Hey guys!
I must admit, all of your squirrel comments from my lunch post cracked me up! :D Who knew us Canucks had Craaaazy squirrels!? lol. What do your squirrels look like? I’d like to know!
Flashback….
These lil guys (ok they are pretty BIG) drive Sketchie nuts all day long! He runs from window to window chasing them! lol.
Workout
The gym today was great! Sally asked me what speed I go on the elliptical and I honestly had no idea! :) So I took a look today. I went around 135 ‘rotations’ or ‘cycles’ per minute. At incline 12 and resistance 10- that is tough!
Before my workout I had a quick snack on the go:
The lo-down:
- Duration on elliptical: 37 mins.
- Resistance: 10, Incline: 12
- Max heart rate: 178 bpm (91% of max)
- Avg. heart rate: 161 bpm (83% of max)
- Feel the burn: 350 kcal
Not an ounce of soreness since I have been working out! WHOHOO!
After my workout I was starving, so I had a Green Monster (Kale, Vanilla Soy Milk, and pineapple):
and some hummus, carrots, and paprika:
And a handful of Amy’s Organic Crackers (I was hungry!!!)
For dinner, my goal was to use up the 1/2 cup or so of Mashed Sweet Potatoes that I saved as leftovers from the other night.
I came up with this…
Sweet Potato Pinto Burgers
Ingredients:
-
1/2 c. mashed sweet potatoes (cooked)
-
2 1/4 cup Pinto beans
-
1 tsp Paprika
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1-2 cloves of garlic
-
fresh ground pepper
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2 tsp Olive Oil
Directions: Throw all ingredients into a food processor and blend, stirring often. Form patties with hands and place on well-greased medium skillet for about 4 mins. each side or until lightly brown. The burgers did not stick well together at all, so I would suggest adding a couple Tbsp of whole wheat flour to help with adhesion. Makes 5 patties. I was starving so I ate a patty’s worth while I was making them (hey, I had to sample my new creation!) :)
Wedding Dress Plan: To save calories, I have an open faced burger with only 1/2 of the large whole wheat bun. Since I was hungry, I knew I wanted a second burger, so instead of using bread, I created a burger with two large tomato slices. It was awesome!
The tomato patty:
These were SO SO good. Seriously damn good. I was impressed.
Calorie savings: 100 for the open faced burger + 180 for the tomato burger. Total savings: 280 calories
Dessert:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce + 1 Tbsp homemade Almond Butter (heated up for 20 seconds)- delicious!
Day 12 (or is it 13??) complete!
Have a great night everyone! You know what tomorrow is! ;) See you tomorrow for FAQ’s! I am also trying on my wedding dress tomorrow AM and will be talking about any progress!
Off to watch The Office and work on the new website!
“I am often asked how I stay so consistent with exercise. [When I am not recovering from an injury] I enjoy working out 6-7 days a week and I have done this for at least 3 years. I feel my best when I do. How am I able to stick with it day in and day out? I have made exercise a habit. Just like how I don’t question whether I will brush my teeth in the morning or eat breakfast, I also don’t question whether I will work out. I just do. It is a habit and it is part of my day! The only times when I do question whether I will workout is when I am not feeling well, or I literally am too busy and won’t have time. Other than that, I suggest…JUST DO IT.” :) ~Angela
Those burgers look phenomenal!
That is such a great idea to use a tomato as a bun! I love tomatoes and I think this might even taste better than bread, or at least with something like a sweet potato burger.
Those sweet potato pinto burgers look so delicious! I am going to have to make those for dinner asap! I just started my own blog so please check it out! :)
www.innerwellness.wordpress.com
Love the idea of teh sweet potato burgers.
There is a pic of one of our yard’s resident squirrels that tortures Mowgli. I think its the standard squirrel down here (although I did have an albino one near my apartment in St. Paul).
http://bitesoftheday.blogspot.com/2008/07/little-visitor.html
Those burgers look great! I was curious, does your hubby eat the same things you do for dinners etc., or do you usually have his-and-hers meals? (Don’t mind me if you’ve mentioned this before, I’m a semi-new reader.
Those burgers look fantastic!! I love the tomato sandwich idea!
Yum, love the recipe!
OMG it’s like I wrote your ending quote myself – I have said the exact same thing to people who ask me how I keep it up! It’s just a habit – I don’t even think about whether or not I’ll work out anymore. It’s agood thing! :)
Thanks for answering my question about elliptical speed!
I don’t eat grains which means no bread, so I’m always looking for ways to make sandwiches bread-free. Some of my favorites include using half a bell-pepper as the bottom layer (especially good when roasted/toasted/broiled first!), making a lettuce wrap with big romaine lettuce leaves and simply placing the burger on a big pile of lettuce or spinach. Yum! Good luck with your wedding dress “fitting” tomorrow!
Oh good tip! And some good eats as well. I’mglad the working out is going so well!
I know you use almond butter instead of peanut butter, but I know that you’re trying to also save some money. When I looked at the prices the last time I went to the store, almond butter was nearly twice as much as peanut butter. I know you’re making your own now, so it would be cheaper, but I’m wondering why you made the switch to almond butter.
SWEET POTATO!!!!!!
dinner looks great!
I’m glad you’ve found a way to stay active that doesn’t hurt – I know that’s got to feel great
My friend and I just made these and loved them. We added green pepper, onion, chives, and bread crumbs to the patties instead of flour. I know you posted this 3 years ago, but I love that I can just type in an ingredient, like “pinto bean,” and this recipe appeared and really made our night. Creative! Thank you.