Thrifty Thursday: Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

We all know beans are cheap. Very cheap.  And, very healthy (who says healthy foods are always expensive?!).  This meal was so cheap, it was scary (ok, that was a Halloween pun that's slightly late). If you want this meal to be even cheaper, omit the ham, but....I think the ham was integral.   You may be thinking, "how could soup be a meal??".  Well, this soup was very hearty and filling (check out the fiber, how can that much fiber not fill you up?!).    

    

I added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Serves 9

Modified slightly from a recipe found on AllRecipes.com

Total Price per serving:  ~ $1.45

Ingredients

3 (15-ounce) cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained **

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/4th cup unsalted butter

1 cup diced onion **

3 cloves chopped garlic **

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

4-cups low sodium beef broth **

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree **

1/2 lb. cubed cooked ham

3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet this is just not a good recipe to make!

Directions

1.  Pour two cans of black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the entire can of tomatoes.  Blend until smooth.  Set aside.

2.  Melt butter in a soup pot (or a large saucepan) over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until the onion is soft.  Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, and sherry vinegar.  Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes (or until thick enough to coat the spoon and stick to it).  Stir in the ham and heat through before serving.

3.  Garnish with whatever you'd like (I added plain Greek yogurt and a bit of hot sauce to mine!)

This is the consistency of "Smooth" in my opinion.

Estimated Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 200 calories, low cholesterol, EXCELLENT source of Fiber and Vitamin A, good source of Iron and Vitamin C.

I recently found another great pumpkin soup recipe in our Columbus Dispatch.  It called for one of my favorite ingredients; nutritional yeast.  I hope I get around to making it.  I might just Pin it on Pinterest or post it on Facebook or Instagram.  We shall see.  Happy Thursday everyone! 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Loaded Potato, and a Supplement Drink Review

Happy Hump Day everyone! I hope this week is going well for you. My week has been much better than the previous weeks, that's for sure. Buying a new house has been a lot more stressful than I thought, and Nick is also changing jobs and starting with a new company soon, which adds to the stress. It's a risky move, but I think it will be a good one (more information to come, as well as some updates on my own work life..more stress....).

On Monday night I made a sweet potato recipe that I found on Jessica's blog, which I will post another day, but today it's loaded baked potato time!

Quick, Healthy, and Cheap Recipe #23
Loaded Baked Potato

Ingredients

1 medium potato
1/2 cup broccoli
1/4 cup avocado
1 T blue cheese dressing
3 ounces grilled chicken
Pepper for taste

Possible Modifications

• Use any vegetable you wish, to replace the broccoli
• Use any dressing you wish (sour cream or plain Greek yogurt maybe?)
• Use more or less chicken, or even tempeh or tofu!
• Add any spices you wish
  

Instructions
- Poke some holes in a plain potato. Pop it in the microwave for 10-13 minutes, or until it's soft to your liking (you could also bake or boil the potato, but the microwave is much faster). Once it's finished, put it on a plate and cut it into four sections (or you could just cut it in half).

- Prepare the avocado by slicing it on a cutting board. Cook your broccoli (I buy frozen broccoli and steam it) and cook your chicken (I like to marinate mine in a little EVOO, then cook it on the stove until it's cooked all the way through).

- Add all the toppings in whatever order you wish. Then enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Ratings

Nick and I both gave this a 9 out of 10. Why had it been so long since we had made a baked potato?!?! They are so healthy, when prepared the right way (ie not deep fried or drenched in sour cream and cheese).

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will post about a new summer/spring spinach salad I've been making lately. Mmm, it's so good! I will also post some of the great nutritional benefits provided by the wonderful spinach plant (and when I say great, I mean it).

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a wonderful day!

New Kitchen, New Creations!

Thanks for all of your kind comments about our new house! We clearly have a lot of work to do, but like most of you said, it's important to stay positive and make it fun. We are really trying to enjoy every step of the way.

Did you think I had forgotten about my 2010 Cookbook?! I'll admit I've been slacking, but I'm still coming up with some good recipes, which are quick, cheap, and usually very healthy. I say "usually" because some, like the recipe below, should be served with a side of fruit and/or vegetable to increase the nutrient density.

Cheap, Quick, and Healthy Recipe #21
Not Your Typical Grilled Cheese

Ingredients
2 ounces (Processed) Swiss cheese
2 slices whole grain bread
1/2 cup spinach
2 slices turkey bacon (nitrate free)

Possible Modifications

• Use any cheese you wish! I used processed because that's all I had at the time!
  
• Add tomatoes or any other vegetable
• Use regular bacon (more fat, but some people prefer it)
  

Directions

1) Spray a large skillet with PAM or extra virgin olive oil (I prefer the latter). Heat the pan to medium.

2) Place the two slices of bread on the heated pan, and top with all of the ingredients (I put a majority of my ingredients on one side, but this isn't necessary).

3) After about 3-4 minutes, close the sandwich and heat one side at a time.

4) After about 2 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your bread) flip the sandwich.

5) Remove the sandwich from the heat once your cheese is nice and melted.

Sorry for the blurry picture!

Serve!

Because this recipe wasn't the healthiest (see nutrition facts below), it's best to serve it with some healthy components. Nick ate this with a side of sugar snap peas, broccoli, and a half of a sweet potato. The ketchup, well, I wouldn't recommend using as much as Nick! Even after I showed him that 2 T has 8 grams of sugar (that's ~1/4 of a man's total daily needs) and ~400 mg sodium (that's ~ 1/6 of your total sodium needs) he still insisted on using it. I'm buying the "low sugar" ketchup once we run out of this stuff! I hear Trader Joe's makes a nice one (thanks for the tip Evan!).

Nutrition Facts

With the addition of the broccoli, peas, and sweet potato, I'd be willing to bet this meal was at least a "B"!


Here is one of my latest random kitchen creations. I grabbed some cooked spinach, broccoli and carrots, then topped them with 3 ounces canned tuna (Albacore), 1 T nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup peach Chobani Greek yogurt (yes, I said peach!), and ~2 tsp Red Hot sauce. You know how the combination of salty and sweet is so perfect? So was this meal.

Here is my new favorite breakfast combination. It's oat bran, Truvia, ~2 T raspberry flavored soy yogurt, ~1/4 cup organic plain yogurt, ~1 T ground flaxseed, and ~ 1/4 cup frozen blueberries.

This keeps me full for a good 2 hours, which is fantastic for me!

Coming Up

I already showed you the inside of our fridge, so tomorrow you will get a peak inside our cabinets and freezer. Our new house has a lot more storage space, so I'm a happy foodie :)

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great day!

Grass-Fed Beef and a Bean Burger Recipe

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. This was a particularly exciting weekend for me. Nick and I are officially in contract for our house! We put an offer in and it was counter-offered, then we counter offered the owner's counter offer, they counter offered again, and we accepted! We are moving in on April 23rd. I may take a couple weeks off from blogging while we get settled. But BOY are we excited!

Now I'm diving right into today's blog post topic:

Grass-Fed Beef

If you've read any of the posts by Evan at "Food Makes Fun Fuel", you have at least heard of grass- fed beef. Heck, you have probably heard of it anyway. Truth be told, I've never tried it.

A couple weeks ago The New York Times' "Well Blog" posted a great article about the benefits of grass-fed beef, compared to grain-fed beef.

Pros

• Lower levels of unhealthy saturated and trans fat

• Higher levels of Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
  

• More vitamins A, and E

• Twice the levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which may have chemoprotective properties and also may help prevent other chronic diseases.

• May be better for the environment, compared to grain-fed beef.

• 100-percent grass-fed beef is typically free of antibiotics and hormones (not always...).
  

Cons

• Regarding the "lower levels of saturated fat and trans fat", well, you can buy lean grain-fed beef (90 percent lean and 10 percent fat), which also has incredibly low levels of unhealthy fat.

• The levels of Omega-3 found in grass-fed beef are still far lower than that found in salmon and tuna.

• Some grass-fed beef may have a "grassy taste". I don't think Nick would like that a whole lot....

• It's almost three times as expensive as regular, grain-fed beef.

• When the label says "grass fed" it may not mean the cattle were fed grass their entire life. It could mean they were fed grass just at the beginning of their life. The article said to look for the label from the American Grassfed Association for assurance that your beef was likely on a 100% grass diet, throughout their life.
  

** Check out this fantastic article about the difference between grass-fed and grain fed beef; CNN.com (article) **

Quick, Cheap, and Healthy Recipe #17
Bean Burgers

Ingredients
1/2 diced onion
1 can drained black beans
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 slice cubed whole wheat bread
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Canola oil for frying the onions and the burgers

Possible Modifications

• Use any spices you wish
• Use any type of bean (pinto, red, etc.)
• Use any type of flour or bread
  

Instructions
Sautee the onions until they are soft to your liking. Puree the beans in a blender, or mash them with a fork in a medium (don't make them too smooth, chunks are good!). Add all of the ingredients to the mashed/pureed beans.

Form the mixture into 6 medium sized (~1/2-3/4 inches thick) patties (or you can make them larger and make 4 or 5 patties). Add a bit of canola oil to a pan and heat the oil on medium. Disperse the oil throughout the surface area of the pan, and then fry away! Cook until they are slightly brown on both sides. Cut through to the middle to make sure they are hot inside. Then enjoy.

I served Nick's burger with some cheese and pickles, with extra pepper on top.

Nick's Rating: 9 out of 10

I didn't try one because they contained wheat, plus I don't really eat beans because they give me awful gas (I would have to take about 5 expensive Beano in order to prevent the gas.....). So Nick had the pleasure of enjoying these babies. He loved them.

Nutrition Information

Coming Up

Tonight I am heading over to Urban Active for a couple hours, to market our services some more. As for tomorrow's post, well, I'm fairly certain it will be focusing on body composition. What is a healthy weight and body fat? What are the factors that effect our weight status?

Have a great evening!

Mock Pesto with Brown Rice Pasta

I have a couple things I want to say. First, I updated the list of food I eat at night, on yesterday's post, so if you were one of the first 15 people to read it and you want a really candid view, check out the "night time eating" section again! I realized I wasn't completely honest, so I added more foods as I thought about it more. I do more mindless eating than I thought (I paid attention to it last night), so if you're curious, check it out.

Second, I was wrong about 1/2 cup cooked vegetables counting as 1 cup of vegetables, apparently that's not true anymore! Yikes, I need to update my MyPyramid knowledge. It is true for some veggies, mainly leafy greens. To learn more, click here. That being said, I only counted cooked veggies as 1 cup one time, so I still reached my fruit and veggie goal.

I received a lot of questions on yesterday's post. I tried to answer most of them, but some of you don't have blogs so I don't know how to contact you. Please leave your e-mail if you ask a question, thanks! If you asked about Nutritional Yeast, click the link to read more. Here are a couple of questions I received:

Q: I get really bad stomach pains occasionally from eating certain foods and have to take gas X. I don't take it consistently because I'm afraid that taking too much gas X or beano would have negative effects on me somehow. So sometimes I just suffer through the pain! I know from reading your blog that you rely on beano and (I think) Gas x for your stomach and I was wondering what your opinion was about taking these regularly!

A: This really depends on what you mean by "stomach pain". If it's gas and bloating, I say take the Gas X, if it helps. But remember, Gas X will not prevent gas and bloating, it will help relieve your gas and bloating (aka, it helps you fart!). If you want to prevent it in the first place, take Beano. I really don't think you can take too much Beano, as there is no note on the bottle as far as how many to consume in a day. It's very safe, and very effective. Rather than being afraid to eat veggies, I say take Beano whenever you can! As for the Gas X, the box says no more than 4 in a 24 hour period. If you take Beano, you shouldn't really need the Gas X, but if your stomach pain isn't from gas and bloating, you may want to see a doctor.

Q: Do you follow a general calorie allowance each day? or just follow your hunger cues? how often do you work out? do you incorporate both strength and cardio?

A: I typically consume around 1700-2400 calories a day (2400 on weekends because we eat out and I usually have drinks). I don't count calories, and I do eat by my hunger cues (intuitively!), but I have counted my calories before so I know the rough estimate of how many calories I consume. I workout 5 days a week, for 45-60 minutes each time. I do pilates and/or yoga twice a week, weights (using the band, and 8 pound weights for my arms and legs) about 3 times a week, and the elliptical or treadmill 4-5 times a week, for 30-40 minutes each time. I am also very active during the day, and rarely sit. This helps. Exercise is NOT the only thing you should do to maintain weight. If you aren't active during the day, exercise isn't going to make much of a difference. I stand all day, rather than sitting. If you can do that, I suggest it (I put my laptop on my ironing board!)

Quick, Cheap, and Healthy Recipe #13
Mock Pesto and Noodles

I love pesto sauce, who the heck doesn't?! But I don't always have the ingredients on hand. For my 2010 cookbook I wanted to come up with a recipe for pesto that uses ingredients that most people have in their home, which is really the purpose of my cookbook. With this idea I decided to try my own version of pesto, using dried basil and walnuts (or any nut). Thanks to my handy-dandy Magic Bullet, this was achievable.

I used brown rice pasta, which is both gluten and wheat free (yeah!). For anyone who is on a gluten or wheat free diet, I recommend this product as an alternative to whole wheat noodles. The nutrition facts are fairly similar, although the brown rice pasta has less protein (kind of a bummer if you are a vegetarian).

Ingredients In Mock Pesto Sauce
(makes 3 servings)

1/2 cup half and half **
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup walnuts
3 T basil
1 T parmesan cheese
1 t olive oil
1 t garlic powder **
1/2 t salt

Directions
Throw all ingredients together in a blender or Magic Bullet, and blend!


**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, be aware that the half and half and garlic powder contains FODMAPs.  You could use a garlic-infused oil instead, and omit the garlic powder, but if you're lactose intolerant the half and half may cause problems.  Look for a dairy-free half and half or take a Lactaid pill if you want to try this recipe!



Possible Modifications

• Use any type of nut, or pine nuts
• Use less milk or less half and half to make a thicker sauce
• Use any type of milk
• Add more basil
• Add other spices

Nutrition Facts
(includes the pesto sauce plus 1 cup whole grain pasta)


I served it with my turkey meatballs and a side of spinach and green beans.

I also served it (another night) with some fun green "spinach" noodles.

My Rate: 7.5 out of 10
It was good, but definitely not pesto. I may try to work with this a little more to make it thicker. It has true potential!

Coming Up

I may or may not post tomorrow, as I really need to catch up on reading all of your blogs! I am getting behind again since I will only allow myself to read 15 per day.

Thanks for reading, and have a great night/day!