THE BEST Black Bean Burgers!

These are hands down the best bean burgers ever! The recipe is from The Eat Clean Diet Recharged.

 
Paradise  Island Bean Burgers

Ingredients

1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 clove garlic chopped
2 Tbs leeks whites only, chopped (I usually just use onions.)
2 Tbs pumpkin (canned) or sweet potato mashed (I've only ever used sweet potatoes.)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs EVOO

4 Toasted thins, whole grain buns, wraps etc. Anything you like :)
Toppings of your choice. 

* TIP: I use spinach instead of lettuce, just for a little extra oomph in the health department! I don't notice the difference, so why not?! It's all about the smart little changes :)

Directions
* Mix all ingredients except EVOO and buns in a large bowl. Coat clean hands with olive oil to mix.
* Divide mixture into equal fourths, shape into patties.
* Heat grill pan over medium flame and coat lightly with oil.
* Add patties and cook 5 minutes per side or until patties are "golden" and crispy.
* Serve on toasted burger buns.
* Top with your favorites!

Number of Servings: 4

One time I made these and after I had started realized I didn't have the mashed sweet potatoes. I thought "Oh, it's just 2 tablespoons, I'm sure it won't make a difference." Uh yes, it makes a huge difference! Don't skip it, you've been warned! :)

The end of an era

So Piyo is complete, (it's the end of an era) and I have to say that I was really surprised with how much I loved it! I am moving on to the 21 Day Fix Extreme again now and after those 21 days are complete I think I will revisit Piyo again and keep it in the mix of my regular workouts. {{ The Buns video was AMAZING and it may just be my fave from the whole program! }}


So what have I noticed from my Piyo experience?

1. A huge increase in my upper body strength. All those planks and tricep pushups are no joke! My arms feel super tight and toned.

2. My legs look longer to me because they definitely leaned out more. (This program really took care of that saddle bag area that I HATE but always seems to return!)

3. I gained A LOT of flexibility. I'm not really a fan of stretching and although I work out pretty much everyday, flexibiity is certainly in a whole other bracket of it's own - a bracket I am not in! I am really amazed to see that I can stretch a lot further than before.

It was so nice to try something so new and different!

The secret is, there is no secret!

Do you suffer from all-or-nothing disease? I am a chronic sufferer and may have even been born with it and it has effected every aspect of my life. Good news though for you fellow sufferers, I found the cure! It's The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy and it is SO AMAZINGLY good.

The principals of this book certainly apply to EVERY aspect of life and this all-or-nothing girl is working hard to apply what I am learning. SMALL, SMART CHOICES + CONSISTENCY + TIME = RADICAL DIFFERENCE.

Our world screams at us that instant life changing results are possible with no work and no waiting and it is simply not true. It is a thinking that is hard to let go of but if you are willing to change your thinking you can truly change your life!

Piyo: Day 10 ROCKED!

What can I say, this program is just full of surprises!

 
Today was Piyo Core. I haven't done this one yet and as someone who LOVES doing abs and loves the 21 Day Fix Flat Abs routine, I must say, "Chalene, you rocked my world girlfriend!!" I loved this entire video! Standing abs, plank abs, side bend abs, I  loved everything! It was so different than anything I've ever done before and I can't wait until its core day again and I can go into it a little bit more prepared now that I've done it once. I especially loved the series at the end. She shows you one thing and then another, you do each move individually and then put them together in a flowing sequence and it seriously makes me feel like Wonder Women! Seriously, it's this cool powerful feeling just to flow through all these empowering poses, bend, lift, POW, trust me you'll feel like a total vixen!

A definite make-againer!

 Taco Quinoa Bake

Ingredients:

1lb Lean Ground Turkey – 4 RED containers
1/2cup uncooked Quinoa – 2 YELLOW containers
Black beans, rinsed - 2 YELLOW containers
1 14oz can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)
No Salt added Tomato Sauce – about 4oz
1 Large Zucchini Squash – 2 GREEN containers
1 bell pepper, chopped - 1 1/2 GREEN container
1 onion, chopped - 1/2 GREEN containerr
Shredded cheese – 4 BLUE Containers
2 tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
3 Garlic Cloves minced
Cilantro chopped fresh

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 9×13 glass baking dish with coconut oil and set aside.
2. Prepare quinoa as directed.
2. While quinoa is cooking, spray skillet and place on med-high heat. Add garlic and ground turkey. Break up meat and add your Chili Powder and Cumin as it browns. Before all the way cooked through, add your peppers, onions and can of diced tomatoes (I leave the juices in). Adjust seasonings to taste. 
3. Add shredded zucchini squash to your meat mixture. Allow to simmer until the veggies are tender.
4. Remove from heat and add your quinoa, black beans, tomato sauce, and 1 blue container of shredded cheese. Mix together.

5. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with cilantro and remaining 3 blue containers of cheese.
6. Bake uncovered 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.
7. Divide into 4 equal portions.

I served this meal with a side of broccoli and Train ate everything! He loved it so much and mama loved knowing that this meal was FULL of healthy veggies!

Eat your heart out Cinnabon!

 

Shakeology Cinnamon Bun 

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
dash of salt
1 egg
3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
3/4 tsp cinnamon (divided in three)
1 tbsp agave nectar (divided in two)
1/4 cup 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
In a bowl combine baking powder, Shakeology and salt. Mix well. Add the egg and almond milk and blend until dry ingredients are wet.

Pour half the batter in a mug, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and drizzle 1/2 tbsp of agave nectar. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and drizzle with the remainder of the agave nectar.

Microwave for 90 seconds. When it's done the edges will pull away from the sides.

Pop cake onto a plate to cool.

In a bowl combine the yogurt, cinnamon and vanilla and pour on top.

Voila!

What do Piyo and Avatar have in common?

Piyo reminds me of the first time I saw Avatar. When that movie came out I did not want to see it! I had no interest and turned down opportunities to go see this “amazing” movie everyone was talking about. (When you read that sentence roll your eyes when you read the word "amazing" and you will get a sense of how I really felt about it!) I mean, I was just so sure that I wouldn't like it, they're blue with tails for goodness sakes! 

So, I went to my parents house one night for a movie night and guess what they chose, that's right, Avatar. I begrudgingly started watched it with them. About 45 minutes in we stopped it to get snacks and my dad turned around to see me perched on the couch, hands under my chin with tears in my eyes totally entranced. There was no holding back for me, “Oh my goodness, I love this movie, It's like one of the best movies ever!” I seriously loved it...lesson learned. Piyo, you are my Avatar. I give you my deepest apologies because it turns out, I actually really like you, I am so sorry I doubted you. 

I am back to Define: Lower Body again today and it was good. Even though it's only the second time through I feel more familiar with the moves and am able to stretch a more.

If  you feel that Piyo would be a good fit for you, send me a message to find out more and join this recent skeptic in her next accountability group!

 

FYI: I don't typically work out with make up on and my hair down but with a 20 minute workout you can literally squeeze it in before any outing which is what I did today! Done and done and on with life :)