Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or 2 teaspoons minced garlic from jar
• 2 tablespoons diced spicy pepper (like jalapenos) (15 rings from jar)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups grated raw sweet potato
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Use medium ice cream scoop to shape them into even portions, than flatten into patties.
Place bean patties on sprayed wax paper on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

They are SO good!!!! I put mine on a Garden Spinach Wrap and sprinkle a little shredded cheese and lettuce! Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!

Health risks from sugar

Learn the top 4 reasons why sugar should get the boot from your diet.

1. High Blood Pressure - Normal nitric oxide levels keep blood vessels healthy and open. Too much sugar in your diet decreases nitric oxide levels, causing blood vessels to become narrow, which causes high blood pressure and an increased risk for cardiac disease.

2. High Cholesterol - People who consume too much sugar are more likely to have lower levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, higher levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, and higher levels of triglycerides, or blood fats. This clogs up arteries and blood vessels, leading to heart disease.

3. Liver Disease - A diet high in sugar is believed to exacerbate fatty liver disease. Too much sugar spikes insulin and drives fat into the liver cells, which causes inflammation and scarring, eventually causing the liver to become cirrhotic.

4. Insulin Resistance - When sugar enters the body, insulin opens the door to allow sugar into the cells. However, when there are continuous sugar spikes, insulin becomes less effective. Sugar can’t get into the cells and become “stuck” in the body, producing toxic effects that lead to obesity and the threat of diabetes.

Skinny Taste

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Video of Riley as a puppy

Feta Eggs Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon I can't believe it's not butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Pour in eggs. Cook, stirring occasionally to scramble. When eggs appear almost done, stir in chopped tomatoes and feta cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until cheese is melted.

7 ways to make water taste better

1. Add fresh fruit. Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and oranges, are classic water enhancers, but other fruit flavors might also tempt your taste buds. Try crushing fresh raspberries or watermelon into your water, or adding strawberry slices. Cucumber and fresh mint are refreshing flavors as well — especially in summer.

2. Use juice. Any fruit juice can be a good base flavor for water, but tart juices, like cranberry, pomegranate, grape, and apple, are especially delicious. Go for juices that are all natural, with no added sugars. And remember: Fruits and their juices don't just taste good — they contain vitamins and antioxidants that can benefit your health too.

3. Make it bubbly. Many people prefer sparkling to still water. If plain old water isn't inspiring to you, try a naturally effervescent mineral water — which will give you the added benefit of minerals. Or try bubbly seltzer, a carbonated water. You can add fresh fruit or natural juice flavors to your seltzer, as suggested above, or look for naturally flavored seltzers at your local market. If you become a seltzer devotee, you might want to consider getting a seltzer maker for your home.

4. Get creative with ice. Some say that ice water tastes better than water served at room temperature. If that's so, flavored ice cubes may make an even better drink. Use some of the flavoring suggestions above and start experimenting with fresh fruit, mint, or cucumber ice cubes. Simply chop your additive of choice, add it to your ice cube tray along with water, then freeze. You may also consider juice, tea, or coffee cubes. If you want to be more creative, use ice cube trays that come in fun shapes, like stars, circles, or even fish.

5. Drink tea. Herbal, fruit, green, white, and red teas are generally considered to be better for you than black teas (or coffee, for that matter) because they contain little to no caffeine. And there are countless flavors of these teas to choose from. Start with the selection at your local market or health food store. If you're interested in pursuing more exotic flavors and sophisticated teas, start researching the vast array of specialty teas that come from all parts of the globe.

6. Try bouillons, broths, and consommés. If your palate leans toward the savory, you may pass on tea and start sipping one of these hot and savory liquids instead. Choose low-fat and low-sodium versions for maximum health benefits. Because soup is water-based, a cup of hot soup will count toward your daily fluid consumption.

7. Add fast flavor. If you're looking for a quick-and-easy flavor booster, you might also consider sugar-free drink mixes, and flavor cartridges that can be used with your faucet filter system.

Black Bean Burger

Ingredients

* 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
* 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
* 3 cloves garlic, peeled
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs


Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 198 | Total Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 53mg

Sour Cream Cucumbers

I used Light Sour Cream by the way!




Betty Host's Cucumbers in Sour Cream

4 medium cucumbers, sliced thin (Grandma peeled them but it's up to you)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Vinegar (Grandma used white)
1 Tablespoon sugar (or a little more -- I like a little more)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (Grandma used McCormick's "It's a Dilly," which is discontinued. You could also use fresh dill - about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Dash of pepper
Sliced red onion, optional

Put sliced cucumbers in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and toss. Add vinegar to cover. Let stand 30 minutes -- no longer. Drain well.

Mix the sour cream and seasonings.

Toss the cucumbers and onions, if using, with the sour cream mixture. Chill well.

How to MAKE A CHEAT SNACK HEALTHIER

Best Black Bean Soup Ever!!!!

Black Bean Soup

This is easy and really delicious. I dont have a blender....so we used our food processor! Ingredients: * 2 15oz cans black beans (drained and rinsed) * 2 cups of fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth * 1 cup medium salsa * 1 tsp ground cumin * 1 can corn * nonfat plain yogurt or sour cream ( I used yogurt) * parsley * shredded cheese * Cayenne pepper sprinkled on top Directions: Lightly puree one can of black beans with broth, salsa and cumin in a blender. In a medium saucepan combine pureed bean mixture with remaining beans and heat through. To serve, ladle soup into four bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of yogurt, shredded cheese and garnish with the chopped cilantro. Also delicious with pita wedges or tortilla chips (nacho chips).