Black Bean Sliders

I think over the weekend I am going to make some black bean sliders in respect to my vegetarian friends. If you're reading this Moe, come over. I got this recipe from a page on Facebook. Check them out... https://www.facebook.com/VegetarianRecipes247

The burgers:

• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp canola oil, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium chipotle pepper, seeded & minced
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp minced cilantro

The sauce: 

• 1 California avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 2 tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small chipotle pepper, seeded & minced
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 8 whole wheat dinner rolls, but in half
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

Instructions 

The burgers:

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic, chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Saute for additional 2 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into the food processor. Add black beans, brown rice and lime juice. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.
• Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and the cilantro. Stir the mixture until combined.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/4 cup each) and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs.
• Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat. Add the patties and cook for 3 minutes per side. If the skillet is not large enough to fit all of the patties, cook them in two batches.

The sauce:

• While the patties are resting in the fridge, make the sauce.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the avocado, cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, chipotle pepper and salt. Puree until smooth.

Assembling: 

• Divide the avocado sauce between the rolls (about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sauce per roll). Top each with one black bean patty and one slice of tomato. Serve.

Sounds like a lot of work but really it's just a bunch of ingredients to give the burger texture and flavor due to lack of beef. Comment below if you give this a try and I will do the same!

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Why Losing Fat is Important.

Found this picture on Facebook and had to share. This does not mean if you are real skinny that you need to lose more fat. This is for people who are above their BMI and need to lose fat.

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Smoothie's False Identity

We have all had smoothies before. There are several places to go to get them like Smoothie King, Smoothie Factory, and Jamba Juice. They promise good health and the perfect drink before or after a workout. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, smoothies seem to be a very tasty way to stay healthy. Today I am going to tell you why I think smoothies are overrated and why you should be more careful when choosing one to supplement your diet or workout.

I have been a big fan of smoothies for a long time. They taste great and you feel like you are being supercharged. I never would of thought something that seemed so healthy could actually be worse for you than the products they try to replace. For this post, I will use Smoothie Kings drinks for my examples.

Sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. That is what you get when you order almost anything off the menu. Yes, a lot of it does come from real fruit and that is great and all, but the amount of sugar is mind blowing in some of these drinks. They still use syrups and other liquids in these drinks that are not natural fruit. The protein shakes like Gladiator and The Shredder have fairly low amounts of carbs and sugar, so that's good. They also pack a lot of protein so I can safely say they are good for after workouts. Although, when you add the two fruits to it, they do get a little bit of sugar added. The rest of the drinks, start at around 30 grams of sugar for a small drink and can go up to 200 grams for a Hulk large. The Hulk large also has 60 grams of fat. That is like eating 3 hamburgers from McDonalds with 4 large cokes to chug it down with. Granted, the McDonalds meal has tons more sodium than the Hulk large, but I still don't think it's a "healthy" drink.

Another thing I hate about smoothies is that they are so expensive. For a medium, plus the tip they make you feel guilty about, it is around $8-9. Wow! For around that much I could go to Le Peep and have an egg and ham breakfast with fruit and a tall glass of water and it would be miles healthier and delicious. I could think of a dozen more options I could spend that money on that would get me a better meal than a smoothie.

The last thing I will say about smoothies is that you need to make sure you research them before you make it a habit and become overweight all of a sudden by being "healthy". Get a smoothie if it makes sense, otherwise pass and get something better.

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Fitness Apps

If you are reading this blog, then chances are you are technologically aware enough to have a smart phone. Whether it's Droid of iPhone, they both have apps that you can download from their market. Today I am going to share a few of them that I have used before and liked.

Pumping Weight
iOS App
This is real useful when planning out your workout routines and charting your progress through the weeks. It let's you chart how many reps and sets you do for each exercise and categorizes muscle groups. I started using it this week and it helps me log my workouts easily.

iMuscle
iOS App
This is amazing! It starts with a 3D body and when you chose the area you want to work on, it shows you a list of exercises to do that work that specific muscle. You can also log workouts and track your progress. This is a little more detailed than the one above, but I personally will probably start using this one after a while.

MyFitnessPal
iOS and Droid
This allow you to keep track of what you eat through out the day. The database of foods they have is very current and accurate. I used this when I first started dieting and it really helped me control my eating habits. After a while I didn't need it because my habits were gone.

RunKeeper
iOS and Droid
I'm not much of a runner, but this app makes running a little more fun. This is a GPS enabled app that tracks where you run and logs your time and distance. It allows you to set goals and you can even brag about your improvements on Facebook. It's pretty much like the Nike+ but Nike isn't paying me so I am sharing this one haha.

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