Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

When I was a kid my most dreaded dinner was a white bean/ham hock soup my Mom made. Oh man, did I dislike that soup. It stunk up the house, I thought it tasted like ham-flavored chalk, and pretty much made me gag. Its only saving grace was the homemade bread that was usually served with it. Even today, when my Mom tells me she's making that soup, I cringe a little.

I'm sure my teenage dramatics were responsible for my hysterical reaction to that meal, and I'd even venture to guess that if I had it today I might like it. That's because we've become bean fanatics around here lately.

Tony Horton says in Bring It! that beans are "a near-perfect food...loaded with protein, fiber, and vitamins." He also says that we ought to incorporate one cup of cooked beans four to five times per week.

Black beans, a personal favorite, have 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber in one cup. They're also cheap! Buy them in cans or in bulk. The only catch to canned beans is that many are very high in sodium, so try to buy low-sodium beans or drain and rinse the beans before you use them.

To help get you started with beans, here is a recipe for Southwest Bean Chili that I've used for several years. I got it from a plain old Crockpot cookbook, and it has displaced pretty much every other chili recipe I have. It's that good! I made it this weekend and added a pound of ground venison, and that turned out just fine, too.

Southwest Bean Chili
-1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 1/2 cups frozen corn
-2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
-1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
-1 can (14.5 oz.) Mexican style stewed tomatoes, undrained
-3 TB chili powder
-1 TB cocoa powder
-1 tsp. ground cumin
-1/2 tsp. salt
(optional) cooked brown rice, shredded cheese, olives, avocado, green onion slices, sour cream

Combine all ingredients except rice and toppings in slow cooker. Cover and cook LOW for 6 hours or until veggies are tender. Spoon into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

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Workout of the Day

P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. 

We're going old school this month! Classic P90X month two schedule. My arms are still shaking.