services. This should hopefully give me more time to write. One of the email groups I am a part of can sometimes get more than a hundred posts during a single day! This will allow me to sort and delete on a better time-line during the day, and not be stuck going through so much at once when I get home. Plus I now have Wi-Fi and can go to the Web whenever I need to without incurring the wrath of the IT snoops at my workplace. 

On to important news! 

I have promised that I would share some bean recipes, and so I shall. The following ingredients are what I add to every pot of beans that I make. The only variable about these items are the quantities.

• Jalapenos ( red and green )
  
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cayenne or Paprika
• Cumin

There are several ways to prepare the beans themselves. You could use a crock and slow cook them from scratch, or use a pot on the stove top the same way,  or do it the easy way and buy canned beans and just cook long enough to blend the flavors together. Your choice. Depending on the time I have, my favorite is the crock pot, but most of the time it's can city baby! The beans I use most are:

• Pinto beans ( whole- not refried )
• Red Kidney beans
• Navy beans 
• Great White Northern beans
• Black beans
• Red Chile beans in a can
• Garbonzo beans in a can
• Lentils

I also use in varying quantities:

• Precooked Rice- brown is best
• Canned Corn
• Mushrooms
• Beef or Pork

The best way to find out what suits your tastes is to experiment with all of the ingredients and find the flavor you like the most.

A recent example of what I prepared is:

• 1 whole Sweet Onion-diced
• 1 large clove of Elephant Garlic-chopped fine
  
• 4 green Jalapenos - sliced
  
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1 package Baby Bella Mushrooms- sliced 

 Cut and put in a large pot on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and cook till onions are translucent.  Then add:

• 1 cup Precooked Rice
• 3 cans Whole Pinto beans
• 2 cans Whole Red Kidney beans
• 1 can Garbonzo beans
• 1 can corn

Bring to a slow boil and simmer on low for one hour. Stir every 10 minutes to keep the bottom from burning.

This will give you a dish with plenty of flavor, spice, lot's of protein and the added value of little or no fat. 

You can add meat too. But just get something like a pork loin which has less fat, or a beef cut that has the fat trimmed off.  Add the meat in large pieces to the onion and garlic mixture right at the start, simmering  for 90 minutes after the beans are added. That gives the meat a chance to get tender and shred easily.

Well folks, I hope this helps those who want to lose some weight without starving. I know it has helped me. This mornings weigh in on the Wii was 217. Down 4 pounds from my last post. I still am somewhat hungry most of the day, but at least my navel isn't rubbing my backbone. And eat some veggie or fruit snacks every few hours,  it will help stave off the hunger to some degree. Plus it will help make your poop float! It's alway's healthy to keep the colon running smooth and easy. Most importantly, eat a decent breakfast. It will set the tone for your diet all day long. I have had great luck eating Kashi mixed with blueberry's, blackberry's raspberry's and banana's. Pour a bit of 2% milk over it and I am ready for the world!

Oh yea, be ready for the gas, it's gonna happen!
WP